Is Dan Orlovsky still Dan Orlovsky?... Archie Manning is never without an opinion... Peyton Manning has a "dystfunctional mess" awaiting his return... and the Texans are probably going to the playoffs with T.J. Yates...
FROM THE SADDLE (official team news)
- Jim Caldwell believes Dan Orlovsky has a "pretty good overall feel for the offense," judging by his ability to go through his progressions.
- After the Patriots jumped out to a big lead, Robert Mathis and Antoine Bethea brought the defense together on the sidelines: "We can't let this happen."
GREEN APPLES AND ROAD APPLES (media analysis)
- 18to88 thinks the new fascination with Orlovsky will soon quickly fade, as it did with Curtis Painter's flashes of worthy quarterback play.
- Archie Manning brings new life to the belief that Andrew Luck is just simply too mature to wait and learn behind Peyton Manning. "I doubt if either one wants to play on the same team." And the Manning-Luck drama rears its ugly head, once again...
- Bob Kravitz asks, "If you're No. 18, do you want to come back to this dysfunctional mess?"
- Dan Orlovsky led the Colts to a season-best 10-for-15 third down conversation rate (66.7%). On paper it looks impressive. That is until you remember he was playing against a secondary that has turned to their wide receivers for defensive help.
- The Texans can clinch a playoff spot (Texans? Playoffs?) with a win over the Bengals and a Titans' loss this weekend. Kill me now. Please.
- The Colts offense gets a spark of improvement, while the defense continues to regress.
- James Brown of NFL Today asked all of the right questions of Peyton Manning, prior to the match-up with the Patriots. Manning didn't reveal much, sticking to his usual evasive ways. However, Manning did mention that he will ramp up his throwing beginning this week.
- Paul Kuharsky writes the stock of the Colts offensive line is falling, accounting for four of the Colts' five penalties on Sunday.
APPLE PIE (SB Nation goodies)
- Andrew Luck will learn his Heisman fate this Saturday. Robert Griffin III is presumably the clear favorite to take home the award and justifiably so. If the candidates weren't so overly impressive this year, Montee Ball could have made a strong case for the honor.
- The playoff race only gets more intense this week, with several teams on the brink of securing a post-season spot. In case you didn't know, the Colts are not one of these teams.
As for the Heisman, I'm going with RG3. What he's done at Baylor, to bring such a school out of obscurity (yes, I know Luck has done great things for Stanford's program) and into the limelight, while conjuring jaw-dropping stats across the board is enough for me. The guy's athleticism is unreal.
That said, Luck is a very strong candidate in his own regard, especially when considering consistency.
Who's your Heisman favorite?