Horseshoe Hero

Colts 9 - Jets 35

In their least productive outing of the season, the Colts lost a blowout to the New York Jets, 35-9 in the Meadowlands. After prevailing in most dramatic fashion over the Green Bay Packers last week, the Colts, injury depleted and perhaps tired from the effort, failed to reach the end zone for the entirety of the game. The team could get neither the passing nor the running game going, and the defense struggled, especially up front. Unfortunately, the horseshoe heroes were few and far between, but one reliable special teams player more than did his part.

Offense

Andrew Luck struggled. Even as I type this, I question whether that is a typo. But Luck had two not-so-pretty interceptions on the day, and although he threw for almost 300 yards, he completed just 50% of his passes, none of which reached the end zone. Luck may have been trying to do too much, attempting to compensate for the run game that was left all but nonexistent (just 41 net rushing yards) after losing top back Donald Brown to injury last week (He will be out another 1-2 weeks). However, I have no doubt that Luck will rebound. He is too mentally tough and physically talented to struggle for long.

Defense

Giving up 35 points is never a good thing. The Colts defense took a dramatic step backward on Sunday, suffering from the pre-game loss of Robert Mathis and the in-game loss of Cory Redding. Jerry Hughes, stepping up in Mathis’ absence, recorded the team’s only sack. But little else was done, and even Tim Tebow was able to complete a pass against the Colts on a fake punt. The Jets were in control through all four quarters.

Special Teams

The special teams unit was the only group to play up to the team’s high standards. Kicker Adam Vinatieri contributed all 9 of the team’s points, successfully kicking 3 fields, including yet another 50-yarder. Year in and year out, Vinatieri amazes me. Is this man really almost 40 years old? He is without question this week’s most deserving horseshoe hero.

While the crushing loss is hard to swallow, Colts fans must remember that their team is young and simply experiencing some growing pains. The group has already matched their win total from last year just 5 games into the season, and potential bursts at the seems of Indianapolis. Will the Colts rebound next week at home against the Browns? Horseshoe Hero will be here to let you know.

Stay Chuckstrong, Colts fans!

In week six, the Jets have a chance to redeem themselves at home, against the Indianapolis Colts (2-2). The soap opera will match up against the current media darlings, when the most over-exposed team in the NFL welcomes in the most heart-warming story in the league. The Colts have recently shocked the world by beating one of the NFL’s best teams, and dedicating the win to their hospitalized head coach. The Jets have been waiting to flip the switch on their starting quarterback position since the second week of the season.

The next few days will bring much mud slinging, finger-pointing and speculation over what the Jets should do. The obvious answer is to let Tim Tebow take over the team. The home crowd has turned on Mark Sanchez, and much of the media will soon follow suit. Sanchez has thrown for only three touchdowns since week one, but has thrown five interceptions. Even if the Jets go down in flames with Tebow, at least they tried.

In this reporter’s humble opinion, the Colts need to start watching some Tebow tape from last year.

Sunday’s preseason game will also mark the first appearance of rookie quarterback, Andrew Luck. Even though it seems that the mild-mannered Luck has taken a back seat in the media coverage to fellow first round draft pick Robert Griffin III, and the Tim Tebow soap opera in New York, he still has big shoes to fill in Indianapolis. This first-year signal caller has the future of this franchise resting squarely on his shoulders. Even with a new coaching staff and a host of other new faces on both sides of the ball, Luck’s bust or boom potential will be the catalyst for where the Colts go in the next few years. If this new direction fails, there will be a lot of blame to go around, but the successes of Andrew Luck will no doubt indicate whether or not the Indianapolis Colts will return to glory in the NFL any time soon.