One of the benefits of writing this blog is that occasionally companies offer products for us to trial and review for them.

One such company is Kontrolfreek, and I recently got to try out their new TD Freek controller mod for the Xbox360 (it is also available for Ps3) and to be honest I can away astonished. I had read all of their claims and figured there may be a slight advantage, but I was blown away with the difference that such a seemingly small modification made. I instantly felt like I had more control over the players movement, and when early on in an online game I sliced through the defence for a TD looking like Barry Sanders, well I realised that the TD Freek was going to come in very useful.

I could talk all day about how the extra control has helped my Madden game, but to be honest you really just need to try it for yourselves.

The TD Freek gets a definite two thumbs up from this football fan!

KontrolFreek’s New TD Freek is Now Available for Purchase!

KontrolFreekâ„¢ (www.kontrolfreek.com), makers of the blockbuster FPS Freekâ„¢ and Speed Freekâ„¢ attachments for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers, announced today that their recently announced TD Freek, is now available for purchase here:

http://www.kontrolfreek.com/Game-Controller-Accessories/KontrolFreek-TD-Freek.asp

The TD Freek gives football gamers improved comfort and maneuverability in titles like Madden NFL 11 and NCAA football by extending the joystick and providing more leverage and control. It also features a premium grip that resembles the external skin of a football. The result is greater precision and a higher winning percentage.

Casual and competitive football players alike will be thrilled with the results after spending just a little time using the TD Freek. The attachment provides significant benefits on both sides of the game.

Offense:Avoid being tackled, get the yards and make the play with a higher degree of control. From the moment the ball is snapped, the player will feel the difference in their gaming performance using the TD Freek. Rushing, receiving, and scrambling in the pocket all become easier and more fluid.

Defense:Stop the offense in its tracks with more precise control and tackling. Football is a game of inches, and the better leverage afforded by the TD Freek will help the player push the offense back one yard at a time by tracking down ball carriers quickly and making better tackles.

KontrolFreek makes high-quality video game console controller accessories that give players at all levels the competitive edge.  Using the latest in ergonomic science, engineering, and materials, the company’s Xbox 360 and PlayStation accessories are acclaimed by both critics and consumers alike.

For more information on the KontrolFreek family of products, please visit www.KontroFreek.com.

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Special teams coverage units are an area of the football team that doesn’t get any attention until things start going wrong. I am not saying that the injury suffered by Jamie Silva against the 49′ers last weekend will cripple the teams ability to cover punts and kick offs this year, but it certainly won’t help matters much.

Silva is one of those guys that every team has to have. He goes about his business professionally and knows exactly the role he is supposed to play on the team. Any time he gets in to the game on the regular defensive unit is a bonus, his value comes as a special teams specialist. It is a hard area of the game to play in, and you almost have to have a different mentality to other position players, but if you are a good special teams player you can make a career out of flying down the field on punts with very little regard for your body.

Silva was one of those guys, and he finished second on the team in special teams tackles last campaign with 15. That might not seem like a whole lot to contribute to an NFL team, but the experience and knowledge of how to play special teams and be in the right place at the right time to stop a potentially game breaking return cannot be underestimated.

The Colts do have a ton of injury problems all over the field right now, but if the special teams units start to break down over the course of a long and arduous NFL season remember who is missing from coverage.

1 – Peyton makes this game of football look stupidly easy. You watch quarterbacks around the league (or Curtis Painter for that matter) struggle week in and week out to find open players, always looking rushed  and skittish as 11 guys hell bent on crushing them if the change were to arise circle like sharks. Then you watch Peyton in the pocket looking chilled and relaxed as if this were a stroll in the park.

After a sluggish looking opening drive Manning hit 7 of 7 passes on his second, and final, drive of the afternoon. It must be a blast to be a Colts WR as you know that no matter what progression you are on a certain play there is every chance you will get the ball if you run your route properly. If the first preseason game is anything to go by then in Manning’s eyes the Super Bowl hangover doesn’t exist.

2 - Coach Caldwell should be in Jerraud Powers face at practice today. On a play that should have been a touchdown, and with an escort in front of him to guide him to the end-zone, Powers for no apparent reason decided to step out of bounds in ‘49ers territory. I know it is just a preseason game and that it doesn’t could for anything, but on those kind of plays you HAVE to keep going until you are tackled.

I may have a slightly different view of a play like this because coming from a rugby background I think that defenders on these kinds of plays could certainly use the lateral pass more than they do to get extra yards. In this case however all Powers had to do was stay in bounds and he probably would have scored. Will be interesting to see what he does if he manages to pick off a pass in Thursday’s game.

3 – Pat Angerer is going to add something to this defensive unit. The Colts first team defense was outstanding in their quarter of work against the ‘9ers forcing a couple of turnovers and generally looking beastly as they manhandled the San Fran offense. Having said that Angerer came in with the second team and immediately registered a couple of sack, which kind of ironically matched his entire career total at Iowa. Yes, he came unblocked on both plays, and yes it was the human sack machine David Carr that he was hitting, but still two sacks is nothing to scoff at.

His all around play in the game was just as impressive as he racked up eight total tackles and was buzzing around the field all game. It was his humble attitude after the game however that will please the coaches as he downplayed his achievements and talked about how much work he still has to do to be NFL ready.

He might not be first string material yet, but by the time this season has finished he will have made a big time impact on the Colts season.

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Ok so I know it is only preseason but I have seen some depressing football so far this weekend. I need the Colts to score a ton of points and show me that teams still have the desire to put some points on the board.

With that all in mind I want to know how many points you think the Colts will put up on Sunday. Sure Peyton won’t be in the game for long, but it is often said that the true measure of a team lies in the ability of their reserves and if that is true then points need to be put up.

So think about it, vote, and leave a comment justifying your points. Lets hear some opinions on just how this one is going to unfold!

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Just a few Colts based bits and pieces you may have missed while slaving away at the office this hump day.

Saturday Sidelined – Even though one Jim (Caldwell) has been tight lipped about big Jeff’s injury another Jim (Irsay) has been more forthcoming. Saturday will apparently be out between two and six weeks after having a “loose body” removed via surgery. While a the term loose body is quite frankly ridiculous it is great news that the big center will not be lost for much (if any) of the regular season.

Backing Bob – The readers of this very blog have spoken, and if they are correct we will be seeing a lot of Bob Sanders on the field this year. Over 70% of Naptown’s Finest votes think that safety will put his injury hell behind him and start at least half the teams game in 2010. If they are right then the missile known as Bob Sanders will be causing the opposition some pain for a change this season.

Picking Pierre – Garcon is listed as the starting number two wideout on the Colts initial 2010 depth chart according to sources at ESPN. With the healthy Anthony Gonzalez close on his heels and Austin Collie waiting in the wings the WR positions behind Reggie Wayne are going to be up for grabs all  through preseason. Garcon has the job for now, but the other guys have four preseason games to show why they should be starting in week one at Houston.

Humbled Hughes -The general perception coming into training camp was the first round pick Jerry Hughes would see plenty of time this year spelling Freeney and Mathis in games. According to Peter King over at SI however, Bill Polian is concerned that Hughes only has one go to move, and that his speed rushing style might not be effective yet in the pro game. Adding to the issue is that the Colts are known to be high on John Chick and that the Canadian import has every shot of being the number three pass rusher this year.

That title would make much more sense if Colts preseason games were not played mainly on Thursdays this year, but I think the point hits home.

Colts starting center, and four time Pro Bowler, Jeff Saturday is set to miss an unspecified amount of time after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery recently. This is according to a Tweet from NFL news guru Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Though Jim Caldwell has been very quiet regarding the Saturday situation, Schefter claims that the man who sets Indy’s offensive line schemes will be out “at least” the first two preseason games.

Quite who that leaves as the Colts center for the game against the 49ers this weekend is unclear. Rookie Jacques McClendon who had been working some center in training camp has also been out of practice with an injury early this week and little has been said about his return either. Two possible options are Jamey Richard and Mike Pollak who have both played at center either in college or in the NFL.

One thing that is for certain though is the Colts will be doing everything they can to have Saturday ready for the opening regular season game. He has been incredibly durable throughout his career, the most games he has missed in a season is four, and he is vital to the no huddle scheme the offense likes to run.

Put this one down as a situations to watch closely as camp unfolds over the next few weeks.

Sign up and make a cheerleader happy!

We are all about giving back here at the Fansided Network, and to that end here is a charitable cause that all Naptowns Finest readers should get involved in.

Brian Miller over at our Miami Dolphins sister site Phinphanatic.com is part of a charity drive by the team to raise $25,000. Being the true football nut that he is the first thing that came to his mind to start working on that target was, of course, fantasy football. He is setting up a series of survivor football leagues and for a meager $10 you can battle up to 49 other people over the course of the season with the knowledge you are supporting a great cause. If that’s not enough the winner of each 50 man league also takes home 25% of the pot (or a % if there are multiple survivors).

If you would like to be a part of this then email Brian at Phinphanatic23@yahoo.comto get set up. Don’t forget to tell him that you got the heads up at Naptowns Finest so we can represent the Colts in style and with our combined awesomeness walk away with the title in every league.

Charity, winnings, and football. If there is a better combination out there I have yet to see it so jump on board and get involved.

Bit of a random one this really. I am sure many reading here remember Quinn Pitcock but for those who don’t he was the Colts 3rd round pick in the 2007 draft out of Ohio State. As the year went on he became more important to the teams defensive line rotation and coming into the 2008 season he was looking like being a big part of the future of the Colts DT position.

Then just before training camp he retired at the grand old age of 24.

As with any situation like this rumors flew and as with any situation like this no one really had any idea what was going on. Then just as quickly as he disappeared Pitcock has resurfaced, signing as he did with the Seattle Seahawks this week after the Colts released him from the team.

Pitcock this week also clarified what lead to his NFL hiatus. A combination of depression dating back to high school, mild anxiety disorder, and an addiction to video games apparently left Pitcock worried about life and doubting his role both on the team and in the world. The combination lead to a minor breakdown and he needed to get away from everything football related to get his life back on track.

He returns to the league mentally ready to play, and he hopes to back that up by using training camp as a tool to get back into a physically ready condition. Two years away from the game is a long time, and it will be interesting to see if Quinn can show enough signs of his undoubted ability in the preseason to stick around on the Seahawks opening day roster.

As anyone who has gome through depression will tell you it is a hard thing to beat. I hope all Colts fans will be keeping an eye on this situation and be wishing Pitcock well on his attempt at a comeback.

With all this talk about Bob Sanders being the healthiest he has ever been entering a season I am wondering if the good readers of Naptown’s Finest are buying into the hype. Sanders remember has only played 45 of a possible 96 game since entering the league, and though he is clearly a stud who makes the D better just by being on the field I am still somewhat sceptical that he can last the year.

Thus the question of the day is simple. How many regular season games will Bob Sanders start this coming year?

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