Sunday, February 8, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30PM ET - November 23nd, 2016
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Nov 23, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Oakland Raiders (5-6, 2-3 Away) | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Indianapolis Colts (10-1, 6-1 Home) | 0 | 17 | 7 | 21 | 45 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 413YDS, 4TD
Rushing : J. Forsett (IND) - 29CAR, 186YDS, 2TD
Receiving : D. Rogers (IND) - 10REC, 156YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - Monday Night Football quickly turned into Monday Nightmare Football for the Colts, the second game in a row that things went south against an inferior opponent, but in the end Andrew Luck powered them to victory.
Things went bad almost immediately with Shayn Ramsey leaving the game with what was thought to be a high ankle sprain. Oakland scored from with a Stevan Ridley TD run, and then Luck had to leave the game after getting knocked down on a pass play. Fortunately for Indianapolis it turned to 4th down and Jordan Palmer would have time to warm up. Palmer came out the next possession, but a three-and-out gave Luck enough time to come back in.
Indianapolis got on the board with a 45 yard FG, but the Raiders came back to open the 2nd quarter with a 17 yard TD pass to Harry Douglas. Luck hit Dante Moncrief for an 11 yard TD on the next drive to pull within 4, but on the next drive Justin Forsett would fumble the ball away on the Raiders' 11. Two plays later Kendall Wright was dancing in the endzone with a 21-10 lead.
Luck went to work in the final two minutes of the first half and drove the Colts right down to the 1 yard line for a Forsett rushing TD. The Colts headed into the locker room only down 21-17, but more importantly they were starting to click on offense and defense.
Moncrief stepped up to help Luck turn this game around.
The whole second half turned into the Colts asserting themselves as defending champions. The offensive line really came together, making Ramsey sweat a little, and Forsett looked like a #1 HB option. Indianapolis' ability to run turned the Colts passing game into pitch-and-catch for Luck and his receivers, the Raiders defense was creeping up to stop the run and it gave Luck all kinds of great reads. 21 points later, all on TD passes, and the Raiders were on the wrong end of a beating.
Oakland did manage to score again, but they would allow 28 points in just the second half. Luck finished 30/38 with no interceptions, and aside from Forsett's fumble the running game didn't miss Ramsey at all.
Once again Indianapolis looked bad in the first half only to obliterate the opposition, this kind of performance works against the lesser teams in the leagues but might cost them dearly in the playoffs. Whatever is going on needs to stop before Week 15, the Packers probably won't let things slip away like the Jaguars or Raiders.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM ET - November 15th, 2016
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Nov 15, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (3-7, 2-4 Away) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Indianapolis Colts (9-1, 5-1 Home) | 0 | 7 | 21 | 21 | 49 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 409YDS, 3TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 28CAR, 131YDS, 2TD
Receiving : T.Y. Hilton (IND) - 11REC, 204YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - The expectation for today's game was an outright blowout, and the lack of Jaguars fans in the stands was very evident. It was hard to find Jacksonville fans, and you were more likely to find a Mark Brunell jersey than a Blake Bortles one. Despite the sorry state of the Jaguars franchise, this game turned everyone's expectation on it's head.
The Colts have experienced minor bouts of struggling on offense, and today was one of the worst instances this season. More importantly, the defense was not doing it's job. Jacksonville opened the scoring with a 65 yard screen pass to former Colt Hakeem Nicks, and then LeGarrette Blount rumbled for an 80 yard TD run. The 1st quarter ended with Jacksonville up 14-0, and a lot of Colts fans were speechless.
The 2nd quarter crawled along, with the Colts defense stepping up, and the only score was a 1 yard TD by Shayn Ramsey. The secret to Jacksonville's success was flustering Andrew Luck, who would finish the 1st half 14/27 for 183 yards and no TD.
Ramsey could not be stopped in the 2nd half.
Indianapolis went into the locker room, the coaches made some adjustments, and then they woke the dragon. Three straight TD drives, all ending in TD pass from Luck, and sudden the Colts were enjoying a 28-14 lead. The defense was suffocating, racking up 4 drive killing sacks that left Bortles shaken. The 4th quarter wasn't much better with the Colts scoring another TD thanks to a Moncrief punt return that put Indianapolis on the Jaguars 30 after they had to punt from their own 1 yard line.
The 4th quarter was mostly just Ramsey running over the Jaguars defenders and Bortles playing poorly. The Colts defense went into pass protection, setting their defensive line loose, and Bortles could barely stay upright. Donavon Browning and Terrance Knighton snagged 3 sacks a piece and pushed the game total to 9. The final humiliation came when Branch Daniels snagged a Bortles pass as ran it back 48 yards for a TD.
Jacksonville had to be wondering what happened, but the Colts move on with their easy stretch of games. A visit from Oakland should be slightly more difficult than this week, but it's doubtful they can win.
Friday, February 6, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:20PM ET - November 3rd, 2016
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Nov 3, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Houston Texans (5-4, 2-3 Away) | 0 | 0 | 6 | 10 | 16 |
| Indianapolis Colts (8-1, 4-1 Home) | 10 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 457YDS, 3TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 26CAR, 83YDS
Receiving : D. Rogers (IND) - 14REC, 381YDS, 2TD
INDIANAPOLIS - After the long trip to San Diego the Colts had the pleasure of a short week thanks to a Thursday night game. This would be Indianapolis' second game against Houston, a win would basically shut the door on the Texans' chances at winning the division. The door was shut hard, fast, and very early for Houston. Heach coach Bill O'Brien could only stare into space and wonder if they will ever get past the Colts.
Houston gave up two TD passes of 20+ yards in the first two quarters, one to T.Y. Hilton and one to Da'Rick Rogers. Houston opened a drive under with 2:00 left before the half with a INT that left Brian Hoyer hanging his head. The throw was so poor and so easy for Vontae Davis to catch he was caught by surprise and fell down on the 18 yard line. A few plays later and Andrew Luck snuck it in himself to seal a 24-0 halftime lead.
The weirdest thing coming into the half was the floundering rushing attacks. Both defenses were on their game when it came to running the ball, Shayn Ramsey (13 carries, 36 yards) and Arian Foster (8 carries, 33 yards) just couldn't do much. It wasn't a problem for Indianapolis since Luck was eviscerating the Houston secondary, but it was a real problem for the Texans.
Things didn't get all that much better for Houston in the second half, but they did manage to get into the endzone. A screen pass to Foster went for 17 yards, but Houston went for two and failed to convert. If the Texans picked up any momentum after the score it was quickly snuffed out, the Colts opened the next possession with an 80 yard TD strike to Rogers which pushed him over 200 receiving yards.
A record breaking performance helped crush Houston.
Houston's rushing defense never gave up, stoning the Colts three times inside the 5 yard line during the 4th quarter. Luck lowered his shoulder and punched it in on 4th down and nearly completed Houston's humiliation. Two times in the 4th quarter the Colts were staring at a 3rd and long after Ramsey couldn't move the ball, and both times a play-action pass to Rogers netting massive gains. When the dust had settled Rogers finished with an NFL record 381 receiving yards.
Today's complete demolition of the Texans sets up the Colts for an incredibly easy run of games. Add in the 3-game cushion on Houston and Indianapolis is almost a lock to repeat as AFC South champs.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30PM ET - October 30th, 2016
Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA
| Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers | |||||
| Oct 30, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (7-1, 4-0 Away) | 14 | 10 | 3 | 14 | 41 |
| San Diego Chargers (3-5, 1-4 Home) | 3 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 409YDS, 3TD
Rushing : D. Woodhead (SD) - 19CAR, 123YDS, TD
Receiving : T.Y. Hilton (IND) - 7REC, 156YDS, TD
SAN DIEGO - After giving up 33 point to the Lions last week, the big storyline this week would be if the Colts defense could turn things around. San Diego, not the best team, would be a bad offense to face coming off the Detroit game. The presence of Danny Woodhead would keep the coaches up late at night, covering him out of the backfield would be a serious concern.
As it turned out Indianapolis wouldn't need to worry for very long, but Woodhead would gash them on the ground. From the very beginning the Colts favored Cover 2 and Dime defensive coverages to force the Chargers to run. Chuck Pagano was obviously confident that Christian Ponder wouldn't be able to throw the ball well enough to win, but the Colts probably had no idea how poorly they would play on defense.
Indianapolis really poured it on, but it wasn't without an enormous amount of trouble. Andrew Luck did not look like himself with passes flying off randomly and finding the turf more often than a receiver. Despite those issues the Colts managed to put up 24 points before the Chargers scores a TD thanks to a 42 yard run by rookie HB Andrew Hale. Hale broke a number of tackles on his way to the endzone, and Pagano could be seen exploding on his defensive unit on the sidelines.
Hilton made the most out of his seven catches.
After the half Pagano had another reason to unload on his players after Woodhead went 64 yards for a TD. The Chargers 2PT attempt failed, and that was basically the end of the game. The Colts went to their running game and put 17 more points on the board in the second half to blow out San Diego.
Even with Luck having a terrible 26/40 day the Colts won and head into a home game with Houston before an incredibly easy run of games. It won't be until Week 15 that Indianapolis will face an elite team, the currently 8-0 Green Bay Packers, but by that time they could have their division all but clinched.
Monday, February 2, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
| NFL Standings - Updated: Oct 24, 2016 | |||
| NFC EAST | W | L | T |
| Philadelphia | 5 | 2 | |
| Dallas | 3 | 4 | |
| NY Giants | 1 | 7 | |
| Washington | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| NFC NORTH | W | L | T |
| Green Bay | 7 | 0 | |
| Chicago | 4 | 4 | |
| Detroit | 3 | 4 | |
| Minnesota | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| NFC SOUTH | W | L | T |
| Carolina | 4 | 3 | |
| New Orleans | 3 | 4 | |
| Tampa Bay | 2 | 5 | |
| Atlanta | 2 | 6 | |
| NFC WEST | W | L | T |
| Seattle | 6 | 1 | |
| San Francisco | 5 | 2 | |
| Arizona | 5 | 3 | |
| Toronto | 3 | 4 | |
| AFC EAST | W | L | T |
| NY Jets | 6 | 1 | |
| New England | 5 | 2 | |
| Miami | 4 | 3 | |
| Buffalo | 1 | 7 | |
| AFC NORTH | W | L | T |
| Cleveland | 6 | 1 | |
| Baltimore | 4 | 3 | |
| Cincinnati | 3 | 5 | |
| Pittsburgh | 2 | 6 | |
| AFC SOUTH | W | L | T |
| Indianapolis | 6 | 1 | |
| Houston | 5 | 2 | |
| Jacksonville | 4 | 3 | |
| Tennessee | 1 | 7 | |
| AFC WEST | W | L | T |
| Denver | 6 | 1 | |
| Oakland | 3 | 4 | |
| San Diego | 3 | 4 | |
| Kansas City | 2 | 6 | |
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30PM ET - October 24th, 2016
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Oct 24, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Detroit Lions (3-4, 1-3 Away) | 7 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
| Indianapolis Colts (6-1, 3-1 Home) | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 56 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 484YDS, 4TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 24CAR, 159YDS, 4TD
Receiving : C. Shorts III (IND) - 11REC, 201YDS, TD
INDIANAPOLIS - If you tuned in to Monday Night Football, you ended up watching one of the most explosive games of the year. Coming in the Colts faithful were definitely scratching their heads as GM Phil Emery announced that LG Donald Thomas had been traded to Pittsburgh for a 4th and 7th round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Colts offensive line has been amazing, but losing some depth is definitely a concern.
Indianapolis was looking at an elite QB (Matthew Stafford) and an old nemesis at HB (DeMarco Murray), the defense would definitely be tested by Stafford's arm and Murray catching passes in the flats. As it turned out, it was the Lions' defense that would be in dire straits right from the start.
The Colts were already up 14-0 in the 1st quarter when LaRon landry whiffed on an attempt to pick off Stafford and allowed Golden Tate to scamper 53 yards for a TD. Detroit started off with a more balanced approach, but they saw an opening in the Indianapolis secondary and tried to test Landry all night.
Luck is on pace to crush just about every passing record.
Shayn Ramsey ran one in from 2 yards out to start the 2nd quarter, but Detroit came roaring back with a TD pass and a TD run by Murray. The Colts had the ball with less than 2:00 to go, which turned out to be plenty of time as Andrew Luck hit T.Y. Hilton for a 49 yard TD pass that left Detroit 1:30. The Lions were able to move the ball, but the Colts defense came up big and forced a 43 yard Blair Walsh FG. The teams went into the locker room with a 28-24 score, and the Lions were threatening to hand the Colts their second loss.
It isn't clear what each head coach said in the locker room at halftime, but what ever Chuck Pagano said worked really well. Indianapolis' adjustments were so good that they might have been spying on the Lions' locker room. Murray found himself unable to get more than a yard or two and Stafford had to force balls to Tate for 1st downs. Detroit's first drive of the 3rd quarter ended in another FG, and then the Colts took over.
Hilton caught a 71 yard pass only to be tackled on the 3 yard line, but it wasn't all bad at Ramsey punched it in on the next play. Hilton got his due on the next Colts possession, which came thanks to Stafford's first INT of the game, with a 29 yard strike for his second TD of the game. The game moved into the 4th and Stafford threw another INT, this time to FS Branch Daniels, and Indianapolis converted it into a 7 yard TD run by Ramsey.
Now down 49-27 the Lions had no choice but to throw the ball, and in the waning minutes of the game the Colts defense took advantage. Even though the drive ended in a short TD pass, the Colts sacked Stafford three times to bring their total up to six. They failed to convert a 2PT attempt, and their onside kick found Jacob Tamme to basically finish the games. The Colts went to their run game and the tired Lions defenders couldn't stop them. The game mercifully ended after Ramsey ran in for his fourth TD of the day.
If Indianapolis can play like this every week, nobody will be able to stop them. They face a tricky road game at San Diego next week, but they head into an easy stretch of games after that with Houston, Jacksonville, Oakland, and Tennessee at home. The Colts could easily be 11-1 coming out of that stretch with another game against the Titans waiting for Week 16. It's going to be hard to keep the Colts out of the playoffs this year.
Friday, January 30, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM ET - October 16th, 2016
EverBank Field - Jacksonville, FL
| Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||
| Oct 16, | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (5-1, 3-0 Away) | 21 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 52 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4, 1-3 Home) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 440YDS, 4TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 29CAR, 121YDS, 3TD
Receiving : C. Shorts III (IND) - 7REC, 175YDS, 2TD
JACKSONVILLE - It's hard to tell if the Jaguars are really bad, or if the AFC South has been put on notice. Probably more likely that Jacksonville isn't good, Blake Bortles is definitely not getting it done, this game was just an outright beating from the opening kickoff. The Colts were helped by the return of D'Qwell Jackson and Ricky Jean-Francois from injury, but they weren't really needed all that much.
Indianapolis' offense just blew this game away in the 1st quarter, the defense helped too, but Andrew Luck cut right through the Jaguars defense. Already up 7-0 Vontaze Burfict tallied a strip sack that gave Indianapolis the ball on the Jaguars' 20 yard line, one play later Luck hit Cecil Shorts III for a 20 yard TD pass.
The Colts poured it on in the 2nd, adding two more TDs while Jacksonville only managed a FG. After halftime the Colts' running game crushed the Jaguars and this game mercifully found it's end.
Burfict ate Bortles alive all day.
Bortles was horrible, even though his offensive line didn't do him any favors by allowing 8 sacks, though he was rather accurate. A 19/22 day was mostly built around running for his life and hitting people on underneath routes, but it ended in sacks more than anything else.
The Colts defense seems to be catching up with the offense, a home game against Detroit will be a better test of their progress. It's easy to stop Jacksonville, but Matthew Stafford will be a little harder to deal with.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
1:00PM EST - October 2nd, 2016
NRG Stadium - Houston, TX
| Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans | |||||
| Oct 2, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (4-1, 2-0 Away) | 17 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 48 |
| Houston Texans (3-2, 2-1 Home) | 3 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 529YDS, 4TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 26CAR, 170YDS, 2TD
Receiving : T.Y. Hilton (IND) - 10REC, 186YDS TD
HOUSTON - The Texans are much improved on offense this year, and no doubt remember the beatings they took from Indianapolis in 2015, but they haven't improved enough to get revenge. Houston went out during the offseason and landed Brian Hoyer and TE Jordan Cameron. Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins, and Cameron should have been a nightmare for Indianapolis, but instead they were mostly toothless outside of a fantasy league.
Indianapolis jumped out to a 17-0 lead before Houston threatened to score, but a goal line stand forced a FG. It's hard to believe it, but things got worse very quickly. The Texans vaunted defense was more like a turnstile for the Colts' running game, which only made covering receivers harder. Indianapolis added three more scores, all touchdowns, before the Texans got into the endzone. A deep pass to Johnson ended in an 80 yard TD when Vontae Davis went for a pick and came up empty.
It's too easy!
The second half was rather quiet as the Colts went to their punishing ground game to finish things off. Hoyer's only option today was to throw, and boy did he throw to Johnson and Cameron. Arian Foster, normally an offensive force, was held to a sad 27 yards on 10 carries. The Colts defense simply ate the Texans alive, and the more Hoyer dropped back to throw the more they sacked him. In the end Indianapolis totalled 8 sacks and allowed a minuscule 25 rushing yards.
The ultimate humiliation came in the 4th quarter, with the Texans defense worn out and exhausted Ramsey broke loose for a 72 yard TD run that would cap the game off at 48-13. Indianapolis was basically on cruise control thanks to Luck having an amazing day. Luck finished 30/39 with 4TD an no interceptions, a really great way to win a game. The Colts have Week 6 off followed by a road game at Jacksonville in Week 7.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
4:15PM ET - September 25th, 2015
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| New England Patriots at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Sep 25, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| New England Patriots (2-2, 1-2 Away) | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Indianapolis Colts (3-1, 2-1 Home) | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 416YDS, 3TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 21CAR, 128YDS, 2TD
Receiving : T.Y. Hilton (IND) - 12REC, 146YDS, 2TD
INDIANAPOLIS - Patriots first-year coach Jeff Fischer probably went over the Colts-Bears game tape and felt good coming into this game. Shane Vereen presented a similar run/catch threat which caused the Colts so many problems last week, and Tom Brady is significantly better than Josh Freeman. It isn't that hard to see where things went wrong, but this game was nothing like last week.
Andrew Luck threw three TD passes in the first half while Shayn Ramsey added a rushing score for a 28-3 lead. While Brady was accurate, the Patriots could barely move the ball. The best they could muster before the break was a 42 yard FG.
It's almost too easy for Luck.
New England started the 3rd quarter well, moving the ball down the field, but a long bomb to Roddy White found Vontae Davis instead. Brady managed to hit Rob Gronkowski with a short TD pass on the next drive, but the Colts came back with a rushing TD from Ramsey and another one from Justin Forsett. Down 42-10 the Patriots managed to score once more in the last few minutes of the game, but it was much too little too late.
Luck had a big day mostly thanks to the three headed monster at wideout. T.Y. Hilton, Cecil Shorts III, and Da'Rick Rogers all had more than 100 receiving yards and they nearly had 10 catches each. A 30:12 1st down advantage also helped Indianapolis crush the Patriots. Perhaps the early season struggles are over.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
First of all I would like to thank everyone and anyone who reads / enjoys my dynasty reports. I have a few questions for those that read and anyone who doesn't because they would like to see something added.
I can't add a poll (or can't figure out how to), so if you are interested please send me a PM or post to my chalkboard, all input is appreciated. Based on what I'm doing and what I see others doing, would you like to see :
1 - Injury Reports
2 - Weekly Power Rankings
3 - Weekly NFL Standings
4 - Season Preview / Prediction Expansion (Perhaps cover the top teams in each division / predict division winners, this would be an expansion of my AFC South Preview.)
5 - Weekly Leaders (More likely in the 2nd half of the season)
6 - Player Ranking/Grades (This would go into the depth chart, for instance Andrew Luck is a 99 so he would be listed at QB A. Luck (99) so you can see what kind of players I have and how people have developed.)
That is all I can think of, if you have suggestions please send them along. The only caveat I have is that I am currently starting the 2018 season, so it will be some time before I can add anything that involves massive amounts of stats.
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
4:15 PM ET - September 18th, 2016
Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
| Indianapolis Colts at Chicago Bears | |||||
| Sep 18, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Indianapolis Colts (2-1, 1-0 Away) | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
| Chicago Bears (2-1, 1-1 Home) | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 | |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 404YDS, TD
Rushing : M. Forte (CHI) - 19CAR, 135YDS, TD
Receiving : T.Y. Hilton (IND) - 14REC, 143YDS, TD
CHICAGO - Heavy winds coming off Lake Michigan made today's game interesting, but not as interesting as the early season struggles for the Colts. Indianapolis headed into a hostile environment to play a team armed with one of their weaknesses; elite receiving HB. Things would look bleak as late as the final 2:00 of the game, but the offense and defense would step up to pull this one out.
The best Indianapolis could do in the 1st quarter was two field goals in the swirling winds, and boy were they glad they took the points. It didn't take long for Indianapolis to see they were going to have problems with Matt Forte, who was an immediate match up nightmare in passing situations. Things tipped Indianapolis' way when a goal line stand forced the Bears into a 26 yard FG attempt.
Chicago came right back with another scoring drive, this time a 2 yard TD run on 3rd & 2 from the 2, and then Cecil Shorts III fumbled away with ball with just 2:10 to play in the 1st half. Even though the Bears got the ball on the Indianapolis 49 yard line, they went three-and-out to give the Colts a chance. Andrew Luck stepped up to lead a seven play 78 yard drive in just 1:30 for a Shayn Ramsey 1 yard TD run. With the score just 13-10, and Forte causing serious problems, the second half would be close.
The 3rd quarter did not start or end well for the Colts. Forte broke off a 48 yard TD run to give Chicago the lead, and T.Y. Hilton would leave the game during the next drive with an ankle injury. Hilton would come back on the next possession to catch a short TD and give the Colts the lead again, but the Bears would stun Indianapolis by converting a 4th & 3 with a fake punt.
The Bears' fake punt rolled into a possession that lasted into the 4th quarter and ended with a 7 yard TD pass to Forte on a screen pass. The Colts just didn't have an answer for Forte and the Bears used him so well when Vontaze Burfict or Bjoern Werner were sent on blitzes. Josh Freeman seemed to have an emergency escape button in the shape of Forte whenever the pass rush got to him, and the draw play was killer whenever Indianapolis came out in a Dime or Nickel defense.
Forte was a nearly unstoppable force.
Despite everything that happened, the Colts came up big and showed why they won it all last year. A dominating drive ended with a 24 yard TD run by Ramsey to give the Colts a 27-24 lead, and then a three-and-out possession by Chicago gave the Colts another chance. Indianapolis tried to run out the clock, but found themselves looking at a long 4th down or a 42 yard FG try. Coach Pagano sent out the kicking team, but Taylor Reyes couldn't handle the wind and the ball went wide right and short to give the Bears the ball back on their own 27 with 1:52 left to play. The Bears drove down the field, but Freeman found Colts FS Branch Daniels for his second INT of the game which gave Indianapolis the ball back with 0:39 left to play. A kneel down later and the Colts escaped with a win.
Even though he only threw one TD pass, the game ball goes to Luck. Luck went into halftime 11/24 for 200 yards, but came out in the second half and burned down the Bears secondary with a 22/25 204 yard performance that helped set up the win. The Colts also finished with three 100+ yard receiver in Hilton (143), Da'Rick Rogers (122), and the oft-injured Shorts (108) while limiting the Bears' Brandon Marshall to only 58 yards on 5 catches.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:20PM ET - September 11th, 2016
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Sep 11, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Minnesota Vikings (0-1-1, 0-1 Away) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Indianapolis Colts (1-1, 1-1 Home) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 42 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 340YDS, 4TD
Rushing : S. Ramsey (IND) - 28CAR, 116YDS, TD
Receiving : C. Shorts III (IND) - 7REC, 135YDS, TD
INDIANAPOLIS - The Colts opened their season with a real dud, but after a bit of trouble they made good on their second try at home. With D'Qwell Jackson and Ricky Jean-Francois out until Week 6, the Colts defense would be thinner than usual on the defensive line.
Thing started to go poorly on the first play of the game, and things started out looking like last week's loss to Denver. Donte Moncrief was hit hard on the opening kickoff and fumbled the ball, the Vikings recovered it and started the game on the Indianapolis 20 yard line. A few plays later Teddy Bridgewater ran into the endzone from 3 yards out, afterwards he had a chuckle with a Colts fan waving a 'Bridewater' sign. Indianapolis scored on their next drive to make the game 7-7, and then things really started to turn against the Vikings.
In the closing second of the 1st quarter the Vikings found themselves in 4th & inches on their own 48 and decided to go for it. Adrian Peterson, already struggling against the Colts run defense, was stoned for no gain and the Colts had a short field. A few plays later Andrew Luck hit T.Y. Hilton in the endzone for a short TD pass, but the Vikings had a little more fight in them. A brilliant drive from Bridgewater, on his way to a 24/30 day, and a 12 yard TD pass to Peterson would pull the score even at 14-14.
Hilton celebrates his second TD.
Minnesota looked like they were going to flip the script on Indianapolis after a 3-and-out drive from the Colts resulted in another good Vikings drive. From 15 yards out it looked like Bridgewater was going to take the lead, but the entire game started to come crashing down. Aerion Mims picked off Bridgewater in the endzone, Luck would hit Cecil Shorts III for a 44 yard TD pass, and the Colts basically never looked back.
Indianapolis started to pour it on in the 3rd quarter with TD passes to Hilton and Da'Rick Rogers, and with a hefty lead the Vikings had to play right into the Colts hands. Mims, already with one INT, picked off Bridgewater for a TAINT (Touchdown After INT) from 28 yards out. Vernon Davis added to the Vikings misery with an INT as well, and Branch Daniels tallied one as well on a deep bomb to Cordarrelle Patterson. Considering that Bridgewater threw 4INT, his 24/30 performance was very impressive.
Peterson finished the day with 30 yards on 20 carries, and the Colts managed to total 5 sacks. The Colts showed some of that dominance that helped them win the Superbowl, but they will need to be more consistent on both sides of the ball if they are going to repeat. The Colts also need to start worrying about injuries as the team announced Shorts left the game suffering shoulder soreness. With a steep drop off at TE, the team could be in trouble if they lose Shorts for an extended period of time.
Friday, January 23, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
8:30PM ET - September 8th, 2016
Lucas Oil Stadium - Indianapolis, IN
| Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts | |||||
| Sep 8, 2016 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| Denver Broncos (1-0, 1-0 Away) | 0 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
| Indianapolis Colts (0-1, 0-1 Home) | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Top Performers
Passing : A. Luck (IND) - 427YDS, TD
Rushing : M. Ball (DEN) - 16CAR, 90YDS
Receiving : C. Shorts III (IND) - 11REC, 161YDS
INDIANAPOLIS - Well, the 1972 Miami Dolphins don't have to worry about the 2016 Colts anymore, and they didn't even have to wait until Sunday. The NFL's first Thursday Night game of the year didn't disappoint, unless you are a Colts fan, but the rest of the league might feel better knowing they aren't invincible.
The Broncos strolled into Indianapolis without Peyton Manning, and did to the Colts what the Colts did to other teams all last year. Perhaps learning behind Manning helped Zach Dysert get ready to take over, and his debut couldn't have gone any better.
Nothing went well for Indianapolis, starting with a strip sack of Andrew Luck during the 1st quarter. The Colts just couldn't get going on offense, especially on the ground, and everything broke Denver's way. Neither team scored until the 2nd quarter when each team scored 14, but the Colts went into the half bruised and battered. Cecil Shorts III was taken out for about half a quarter with a shoulder injury, and D'Qwell Jackson left for good after breaking his collarbone.
Ramsey was almost on lockdown all game.
The Broncos' approach really paid off in the second half, and the Colts' inexperienced secondary was exposed by Demaryius Thomas. Thomas opened the scoring with a 69 yard TD catch after Kian Sampson blew his coverage and LaRon Landry forgot how to tackle. Shayn Ramsey finally broke a long run for a TD, finding the endzone from 14 yards out, but that was the last time he would gain that many yards.
With the run game under Denver's control, the Colts did the only thing they could; throw. Luck finished the game 44/61, but his single TD pass to T.Y. Hilton in the 2nd quarter was all they could manage. Without being able to run the Colts couldn't use their deadly play action passing plays and Luck struggled to get the offense going. Ramsey finished with a disappointing 52 yards on 14 carries and Indianapolis never came close to scoring in the 4th.
Denver added two field goals in the 4th quarter to seal the deal and the Superbowl Champions had to walk off the field 0-1 to start 2016. The Colts aren't really in a panic, even with Ricky Jean-Francois breaking his collarbone as well, but another game like this will make a repeat title an issue.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
AFC SOUTH PROJECTIONS
Indianapolis Colts (14-2) : Being projected to win 14 games is pretty rare, but some of the advanced numbers actually have them winning that many games. Football Outsiders has their projected win total at 14.1 games, and predicts they will once again have the highest offensive DVOA in the NFL. Constantly unloading on teams is a great way to get to 14 wins, and their defense is probably going to be very good again so the rest of the division is in trouble.
Has Luck even reached his ceiling yet? Does he have one?!
Houston Texans (10-6) : The poor Texans are stuck behind the Colts in this scenario. Each of the past few seasons they have done well and made the playoffs. The problem is dropping two games to the Colts and fighting for a wild card. They have some serious issues at QB, but their offensive line and running game are strong. Just like the past few years, this teams has a really good defense, but their struggles on offense have relegated them to one-and-done status in the playoffs.
Watt continues to destroy offensive lines.
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-10) : The Jaguars are not that bad, in fact they do have a very solid shot at going 6-6 or better outside of their Indianapolis-Houston matchups. They are like a very poor man's Houston at this point, their offense has issues but their defense plays well enough to beat bad teams. Blake Bortles has not developed as expected under center, and he may find himself out of a starting job if things don't improve. The best thing going for them in the division it that they could easily beat Tennessee twice.
Jeffrey is Jacksonville's only weapon.
Tennessee Titans (4-12) : Projecting 4 wins for this team is really hard, especially when Football Outsiders has their expected win total at 2.6. The Titans are probably the worst team in football, a classic example of constantly drafting high gone wrong. Their QB only have one year of experience, their offense is bereft of impact talent, and their defense is basically Jurrell Casey and Brandon Spikes trying to prop up everyone. It's going to be a long year for the Titans, it will probably be Ken Wisenhunt's last if they don't make the playoffs.
Spikes goes from first to worst in exchange for a huge paycheck.
Monday, January 19, 2015
THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR (COLTS DYNASTY REPORT)
INDIANAPOLIS - The 2016 season is about to start, and thanks to the pre-season we can see how the 2016 Colts are going to be moving forward. Indianapolis will be the favorite to win it all, as they should be, but this season they didn't have a massive influx of free agents to fill positions of need. Phil Emery still looks like the best GM in football after pulling off a great draft class, but this team is hardly perfect. If the Colts can repeat after basically taking a nap during free agency, this team could be a juggernaut in 2018.
No surprises, the Colts won most of their games, though pre-season results hardly have any effect on the regular season. Most of the competition was between rookies and average vets for a small handful of starting spots. The coaches were very focused on helping depth players get some game experience.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
| Indianapolis Colts Depth Chart - 2016 | ||||
| Regular Offense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| WR | T.Y. Hilton | D. Rogers | ||
| TE | J. Tamme | B. Pettigrew | ||
| LT | A. Castonzo | J. Mewhort | ||
| LG | J. Mewhort | D. Thomas | ||
| C | K. Holmes | H. Thornton | ||
| RG | B. Fusco | K. Finley (R) | ||
| RT | W. Vega (R) | D. Thomas | ||
| WR | C. Shorts III | D. Moncrief | ||
| QB | A. Luck | J. Palmer | ||
| FB | S. Havili | |||
| HB | S. Ramsey (R) | J. Forsett | M. Lattimore | |
| Base 3-4 Defense | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| LDE | D. Browning | R. Jean-Francois | ||
| NT | T. Knighton | R. Jean-Francois | ||
| RDE | B. Vaughn (R) | R. Jean-Francois | ||
| LOLB | B. Werner | E. Walden | ||
| LILB | A. Dent | A. Jackson | ||
| RILB | D. Jackson | K. Sheppard | ||
| ROLB | V. Burfict | E. Walden | ||
| CB | V. Davis | A. Mims (R) | ||
| SS | L. Landry | E. Agurs (R) | ||
| FS | B. Daniels | E. Agurs (R) | ||
| CB | K. Sampson (R) | A. Kilgore | ||
| Special Teams | ||||
| STARTER | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | |
| K | T. Reyes (R) | |||
| P | P. McAfee | |||
| H | J. Palmer | |||
| PR | D. Moncrief | |||
| KR | D. Moncrief | |||
| LS | D. Thomas | |||
OTA / PRE-SEASON ANSWERS
Andrew Luck, MVP : What else is there to say about Andrew Luck? After two consecutive MVP awards, and now a Superbowl ring, he has entered the conversation as the best QB in the NFL. With the running game a little bit of an issue, and the offense moving to more formations out of the shotgun, Luck could make an assault on some NFL passing records this season. After throwing for 4735 yards and 44TD in a balanced offense that often salted opponents away in the 2nd half with a crushing running game, it's frightening to think of what could happen if they throw the ball more.
Offensive Line Dominance : The rich get richer, and the great get greater. The Colts line was amazing last year, and it could be even better this year. Rookie RT Wayne Vega came into camp and just crushed everyone in his path, he was so good the Colts moved their line around to start him at RT. Brandon Fusco moved inside to RG and pushed Pro-Bowler Donald Thomas into a backup role. The Colts offense figures to be the best in football, and this unit is one reason why.
Starting HB : Coming into the NFL Draft the team was set to start Justin Forsett, but the preseason changed their minds. Rookie HB Shayn Ramsey impressed coaches with his pass blocking and ability to hold on to the ball. He's a bigger back than Forsett, but he isn't all that fast and doesn't provide the best receiving option. Despite all of that, Hamilton and the Colts tabbed him to be their starter.
Can Ramsey fill Richardson's shoes?
FALL QUESTIONS
Defensive Line (Again) : Donavon Browning was really good in his rookie year, and he figures to improve going forward, but this group is really thin. Snagging Terrance Knighton on a 1-year deal was a good move, but he can't play every down. Arthur Jones and Ricky Jean-Francois are backing up the ends and DT, which is not an ideal situation. Rookie Brieon Vaughn won the starting job at RE, but it wasn't that hard to win over the other options. This line is going to be very reliant on the linebackers, otherwise it's going to be hard to repeat their 2015 performance.
Tight End : After having what might have been the most dynamic TE situation in the NFL, the Colts suddenly find themselves starting two guys who are average at best. In fact, the TE situation has influenced Hamilton to make a bit of a shift in their offensive philosophy. Based on the preseason, the Colts are backing away from two-TE situations and starting to run more plays out of the shotgun. Jacob Tamme and Brandon Pettigrew, both signed on 1-year deals, are blocking TE types who might be possession receivers at best. It will be interesting to see how Luck and the offense adjust after a huge season from Dwayne Allen.
Secondary Depth : Team management tried hard to upgrade the secondary in the draft, but with LaRon Landry back in the starting lineup it still has some issues. Three of the four starters look to be solid, with Kian Sampson looking like a great draft pick, but nickel/dime/quarters defense will be a problem. There are a lot of rookies and below-average guys backing up the starters, an injury or two could kill the Colts' ability to defend the pass.
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