Recap Week Fourteen: Jaguars 44-Colts 17

by BigBlueShoe on Dec 11, 2006 10:39 AM EST in Game Recaps Comment 16 comments

BigBlueShoe throws the Colts defense under the bus

It is really, really hard to write this because, as a fan, you put so much love and support behind a team, you defend its flaws and trumpet its greatness, you pour yourself so completely into every win and every loss that most often each victory is as distorted as each defeat. I, personally, have always tried to keep an even keel. When the Colts win, I'm not calling them "America's Team" or annointing them the champions. And when they lose, I'm not calling for Tony Dungy's head, or advocating benching Peyton Manning for Jim Sorgi.

However, after witnessing a loss like the 44-17 Thai-boxing-style beatdown at the hands of the Jaguars, it is very hard not to keep the keel straight and steady. Right now, I feel like the Titanic rubbing my side against a giant mountain of ice. I want like climb up to the roof of my apartment complex and scream my head off at the sky. The only comfort, and it is cold comfort at that, I take from Week 14 is it seems every good team got their butts kicked. Dallas, New England, and the NY Jets were all soundly dominated by their opponents as well. Dallas, especially, got whipped at home and Tony "Jesus in cleats" Romo played terribly. The Seahawks lost to the friggin' Cardinals. If you're a Bears fan tonight, start praying. But it was not the surreal weirdness of Week 14 that has me in a funk this Monday morning.

It's the realization that this Colts team, as it is, will not win a championship this season.

I stated last week that I wanted the defense to show me something. They were embarrassed against the Titans, giving up over 230 yards rushing. After watching the game yesterday, I'd have been HAPPY if the Colts only allowed only 230 against the Jags. Despite a week which featured the GM openly challenge the defense, they responded with, quite possibly, one of the worst defensive performances I have ever seen. College games don't even feature contests where one team runs for over 340 yards. It has gotten to the point where teams don't even bother to throw.

Heck, why even have the QB! Just direct snap it to the friggin' back and it's a guaranteed 5 yards!

I know injuries are one of the reasons. MasterRWayne said it best in an email he sent me this morning:

Last year you, rightly, asserted that the middle of the defense was bulwarked with Simon, Brackett and Sanders all playing. This allowed being very physical and containing the run and thereby holding teams on the pass and generating big plays via sacks and interceptions and that method worked almost flawlessly for us last year. This year though we have been plagued by injuries. In yesterdays game we lost [Antoine] Bethea and Marlin Jackson in the first quarter. We were down to our fourth and fifth string safeties playing. We also lost Raheem Brock later in the game. The Jags didn't do anything fancy as they just ran the ball right into the middle of our defense every time. Gilbert Gardner was so bad that he was benched for Boiman in the third quarter. We are basically so good at pass rush and coverage that teams won't even try to throw on us. Del Rio also went for it on 4th and 10 in the first quarter and we held them and briefly took a 10-7 lead. It was downhill for them on out.

The issue is that this team simply cannot win a super bowl with this many injuries to key players on the defense. We might just have to wait until next year for things to work out. That said I am just tired of the defense holding this team back year after year with the only exception being last year as well.

After watching tape, it is pretty clear that this team has exhausted all of its depth. With Bethea AND Jackson out, Matt Giordano and Dexter Reid were the safeties.

These two guys STINK.

Gene Hackman calls for the benching of Gilbert Gardner

As special teams players, they are quite good. But as starting caliber safeties, they were an embarrassment. The same goes for Gilbert Gardner. He's horrible. I never want to see him play a snap on defense again. Even if his replacement, Rocky Boiman, gets hurt, I STILL DON'T WANT GARDNER PLAYING. It's like that scene in Hoosiers when Gene Hackman only puts 4 guys on the court because he has no faith in the 5th guy. "My team's on the court," he says. That's how I feel about Gardner. He has no confidence and is completely lost out there, and I'd rather have an undermanned unit out on the field than have Gardner play another snap.

And, yet again, we lose ANOTHER defensive tackle. Raheem Brock was hurt and didn't play most of the game. Who knows what his status is, and right now I don't care. Oh, and Bob Sanders didn't play... again. It's time to IR Bob. He hasn't played back-to-back games since Week 1 and Week 2. This means he needs to get shut down. If he can't play week to week, something is seriously wrong. Shut him down.

All these injuries aside, it still does not excuse the HORRENDOUS TACKLING this team displayed Sunday. Even though guys like Giordano stink, he was still in position to make tackles to stuff runs. But, for some reason, he couldn't do it. The same holds true for Cato June, who missed so many tackles I wondered if he needed glasses to play. And, at some point in the third quarter, I saw Cato June quit.

This confirms for me that the Colts should NOT re-sign this guy. I don't care if the score is 50-0 with 5 minutes left. Sports builds character, but it also reveals it. I think Cato quit, and I will never look at Cato the same way again.

I have to give credit to posters like Playoff Pride, who warned of the defense regressing to this. It was my sincere hope that the Colts would get healthier as the playoffs got closer. Instead, they've only gotten more injured, and I don't know what it is. Regardless, a team cannot win a Super Bowl with these kinds of injuries and this kind of play. This game may very well destroy the Colts psyche. You must be healthy and hot going into January, and the Colts are neither.

Will they make the playoffs? Maybe. Even that is in doubt now. If they do indeed miss the playoffs, Tony Dungy should be fired. I love Dungy and think he is a top 5 coach, but if the team misses the post-season it means they have essentially quit on him. If that happens, dump Dungy and do not re-sign guys like June and Freeney (who is having an awful year). Rebuild if need be, because as a fan I'm sick of it. This defense, as it is now, is worse than the 2001 defense. And unless something drastic happens, this club will make the playoffs and lose... again.

I am not giving up. I will still blog, and I still support Dungy and Polian. However, I don't think this is a Super Bowl team. If I'm wrong, I'll be happily and joyfully wrong, but I don't think I am. And from the one person I want to gain guidance from I get nothing but the same old same old. Dungy, in his post game press conference, stated there will be no changes, that execution and "the little things" are to blame.

At what point do you give up on the idiots that continue to miss the "little things" and go with the guys that at least offer the potential to win?

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I have thought this a number of years

just in reverse about our offense.

by WCG on Dec 11, 2006 11:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Dungy

"I still support Dungy and Polian", but a paragraph earlier you call for Dungy to be fired. Again, let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. We have personnel issues on the defense, let's not get rid of one of the top 3 active coaches in the NFL right now.

by PaytonMenning on Dec 11, 2006 11:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think

I think Dungy should be fired IF the miss the playoffs. I don't think they will, but nothing is certain. IF they don't make it, it is a serious choke job and the team is quitting on him.

Thus, he should be fired. But, that's still an "if."

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by BigBlueShoe on Dec 11, 2006 11:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

dungy

should be fired regardless if we make the playoffs of not. when are we going to start playing for a championship and not homefield advantage. he's not the right guy to get the most out of these players

by horseshoe51 on Dec 11, 2006 12:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Surely

There are some big 280-300 pound DT's that got cut from teams that can be signed. McFarland can only do so much, and Freeny has been non-existent for most of the season (Mostly thanks to double teams).

Same goes for linebacker. There has to be someone that can be signed.

As Rich Gannon said yesterday, our defense is built to play with a lead. The problem is, we aren't and have not for most of the year had the lead. At the start of the year everyone blamed it on Edgerrin James being gone. Since then our running game has become respectable, but we are getting very inconsistent play from our TE's and WR's. It looks like there is a major lack of concentration. Stokely's 3 drops in 2 weeks were byproducts of expecting a big hit and not watching the ball. Marvin has had 4 or 5 uncharacteristic miscues in the last 5 weeks. The only players on offense showing any fire are Wayne, Most of the O-Line, and Peyton.

Looking at the schedules, we are likely going to have to win out to get a two seed at best. Another loss means we will be a 3 seed. That is something this team has not had to do in a long time. Maybe it will make us better come playoff time.

I'm confident that Polian and Dungy will figure out a way to make what happened yesterday not happen again, but I don't see how without finding some new blood. We need a couple big guys to plug up some holes. Heck Im 6-5 290, sign me up. Im sure I could makle a few tackles. Which is what the Colts haven't been able to do all year.

by MixFMKyle on Dec 11, 2006 11:38 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

cato gives up, freeney disappears

BBS, i saw cato retire too early in that game too. even in the first half, the man was tackling ghosts while the jags jogged to the end zone, checking their calendars, and ordering pizzas for their victory celebration. but even with this pitiful defense, the offense hasn't been putting up the points it should have either. stokeley gets injured every time he is touched and, you're right, wayne looks like the only receiver with any fight in him.

watching the saints offense dismantle the cowboys, i also wondered if the colts shouldn't diversify some of their play calling on offense. their opponents' coaches in the past few weeks have all said "they do the same thing over and over, it is just that they execute very well." a little surprise might not hurt here and there. i'm starting to feel like i'm grasping at straws here and that is a sad state of affairs when you have peyton manning, reggie wayne, and marvin harrisson on your team (a team having amassed ten wins earlier in the season). dungy needs to shake this team's illusion that they can walk into the post-season and get it done simply because they're the colts.

by tenyardfight on Dec 11, 2006 11:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

The offense

The offense gets far too few possessions to be effective. They had the ball only three times in the second half of the Titans game. The Colts defense simply can't stop anyone on third down, which eats up time and takes poessions away from the offense.

So, I don't blame the offense. I'm sure they could fix things here or there, but when the defense is giving up 250-350 yards a game on the ground, pretty much every other phase of the team gets a pass. To be THAt bad is simply uncalled for.

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by BigBlueShoe on Dec 11, 2006 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Now you know

How it feels to have injuries. For the past few years, the Colts have been able to avoid them. Hey Blue, long time. At least you don't have an OC that is a friggin idiot, injuries and an O-Line that represents a turnstile. And, you don't have high school receivers posing as NFL receivers. And, your front office didn't let go it's #2 receiver and trade it's #1 receiver. Think you guys got problems?

It's all part of the equation. How you deal with injuries will determine how well you do in this league. The Pats have had the most injuries by far year after year and covered them up well. We are no longer able to do that. You guys have the best QB and receiver the league and one of the most dynamic offenses. The OVERALL team however is not capable of going far in the playoffs as they can't stop the run. Even with all the safeties healthy the Colts still had issues with the run. Heck, I think the Pats coaching staff knew it (and ignored it)...

You never know come playoff time. You may be able to score enough points to overcome the pourous run defense...you kicked our asses and we are a pretty good defensive team. We just cannot score on anyone...

by InBradyWeTrust on Dec 11, 2006 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

InBradyWeTrust!

Welcome back! Missed you pal. That Patriots game was the last good game the Colts played.

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by BigBlueShoe on Dec 11, 2006 12:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you know what they say...

if you have nothing good to say...

I am actually more depressed than you, believe me. We looked like a freaking high school team yesterday. Our O-line is gonna get Brady killed.

by InBradyWeTrust on Dec 11, 2006 3:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

WRs

Was it a good thing to let Branch go like that? It seem Gabriel, Caldwell, and Brown aren't getting it done.

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by BigBlueShoe on Dec 11, 2006 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It was a piss poor decision...

to let Branch go. I do think he was asking for way too much money (Wayne money and he is no Reggie Wayne), but they should have been able to find common ground. He IS the prototypical Patriot player...everything they want. And they let him go (for money reasons). Tennessee gave Givens a TON of money. No way were they going to match it...and he's been done for the year for a couple of weeks now with an injury.

McGinest is getting old (as seen by his stats) and Clevelend is in the dumper for a ton of money. So, all in all I think the Branch fiasco hurt the most. He was Brady's "guy". He loved it in New England, knew the system and wanted to stay. His replacements are terrible. Caldwell is nothing more than a number 3, as is Troy Brown. Gabriel is not playing. I do not know why (I think he's in the dog house for a fumble). But when he plays, he does some good things. Chad Jackson was supposed to be the Branch replacement. But his vagina has been hurt all year and he has hardly played.

Look at it this way Blue...take away Harrison and Wayne and bring in three average receivers. How do you think Manning and your offense would do? That's how tough this is to swallow. Plus, you guys actually have an OC that is intelligent and knows how to adjust and be creative.

by InBradyWeTrust on Dec 11, 2006 3:55 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

BBS

BBS, i agree to a certain extent but dropped passes are inexcusable. one bad game is one thing, but the offense seems to lack focus or concentration. someone needs to light a fire under their asses and get this show on the road.

any chance d. clark will be back for hte post-season?

by tenyardfight on Dec 11, 2006 12:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Clark

I don't think Dallas Clark will come back. Dropped passes happen. Watch any offense and it doesn't run perfect. Because the defense has been so bad, it maginifies every dropped pass, every mistake the offense makes. It basically has to play perfect all the time. That's too much pressure.

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by BigBlueShoe on Dec 11, 2006 12:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

new players

please don't resign june or freeney! mathis does the same thing that freeney does, and june is too undersized to tackle anybody.

by horseshoe51 on Dec 11, 2006 12:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

June can tackle...

he has about 150 tackles this year. All it takes is one guy not knowing where to be and then everyone is out of place trying to cover the spot. He's probably just tired of it like we are. The defense is like a backyard pick-up game week after week. They wander around aimlessly. They don't have the collective experience either with all these rookies and newer players. There is no John Lynch or Teddy B. on this team. There's no leadership--nobody is in charge. It's horrible to watch. They fall for everything. I think they've won their last game this year. They could use the extra time in the off season, frankly.

by will on Dec 11, 2006 7:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs