Naptown's Finest » Zach

FanSided.Com Live NFL Draft Chat

Zach — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:36:31 +0000

The FanSided.com Sports Network proudly presents our first ever network-wide live NFL Draft chat. That’s right; NFL bloggers from all 32 team sites will be checking in to discuss the 2009 NFL Draft and all the news and rumors that go along with it. If you want knowledgeable, real-time commentary on the entire draft, then this chat is for you. Thanks for joining us, and keep the comments and questions coming (but clean and respectful, please).

FanSided.Com Live NFL Draft Chat

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Decision time for the Colts

Zach — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 05:05:24 +0000

Change, that is the word we heard all through this past election. A Change in direction, change in philosophy and a change in attitude. Change is what a lot of Colt fans are seeking.

Starting with the changing of the guard at wide receiver, God bless Marvin Harrison and all his years of service for the Colts, but age and injuries have finally caught up to the veteran. A couple of years ago Manning to Harrison for a touchdown were the scariest words in the NFL, but now it’s a memory.

Peyton to Wayne is the new phrase and an equally scary combination. Reggie Wayne is no longer the Robin to Harrison’s Batman. He has become Batman. And like most super hero’s he needs a new sidekick.

But the Colts need to decide if adding another Robin to the roster is more important then adding a run stopper on defense. The Colts offense proved last year that even without a healthy Marvin Harrison, they were still pretty much unstoppable.

Let’s get real here; the problem for the Colts has always been their defense. Even with Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders, the defense finished near the bottom of the NFL in run defense. And as most Colts fan can attest, with the exception of the Super Bowl run a few years ago, what always stops the Colts in the playeroffs is the defense.

San Diego proved that again this year, running up and down the field on them with their second string running back. I mean come on. The Colts defense made this guy look like an All-Pro. But the Colts offense though unstoppable at times, didn’t help by not having a good running game themselves.

Joseph Addai, although a pretty good running, back doesn’t seem to have enough fire power to be a closer when the Colts need him to be. The Colts need a Marion Barber type that when the game is on the line, can get that extra yard that is needed to shut the other team down.

Change is going to come to the Colts, but which direction they decide to go is going to be the question.

Confidence is Key

Zach — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:09:12 +0000

The best part about being a Colts fan is that you never feel like we’re out of it. A Thursday night game always feels weird anyway, you have to put up with Chris Collingsworth on the NFL network, and you check in on The Office to see Dwight being brilliant. Last night there was a bit more in the air as the boys in blue traveled down to Jacksonville to battle the Fred Taylor-less Jaguars. Unfortunately for the defense that didn’t matter. Jacksonville’s line’s dominated the first have and had there way on both side of the ball. Although manning completed his first 17 passes he found himself fighting out of a two score deficit early in the third quarter. The running game was all but non-existent, but after a touchdown from Manning on the opening drive of the third quarter the Colts were once again in a position to make it a ball game. Adam Vinatieri’s 45-yard field goal tied the game at 24-all late in the fourth. It wasn’t the offense who put the Colts up (or even kept the Jaguar offense off the field late) but the defense came up huge late in the game. First, Keiwan Ratliff intercepted a pass from David Garrard and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown with about five to go. The Colts defense once again came through as Mathis and Freeney met at the quarterback which ended the game. The Colts know how to keep you interested though. The Jaguars drove the ball about 70 yards in about a minute. They were with in striking distance for their last 4 plays, and if Garrard doesn’t make a bad throw to the back of the endzone we were going to overtime. This is text book Colts football this year. The offense is clicking and if the defense could learn to stop the bleeding early a run late in the playoffs is not out of the question. This game locked their 7^th straight playoff berth with the 5^th seed in the AFC. Next there is a tough game in Tennessee which will mean more to the Titans than it will to the Colts. I think approaching that game in any other manner than to absolutely win it is a problem. Too often we see teams take weeks “off” by resting their starters and that lead to early dismissals from the hunt for the Superbowl. This is Dungy’s last playoff run, let’s hope he plays that way.

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