If I was a Tennessee Titan fan, I think I would be getting a little worried about the Colts coming to town on Sunday. This is starting to look like a perfect storm on the horizon.
The Colts have looked flat all season. But, Sunday night's debacle against New Orleans might have been just the adrenaline shot the boys from Indy needed. If getting thoroughly embarrassed in prime time wasn't bad enough, the ensuing feeding frenzy by the media and the bloggers (including myself) has probably stirred up the hornet's nest on 56th street. I think the wagons are being circled. I don't know why, but I have a feeling we are going to see some vicious hitting this Sunday.
And I guarantee you that Pat Angerer is going to be leading the charge. Pat has been a hitting machine all season and this week he is going to have a little extra bounce in his step. Pat's wife gave birth to "Cael Patrick Angerer" yesterday. Congratulations to Pat and his wife.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
The Mr. Obvious Show
"Welcome back to the Mr. Obvious Show, I am your host, Mr. Obvious. It appears we have a new caller on the line, so let's take the call."
Mr. Obvious: "Hello, this is Mr. Obvious, welcome to the show."
Caller: "Hello, Mr. Obvious. Long time listener, first time caller."
Mr. Obvious: "Caller, what can I help you with today?"
Caller: "Well, Mr. Obvious, my name is Jim and I am the coach of a professional football team in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our team has been pretty good for a long time and now all of the sudden we can't win a game. In fact, we have lost every game we have played this season. My friend, Tony, used to coach the team and then I took over as coach in 2009. I have been doing everything just like Tony did since I took over the coaching duties, but all of the sudden things just aren't working any more."
Mr. Obvious: "I see. So, what you are saying is that the team won a lot of games with Tony as the coach, but now that you are the coach the team just isn't winning any more? And nothing else has changed except that you are now the coach?"
Caller: "Well, Mr. Obvious, one of our players did have surgery this past off season and he is out for the year. But, that is just one player."
Mr. Obvious: "OK, Caller. So the team changed coaches in 2009 and lost one player for this season and now you can't win a game. And, you are telling me that you are doing everything exactly like Tony did?"
Caller: "Yes, Mr. Obvious. Just like Tony did. I kept meticulous notes of everything Tony did and said while he was the coach. We come out every game and try to throw the ball down the field on offense to build up a big lead, just like Tony did. And then on defense we drop drop back into a soft Cover 2 zone coverage on every play and try to keep everything in front of us, just like Tony did. In the past, it always worked. We used to be able to score points by the bucket load on offense and then our defense would bend but not break. But, this year is suddenly different for some reason and I just don't know why. We are constantly going three and out on offense and our defense suddenly can't stop anybody from scoring."
Mr. Obvious: "Caller, I was wondering. Was this player you lost to surgery a good player?"
Caller: "Why yes, Mr. Obvious. It is almost like you are a psychic, or something. He is probably the greatest quarterback that has ever played professional football. Why do you ask?"
Mr. Obvious: "It was just a hunch. Let me ask you a question, Jim. Is there any chance that your backup quarterback is the 2nd greatest quarterback that has ever played professional football?"
Caller: "No, Mr. Obvious. Our backup quarterback, his name is Curtis, he is doing OK but he isn't near as good as our injured quarterback."
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, are you still trying to run the same offense with Curtis as the quarterback that you were running with the previous quarterback?"
Caller: "Pretty much. We have changed a couple of things to make it a little easier for Curtis, but you know what they say, If it ain't broke don't fix it."
Mr Obvious: "But Jim, it appears to me that it is broke. You just told me earlier that you haven't won a game all season."
Caller: "Well, that's true Mr Obvious, we haven't won a game all season. But this offense has always worked flawlessly in the past with our other quarterback, why should we change now?"
Mr. Obvious: "We'll get to that in a minute, Jim. Let's talk about this defense of yours. You said earlier that your defense drops back into a Cover 2 zone coverage on every play and tries to keep everything in front of them. Is that correct?"
Caller: "That is correct, Mr. Obvious. It has always worked in the past, but it just doesn't seem to be working this year for some reason."
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, I am going to make an assumption here, and I want you to tell me if I am correct."
Caller: "OK."
Mr. Obvious: "In the past, when this Cover 2 zone defense of yours was working so well, were you usually playing with a big lead?"
Caller: "Wow, there you go with that psychic stuff again! Yeah, we always seemed to have a big lead before."
Mr. Obvious: "That is what I thought. And now that your 'Greatest Quarterback of All Time' is hurt, you aren't jumping out to big leads any more, are you?"
Caller: "It is like you can read my mind, Mr. Obvious. No, we aren't jumping out to big leads any more. And, our soft zone defense just doesn't seem to work any more because of it."
Mr. Obvious: "But yet, you are still doing everything exactly the same way that Tony did it?"
Caller: "Why wouldn't I, Mr. Obvious? You know what they say, If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Obvious: "Umm, I'm not sure you really understand what that saying means, Jim."
Caller: "I don't understand what you saying, Mr. Obvious."
Mr. Obvious: "Of course you don't, Jim. It appears to me that there is a lot of stuff out there that you probably do not understand."
Caller: "You are probably right, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Obvious: "I think I can help you here, Jim. Before you say anything else, just hear me out. First off, it is broke. You don't need to take just my word for that, if you would bother to turn on the TV or radio I am sure you would hear that same thing from anybody with a brain in their head. You just lost the 'Greatest Quarterback of All Time' to injury for the whole season. And yet, you don't appear to be bright enough to realize that you should probably change the offense a little bit more to play to the strengths of your back up quarterback and his surrounding cast. As a result, your offense is struggling to even get first downs because Curtis just isn't as good as the 'Greatest Quarterback of All Time.' Perhaps you could try to run the ball a little more instead of passing so much. Maybe you could mix up the play calling a little more and try to run some shorter patterns when you do throw the ball. Maybe you could try to be a little less predictable in your play calling. Maybe mix in some West Coast offense that might be a little more suited to Curtis' strengths. And dammit Jim, everybody knows you can't run the Cover 2 with your defense on every single play of a football game. Especially if you are playing from behind. If you ever tried to do something that stupid against a really good offense you might get torched for 62 points in one game."
Caller: "Wow, there you go with that psychic thing again."
Mr. Obvious: "Shut up, Jim. Let me finish. The Cover 2 defense works best when you are up by several scores and you can then force your opponent into obvious passing situations that your defense can take advantage of. If you are falling behind early in a game, you are going to need to mix some things with your defense. Have you ever thought about watching films of your opponent's previous games and then looking for their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses and then designing your defensive game plans to try to take advantage?"
Caller: "We always watch the game films of our opponent's previous games just like Tony did. But, I guess I never realized we were supposed to be designing game plans based on what we were seeing. I thought Tony always watched those game films just because he was too cheap to go to Blockbuster and rent a real movie. But now it is all starting to make sense. I bet that little notebook he was always scribbling in was probably full of game plan ideas. I always thought he was just writing movie reviews for the local paper."
Mr. Obvious: "Of course you did, Jim."
Caller: "But, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, do you consider yourself to be an intelligent man?"
Caller: ............................
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, are you still there? Is everything OK?"
Caller: "I'm sorry Mr. Obvious. Everything is OK. I was just looking through my notes to see if I could figure out how Tony would have answered that question about whether I consider myself to be an intelligent man."
Mr. Obvious: "I think your response has pretty much answered that question, Jim."
Caller: "So, can you help me with my problem, or not. I am doing everything just exactly like Tony did and for some reason it just doesn't seem to be working for me. Do you think I should try growing a beard or something?"
Mr. Obvious: "I'm sorry, Jim. After talking with you for a few minutes and asking you a few questions I am just not sure that I can help you. But, the good news is that I think I can probably help your team and the good City of Indianapolis."
Caller: "Wow, that would be great. How are you going to do that?"
Mr. Obvious: "Well, Jim, I am going to ask you for your bosses phone number. Do you know what your bosses phone number is?"
Caller: " Of course I know what my bosses phone number is. But, I don't see how that is going to help the team."
Mr Obvious: "Let's see if I can explain this to you in a way that you might understand. First, you are going to give me your bosses phone number. Then, I am going to call your boss and give him Jeff Fisher's phone number. Do you understand now, Jim?"
Caller: "I'm sorry, Mr. Obvious. I just don't understand how giving my boss Jeff Fisher's phone number is possibly going to help my team or the City of Indianapolis."
Mr. Obvious: "Of course you don't, Jim. And that, is the problem."
Mr. Obvious: "Hello, this is Mr. Obvious, welcome to the show."
Caller: "Hello, Mr. Obvious. Long time listener, first time caller."
Mr. Obvious: "Caller, what can I help you with today?"
Caller: "Well, Mr. Obvious, my name is Jim and I am the coach of a professional football team in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our team has been pretty good for a long time and now all of the sudden we can't win a game. In fact, we have lost every game we have played this season. My friend, Tony, used to coach the team and then I took over as coach in 2009. I have been doing everything just like Tony did since I took over the coaching duties, but all of the sudden things just aren't working any more."
Mr. Obvious: "I see. So, what you are saying is that the team won a lot of games with Tony as the coach, but now that you are the coach the team just isn't winning any more? And nothing else has changed except that you are now the coach?"
Caller: "Well, Mr. Obvious, one of our players did have surgery this past off season and he is out for the year. But, that is just one player."
Mr. Obvious: "OK, Caller. So the team changed coaches in 2009 and lost one player for this season and now you can't win a game. And, you are telling me that you are doing everything exactly like Tony did?"
Caller: "Yes, Mr. Obvious. Just like Tony did. I kept meticulous notes of everything Tony did and said while he was the coach. We come out every game and try to throw the ball down the field on offense to build up a big lead, just like Tony did. And then on defense we drop drop back into a soft Cover 2 zone coverage on every play and try to keep everything in front of us, just like Tony did. In the past, it always worked. We used to be able to score points by the bucket load on offense and then our defense would bend but not break. But, this year is suddenly different for some reason and I just don't know why. We are constantly going three and out on offense and our defense suddenly can't stop anybody from scoring."
Mr. Obvious: "Caller, I was wondering. Was this player you lost to surgery a good player?"
Caller: "Why yes, Mr. Obvious. It is almost like you are a psychic, or something. He is probably the greatest quarterback that has ever played professional football. Why do you ask?"
Mr. Obvious: "It was just a hunch. Let me ask you a question, Jim. Is there any chance that your backup quarterback is the 2nd greatest quarterback that has ever played professional football?"
Caller: "No, Mr. Obvious. Our backup quarterback, his name is Curtis, he is doing OK but he isn't near as good as our injured quarterback."
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, are you still trying to run the same offense with Curtis as the quarterback that you were running with the previous quarterback?"
Caller: "Pretty much. We have changed a couple of things to make it a little easier for Curtis, but you know what they say, If it ain't broke don't fix it."
Mr Obvious: "But Jim, it appears to me that it is broke. You just told me earlier that you haven't won a game all season."
Caller: "Well, that's true Mr Obvious, we haven't won a game all season. But this offense has always worked flawlessly in the past with our other quarterback, why should we change now?"
Mr. Obvious: "We'll get to that in a minute, Jim. Let's talk about this defense of yours. You said earlier that your defense drops back into a Cover 2 zone coverage on every play and tries to keep everything in front of them. Is that correct?"
Caller: "That is correct, Mr. Obvious. It has always worked in the past, but it just doesn't seem to be working this year for some reason."
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, I am going to make an assumption here, and I want you to tell me if I am correct."
Caller: "OK."
Mr. Obvious: "In the past, when this Cover 2 zone defense of yours was working so well, were you usually playing with a big lead?"
Caller: "Wow, there you go with that psychic stuff again! Yeah, we always seemed to have a big lead before."
Mr. Obvious: "That is what I thought. And now that your 'Greatest Quarterback of All Time' is hurt, you aren't jumping out to big leads any more, are you?"
Caller: "It is like you can read my mind, Mr. Obvious. No, we aren't jumping out to big leads any more. And, our soft zone defense just doesn't seem to work any more because of it."
Mr. Obvious: "But yet, you are still doing everything exactly the same way that Tony did it?"
Caller: "Why wouldn't I, Mr. Obvious? You know what they say, If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Obvious: "Umm, I'm not sure you really understand what that saying means, Jim."
Caller: "I don't understand what you saying, Mr. Obvious."
Mr. Obvious: "Of course you don't, Jim. It appears to me that there is a lot of stuff out there that you probably do not understand."
Caller: "You are probably right, but if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Obvious: "I think I can help you here, Jim. Before you say anything else, just hear me out. First off, it is broke. You don't need to take just my word for that, if you would bother to turn on the TV or radio I am sure you would hear that same thing from anybody with a brain in their head. You just lost the 'Greatest Quarterback of All Time' to injury for the whole season. And yet, you don't appear to be bright enough to realize that you should probably change the offense a little bit more to play to the strengths of your back up quarterback and his surrounding cast. As a result, your offense is struggling to even get first downs because Curtis just isn't as good as the 'Greatest Quarterback of All Time.' Perhaps you could try to run the ball a little more instead of passing so much. Maybe you could mix up the play calling a little more and try to run some shorter patterns when you do throw the ball. Maybe you could try to be a little less predictable in your play calling. Maybe mix in some West Coast offense that might be a little more suited to Curtis' strengths. And dammit Jim, everybody knows you can't run the Cover 2 with your defense on every single play of a football game. Especially if you are playing from behind. If you ever tried to do something that stupid against a really good offense you might get torched for 62 points in one game."
Caller: "Wow, there you go with that psychic thing again."
Mr. Obvious: "Shut up, Jim. Let me finish. The Cover 2 defense works best when you are up by several scores and you can then force your opponent into obvious passing situations that your defense can take advantage of. If you are falling behind early in a game, you are going to need to mix some things with your defense. Have you ever thought about watching films of your opponent's previous games and then looking for their tendencies, strengths and weaknesses and then designing your defensive game plans to try to take advantage?"
Caller: "We always watch the game films of our opponent's previous games just like Tony did. But, I guess I never realized we were supposed to be designing game plans based on what we were seeing. I thought Tony always watched those game films just because he was too cheap to go to Blockbuster and rent a real movie. But now it is all starting to make sense. I bet that little notebook he was always scribbling in was probably full of game plan ideas. I always thought he was just writing movie reviews for the local paper."
Mr. Obvious: "Of course you did, Jim."
Caller: "But, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, do you consider yourself to be an intelligent man?"
Caller: ............................
Mr. Obvious: "Jim, are you still there? Is everything OK?"
Caller: "I'm sorry Mr. Obvious. Everything is OK. I was just looking through my notes to see if I could figure out how Tony would have answered that question about whether I consider myself to be an intelligent man."
Mr. Obvious: "I think your response has pretty much answered that question, Jim."
Caller: "So, can you help me with my problem, or not. I am doing everything just exactly like Tony did and for some reason it just doesn't seem to be working for me. Do you think I should try growing a beard or something?"
Mr. Obvious: "I'm sorry, Jim. After talking with you for a few minutes and asking you a few questions I am just not sure that I can help you. But, the good news is that I think I can probably help your team and the good City of Indianapolis."
Caller: "Wow, that would be great. How are you going to do that?"
Mr. Obvious: "Well, Jim, I am going to ask you for your bosses phone number. Do you know what your bosses phone number is?"
Caller: " Of course I know what my bosses phone number is. But, I don't see how that is going to help the team."
Mr Obvious: "Let's see if I can explain this to you in a way that you might understand. First, you are going to give me your bosses phone number. Then, I am going to call your boss and give him Jeff Fisher's phone number. Do you understand now, Jim?"
Caller: "I'm sorry, Mr. Obvious. I just don't understand how giving my boss Jeff Fisher's phone number is possibly going to help my team or the City of Indianapolis."
Mr. Obvious: "Of course you don't, Jim. And that, is the problem."
Monday, October 24, 2011
Is It Still Preseason?!?
Wow, a 62-7 loss is pretty hard to swallow no matter what the circumstances.
Last night the Colts looked to be in week 1 preseason form. Stupid mistakes, blown coverages, missed blocks, and missed tackles abounded all over the field. Unfortunately, the Colts were not playing a preseason game. They were playing their seventh game of the regular season. Yes, they were facing a very good team last night. And yes, they probably would have lost the game even without their sloppy play. But, it really bothered me just how easily it appeared the Colts players accepted their fate last night.
I'm not saying the Colts quit before the game was over, but I do think some players clearly had defeat in their eyes long before the half time whistle blew. And that is something that cannot be accepted. It takes a very long time to build a winning culture and a very short time to collapse into a losing culture. The Colts appear to be on the verge of collapsing into a losing culture. The organization needs to take some drastic steps immediately to put a stop to the snowball that is rapidly gaining momentum on its downhill path.
There is an old saying in sports, "You play like you practice."
I have not seen the Colts practice, but I would have to imagine there is room for improvement in that regard. The Colts looked totally helpless and unprepared last night (again). They were soundly beaten in every aspect of the game. It looked like the Colts brought wiffle bats to a gun fight. I place this blame solely on the coaching staff. Anybody that thinks coaches don't make a difference has never played for a good coach.
Get rid of Jim Caldwell now. It is not like bringing in a new coach in the middle of the season is going to make the Colts any worse. Jim Caldwell is not Tony Dungy, and he never will be. Teams tend to be a reflection of their coaches when they take the field on game day. Jim Caldwell is a losing coach. And now, the Colts are a losing team. This is a situation that needs to be fixed now before there is a lasting change of culture and a drastic loss of fan interest.
Last night the Colts looked to be in week 1 preseason form. Stupid mistakes, blown coverages, missed blocks, and missed tackles abounded all over the field. Unfortunately, the Colts were not playing a preseason game. They were playing their seventh game of the regular season. Yes, they were facing a very good team last night. And yes, they probably would have lost the game even without their sloppy play. But, it really bothered me just how easily it appeared the Colts players accepted their fate last night.
I'm not saying the Colts quit before the game was over, but I do think some players clearly had defeat in their eyes long before the half time whistle blew. And that is something that cannot be accepted. It takes a very long time to build a winning culture and a very short time to collapse into a losing culture. The Colts appear to be on the verge of collapsing into a losing culture. The organization needs to take some drastic steps immediately to put a stop to the snowball that is rapidly gaining momentum on its downhill path.
There is an old saying in sports, "You play like you practice."
I have not seen the Colts practice, but I would have to imagine there is room for improvement in that regard. The Colts looked totally helpless and unprepared last night (again). They were soundly beaten in every aspect of the game. It looked like the Colts brought wiffle bats to a gun fight. I place this blame solely on the coaching staff. Anybody that thinks coaches don't make a difference has never played for a good coach.
Get rid of Jim Caldwell now. It is not like bringing in a new coach in the middle of the season is going to make the Colts any worse. Jim Caldwell is not Tony Dungy, and he never will be. Teams tend to be a reflection of their coaches when they take the field on game day. Jim Caldwell is a losing coach. And now, the Colts are a losing team. This is a situation that needs to be fixed now before there is a lasting change of culture and a drastic loss of fan interest.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
My Take On The Colts, 2011
I basically shut down this blog down about two years ago. It wasn't that I no longer had any interest in continuing the blog, it was simply a matter of time management for me. But, with the Colts' 0-6 start this season I suddenly find myself thinking way too much about what I would do if I was Bill Polian or Jim Irsay. In fact, I have been thinking about it so much that I just couldn't stay away from this blog any longer. So, here it goes.
First off, all of you Colts fans out there need to take a deep breath. It is not the end of the world. And, stop blaming Bill Polian for the 0-6 start. Bill has done exactly what he was brought in to do. He built a team around Peyton Manning and a few other highly paid players (Wayne, Mathis, Freeney, Diem, Bethea, Clark, Saturday). Bill's hands are tied with the salary cap just like every other NFL GM out there. If you want to keep several high priced players, you suffer the consequences when it comes to the rest of your roster. I think Bill has done a remarkable job playing the hand he has been dealt, with a few exceptions which I will discuss below. I am also getting a little tired of hearing about all the failed drafts the Colts have had recently. Bill Polian's drafts have not been that bad. True, he has missed on a few high draft picks in recent years (Jerry Hughes, Donald Brown, Anthony Gonzalez, Tony Ugoh), but he has made some exceptional picks in those recent drafts as well (Pat Angerer, Kavell Connor, Anthony Castonzo, Delone Carter, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Clint Session, Antoine Bethea, Dallas Clark, Robert Mathis).
Where I believe the Colts management have made a their mistakes over the last few years is when it came to deciding which players to keep and which to let go. I don't claim to have any inside knowledge on player personalities or locker room compatibility, and I am basing my opinion totally on the talent and effort I see on the field. Obviously, a player's personality and ability to get along with his teammates has to play an important part of any personnel decisions the Colts or any other team has to make. I feel that Bill Polian has done enough over the years to earn my trust and respect when it comes to making personnel decisions. Bill knows a lot more more about salary caps and what goes on in the Colts locker room than I will ever know. But, that will not stop me from playing Monday morning GM and pointing out a few moves that I think he should not have made. Here goes.
I love Gary Brackett as a person, but I think he falls woefully short as a starting middle linebacker in the NFL. And his $4.4 million hit on the Colts 2011 salary cap seems more than a little excessive to me. I guarantee you if Gary were allowed to hit the free agent market he wouldn't get anywhere near that amount from any other team out there. Gary has put up some impressive tackling numbers over the years, but too many of his tackles have been 5 yards down field. To me, a good middle linebacker needs to make his reads quickly and attack the line of scrimmage as soon as he sees the hole develop. Gary tends to wait until he sees the running back emerge from the hole and too often ends up getting run over in the process by the running back or a blocking lineman. I used to think Gary was just playing the way the coaches wanted him to play, but I have now seen too many other Colts linebackers step into Gary's position and do a much better job attacking the play. After seeing Pat Angerer play middle linebacker this season, there is no way I would ever put Gary back into the starting lineup as the middle linebacker. If I was Bill Polian, I would have made an effort to keep Clint Session instead of Gary Brackett. But, Bill Polian has made it a point over the years to let promising young linebackers move on in free agency while he clings to the underachieving Brackett. Bill has definitely been very consistent when it comes to linebackers and I think this approach has been detrimental to the Colts defense over the years. Cato June, David Thornton, Clint Session, Marcus Washington, and Mike Peterson are the most notable linebackers that Bill Polian has let go to free agency in recent years.
I honestly haven't thought too highly of Ryan Diem since he has been in Indianapolis. I just don't see whatever it is the Colts coaching staff sees in the guy. But, the Colts have kept him year in and year out while they continue to let other lineman go (Jake Scott, Ryan Lilja, Charlie Johnson). Ryan Diem has killed many Colts drives over the years with his pathetic attempts at pass blocking and his incessant knack for penalties on important downs. If I was an opposing Defensive Coordinator I would focus my defensive attack on Ryan Diem every time I played the Colts. It seems like 75% of the pressure on Peyton Manning every season comes from the players that line up across from Diem. I have to give Jim Caldwell a little credit this season for moving Diem from right tackle to the right guard position. That is a move that should have been made years ago. Moving Diem inside greatly limits his ability to totally whiff on an outside speed rush by players like Mario Williams. I haven't seen enough of Diem at right guard yet to form an opinion as to his talent at that position, but I do think the Colts would have been wiser to have kept Jake Scott at right guard and let Ryan Diem go years ago. Jake Scott still starts for the Titans and currently hits Tennessee's salary cap for about $500,000 less than what Diem is costing the Colts. I personally would have kept Charlie Johnson instead of Ryan Diem this last off season. Charlie is now the starting left tackle for Minnesota and is currently costing the Vikings a little over $4 million less against the cap than what Diem is costing the Colts. Ryan Lilja starts for the Chiefs and currently hits Kansas City's cap for less than half of what Diem is costing the Colts. Only time will tell if Diem is worth his salary at right guard. I personally do not think he is worth it and Bill Polian would have been smarter to have kept Lilja, Scott or Johnson. I am also still upset that Bill Polian picked Jerry Hughes at #28 in the 2010 draft instead of Rodger Saffold (OT). How good would the offensive line look right now with Saffold and Castonzo as the bookends?
Anthony Gonzalez was brilliant at Ohio State. I was ecstatic when the Colts drafted the guy. I have emphatically changed my opinion on Gonzalez since he has been a Colt. His ability to drop important catches when he is wide open is only surpassed by Pierre Garcon. But, Pierre's speed and knack for making the incredible catches makes Pierre worth the occasional drops in my opinion. Gonzalez is a different story. I am tired of seeing Gonzalez run his routes two yards short of the first down marker, tired of seeing him drop the third down passes, and tired of seeing him stand on the sidelines in street clothes. In my opinion, Gonzalez is a player that must be let go after this season. The Colts are not getting enough of a return on his $1.76 million hit against the salary cap. Especially when you consider that Garcon only costs the Colts $577,000 against the cap, and Collie only costs the Colts $589,000 against the cap. Hell, Blair White only costs the Colts $405,000 against the cap and I would much rather see White on the field on third down than Anthony Gonzalez.
I am not even going to discuss the Kerry Collins signing for $4 million. I don't blame the Colts for freaking out about the prospect of Curtis Painter having to lead the team this season. But, in hindsight, it doesn't look like such an intelligent decision now. And, I know a lot of people are done with Donald Brown but the guy really doesn't cost the Colts that much against the cap ($1.1 million). I think I would strongly consider keeping Brown unless Carter continues to impress me the way he has so far. Addai is a no brainer for me. I keep Addai as long as I can. Addai may not always be the best runner, but he is fantastic as a receiver and a blocker.
No, I would not trade Mathis or Wayne. They are both at the point in their careers where the Colts simply wouldn't get enough in return for either one of them. Those guys are much too valuable on the field to even consider trading them at this point. Unless, of course, there is no chance that Peyton Manning will ever be able to play at a high level again. If Peyton is unable to fully recover from his injury, then it would make sense to start the rebuilding process now. But, I do not believe that Peyton's career is over just yet. It would not surprise me if Peyton never plays at the level again that we have been accustomed to seeing from him, but even at 90% the guy is still better than almost every other QB out there. But, what if Peyton is unable to return and is ultimately forced to retire? I hate "what ifs," but I already know what I would do if that turns out to be the case. And, it is probably not what you think.
Let's face it, if Peyton doesn't return this season there is a very good chance the Colts will be looking at one of the top three draft picks. In my opinion, they have to take Andrew Luck if he is available for them. But, if they do take Luck they are going to have to make some very difficult salary cap decisions. That would mean they may end up losing Reggie Wayne and/or Robert Mathis. And, there is no guarantee that Luck wouldn't pull some kind of John Elway move and refuse to come to Indy. Especially with the possibility of maybe starting as a rookie in someplace like Miami. But, the Colts have to try to get Luck if they can. The Colts are in uncharted territory right now with Peyton's health, and even if Peyton comes back full strength he probably only has 4 or 5 good years left. Bring Luck in and see what he can do. If he is anywhere close to being as good as everybody thinks he is going to be then the Colts could always sit him for a couple of years and then do the unthinkable by seeing what kind of interest other teams might have in trading for Peyton. Trading Manning would be extremely unpopular in Indianapolis, but ultimately the NFL is a business. And, it doesn't make a lot of business sense to sacrifice 10 years of financial success for 4 years of financial success.
If Luck is not available for the Colts in next year's draft, then I think the Colts still need to start thinking about their long term future anyway. Let's face it, if this year has proven anything it has proven the Indy model doesn't work if Peyton isn't playing. I think it is high time the Colts seriously look at scrapping the "Tampa 2" defense and start spending some more money on the defense. Finding some DB's that are capable of playing man coverage would be a good place to start. Whether that means using some high draft picks to select some DB's or trading some high draft picks to get some DB's doesn't matter to me. The Colts defense will be a hell of a lot less predictable if they can occasionally blitz with the confidence that their DB's won't get beat deep every time they play man coverage. I don't blame Larry Coyer for the weak Colts pass defense this season. I firmly believe Coyer is doing the best he can with what he has to work with. Just like any other defense out there, the Tampa 2 is only as good as the players on the field. For the record, I don't like the Tampa 2. I would much rather the Colts be playing a 3-4, but they just don't have the personnel to pull it off.
The biggest change I would make is with the head coach. I like Jim Caldwell as a person, but the guy simply doesn't impress me as a head coach. I could be totally wrong here and I am man enough to admit it. But, I just don't think Caldwell is the guy to lead the Colts into the future. I am not just now jumping on that bandwagon after the 0-6 start, either. I didn't want him to get the job in the first place. And, I haven't seen anything yet to change my mind. If I was Bill Polian I would already be weighing my options and seeing what kind of interest might be out there from other coaches. I personally would like to see the Colts bring in more of a defensive minded coach, especially if he had experience with something other than a Cover 2. The first guy I would call would be Jeff Fisher. I know Fisher's resume isn't exactly fantastic, but the guy did have some success against the Peyton Manning led Colts over the years. Fisher was a head coach for a long time with the same team, which means that he is capable of playing well with others. Even if he is often viewed as being difficult to get along with. And, I don't care about his overall head coaching record. If past coaching records were that important to the Colts they never would have hired Jim Caldwell in the first place. Caldwell's record at Wake Forest wasn't just bad, it was downright embarrassing. Caldwell's conference records for 1993 to 2000 when he was at Wake Forest were 1-7, 1-7, 0-8, 1-7, 3-5, 2-6, 3-5, 1-7. I know it is probably very difficult to be successful at Wake Forest, but Jim Grobe has done a decent job there since he replaced Jim Caldwell. Look it up for yourself if you want.
Of all the things I mentioned above, getting rid of Jim Caldwell would be my first move. But, only if there is someone better out there. Right now there is Jeff Fisher and Bill Cowher. I consider both guys to be better options than Caldwell. And, there may be an up and comer out there somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet. Who knows? But, sitting back and watching the Colts get out coached every week is starting to get old really fast. If the Colts wait until after the season is over to make a coaching move it may be too late to get the guy they really want. I think it is time to shit or get off the pot. Get the guy you want NOW before somebody else gets him. I am pretty sure the Dolphins will be looking for a new coach in the very near future. Jeff Fisher will not be unemployed for long.
After the season I would part ways with Brackett, Gonzalez, Collins, Hughes and Diem. If Carter works out as well as I think he might, I would also seriously consider letting Donald Brown go. And if I could find some man cover capable DB's I would seriously think about starting completely over with my defensive backfield. Bethea and Bullit are the only two guys that I think have proven their ability in the defensive backfield for the Colts. And, Bullit's ability to stay healthy is starting to make me nervous. It is also high time the Colts seriously consider trying to keep the good linebackers. Pat Angerer looks like a good linebacker to me. Invest some money in Angerer and keep him for awhile. Reggie Wayne may be too expensive to keep, but his numbers have dropped significantly this season without Manning and that might actually help the Colts keep Reggie in the long run. I am sure there are a lot of other teams out there right now wondering if guys like Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are really as good as Peyton Manning has made them look over the years.
I could go on forever with this topic, but I am tired of typing.
First off, all of you Colts fans out there need to take a deep breath. It is not the end of the world. And, stop blaming Bill Polian for the 0-6 start. Bill has done exactly what he was brought in to do. He built a team around Peyton Manning and a few other highly paid players (Wayne, Mathis, Freeney, Diem, Bethea, Clark, Saturday). Bill's hands are tied with the salary cap just like every other NFL GM out there. If you want to keep several high priced players, you suffer the consequences when it comes to the rest of your roster. I think Bill has done a remarkable job playing the hand he has been dealt, with a few exceptions which I will discuss below. I am also getting a little tired of hearing about all the failed drafts the Colts have had recently. Bill Polian's drafts have not been that bad. True, he has missed on a few high draft picks in recent years (Jerry Hughes, Donald Brown, Anthony Gonzalez, Tony Ugoh), but he has made some exceptional picks in those recent drafts as well (Pat Angerer, Kavell Connor, Anthony Castonzo, Delone Carter, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Clint Session, Antoine Bethea, Dallas Clark, Robert Mathis).
Where I believe the Colts management have made a their mistakes over the last few years is when it came to deciding which players to keep and which to let go. I don't claim to have any inside knowledge on player personalities or locker room compatibility, and I am basing my opinion totally on the talent and effort I see on the field. Obviously, a player's personality and ability to get along with his teammates has to play an important part of any personnel decisions the Colts or any other team has to make. I feel that Bill Polian has done enough over the years to earn my trust and respect when it comes to making personnel decisions. Bill knows a lot more more about salary caps and what goes on in the Colts locker room than I will ever know. But, that will not stop me from playing Monday morning GM and pointing out a few moves that I think he should not have made. Here goes.
I love Gary Brackett as a person, but I think he falls woefully short as a starting middle linebacker in the NFL. And his $4.4 million hit on the Colts 2011 salary cap seems more than a little excessive to me. I guarantee you if Gary were allowed to hit the free agent market he wouldn't get anywhere near that amount from any other team out there. Gary has put up some impressive tackling numbers over the years, but too many of his tackles have been 5 yards down field. To me, a good middle linebacker needs to make his reads quickly and attack the line of scrimmage as soon as he sees the hole develop. Gary tends to wait until he sees the running back emerge from the hole and too often ends up getting run over in the process by the running back or a blocking lineman. I used to think Gary was just playing the way the coaches wanted him to play, but I have now seen too many other Colts linebackers step into Gary's position and do a much better job attacking the play. After seeing Pat Angerer play middle linebacker this season, there is no way I would ever put Gary back into the starting lineup as the middle linebacker. If I was Bill Polian, I would have made an effort to keep Clint Session instead of Gary Brackett. But, Bill Polian has made it a point over the years to let promising young linebackers move on in free agency while he clings to the underachieving Brackett. Bill has definitely been very consistent when it comes to linebackers and I think this approach has been detrimental to the Colts defense over the years. Cato June, David Thornton, Clint Session, Marcus Washington, and Mike Peterson are the most notable linebackers that Bill Polian has let go to free agency in recent years.
I honestly haven't thought too highly of Ryan Diem since he has been in Indianapolis. I just don't see whatever it is the Colts coaching staff sees in the guy. But, the Colts have kept him year in and year out while they continue to let other lineman go (Jake Scott, Ryan Lilja, Charlie Johnson). Ryan Diem has killed many Colts drives over the years with his pathetic attempts at pass blocking and his incessant knack for penalties on important downs. If I was an opposing Defensive Coordinator I would focus my defensive attack on Ryan Diem every time I played the Colts. It seems like 75% of the pressure on Peyton Manning every season comes from the players that line up across from Diem. I have to give Jim Caldwell a little credit this season for moving Diem from right tackle to the right guard position. That is a move that should have been made years ago. Moving Diem inside greatly limits his ability to totally whiff on an outside speed rush by players like Mario Williams. I haven't seen enough of Diem at right guard yet to form an opinion as to his talent at that position, but I do think the Colts would have been wiser to have kept Jake Scott at right guard and let Ryan Diem go years ago. Jake Scott still starts for the Titans and currently hits Tennessee's salary cap for about $500,000 less than what Diem is costing the Colts. I personally would have kept Charlie Johnson instead of Ryan Diem this last off season. Charlie is now the starting left tackle for Minnesota and is currently costing the Vikings a little over $4 million less against the cap than what Diem is costing the Colts. Ryan Lilja starts for the Chiefs and currently hits Kansas City's cap for less than half of what Diem is costing the Colts. Only time will tell if Diem is worth his salary at right guard. I personally do not think he is worth it and Bill Polian would have been smarter to have kept Lilja, Scott or Johnson. I am also still upset that Bill Polian picked Jerry Hughes at #28 in the 2010 draft instead of Rodger Saffold (OT). How good would the offensive line look right now with Saffold and Castonzo as the bookends?
Anthony Gonzalez was brilliant at Ohio State. I was ecstatic when the Colts drafted the guy. I have emphatically changed my opinion on Gonzalez since he has been a Colt. His ability to drop important catches when he is wide open is only surpassed by Pierre Garcon. But, Pierre's speed and knack for making the incredible catches makes Pierre worth the occasional drops in my opinion. Gonzalez is a different story. I am tired of seeing Gonzalez run his routes two yards short of the first down marker, tired of seeing him drop the third down passes, and tired of seeing him stand on the sidelines in street clothes. In my opinion, Gonzalez is a player that must be let go after this season. The Colts are not getting enough of a return on his $1.76 million hit against the salary cap. Especially when you consider that Garcon only costs the Colts $577,000 against the cap, and Collie only costs the Colts $589,000 against the cap. Hell, Blair White only costs the Colts $405,000 against the cap and I would much rather see White on the field on third down than Anthony Gonzalez.
I am not even going to discuss the Kerry Collins signing for $4 million. I don't blame the Colts for freaking out about the prospect of Curtis Painter having to lead the team this season. But, in hindsight, it doesn't look like such an intelligent decision now. And, I know a lot of people are done with Donald Brown but the guy really doesn't cost the Colts that much against the cap ($1.1 million). I think I would strongly consider keeping Brown unless Carter continues to impress me the way he has so far. Addai is a no brainer for me. I keep Addai as long as I can. Addai may not always be the best runner, but he is fantastic as a receiver and a blocker.
No, I would not trade Mathis or Wayne. They are both at the point in their careers where the Colts simply wouldn't get enough in return for either one of them. Those guys are much too valuable on the field to even consider trading them at this point. Unless, of course, there is no chance that Peyton Manning will ever be able to play at a high level again. If Peyton is unable to fully recover from his injury, then it would make sense to start the rebuilding process now. But, I do not believe that Peyton's career is over just yet. It would not surprise me if Peyton never plays at the level again that we have been accustomed to seeing from him, but even at 90% the guy is still better than almost every other QB out there. But, what if Peyton is unable to return and is ultimately forced to retire? I hate "what ifs," but I already know what I would do if that turns out to be the case. And, it is probably not what you think.
Let's face it, if Peyton doesn't return this season there is a very good chance the Colts will be looking at one of the top three draft picks. In my opinion, they have to take Andrew Luck if he is available for them. But, if they do take Luck they are going to have to make some very difficult salary cap decisions. That would mean they may end up losing Reggie Wayne and/or Robert Mathis. And, there is no guarantee that Luck wouldn't pull some kind of John Elway move and refuse to come to Indy. Especially with the possibility of maybe starting as a rookie in someplace like Miami. But, the Colts have to try to get Luck if they can. The Colts are in uncharted territory right now with Peyton's health, and even if Peyton comes back full strength he probably only has 4 or 5 good years left. Bring Luck in and see what he can do. If he is anywhere close to being as good as everybody thinks he is going to be then the Colts could always sit him for a couple of years and then do the unthinkable by seeing what kind of interest other teams might have in trading for Peyton. Trading Manning would be extremely unpopular in Indianapolis, but ultimately the NFL is a business. And, it doesn't make a lot of business sense to sacrifice 10 years of financial success for 4 years of financial success.
If Luck is not available for the Colts in next year's draft, then I think the Colts still need to start thinking about their long term future anyway. Let's face it, if this year has proven anything it has proven the Indy model doesn't work if Peyton isn't playing. I think it is high time the Colts seriously look at scrapping the "Tampa 2" defense and start spending some more money on the defense. Finding some DB's that are capable of playing man coverage would be a good place to start. Whether that means using some high draft picks to select some DB's or trading some high draft picks to get some DB's doesn't matter to me. The Colts defense will be a hell of a lot less predictable if they can occasionally blitz with the confidence that their DB's won't get beat deep every time they play man coverage. I don't blame Larry Coyer for the weak Colts pass defense this season. I firmly believe Coyer is doing the best he can with what he has to work with. Just like any other defense out there, the Tampa 2 is only as good as the players on the field. For the record, I don't like the Tampa 2. I would much rather the Colts be playing a 3-4, but they just don't have the personnel to pull it off.
The biggest change I would make is with the head coach. I like Jim Caldwell as a person, but the guy simply doesn't impress me as a head coach. I could be totally wrong here and I am man enough to admit it. But, I just don't think Caldwell is the guy to lead the Colts into the future. I am not just now jumping on that bandwagon after the 0-6 start, either. I didn't want him to get the job in the first place. And, I haven't seen anything yet to change my mind. If I was Bill Polian I would already be weighing my options and seeing what kind of interest might be out there from other coaches. I personally would like to see the Colts bring in more of a defensive minded coach, especially if he had experience with something other than a Cover 2. The first guy I would call would be Jeff Fisher. I know Fisher's resume isn't exactly fantastic, but the guy did have some success against the Peyton Manning led Colts over the years. Fisher was a head coach for a long time with the same team, which means that he is capable of playing well with others. Even if he is often viewed as being difficult to get along with. And, I don't care about his overall head coaching record. If past coaching records were that important to the Colts they never would have hired Jim Caldwell in the first place. Caldwell's record at Wake Forest wasn't just bad, it was downright embarrassing. Caldwell's conference records for 1993 to 2000 when he was at Wake Forest were 1-7, 1-7, 0-8, 1-7, 3-5, 2-6, 3-5, 1-7. I know it is probably very difficult to be successful at Wake Forest, but Jim Grobe has done a decent job there since he replaced Jim Caldwell. Look it up for yourself if you want.
Of all the things I mentioned above, getting rid of Jim Caldwell would be my first move. But, only if there is someone better out there. Right now there is Jeff Fisher and Bill Cowher. I consider both guys to be better options than Caldwell. And, there may be an up and comer out there somewhere that hasn't been discovered yet. Who knows? But, sitting back and watching the Colts get out coached every week is starting to get old really fast. If the Colts wait until after the season is over to make a coaching move it may be too late to get the guy they really want. I think it is time to shit or get off the pot. Get the guy you want NOW before somebody else gets him. I am pretty sure the Dolphins will be looking for a new coach in the very near future. Jeff Fisher will not be unemployed for long.
After the season I would part ways with Brackett, Gonzalez, Collins, Hughes and Diem. If Carter works out as well as I think he might, I would also seriously consider letting Donald Brown go. And if I could find some man cover capable DB's I would seriously think about starting completely over with my defensive backfield. Bethea and Bullit are the only two guys that I think have proven their ability in the defensive backfield for the Colts. And, Bullit's ability to stay healthy is starting to make me nervous. It is also high time the Colts seriously consider trying to keep the good linebackers. Pat Angerer looks like a good linebacker to me. Invest some money in Angerer and keep him for awhile. Reggie Wayne may be too expensive to keep, but his numbers have dropped significantly this season without Manning and that might actually help the Colts keep Reggie in the long run. I am sure there are a lot of other teams out there right now wondering if guys like Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are really as good as Peyton Manning has made them look over the years.
I could go on forever with this topic, but I am tired of typing.
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