Quick thoughts on Giants-Colts
 

1. I'm glad the Colts won, but damn.

2. Damn as in: how does a team in a must-win (basically) game come out THAT flat?

3. I don't get why Frank Reich totally abandoned the run today. I mean, I guess the Giants had some loaded boxes, but I think there were some creative ways to run at them. The Mack TD past the blitzing safety was a good example. Kinda felt like the offensive gameplan today was "uh, uh, Andrew, you make something happen!" Felt a bit Pagano-esque, IMO.

4. TY Hilton is so freaking special, man. At 70-75%, he's still a gamebreaker. If any of your friends or family say he's soft or not a WR1 or whatever, please do us all a favor and punch that person in the face.

5. I'm really happy for Chester Rogers. It wasn't necessarily a special performance today, but he's had an uneven career at WR, and he's been more than solid down the home stretch. Slippery on YAC, protecting the ball and making the plays other WRs aren't. I'm looking at Ryan Grant specifically who, let's be honest, should be cut just for sake of not wasting downs where Luck throws to him.

6. The play Eric Ebron got concussed on was maybe the best throw I've ever seen from Luck. Holy cow, that pass.

7. I know it's not the same injury every time, and I am NOT calling him soft. But at some point, we do have to admit that Ryan Kelly's proneness to injuries is problematic.

8. I thought both Castonzo and Smith really struggled from the tackle positions today. Conversely: I thought the interior of the line played pretty damn well outside of the one drive from Haeg and first few snaps from Boehm.

9. Marlon Mack has gotten SO good at blitz pickups. Thought it was weird Hines was the shotgun back in the end of half one-minute drill, consequently.

10. Hines has become a damn good receiver. Reich should have been a bit more creative with him today. I think his Colts career will continue to see him outsnap his WR to RB snaps by a 3:1 or so ratio.

11. Weird game from the defensive line. Eli Manning had plenty of time lately. Felt like most of the DL was pretty invisible against the pass. Kemoko Turay has fallen off a cliff or something. But hard to argue they didn't affect the run.

12. Think this team missed Anthony Walker today? Dear Lord! Zaire Franklin and Matthew Adams are fine snap-eaters to come off the bench and do 1 thing on a play or two, but neither can hang with a base defense. Ahmad Thomas was, uh, not effective. Don't underestimate how good Walker is, and how much he organizes that defense. They were all out of sorts today.

13. It was hard to get a gauge on what the defense was trying to accomplish today, to be honest. This reminded me of the Jets game a bit in which large parts of the field were just conceded most of the game. Didn't cover the flats pretty much all day, were constantly fooled by backside leaks on play-action etc. My guess is that Eberflus called a super conservative game and sat back in soft zones because his team couldn't communicate well out there.

14. But I say that, and obviously Pierre Desir bit badly on a double move in M2M coverage with no help over top, so... Who knows.

15. I'm glad Malik Hooker made the gimme pick at the end, but woulda been nice if he was over top the other 2 bombs right down the seam.

16. This team needs another safety next year. Mike Mitchell had a nice first 2 games for IND, but that calf injury has reduced him to JAG. JJ Wilcox, even grading on a "they just signed this guy" curve, was a rough watch out there. Thought Odum played as the second best safety today.

17. My main positive takeaways are:

* Andrew Luck in the clutch (still).
* TY Hilton being a leader, example-setter and all-around playmaker.
* Rogers, Inman stepping up.
* Team never letting the game get TOO far out of hand, when it was teetering on the brink.
* Run defense vs Saquon Barkley + continued proof this run D is real.

18. My main negative takeaways:

* Luck is still a bit too inconsistent quarter-to-quarter. Too many quarters where he has, like, 25 yards passing.
* Ryan Grant is still on the roster.
* I love Eric Ebron the Red Zone Receiver and 3rd or 4th Option. I don't love Eric Ebron the Guy Luck Really Needs to Catch a Pass in the Middle of the Field.
* Maybe have a plan for the boot, the flat or Evan Engram at some point?
* Most of the first half.

Good stuff, as always.

They clearly were overlooking the Giants, for whatever reason.

That first quarter was just brutal.

All I know is this young team is fun to watch. Somebody forgot to tell them they are supposed to suck, or they just don't care what people think. For the first time in a while I get excited @ 1:00 on Sundays to turn them on. Refreshing as hell compared to the last 5 years where you knew they were gonna be out coached, out played and unprepared. A bunch of kids learning how to win with an equally enthusiastic coach learning as they go as well.

Winning after putting on a bad performance is sign of a good team. But I’m ok with getting a little lucky. You need a little luck to get to and win in the playoffs.

And we had bad luck earlier in the season. That tends to even out in a year.

Thanks, excellent analysis as always. After a week of media adoration following their skunk job on the Cowboys, maybe the Colts started to believe their own press clippings and lost some of their focus - I don't know - but that was way too close for comfort. Heading into the Titans game next week, I'm hoping this will demonstrate to them that they can't let up.

And while I've been pretty vocal here about how much I like Ebron, I continue to see those plays where he makes an early decision to just completely shut off, and it bugs me. I saw that happen at least twice today - one on the Luck end zone interception. I realize that he had no hope of catching that ball, but it looked like it was directed at him, and he just basically stopped on the field when it went over his head. I would think it's just natural to run toward the ball in those circumstances, so I don't understand his reaction.

The other time was a little earlier in the game, when a pass sailed over his head on the left side of the field. If I recall, it was third down at the time, and Ebron didn't jump for it or even reach upwards. He just decided that it wasn't catchable and let it fly over his head. Again, maybe there was no hope, but I would have liked to have seen him at least make an effort. By comparison, my initial reaction on TY Hilton's 55 yard pass catch was that Luck had overthrown him, but to my surprise he reached out and managed to catch it by his fingertips.

You gave up on them pretty early if I remember from the game thread

Took your advice on point number four. Grandmas gonna be eatin through a straw this Christmas.

Yes. Yes, I did.

I’m humbly accepting great portions of crow as we speak.

Part of me thinks that what happens in game threads should stay in game threads, I get pretty emotional and angry during the game and I am sure a lot of other fans who invest way too much in how a bunch of overpaid entitled players perform. Then I think screw it, roast his ass, this is Coltfreaks, not Aunt Mary's happy house of being nice to each other.

Some freaks torched Aunt Mary’s Happy House years ago.

Burnt it to the ground, then rebuilt it just so they could burn it down again so the story goes.

Most of the stuff was covered and I agree with. A tale of two halves. Or really one bad quarter and three good to mediocre ones.

Luck was just off to start the game. The one early throw downfield on 3rd down to Ebron just had no chance and he had an easier pass underneath, seemed like he got locked onto Ebron and looked nowhere else. Can't blame that one on Ebron. The INT, WTF? I don't know if he was throwing it away or he thought the WR/TE, I think it was Ebron again, was supposed to keep going. Even late, he got bailed out on the strip fumble with the penalty. Could see that coming the entire play.

The defense, this is what tells me they really are not an elite or even average pass D yet. Thank god OBJ did not play today or this could have been a blow out loss. Eli is no Peyton and is on a down year, but he is a veteran QB and was given time, able to pick apart an average secondary. Seemed like the Colts couldn't decide whether to rush him or play back in coverage. Although he did get bailed out twice on what I thought should have been grounding calls. No third down stops the first half, was just picking them apart.

I was at the game and that has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the late drives for the Giants it looked like Reich should have challenged a spot, seemed to be half a yard short on the RAC by the WR when he was down, but the refs gave him a first down around the 20. No red flag. Also on the fumble earlier in the game by Barkley, I thought he wad down, clearly, though he threw the red flag. That one could not be challenged for whatever reason. Being at the game though you don't have as much of a chance to view the replays.

TY Hilton. I would not argue he is the best WR in the game, but there is no better big play WR in the game than him. You need a big play, he is there. And today he passed 500 receptions and 8000 yards for his career. Next to the QB position, the Colts have been the most blessed at WR than anything else in the last 20 years between Harrison, Wayne and now TY Hilton

Ryan Grant, agree, WTF is he still on the team? What a waste. And while Rogers played well, beyond TY Hilton and Hines out of the backfield, it seems we have just a bunch of guys at WR. I mentioned on the Bell discussion thread, would much rather FA money be spent on WR than on signing Bell.

Ebron again with the drops, GREAT throw by Luck and he drops it downfield. Its feast or famine with him.

Also not sure if it was shown on the TV feed, three surprise guests :

Johnny Unitas Jr and Johnny Unitas III were at the game as honorary captains as part of the 60th anniversary of the Giants-Colts Championship game. Surprised me that his relatives would show up at an a game in Indianapolis like that. Not sure that would have happened 10 years ago

And Gary Hogeboom was there! I had literally forgot he was an the team, let alone that he was the QB of one of the division winning mediocre teams back in the mid-late 80s.

At the end of the day, its a win and with Pitt and Houston BOTH losing, a whole lot to play for in one week, primetime game, #256, last of the regular season for a playoff spot of some type. After a 1-5 start, even coming down to the last game of the season for a playoff spot is amazing.

1). This started out like a pagano game. Just inexcusable to come out that flat.

2). Chester was awesome today. Good for him. I agree that Grant can be cut now.

3). This defense has been benefiting from playing shitty qbs. Eli can torch a zone d with a clean pocket.

4). Safety play was atrocious. Defend a fucking pass

5). Man was walker missed.

6). Please draft me some defense

7). TY was looking like Marv out there at times. Love that dude.

8). Way too much confusion on defense before the snap.

9). Kelly is going to be a tough decision. Hope he can get healthy.

10). Good to see Mack strap on his big boy pants in pass protection.

11). Luck needs to use his feet more. Be smart and get down but make the defense think about him on the move

That play by Ebron, he really didn't have a chance and that was the one I put on Luck, should not have thrown that ball. He was well covered too. Luck should have gone underneath.

There was just no excuse for this team to sleepwalk the first quarter and
a half of this game. Doesn't reflect well on character or coaching and has to be
cleaned up. The defense made some pivotal stops down the stretch but was
pretty much owned by the Giants offense throughout the game- this is the
unit that needs to be heavily addressed in the draft. I thought Luck was a
stud. He missed a few throws and had that pick but he had a number of drops
and probably had the worst protection he's had this year but he persevered
and led his team up and down the field after the first quarter and was clutch
down the stretch. Yes you resign Kelly and Glowinski, after having a horseshit
line like forever you do NOT break up this unit.
This team has to play better next week but they are in a position to make the
playoffs which was unimaginable at the beginning of the season. Heady stuff.
And my voice is hoarse from watching, and shouting, at two heart stopping
games in a row. On to Tennesee.

The stats I saw during the game contradict your point that Eli is having a down year. Highest completion rate, and lowest INT percentage.

Well looking it up, now I don't feel as bad about forgetting Gary Hogeboom. ANd I am not sure why he was there, unless Jack Trudeau they just did not want there because of his sketchy history with the law over the past decade.

Colts went 9-7 in 1987. Hogeboom was 4-2 as a starter and Trudeau 5-3.

And two of Hogebooms wins were against strike replacement player teams that season.

Will take your word for it. Did not look up his stats, just going by all the talk of whether he is going to back for the Giants at QB next year

Pretty much sums up this game in a nutshell. The whole first half I kept thinking/feeling like this game felt way too similar to so many games under Pagano.

I was "done" and "quit" on this game more times than I'd ever like to admit. Unfortunately, admitting that you're "done" repeatedly on the internet means it's there permanently for others to read.

So, instead, I will humbly eat my crow and admit I'm proud that this team found a way to still pull out a win in the end.

Yep, Luck shouldn't have thrown it, so it's on him. My comment was just that Ebron literally stopped and made no effort to move in the direction of the overthrown ball. It was just weird and noticeable to me. It's like he make an instant mental determination that he can't catch the ball so he treats the play like its over even while the ball is still in the air.

The second incident was on the last play of the Colts' first series. I went back and looked at it again. Luck overthrew Ebron, and maybe he couldn't have get it, but he didn't leap or even reach up to take a stab at catching the ball. It's just really strange, and I've noticed it several times with Ebron this year. It sticks out, and to me it's a little red flag with him.

Iirc Hogeboom got injured against Miami that year and Trudeau came in and did a serviceable job.

I would like to see our number of penalties go down.

If you look at this team not as a finished product, but rather as a work still in progress this has been an amazing year. The team has learned how to win ball games and is in the process of learning how to handle and sustain success. Next Sunday is a huge test. Win or lose I have confidence that this team has the leadership in its staff to learn and teach the right lessons from the game. I'm going to just enjoy this week We are going to play a meaningful game on December 30!! It's been a nice year

Well said. I’m pumped for next week but I’m even more excited for next year. The progression has been significant just this one season. Imagine what they’ll look like with a few key additions and another offseason of work in this system.

I started thinking this during the 2nd Jags game. Luck shouldn’t be stupid about it, but he should get 1-2 key runs/game with his athleticism. That run today and the one at the end of the 1st half against Houston two weeks ago were perfect examples.

One of the sacks was certainly on him. Mack make a GREAT block on a rushing defender coming full speed at Luck to save him from getting nailed right away, he stepped up, but no far enough and the defender just kept coming for him after the block and caught him from behind.

That is why Mack shouldn’t cut a blitzing lber. They are too athletic and can still make the play.

Just rewatching that final drive this morning, a couple of thoughts.

1. The scramble for a first down was vintage Luck. The dB tried to arm tackle him and that’s just not gonna work. Sometimes I forget that Luck is built like a tree.

2. The pass to Hilton that set up 1st and goal was just exquisite. Luck put that ball right on TY’s hands, just beyond the linebackers fingertips.

3. The touchdown to Rogers could have been called a pick play. Hilton got in the db’s way and just stood there. He needs to turn back towards the quarterback as if he’s running a route to make sure that isn’t called.

I was listening to Kevin Bowen this morning on The Fan....he was in the locker room at halftime and said it was different than any other halftime session this season. First Frank ripped into Andrew using language that was very "un-pastor like" and then he did the same to the rest of the team. "Embarrassed and pathetic" were two of his choice words. He characterized Frank as passionate but not raising his voice and that he had the full attention of his team. After studying this team all season Kevin thinks that more than talent upgrads or innovative new schemes the most important change from last year to this is a coach that does more than talk about accountability.

Stop that! Coaching doesn't matter! This is eluding to the fact that is does and we just cant have that!

Nope, coaching is all that matters. Rogers catching the game winning TD pass, Hooker sealing the game with the INT, the beautiful pin job by Sanchez and the gunners that forced the Giants to make conservative playcalls, T.Y. Hilton making incredible grab after incredible grab all game long, all of that was executed by Frank Reich and the coaching staff. :rolleyes:

Yup, that was a bad block and bad technique. I think that is why we saw more Hines later on.

I just heard on TV that Andrew went nuts at halftime. He was screaming at the entire team, called the performance pathetic. Was cursing at every one. Apparently no one had seen Andrew like that before, ever.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...2/#/questions/

I agree and all of that would have happened and the Colts are in the same position right now with Chuck Pagano. I so agree and just dont understand why he isnt still here and Reich is.

Dam is going to beat that " coaching doesn't matter " dead horse to the grave

I know but I'm hoping that blood vessel in his forehead pops from arguing his point.

What?! Of course not! Those receivers would've dropped all of those balls and Eli would've thrown that ball that Hooker intercepted perfectly if Pagano was the coach. Reich caught those balls for T.Y., Rogers, and Hooker. Reich made that punt for Sanchez AND downed it. It was all Reich and the coaching staff, nothing the players did on the field actually mattered. :rolleyes:

Honestly boys, can we embrace the holiday spirit and agree it's coaching AND talent? Both are indispensable to championship football. Or, if we can't agree to that can we just wait until next week to continue this old argument?

Let’s agree that’s its coaching and talent as well as the fact that Pagano was a horrible coach.

If Pagano was still coach of the Colts, we lose yesterday.

Walk Worthy,

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