I read recently that Warner Brothers is making preparations to film a Justice League movie. For those of you who did not grow up reading comic books (as I did) or watching The Super Friends on Saturday morning (as I did), the Justice League is a team of Superheroes from the DC Comics universe. The league's members include Wonder Woman, Batman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and of course Superman. It's also rumored that Warner Brothers will cast a new actor to play Superman in Justice League the Movie.
I don't know about you folks, but I have one person in mind who would absolutely excel in the role, and he'd save the studio millions on special effects:
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For the second week in a row, the Colts defense was on the field at the end, making a play to preserve the win. Though there were many frustrating points in this game and though they had trouble getting Houston's offense off the field on 4th down, the defense continues to impress.
In the two games leading up to this one, Matt Schaub had been sacked only twice and thrown only 1 INT. In yesterday's game, Schaub was sacked three times, threw two INTs, and fumbled twice. The Texans running game, so vital to anything they do offensively, was held to 40 yards, averaging 2.4 a rush. The Texans offense was held to a putrid 254 yards and gained only 5 yards a play. Yes, I am aware the Texans did not have Andre Johnson.
It wouldn't have mattered.
The entire Texans offense is built around running the football. They use the same scheme Mike Shanahan uses in Denver; a scheme the Colts all but own. Shutdown the run, and the QB is lost in a void. Without the play action fake, rushers like Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis can tee off on the passer, and when that happens the game is all but over.
This is not a knock or slight of the Texans. As I said in my preview, no matter the outcome of this game, they are very much improved. They fought all the way till the end, but it's still pretty clear that the Colts are just better than the Texans. Texans fans should indeed feel proud about this team and the direction it is going.
That said, it was yet another pleasant Sunday to see the morons at ESPN giving us, the viewers, that awww schucks looks when doing their post-game reports. Ed Werder in particular looked like someone just ran over his dog. His pathetic postgame recap sounded something like this: Yes, the Colts won. But the Texans fought really hard, and look vastly improved and should have won had they did this and that and blah blah blah I have naked pictures of Jerry Jones as my computer's wallpaper. Werder is a petty little turd, and I always enjoy watching him after a Colts win. He clearly doesn't like the team, and he clearly needs to know that mustaches like his went out of style 100 years ago.
Despite the intentions of media pimp ESPN, the Colts have indeed proven they are better than they were last season. Last season, they lost both division road games to Tennessee and Houston. This year, they've won them both, and their run defense is a big reason why they've won. Freddie Keiaho's return helped lift this defense, and Gary Brackett is quietly having a very good season thus far.
There are many other positives to take away from this game (o-line, receivers making great catches, Joseph Addai), but I once again have to focus on a BIG NEGATIVE by pointing my finger at Russ Purnell and the horrible special teams coverage units. This game should have been a blowout. The Texans did not score an offensive TD until the fourth quarter. However, the score was 7-0 before either offense could take a snap because the kick coverage unit surrendered yet another opening game return for a TD. They also almost surrendered a punt return for a TD. Hunter Smith made the TD saving tackle. If you saw the coverage on the play folks, it was dreadful. They had Mathis. They had him dead to rights. And then Mathis was running, and running, and running. Players leaving their feet, throwing themselves out of position to make a play.
It's not the players folks. The Colts have tremendous speed. It's the coach, Russ Purnell. I don't think there's any reason to keep him around. Firing him would send a message to the coverage units: Shape up or it is your ass! Some folks would argue that firing him now could adversely affect the team. No, it wouldn't. The special team units are garbage with him. They can only get better with someone else, or at least stay the same. They are THAT bad. I don't think there is any way these units can improve with this idiot coaching them, which is why I'm done with him. The team now wins in spite of Purnell's coaching.
Once again, thanks to the blogging efforts of Tim at BRB and Matt at DGDBD, Texans Nation was well represented. Our thoughts are also with Cedric Killings, the Texans DT carried off the field on a stretcher very similar to Kevin Everett a few weeks ago. Killings is recovering, and has feeling in his extremities. We Colts fans wish Cedric a full, complete, and speedy recovery. We hope to see him suited up as a Texan very soon.
The Colts are 3-0, and on top of the AFC South. The scary thing is they've done with without playing their best football. They simply hang in there and find ways to win.