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Colts are a tough, resilient bunch

By Brad Wells
Back-up safety Matt Giordano did a great job filling in for Bob Sanders Sunday.
Photo (cropped): Colts.com
One of the things I took away from the Broncos game is how resilient the Colts are, and by resilient I mean not just from a mental standpoint but from a depth standpoint. I enjoy reading JasonB's Bleeding Green Nation blog, but a post by him recently regarding injuries factoring into Philly's loss Sunday Night caught my eye:
Finally, and I hate to sound like I'm making excuses here... but the injuries really did have a dramatic impact on this team and this game. Obviously, when the offense only scores 3 points it's easy to see how Brian Westbrook could have changed that. Maybe even more obviously is that Osi Umenyoria doesn't get 6 sacks when he's lined up against a healthy William Thomas. No has ever done to Thomas what was done to [Winston] Justice tonight. Plus, we saw Will James get beat deep and commit an interference penalty... you have to assume that shouldn't happen with pro bowl CB Lito Sheppard in there. In a game that the Giants dominated throughly, but only managed 10 points on offense... it's not crazy to think how those few guys healthy could have changed things. Unfortunately, we'll never know.
This is not a bashing of Andy Reid, but this is the difference between the Colts and other teams. JasonB is referring to backup tackle Winston Justice getting smoked by Giants DE Osi Umenyoria, who set a Giants team record with 6 sacks in one game. He's also saying the losing Shepard and Westbrook also cost them the win.

Here's the difference here, I think we can all agree that there isn't much difference, talent-wise, between the Broncos and the Giants. During the Broncos game, the Colts lost Marvin Harrison, Joseph Addai, Ben Utecht, Rob Morris, and Bob Sanders during the game. By the time the third quarter started, when the score was still very close at 14-13, Sanders, Morris, and Harrison were out for the game. Those are substantial loses.

The Colts still won handily 38-20.

Prior to the start of the season, the Colts had their premiere LT retire and their best interior DT go down with a season-ending injury. Everyone on this site started freaking out, including me, because we'd all said that losing McFarland would be catastrophic. Since then, two rookies have taken their place and played brilliant football. Ed Johnson has played amazing at DT, and Tony Ugoh continues to impress me, especially on run downs where he is better than Tarik. Yesterday, Denver deployed a defense designed to pressure the tackles. Tony did not surrender a sack yesterday, and most of the day he was one-on-one with Simeon Rice.

This is the difference between a team like Philly, who does not seem to have good depth, and the Colts. Injuries are part of the game, and injuries can certainly affect the game. But one of my constant criticisms of Philly is how bad a general manager Andy Reid is. He's a great coach, but like Mike Shanahan he is horrible at addressing weakness on his team. He's also terrible at the draft, just terrible. Because of this lack of depth, Philly is now starting out 1-3, losing two division games already. Meanwhile, the Colts (who have played a comparable level of talent as the Eagles) have also battled injuries but have started out 4-0. A major reason for that is their great depth which is a result of excellent drafts and smart signings.

So, yes, this is yet another slurp job on my for Bill Polian. If I had a picture of Polian ala the Vinatieri beefcake pic, I'd post it. Hey, when your GM makes magic, you'd love him too.

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