Indy Sluggish to Start the game..... (1 Viewer)

[Carter_Can_Fly]

This argument again comes back into the spot light for me. After watching Indy the first 3 quarters I kept thinking to myself that these guys just look sluggish and had no rhythm and IMO I really think it is due to not playing football for a month. I mean yes it is nice to rest, but getting the reps and playing the games keep you sharp. If I am a coach I play my guys and they get reps for at least 3 of 4 quarters. None of this one series and out garbage.You can rest guys all you want to try and prevent injury but football is also a game of timing, rhythm and being in synche. Indy was not any of those things through the first 3 quarters. Is it concidence that they started to find their groove in the 4th quarter??? I think not.

 

[BlueOnion]

I put more of the blame on bad coaching. The Colts should have had a better plan from the start. What probably killed them was the quick success they had against the Steelers in week 12. In hindsight (which is always 20\20), Colts should have come out more conservative, running the ball, some quick hitches and maybe some screens to get a gauge of how much Pittsburgh was going to blitz.For them to come out and say we are going to run some 5 to 7 step drop pass plays and hope they don't blitz more guys than we can block is irresponsible.

 

[Steelers4Life]

I put more of the blame on bad coaching. The Colts should have had a better plan from the start. What probably killed them was the quick success they had against the Steelers in week 12.

In hindsight (which is always 20\20), Colts should have come out more conservative, running the ball, some quick hitches and maybe some screens to get a gauge of how much Pittsburgh was going to blitz.

For them to come out and say we are going to run some 5 to 7 step drop pass plays and hope they don't blitz more guys than we can block is irresponsible.

I agree with this.I was amazed that the Colts were routinely running 4 guys out in pass patterns early on while the Steelers were clearly blitzing and putting pressure on Manning. And the Steelers were coming hard yesterday... Kimo and Aaron Smith played big games.

The Colts didn't call screens to loosen up the defense, and they didn't call misdirection plays to slow down the pass rushers.

They looked rusty, but the Steelers didn't let them get into any kind of rhythm. Manning is only really dangerous when he has time and no one in his face.

 

[amnesiac]

interesting question. seems like if that game were another quarter longer, the colts would've won. they did look out of sync. some of it was coaching though. they had the ball within their own 10 and didn't run the ball once, and nearly had a safety. seems a little unwise to me.

 

[knowledge dropper]

Maybe they should have rested their starters AND taken away sharp objects from all their wives?

 

[BlueOnion]

interesting question. seems like if that game were another quarter longer, the colts would've won. they did look out of sync.

Hard to say, if the game was going to be 5 quarters regardless, Pittsburgh may have tried to put up 28 points before trying to grind out the clock.

 

[Warpig]

interesting question.  seems like if that game were another quarter longer, the colts would've won.  they did look out of sync. 

Hard to say, if the game was going to be 5 quarters regardless, Pittsburgh may have tried to put up 28 points before trying to grind out the clock.

Not to take anything away from the Steelers since they are a very well coached and talented team. However, I am one that thinks that when you cruise through the end of your season like the Colts did...resting players, lackidasical effort. I mean, then went 12-0 then lost what 3 out of their last 4? Not a good thing. Like Bill Maas said...you can't just turn it on and off like a light switch. Good teams don't go from being good to bad to good again...it just doesn't happen like that within the same season. I partly blame the coaching as well as possibly the cockiness of the Colts players. They had no idea how to deal with that Pittsburgh blitz. They abandoned the run almost from the start which gave Pittsburgh the greenlight to release the hounds. I foresee Manning as being another of the greats that never wins the big one. It's sad.

 

[BlueOnion]

I foresee Manning as being another of the greats that never wins the big one. It's sad.

This quite a prestigious group to be lumped in with. I don't know why players have to have a ring to be considered great when it is great teams that win Super Bowls, not great players.

 

[Godsbrother]

This is a no-win situation for a coach. You rest players and you run the risk of them being rusty. You play them and you run the risk of injury or wearing them out.What makes it worse is when you lock up the #1 seed so early that you have several weeks of meaningless games AND a bye. Hard to turn it back on when you've been idle for so long.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

No matter what the answer I think it sets a precedent for NFL teams in the future. There is no doubt the Colts were rusty early in the game given thier past history on early drives. NFL teams will be much less likely to sit people down especially before week 17 if they are headed for a bye, and clearly the rust was a factor in my opinion. Steelers played a hell of a game and may have won even if the Colts were sharp, but I do think the resting of starters among other things became an issue. So we'll see next year if someone is 13-1 and decides to sit their starters for most of weeks 16 and 17. I say this trend may have died with this game which means something else by the way...IT'S GREAT FOR FANTASY FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Colts!

 

[Jason Wood]

Didn't hurt the Eagles last year...

 

[Franknbeans]

Didn't hurt the Eagles last year...

Did they win?

 

[BlueOnion]

(My opinion) The sluggish start is more attributed to bad coaching then the players being rusty. This was not the first time Indy saw this defensive formula and the last time they did they lost to the Chargers; no amount of sharpness will overcome bad coaching.

 

[BlueOnion]

Didn't hurt the Eagles last year...

Did they win?

They might have if T.O. had been rested at the end of the season.

 

[Mr. Rob Otto]

I foresee Manning as being another of the greats that never wins the big one.  It's sad.

This quite a prestigious group to be lumped in with. I don't know why players have to have a ring to be considered great when it is great teams that win Super Bowls, not great players.

Players can be great without getting a ring, and winning a ring doesn't make you great. But great players who win a championship are something special. Marino was one of the best to play the game. Everyone knows that. But every time-- every single time-- that a long-suffering player fails to win a title (again) they get compared to Dan Marino. He's the poster boy for guys that can't win the big one.

Not winning a title tarnishes a career. That's just the way it is, especially for a QB who's supposed to be the team leader. If Manning doesn't win one then it will fall on him too. I also think that eating up a lot of the team's resources might be a reason why these guys don't always have the talent they need.

 

[Warpig]

Didn't hurt the Eagles last year...

Did they win?

They might have if T.O. had been rested at the end of the season.

Rested?!? Wasn't he rehabing a broken leg for about 4 or more weeks? Rehab = Rest + Light exercise.

 

[BlueOnion]

Wasn't he rehabing a broken leg for about 4 or more weeks? Rehab = Rest + Light exercise.

I think he hurt his leg in week 15, when the Eagles were 12-1 and had secured the division title and a first round bye. Mathematically the Falcons had a shot at home field advantage.But when it happened is not important, the reality is it could have happened week 17 if the Eagles were not resting their players.

 

[Jason Wood]

Didn't hurt the Eagles last year...

Did they win?

The post tried to draw a correlation between the Colts resting at the end of the regular season and their sluggish start to their FIRST playoff game. The Eagles last year rolled into the SB despite having played none of their starters the final three weeks.