Posts tagged USC
2011 Colts Wide Receivers: Indy’s Best Unit Yet?
Feb 3rd
Blair White runs for yards after the catch against the New York Jets in the AFC Wild Card game. (Jonathan Daniel | Getty Images)
Since Peyton Manning arrived in Indianapolis in 1998, the organization made widespread changes in its philosophy and modified how it evaluated players at each position. Manning’s presence gave wide receiver the biggest boost.
Some will incorrectly assume that the Colts front office has scrambled relentlessly throughout Manning’s 13 seasons to shower him with a pool of highly drafted receivers, but only two first round receivers have joined the team — Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez — and they were drafted six years apart. The other primary contributors have been from the fourth round or lower, including many undrafted players. Jerome Pathon and E.G. Green were second and third round picks in 1998 but neither panned out.
Part of the reason Indianapolis did not have to rush around to find receiving talent is that future Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison joined the team before Manning. His importance is recorded in NFL history books and he stands with Manning as the best statistical quarterback to receiver combination ever. One simply does not stumble upon another Marvin Harrison in the draft. The likelihood is minuscule and expecting it or waiting for it would be maddening.
How can it be that the Colts will have the best group of wide receivers in Peyton Manning’s career — if not franchise history — heading into the 2011 season without a sure-fire Hall of Famer at wideout? More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading ...
In the Training Room: How the Colts’ Injuries Compare to the Packers’
Jan 22nd
It seems the Redskins were kryptonite for the Packers as well, as TE Jermichael Finley is carted off the field after injuring his knee in Week 5.
Tomorrow, the Green Bay Packers will be in Chicago to take on the Bears in the NFC Championship Game. The media have highlighted the Packers’ long injury list (15 players on IR), and earlier this week Football Outsiders published a games-lost-by-starters statistic showing that the Pack lost a total of 83 starter-games in 2010. The statistic also estimates that the Colts lost 89 starter-games – a significant number to be sure, but not significantly more than the Packers. It’s fair to wonder why the Packers have been able to recover enough from injuries to make it to the NFCCG, while the Colts are watching the rest of the playoffs on TV. This post offers a perspective.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Desirable Colts Defensive Changes
Dec 12th
Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd catches an uncontested pass in front of loose Kelvin Hayden coverage. (Justin Edmonds | Getty Images)
Since Peyton Manning and Bill Polian converged in Indianapolis in 1998, the Colts draft and player acquisition blueprint changed to an imbalanced focus on providing the franchise quarterback with all of the pieces he would need to carry the team into the new pass-first NFL. During this time, the Colts have maintained one of the league’s most powerful offenses and given defenses and defensive coordinators fits.
The defense changed to a Dungy, Tampa-2 system which focuses on speed, takes advantage of under-sized talent, and keeps defensive cost down by getting the most out of players who have limited options on the open market due to so few teams running a system that would take advantage of players with the skill set Indianapolis targets. The primary focus of this system is to limit big plays by utilizing the speed and swarming defensive style to keep running backs from breaking long runs and playing a loose zone-based coverage designed to keep plays in front of the defense — allowing the defensive backs to hit receivers shortly after they make a reception. More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Why the Colts have Struggled in 2010
Dec 12th
Peyton Manning looks ahead during the Colts Thursday night game in Tennesee. (AJ Mast | AP Photo)
Colts fans have watched in horror as a team that entered the season as one of the most talented groups Indianapolis has put together in quarterback Peyton Manning’s career has fallen into mediocrity and failed to continue an NFL record streak of consecutive 12-win seasons. Many expected the stretch of games against the Eagles, Patriots, Chargers, and Cowboys would be difficult, but dropping all four games is not something Colts teams have done in the past.
This uncharacteristic run of losses has understandably caused Colts fans to panic. The blame game is in full force, and fans are scrambling to find answers to resolve the issues in Indianapolis before the 2011 season begins. More >
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Questioning the Toughness of Players like the Colts Sanders or Gonzalez is “Ignorant”
Nov 19th
5 comments
Dallas Clark on the sidelines prior to the Colts and Texans Week 9 match-up. (Darron Cummings | AP Photo)
Ross Tucker of ESPN wrote a story yesterday regarding an oft-discussed issue with injured NFL players, particularly ones who miss time more often than fans think they should. His response is clear, questioning the toughness of NFL players because they suffer from injuries that hold them out of long stretches of football games, even multiple times, is ignorant.
Too often fans and a lot of writers in the media, particularly fan writers on blogs, will throw around labels like “injury prone” or say things like a player is not “tough enough” to play professional football. These comments are almost always uninformed, lack depth, and are only written because those writing the comments are ignorant to the kinds of injuries players often suffer, the gravity of those injuries, and the difficulty of overcoming not only the pain but the rigorous rehabilitation processes that go along with them. More >
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Profiling Colts Tight End Jacob Tamme
Sep 11th
Nathan Denette | AP Photo
Jacob Tamme
Birth: March 15, 1985
Hometown: Danville, KY
College: University of Kentucky
Draft: 4th round, 127th overall – 2008 (Indianapolis Colts)
Height: 6 feet 3 inches
Weight: 236 pounds
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...
Colts Sign Third Round Selection Kevin Thomas
Jul 31st
6 comments
Adam Schefter reported on Twitter that the Colts have signed third round pick, cornerback Kevin Thomas. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that Thomas signed a four-year contract with a total value of roughly $2.46 million.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...