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(vs. TITANS, 11/18)



The Colts' defense looked more like the one that had really good, pretty good, or (at worst) average games in the first 7 games of the season than the way in which they looked in their last 2 games (against the Raiders and the Jaguars.)

They gave away 3 points just prior to the end of the 1st half, which gift-wrapped the Titans 3 points (instead of a 57-yard field goal attempt, their kicker instead only had to try a 42-yarder.)

They sacked Mariota 4 times in the first half, and intercepted him once. He (Mariota) was forced to leave the game at halftime because of a hand injury.




10 TITANS POSSESSIONS


6 Punts

2 INT's

1 TD

1 FG



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(vs. DOLPHINS, 11/25)


I thought that the defense looked crappy on 3 of the Dolphins' 7 possessions in the 1st half (the first 2 drives of which resulted in a TD and a Punt, and the next-to-the last one in which they got burned for a long TD pass.)

I thought that they got lucky when the Dolphins' running back stumbled on 3rd and 10 on their 2nd possession of the game which resulted in a punt, instead of a 1st down and (at least) a field goal attempt for the Dolphins had he kept his balance ........ but they used that luck for continuity, forcing 4 consecutive punts before getting burned late in the half for a TD bomb.

They also bailed out the offense after Luck threw an INT immediately after that Dolphins TD bomb by forcing a fumble of their own to get the ball back, and prevented the Dolphins from adding to their 14 point total before the end of the 1st half.


The offense and the special teams put the defense in bad situations 3 times today ........ 2 with turnovers by the offense, and 1 by getting a punt blocked. In those 3 situations, the defense yielded a grand total of 3 points, as they forced the Dolphins to punt, forced a fumble, and held them to a field goal, respectively.


The defense also made the comeback victory possible by getting back-to-back 3 and-outs while the Colts were digging themselves out of a 10-point hole in which they put themselves in.



11 DOLPHINS POSSESSIONS


6 Punts

1 Turnover (Fumble Recovery)

3 TD's

1 FG

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(vs. JAGUARS, 12/02)


Excellent game overall for the defense.

5 of the 7 punts that they forced were 3 and-outs, plus the fumble recovery to open the game was on 3 plays or less.


Unfortunately, the offense had a horrible game.



10 JAGUARS POSSESSIONS


7 Punts

1 Turnover (Fumble Recovery)

2 FG's

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Yep, good overall game for the defense, though I'll temper that with the fact that we were playing against a subpar QB and offense.

Incidentally, while our season sack totals have been fairly pedestrian (I think we're 18th in the league), I've noticed that we accumulate a lot of tackles for a loss - almost always more than our opponent. In fact, we have 5 of the top 29 players in this stat according to this website:

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/pla...ckles-for-loss

I couldn't find a team stat for this during my brief search, but I'm guessing were near the top of the league.

I only have one thing to say about celebrating the defense in that awful game: blech!

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I don't think that Chaka or myself were celebrating, although it may have appeared that way in my post since I only complimented them (the defense) without giving them any criticism ...... although to be frank, there really wasn't much to criticize about their play.


I agree that it's at least somewhat nauseating to appear to celebrate anything after such a frustrating loss, but I believe that we were simply reporting what happened on the defensive side of the ball in an otherwise disastrous loss.

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Yes,” celebrating” wouldn’t be the right word – probably more like “salvaging” something out of this game. JAX had only 150 yards passing and 79 yards rushing, so our defense largely did their part.

I think the defense 100% did their part. They forced two fumbles, recovered one and held them to two field goals.

Our offense didn't score, therefore Jacksonville didn't have to take any risks. The Jags had a full 10 minute TOP advantage and they didnt seem gassed, still forced the 3 and out at the end after the 4th down sack.

I have no issues celebrating our defense. They deserve it, Reich and Luck Let them down.

o


The only thing that the defense DIDN'T DO in this game was do what Robert Mathis did 10 years earlier against the Browns ........ return a fumble for a touchdown in the 4th quarter, which turned a 6-3 deficit into a 10-6 win on a day in which the otherwise explosive Peyton Manning-led offense was almost completely bankrupt.


http://www.jt-sw.com/football/boxes/...008-13-ind-cle

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So, you're telling me that even Manning had games where he struggled? Huh! The way people are talking today, Luck is garbage for not scoring.

Not people here, mind you, but you should see some stuff I have read.

People overreact to single games too much. Just like we were SB contenders after stomping the Titans. Teams have good and bad games, and usually one or two perfect games. The jags secondary and Calais Cambell had a good game, still they almost threw it away. Jags made some very dumb mistakes.

We have a rookie head coach, I don't think people understand that sometimes. That is a steep learning curve. Dungy came here with a lot of coaching experience. This is Reich's first gig. Also first time systems on both sides of the ball. I bet a lot of the guys still don't know the entire playbook b/c it seems to be pretty big. Everyone is excited by the playoffs and all the hype and attention. But we still need more talent, have a nice base and our franchise QB is back. We can build around that and we are also more attractive to FA's now.

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(vs. TEXANS, 12/09)


The defense was robbed of a first-half shutout by the referees when they intercepted a ball, but were called for unnecessary roughness.

They essentially forced 6 Punts and had 1 INT in said 1st half.


They ceded a touchdown on the opening drive of the 3rd quarter, but followed that up by forcing punts on the Texans' next 2 possessions while the Colts' offense increased the team's lead.

The Texans scored another touchdown with a little over 2 minutes left to play, but the Colts's offense made the lead hold up by gaining 2 first downs to run out the clock.



11 TEXANS POSSESSIONS


8 Punts

3 TD's (1 of which was very questionable)


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(vs. COWBOYS, 12/16)


There were a couple of games earlier this season in which I thought that the Colts' defense played better than what the scoreboard reflected ........ today, I thought that it was the opposite. Today, the scoreboard was a little kinder to the Colts' defense in comparison to how well they have actually played.

The Cowboys had 3 possessions in the first half, with drives of 10 plays, 15 plays, and 15 plays respectively ........ and came away with no points.

The defense played well ........ but the Cowboys also helped them out some, particularly in the 1st half.



7 COWBOYS POSSESSIONS


2 Punts

2 Turnover on Downs

1 INT

1 Fumble Recovery

1 Blocked Field Goal

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I’m just stunned. I was sure without a stud pass rusher this team would struggle.

Im not so sure a pass rusher should be the teams priority in the draft. Maybe they should name Eberfus the asst head coach, a pay raise and keep him in town for awhile

They have a good rotation, but they still need that #1 guy that can wreck a game. That's the difference between this team and the elite teams right now.

Gotta say, I think you are out of your mind

The D right now is playing great and is well beyond any expectations I had for this season

My only hesitation is still the pass D with teams that have more than one good, reliable WR target. The last few weeks its been basically Amari Cooper or Deandre Hopkins and not much else. We could focus on then and shut down a pass offense

Add more variable for the pass and I think the D would still struggle.

Even so, like I said, well beyond any expectations for this season

Well let me throw this at you

I think the 3 tech is taken care of on this team and is much less a need than is an edge rusher. The CB position in this d does not need to be elite talent The LB are set with Leonard and Walker. The 3rd LB is not used very often in this D

Which leaves 2 positions of greatest need. Safety and Edge rush. So I don’t think Dam is at all crazy thinking DE is the most glaring need. But Safety is a very close second.

I disagree

De is biggest need but safety is on the back burner. We can stick with geathers and Farley for relatively cheap.

DE, DT, CB and WR are big needs

Completely agree. We've had sporadic success with designed blitzes, but part of the reason why offenses are able to maintain a good completion percentage against our zone schemes is because we're not getting consistent pressure when we only rush 4. We need that edge rush guy who makes life unpleasant for OTs on passing downs where we aren't blitzing.

After that, I'd actually say WR is the most pressing need. Ebron is great in the endzone but he is not a reliable possession target, and trying to use T.Y. as one is the quickest way to lose him for multiple games at a time. Besides, teams with man corners who can cover him (rare though they may be), do serious damage to our passing game. We need a viable 2nd option who can go up on a jump ball and win that battle against a CB or safety.

I think you are right. Start at the line and work back and out. Best players need to be closest to the ball

DE I will agree. DT? Who are you upgrading? CB? Nah. 3-4 rounders Saftey? Cant depends on Geathers I don’t necessarily think Hooker is a good fit. That fucker thinks he’s Dione Sanders or something. Seems afraid to hit anyone. Farly sure. Even Mitchell for another yr. but we need an upgrade Even if Geathers plays we need another hard hitter to play in the box as the hybrid LB

I’ll give you WR and add in RB because Mack the inconsistent wonder. Still sucks

I was only referring to defense

Why CB? That group is playing pretty solid when not asked to play 7 yards off the ball and start back pedaling at the snap.

They are. But that is a position you have to constantly feed. Not a 1st rounder but relatively early

Farley played the big nickel pretty well. Bring back Mitchell as well is fine. Trade hooker.

Autry disappeared half the season. Hunt is old and did as well. We have no depth there that is the future. DT and DE are major issues going forward

I think the plan is for Lewis to play inside and Turay to move to DE. Autry is coming on strong after a slow start Might have been more of a learning curve for him. Hopefully they bring Hunt back as depth. So maybe his replacement But otherwise the starters are there. More depth sure. Muhammad is also getting better and is depth but Turay may move to the left side to take Sheards spot

I disagree on Hooker. He was playing well before he got hurt last year.

Give him one more year and see if he can regain that form.

But look how they use him. Odom could do that. And hooker is a joke in run support. Dude wants no part of tackling anyone

Turay is 240 lbs. he isn’t going anywhere and who says he should be starting. No thanks to Autry and Lewis inside. Way too light.

Invest in the lines always. Have to get and keep young talent up front.

I have nothing to add. I'm just quoting this because it bears repeating.

You need a replacement in the wings for both Hunt and Woods.

I will never argue with investing in the Lines and Edge Rushers. I agree with OC, in the modern NFL you need lots of corners, so investing a mid-round pick is wise.

I like our DL to a point, we have had some real success from the inside at rushing the passer with whomever has lined up there be it Autry, Hunt, Ward, Lewis....but we can still be a little soft up the middle at times, and i think that Woods and Stewart have had down years in their roles. Ridgeway has been a healthy scratch almost all year, which is a huge disappointment as he looked promising earlier in his career.

The Edge guys, Sheard has played the run really well most of the year, but hasn't been a hugely impactful guy rushing the passer, he hasn't been bad by any stretch of the imagination. Turay has shown some promise earlier, but has seen his playing time reduce once Lewis has been activated, and he has actually looked fairly good rushing the passer. Muhammad has shone quite nicely in his limited role.

So if you had Sheard, Turay, Muhammad, Lewis, Autry, Hunt and Ward with a run stuffing DT high on the list, along with a pass rushing specialist, i then think this is starting to look like an elite defensive line.

We don't 'need' anything on defense right now. Are we perfect? Hell no. But, this team is already playing at an elite level. Of course a stud pass rusher would be wonderful, but thankfully we won't be drafting high enough to guarantee one of those. I agree totally about drafting lineman, both offensive and defensive. That is where December/January football is won. To me obviously most important thing is this front office and coaching staff. They truly know how to work together. When Ballard says you do or don't fit the scheme we are going to run he knows what the hell he is talking about. The coaches know what kind of player they want and when they get them they put them in situations to thrive. Just look at Quincy. We can really enjoy this on a deep level because we lived thru the shitshow of the last regime. It's great

Sorry... but this Defense and Elite doesn't belong in the same sentence right now. Yes they are playing much better than anyone had expected at this point. Let's not kid ourselves though. They are still 4-5 players away and still lack a serious playmaker. Yes we have Leonard but we are no where near elite much less very good.

You can still find good pass rushers later, just need to do some good scouting. I think the talent in this upcoming draft and our needs align well. Hunt is 31 so I see a good 3-tech the biggest priority. Getting rush up the middle with this D is the biggest factor IMO. We get that and we will see more turnovers. We play man and zone, so a dominate man corner isn't necessary and those guys go early.

Also, if they are unsure about our safeties, the Alabama safety might be there when we pick. He should be a very good player able to fill a variety of roles including nickle back.

I think in total defense we are ranked around 10-15. They are playing better now than earlier in the season so that is weighted down. I think it has been so long since we saw quality defensive play that we are happy. But we are not in the league of the best defenses yet.

I suppose it depends on your definition of very good, but statistically the Colts are in the top half of the league in most major defensive categories. After 14 games, we are:

11th best in points scored against us
12th best in total yards against us
6th best in run defense yards per carry (3.9)
14th best in pass defense yards per attempt (6.4)
9th best in defensive takeaways (23, consisting of 12 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries)

On the downside, we are the most penalized team in the league (116 penalties accepted against us).

Here’s a link to sortable defensive stats at Pro Football Reference:

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...s/2018/opp.htm

Definitely a positive to see.. just curious how did we look against teams with a top 10 QB? TOP 10 Offense? I definitely like where the Defense is headed. Be nice to add another playmaker.

Fair point about the quality of the offenses we've faced, but I don't know of a way to break down the stats that way (or better yet, a website that's already done this). It would be interesting to see though.

I will say what they did against Dallas was impressive. If they make playoffs that's what the D will have to bring.