Jordan Senn is an excellent coverage player on special teams Photo: Beaverton Valley Times

All season long, we've talked about the dramatic turn around of the special teams unit. Last night was probably the best example of just how much better the coverage units are. Darren Sproles is an outstanding returner, and last year his 2 TD returns against the Colts put Indy in an early and deep hole. Last night, Sproles averaged only 20 yards a return on kicks and one punt return for 4 yards. This forced San Diego's offense to consistently start deep in their own territory.

A big reason for the improved coverage is Adam Vinatieri. His kickoffs are either soaring into the endzone or dropping down at or near the 2 or 3 yard line. Hunter Smith has also greatly improved his kicking. Rather than out-kicking his coverage unit, he is hanging the ball up more, giving his speedy coverage guys time to get down field and make the tackle.

Another big reason for the improved coverage is better players. Gone are the Aaron Mooreheads and Kenton Keiths, replaced by players like Jordan Senn, who was promoted to the active roster because of his outstanding play covering kicks and punts.

According to Football Outsiders, the Colts special teams still ranks near the bottom overall (23rd). This ranking is dragged down mostly due to the poor job the Colts have done returning punts and kicks. The Colts rank -6.3 and -3.1 on kick and punt returns, respectively. These poor rankings are really a result of losing TJ Rushing during pre-season and replacing him with an assortment of different players, from Courtney Roby to Justin Forsett to Pierre Garcon to (now) Chad Simpson and Keiwan Ratliff. Ratliff is sort of "meh" fielding punts, but Simpson seems to hit his lanes hard, which is a welcome change from all the dancing Pierre Garcon does.

Of course, no special teams discussion can conclude without talking about Adam Vinatieri's FGs. He has won two games this season on long, last-second FGs. Both were on the road. He also kicked a long FG against the Patriots that ended up being the difference in Indy's game against them several weeks ago. It is very possible Vinatieri could go to the Pro Bowl this year because of his last second heroics kicking FGs.

While both the offense and defense have struggled this year, it has been the special teams that have played the most consistently well. And if the kick and punt returns can get better, the specail teams can start to become a weapon the Colts can use to help win football games. My goodness, what a difference a year makes.

Redemption for Mr. Money:

Adam Vinatieri kicks 51 yard FG to beat Chargers in San Diego. BigBlueShoe loses his mind and bans any and all posters who dare to question the might and awesome power of THE Adam Vinatieri.

And yes, I had to post the Beefcake pic. Had to. Look at that face and love it people. Love it.

Go Colts!

So, why did Adam Vinatieri have such an up-and-down year last season? He was playing on a bad knee, but never once used it as an excuse:

With eight touchbacks through eight games [in 2008], Vinatieri would seem a lock for a career high. He had 10 in 2005 and 2006.

The difference, Vinatieri said, is health and emphasis. Vinatieri fought the lingering effects of a broken bone in his foot in 2006, then played last season with a left knee problem.

So, when he was kicking game-winning FGs against the Broncos and Ravens in 2006, Vinatieri was struggling with a BROKEN BONE in his foot. Last season, he fought his way through playing on a bad leg, and all many of us Colts fans did was bash him and say he was "done."

Now, he is healthy and booming kickoffs. He also just won AFC Special Teams Players of the Week for kicking his second, long, game-winning FG this season. His improved kicking is a big reason why the special teams have been so much better in 2008.

"[The touchbacks are] like a breather," special teams standout Melvin Bullitt said. "That's a 60-yard sprint, and it's almost like, 'Thank you, man. I'm going to have great field position and a little more energy for defense.' "

There is a reason I simply do not tolerate talk of replacing or cutting Adam Vinatieri. Name me one other kicker in this league who is tougher than Adam V? Name me one other kicker that is more clutch?

You can't. So don't bother.

Again, keep your playoffs chokers like Nate Kaeding. While other teams fight over the rights to 40-year-old Matt Stover, our guy kicks FGs and wins games with  broken foot. Adam is this team's kicker, and that is exactly how it should be. Without Adam Vinatieri, this team would be 2-6 right now and we'd be talking draft; not fighting for the playoffs. I get really pissed when I see people bash Adam V, and now you know one of the reasons why.

We fans better appreciate how friggin awesome this guy is. He is a special, spceial player.

Week three has come and gone, and we still have not seen the real Indianapolis Colts. We've seen a pale reflection, a shadow of a team we know is much, much better than a 1-2 start. And with the way this pale shadow of a team has played, a 1-2 start is enough to have me doing back flips. Consider this lovely, oh-so-beautiful stat that should have all of you saying the famous Yogi Bera quote, "It is like deja vu all over again." The Colts have surrendered an astonishing 598 rushing yards and 3 TDs in just 3 games.

I don't care who you are, folks. If you surrender that many rushing yards, you are going to lose 2 out of every 3 games.

We can point the finger at the one person whose job it is to make sure the Colts have the players necessary to stop the run: Bill Polian. We can bash him if we want. We can scream and curse his name. Bottom line with all this is with DT Ed Johnson playing now, the Colts likely would be 2-1. The media will say it is the loss of Bob Sanders. They're dumb and don't know the team. We saw this defense stone teams from running the ball last year without Bob. This run defense was stout last season with Ed Johnson at NT, and right now it is shredded wheat without him. I don't want to hear Tony Dungy's blah blah blah mantra about how we have the right guys now to do the job.

598 yards, Tony. You don't have the right guys. If you did, you wouldn't be surrendering nearly 200 rushing yards a game to teams with a combined record of 3-6.

One of Joseph Addai's two TDs against the Jags? Why didn't Indy run the ball more?
Photo: Yahoo.com

We can make points about dropped balls, clock management, or why the Colts did not run the ball more even though they were averaging 6 yards a rush. All that is My Little Pony stuff when your defense surrenders 200 yards rushing. But like it or not, the Colts have a code. They have a system of player conduct and they enforce it, no matter what. Yes, Ed Johnson was the best DT this team had. Cutting him has cost this team a win. But I'll give Indy credit for sticking with their principles. Handing injuries, different story. Botching Peyton Manning's knee surgery, allowing it to happen in July when it should have happened in May, also cost this team a win. That's two games this team should have won, but didn't. It is indeed maddening.

This is why the bye week cannot come soon enough, and Bill Polian has his work cut out for him. Either Daniel Muir or LaJuan Ramsey can play DT for this team, or Bill Polian needs to trade for a DT who can. If not, this season is over. It is literally THAT simple. Peyton Manning is not healthy. He is having all kinds of problems throwing. Yet, in two games, he's led two of the greatest 4th quarter comebacks of his career. However, in those two games, the Colts are 1-1, and the reason the team is 1-2 is horrible defensive play. Today, the offense was 100% in the red zone (3 for 3). But two Manning INTs were a big reason the Jags won this game, and at least one of those INTs was a result of Manning's knee.

The comparisons to 2006 are scary, but unlike 2006 (which saw Indy start 3-0), this season's squad is limping out of the gate. It is almost comical how guys seem to get hurt literally EVERY DAY. I mean, is it too much to ask to have people on this roster who can play and not get hurt? I don't think it is toughness or softness or anything like that. We've seen this team play tough football many, many times. 

Shockingly, the one bright spot has been special teams. THEY'VE BEEN GREAT! Who is this alien dopleganger and what has he done with special teams coach Russ Purnell? Kick and punt coverages look good. Adam Vinatieri is rejuvenated. Justin Forsett making strides as a returner, signed only a few weeks ago. Coming into the season, the special teams was the weakness.

Now, it is the best unit the Colts have.

So as mad and pissed off as many of you are right now, know that it probably should be worse. This has been about as bad a first 3 weeks I've seen for this franchise since 1997, when they started 0-3, and eventually went on to 3-13. Yet, here they are at 1-2 with a chance to get healthy, get focused, and start playing Colts friggin' football. 

Many thanks to Chris at Big Cat Country for some nice cross-blogging. His Jags stay alive and, like our Colts, are limping. We, however, have the bye week to heal up while they get a 0-2 Houston Texans team next week. This bye week will allow us, as a community, to sit back and see if Bill Polian and Tony Dungy can fix this mess. If they do nothing, then they rsults post Week 4 better be different, or else the fan riots at Lucas Oil Stadium will bring new meaning to the phrase Make It Personal.

It is rare one gets a "must win" game in September, but that is the way it is looking for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It is a big game for the Colts as well. All division games are big. But, for the Jags, this is do or (perhaps) die. Starting 0-3, losing two division games in the process, is a pretty deep hole to climb out of. That is why we should expect a very determined, very "anything goes" attack from the Jaguars this week.

Week Three: Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium- Indianapolis, IN
Kick-off Time: 4:15pm Eastern
Broadcast: CBS

Like the Colts, the Jags are very beat-up, in particular along the offensive line. Their starting center, Brad Meester, tore his bicep. He’s just now coming back to practice. Their reserve tackle, Richard Collier, was tragically wounded in a targeted shooting. Collier is still recovering, and we wish him well in his recovery. OT Todd Wade has also been hurt. The spotted kitties are also missing their prized free agent signing, WR Jerry Porter. Porter tore his hamstring in training camp, and a torn hamstring is not something that heals in just a few months. With all these offensive line problems and the absence of anyone at the WR position who can do anything, the Jags offense has really struggled. David Garrard threw 3 INTs all of last year. He has 3 in his first two games this year. But it is not the Jaguars offense that has been the most puzzling. It’s their defense. Here is something from Chris on their loss to Buffalo last week:

Trent Edwards was 20-25 for 239 and completed his first ten passes. Mathis hasn't been close to his 06 form and like most recent losses, every defensive series can best be summed up with stuffing the run and giving a QB all the time he needs.

The Jags have had a hard time the first two games pressuring the QB. In Week One, they let rookie phenom Chris Johnson run all over them. In Week Two, Trent Edwards looked like Jim Kelly. Knowing this, and knowing that the Colts are likely to have TE Dallas Clark and OC Jeff Saturday back for Sunday’s grudge match, here are the keys:

• Jacksonville has a new defensive coordinator (Gregg Williams) and a new defensive approach. They blitz more, have more complex coverages, and do many different things to disguise both. The last time the Colts played a Gregg Williams defense, they lit it up. But that was then. This time around, if the Jags follow the game plans of Chicago and Minnesota by crowding the line of scrimmage, the Colts must protect Peyton as he will likely go deep, looking for the big play. For two weeks, Colts WRs (in particular Reggie Wayne) have dropped several passes that would have gone for TDs or big yardage. In the second half against the Vikes, the Colts finally started to hit on those plays, and it cost the Vikings big time. Peyton is getting healthier, and if you blitz or crowd the line against a healthy Peyton, you will get burned. This might be (and I stress might, because the Jags are good) the week Peyton breaks out and lights someone up.
  
• Containing Fred Taylor is a must. Last year, the Colts swept the Jags in dominant fashion because Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew were neutralized. This year, the Colts run defense has reverted to 2006 form, and the last time that kind of defense played the Jags the result was nearly 300 yards rushing surrendered. Eric Foster proved he is a keeper at DT, but he is under-sized playing "nose tackle" in the Tampa 2 scheme. Bill Polian said that Lajuan Ramsey will see more snaps at DT this week as he gets more comfortable playing in this scheme. The Colts run defense found itself in the second half of last week’s game, limiting Adrian Peterson to 39 yards on 16 attempts. But, with SS Bob Sanders out for 6 weeks, the Colts will not be able to run the same Cover 3 defense they deploy against teams who run the ball on them. Melvin Bullitt is a good safety and will fill-in just fine for Bob. But what is key are the DTs, Freddie Keiaho, and Gary Brackett. They must bring the ball carrier down hard.
  
• Justin Forsett needs to get the Colts good field position. Special teams could be the equalizer this week. Coverage units have played well, for the most part, and Adam Vinatieri is booming kicks into the endzone. But it is KR Justin Forsett who needs t make something happen. He showed promise last week, and now he needs to deliver some.
  

As always, Chris at BCC is cross-blogging here and doing some great things at Big Cat. It has been a joy to see BCC’s community grow and prosper. Contrary to popular belief, the Jaguars do have a passionate fanbase. This game will likely turn those passionate fans into wild, rapid dogs. This is a big game. Both these teams are rivals with a lot of bad blood. It will be nerve racking, but entertaining. Not used to big games in September? Welcome to AFC South football.

via www2.indystar.com

This weekend was a great weekend of football (and not just in the NFL), and there are lots of fun facts that occurred, a couple of them pertaining specifically to the Colts (All information comes from Elias, via ESPN.  Hit the link for more nuggets):

• The Vikings were 109-0 all time when they had at least a 15 point lead at home in the second half.  They are now 109 - 1.
• The Colts had gone 28 straight regular season games (33 incl. playoffs) without being shutout in the first half.  The last time it happend was Oct. 8, 2006 at home vs. Tennessee.  Strangely, dating back to 2002, the Colts have won 6 of 7 games in which they were shutout in the first half.  The one loss?  The first loss of 2005, which occurred in Week 15.
• Adam Vinatieri's GW 47 yard FG was his longest since a 48 yarder vs. Denver in 2006.  Last season, he set an NFL record for most FGs in a season (23) without having one over 40 yards.
• Brandon Marshall, with his 18 catches on Sunday, now has 55 pass receptions in his previous 5 games.  This breaks the previous record of receptions in a 5 game span of 52, previously held by Marvin Harrison (2002).
• Peyton was passed by his little brother Eli Sunday on the Most TD passes/start in September list.  Eli now has 23 TDs in 12 starts (1.92), which is second all time.  Peyton has 66 TDs in 35 starts (1.89).  Who's first?  Brett Favre, with 2.00 TDs/start in September.
• There were 8 games in which the winning team was trailing in the 4th quarter, which is third-most in NFL History.  Two times there were 9 such wins (Week 5 1990 and Week 2 1997)

More love letters from AOL Fanhouse writer Michael David Smith to Adam Vinatieri:

I could write a long essay about why the media's love affair with Vinatieri represents everything that's wrong with the idea of "clutch" players, but for now, let's just say I ripped Vinatieri, and a few minutes later he made me look foolish. Congratulations, Adam.

Ok, Mike. Write your essay. Backup your claim with some actual writing rather than the usual stuff we usually get from AOL Snickerhouse. I'll then write a counter essay on Vinatieri on how he embodies everything that is great about the NFL, and how he defines clutch. We'll let the readers decide who makes the better argument.

By the way, just to remind everyone, the Colts have won a Super Bowl since Vinatieri's departure from New England. The Patriots have none, and their replacement for Vinatieri (Steve Gostkowski) had a hand in New England choking in the Super Bowl last year. Bill Belichick did not have the confidence in Gostkowski kick a key FG in the Super Bowl from 48 yards out. Belichick opted to go for it on 4th and 13th. They didn't convert, losing the game later by 3 points. Yesterday, Vinatieri kicked a 47 yarder to win the game. The kick would have been good from 50+ yards.

Just saying.

 
 Photo: NFL.com

Week Two was even wackier and crazier than Week One. Who would have guessed the Chargers and the Jaguars would start 0-2, and the Tom Brady-less Patriots would start 2-0. This is why football is America's sport; why it dominates lesser professional sports leagues like baseball and basketball. The NFL is totally unpredictable while the other leagues seem to feature the same premiere teams year after year.

One constant in the NFL is Peyton Manning. With Tom Brady gone for 2008, Peyton is now the premiere player in football. Of course, we Colts fans know that even with a healthy Brady, Manning is still better.

Peyton, still forced to make both offensive and o-line audibles in the absence of Jeff Saturday, had to work with an offensive line missing 4 starters, including his left tackle Tony Ugoh. Ugoh got hurt in the second quarter and did not return. He was also without Dallas Clark and Jacob Tamme, his two best receiving tight ends. Yet, one again, despite all these annoying and (quite frankly) alarming injuries, the Peyton seemed to will the Colts back from a 15-0 deficit to score 18 unanswered points, with the final 3 courtesy of a 47 yard FG from a "terrible kicker."

Peyton was also working without a stable running game, again. He threw the ball 42 times, connecting on 62% of his throws. He's still a bit rusty, and not 100% healthy. He screwed up his time management late in the game. He made two horrible INTs. He's still not able to run the stretch play. This means he has to toss pitch the ball to the RB, who is usually met 2 yards behind the line of scrimmage. The stretch play is the bread and buter of the Colts offense. In all honesty, if they can't run that, then they shouldn't run the ball at all. Maybe a draw or a handoff out of the shotgun, but the toss pitch is just handing yards to the defense.

Still, despite all these obstacles, the Colts won, and Peyton Manning was the biggest reason why. Yes, other players stepped up, like Gonzo with his crazy lateral and 9 catches. Reggie had a TD and big catch to set-up the game winner for Adam Vinatieri, the best clutch kicker in football, who nailed it from 47 yards out. You might recall the last time this team needed roughly a 47 yarder to win. That guy shanked it. Adam drilled it. Money.

Make no mistake: This was a must win game. Confidence is everything in this league, and starting 0-2 pretty much dooms most team from winning their division, and in the AFC South it is damn hard to fight back into things after starting 0-2. To my knowledge, no team has started 0-2 and won the South. But this team is not 0-2. This team is still the best team in the AFC South. Dwight Freeney is back, and still destroying opposing left tackles. Eric Foster is definitely a keeper, and Joseph Addai still has a knack for getting tough goal-line TDs (yes, he was in; the friggin line judge saw it and called it).

Welcome to the wild and wacky world of pro football. It's never what you expect, and most of the time... that's exactly the way you like it.

We take a lot of what he does for granted, but it has always been games like this that we make Colts fans feel nothing but awe for Peyton Manning. I think the same should be said for Adam Vinatieri, who drilled the game winning FG with 3 seconds left from 47 yards. Yes, I know Adam missed a FG earlier, but so did Ryan Longwell (who is a pretty damn good kicker himself). And Longwell's miss was more devastating, coming after Minnesota regained momentum after a Manning INT. But when the chips were down and the money players needed to make money plays, future Hall of Famers Manning and Vinatieri came through.

For whatever reason, certain people just don't like Adam Vinatieri. And because of that irrational hate, they say stupid crap like this before the game was over:

One of these days, the TV announcers will realize what anyone who has watched the Indianapolis Colts in the last couple of years already knows: Adam Vinatieri is a terrible kicker.

Soon, one of these days, people at AOL will realize what many of us already know: Michael David Smith is a paid football blogger who doesn't know jack sh*t about football. Next time Mike, maybe hold off on the Vinatieri hating, because chances are the "terrible kicker" will kick a game winner, run out of the stadium with a smile on his face, and make you look like an idiot. Gotta love one of the four comments in Smith's silly thread:

This is a gag - right? If you are in the NFL (and not just writing about it) and you are a kicker who has played as long as Adam has you are a good kicker. Why don't you go to a restaurant and critique how good the food is.

Despite Vinatieri's money kick to Michael David Smith's nuts, Peyton will get much of the credit for the win, and rightly so. He was dominate in the second half, leading the Colts back after getting shutout in the first half. Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez also came up big, making big catches and big plays all game. The Colts averaged nearly 7 yards a pass, and if not for a tipped ball which resulted in one of Peyton's 2 INTs, the passing stats would have been better.

The running game, though, is a nightmare.

Now, to give them credit, the Colts were going up against one of the best run defenses in football. This defense is so good that, two years ago, the Patriots ditched their entire running game and played their offense out of the shotgun. And when the Colts needed key yards, like the short yardage TD and the two point conversion, the running game came through. All this despite the fact that the interior of the o-line is patchwork, and left tackle Tony Ugoh got hurt... again. Factoring in all that, a 1.3 yards per rush average makes sense, but it is still unacceptable.

The run defense was also not very good overall, but in the second half DT Eric Foster and the Colts defense dug in his heels in the second half, limiting the Vikings to 39 rushing yards on 16 rushes. The Vikings had 180 total rushing yards for the game, but much of that was in the first half. The Vikes were also held out of the endzone the entire game. The Colts game planned to bend, but not break. It worked.

Special teams also played well, despite Vinatieri's missed field goal. Tim Jennings downing a punt inside the one was a big momentum changer. The bottom line with this game is the Colts dug deep and found enough to eek out a gutty win on the road against a good team.

Many thanks to Gonzo and the Vikings fans for some great cross-blogging. Obviously, they are mad and frustrated, but they have a good team in Minnesota that, like the Colts, is still trying to figure out who they are. For Indy, the injuries continue to mount. Bob Sanders was carted off the field late in the game with an ankle injury. As stated earlier, Tony Ugoh also got hurt. We'll wait and see the extent of the injuries, but for now, enjoy the win. Go Colts!

SE: Hello there, welcome to Survivor: The Injured List, I'm your host, Steve Emtman.  Over the last few months we've watched as this group has battled through challenges, formed alliances, and taken every precautionary measure known to man all for one purpose: To stay off of the injured list.

As the weeks have gone by, we've seen player after player betrayed by their body in the challenges.  Heavy favorite, Peyton Manning was was knocked out in the (bursa) Sack Race.  Darkhorse Tyjuan Hagler was knocked off in the Feats of Strength competion.  And of course, who can forget how Marvin Harrison was disqualified after some accusations arose during the Philadelphia Hide & Seek Challenge.

Finally, after all the challenges and all the pain that's come along with it, we're down to our final two contestants.  To my right, is Gijon Robinson.

GR: Hey, wouldn't it make more sense if we weren't doing this game where all we do is injure ourselves?

SE: That's a stupid question.  Weren't you ever told not to ask stupid questions.

GR: Well I learned in school that there's no such thing as a stupid question.

SE: Where'd you go to school again?

GR: Umm...Missouri...

SE: [Glares at Gijon]

GR: ...Missouri Western State.

SE: Exxxxactly.  Now, on my left is our other finalist, Adam Vinatieri.  Gentlemen-

AV: Steve, I hate to interrupt, but I'd really like to know the answer to Gijon's question.  I think a legit question that deserves an answer.

SE: I guess you didn't learn about stupid questions either.  Where'd you go to school at?

AV: I went to State!

SE: Which one?

AV: ...South Dakota.

GR: [snickers]

AV: Hey man, don't even start knocking on the Jackrabbits!  [At least we cover a whole state!  None of that western part of Missouri garbage.

GR: Psssht, the western part of Missouri has more cool stuff than South and North Dakota COMBINED!

AV: Oh, that's it!

[Slap fight ensues]

SE: Alright you two, break it up.  You're going to need to save your energy for the final elimination challenge. 

To determine our Survivor, you two will engage in an old fashioned game of Roshambo!

GR: Um, is that even legal?

SE: Quiet, Missouri Western.  I should punish you for another stupid question, but since I'm a forgiving man, I'll stick with the rules and allow you to kick first since you finished first in last week's ACLerator challenge.  You can start in 5...4...3...2...1...

GR: [Kicks Adam in the man region.]

ARRRRRRRRRGHHHHH!!!!!!  OH MY FOOT!  I THINK I JUST BROKE IT IN FOUR PLACES!  WHAT DO YOU HAVE DOWN THERE?  BALLS OF STEEL?

AV: What else would you expect?

SE: Adam, it's now your turn.

GR: Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Hold up!  Timeout!  That's not even fair, man.  He's a kicker!  This is what he gets paid to do for a living!

SE: Those are the rules, man.

AV: How's South Dakota lookin' now, sucka?

GR: I take it back!  All of it!  Just don't raise that foo-

AV: [Kicks Gijon in the man region.  Gijon immediately passes out.]

Alright, so what do I get now that I'm the winner?

SE: You get to play Devin Hester!

AV: Can I play roshambo against myself?