Week 8: Colts @ Titans.

huevonkiller · Oct 26, 2008

@

Colts Team Report

Yahoo! Sports Oct 24, 3:13 am EDT

Inside Slant

Tony Dungy has been in this position before.

The Colts coach has watched a couple of his former Tampa Bay teams that had high hopes entering an NFL season but stumble a bit to start the season. But this is the first time that it’s happened in the seven years that is has happened with his current group of players.

Playing hard, the overall effort that he’s seen through the first six games of the season, hasn’t been the problem. Playing consistently and playing intelligently has been. Physical and mental errors, penalties, and uneven play as dogged the Colts this year.

That had better change very quickly, though. With a nationally televised road game set for Monday night against the 6-0 Tennessee Titans, the 3-3 Colts need to find a way to get themselves back on track.

“We’ve had good segments of games, but never really a good game all the way through. We haven’t built and played a little bit better every week. We have been way more up and down than we ever have been. I really don’t know why. But that has been our MO all year,” Dungy said recently.

“If we play the way we can play and get going—and you have to have a performance like that before you can build off of it—that’s what we have to concentrate on, that we have to go out against a good opponent, play the way we can play and get ourselves a win.”

One thing is very clear. Indianapolis, and Dungy, aren’t going to change what they do, scheme-wise, offensively or defensively. But how they go about doing it, the sense of urgency that the Colts hope to bring to their pregame preparations, and the intensity in which they play the game Monday night, are fixable.

“What we have to do is start playing better. I’ve, unfortunately, been in this position a few times (with the Buccaneers). When we started playing better we were able to run off some wins. I think we were 3-4 one year in Tampa and we won a bunch straight and ended up winning our division and going to the NFC Championship, but that hinges on playing well in November and December,” Dungy said.

“That’s what we have to do. If we get ourselves ready to play, and we start playing the way we can, I think we’ll be in there at the end.”

That’s the key, according to the Indianapolis coach. Get yourself into a position where you are playing your best football over the final two months of the regular season. That’s what Dungy has been telling the Colts.

“Don’t panic. Improve gradually as the year goes on. Play better in November and December. If we do that, we’re going to be in good shape as much as we don’t like it right now,” he said. “Pittsburgh proved that the year they won (after the 2005 season) and the (New York) Giants last year.

“It’s great to be out in front and get that lead and that’s what we have done (in past seasons). It served us well, but your season is going to be made in the second half of the year. The message will be that we need to practice well. If we do, and we’re sharp, we’ll go down (to Tennessee) with a lot of confidence and we’ll play well. But preparing in practice is going to be what it’s all about.”

Series History: 27th regular-season meeting. Colts lead series, 15-11. Tennessee won the only postseason meeting of the two franchises, posting a 19-16 win at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis on Jan. 16, 2000 in an AFC divisional playoff game. The Colts have won eight of the past 10 meetings, but have split the home-and-home series the last two seasons (Indianapolis winning at home in 2006 and on the road in 2007). Three of the past four meetings have been determined by three points or less. The Colts have a 4-2 record at LP Field in Nashville since 2002. Tennessee won the last meeting between the two teams, 16-10 in the final regular-season game played at the RCA Dome on Dec. 30, 2007.

Notes, Quotes

• Indianapolis has a 29-9 record in AFC South play since 2002.

• The Colts have either owned or shared the lead in 95 of 109 weeks of the division’s existence.

• Indianapolis’ five straight AFC South titles is the best divisional-title streak in franchise history.

• Colts coach Tony Dungy has an 8-6 career coaching record against Tennessee.

• “I never thought that they were bad, or weren’t good, or that the AFC had a market on winning football. Every week is a little different. The Giants go into Cleveland and can’t win. Dallas, who was supposed to be the best team in the league, or most talented, they’ve had struggles. I think that what you’re seeing is inconsistent football in a lot of areas. I don’t know if it goes back to training camp and how we did things with the 80-man rosters, I’m not sure, but there seems to be more inconsistent football right now than there normally is in October, and we’re the leaders.”—Coach Tony Dungy, on whether the balance of power in the NFL has moved to the NFC this season.

• Indianapolis has posted seven straight wins on Monday Night Football.

• “(The loss to Green Bay) lasts a few days, especially one like that. I think you’ll be thinking about it for a while and trying to figure out what’s going on and trying to overcome those things. We’ve got to be better, man. Let’s be honest. You’re not going to win games playing like we did.”—C Jeff Saturday, on the Colts’ up-and-down season thus far.

• “Guys have really taken this team for granted, winning like we have in past seasons. But this is the NFL. Games are hard. Every Sunday, you can throw the records out the window, no matter if the team is 1-5 or 3-3. They’re still coming in with the capabilities of embarrassing you if you’re not on your game.”—LB Gary Brackett, on Indianapolis’ inconsistent play this year.

• QB Peyton Manning has completed 264 of 374 passes for 3,079 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 12 previous meetings with the Titans. He has completed nearly 71 percent (.706) of his passes against Tennessee. Manning has an 8-4 career record against the Titans.

Manning has a 9-2 record in Monday Night Football matchups. He has completed 81.8 percent of his passes for 23 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and has a 100.7 passer rating in those games.

• “We just need to play better. I need to play better and we need to try and find a way to get into the end zone.”—Manning, on the sluggish play of the Colts offense through the first six games of the regular season.

• DE Dwight Freeney has recorded 10 career sacks and four forced fumbles in 11 games against the Titans.

• “What we have to do is really concentrate on being sharp in everything we do—preparation, meetings, drill work, practice time. That’s what happens. I think, in terms of going out there wanting to play hard, wanting to do all that knowing what’s on the line, we’ll have that. But, you can go out there and play hard and if you get penalties on third down that create automatic first downs, if you get kicks blocked, if you throw interceptions for touchdowns, all the hard work and all the effort doesn’t overcome those fundamental problems and detail problems. That’s where we are right now.”—Dungy, on getting a sense of urgency across to the Colts.

By The Numbers: 2—Teams that have won AFC South titles since the division came into existence in 2002, Indianapolis and Tennessee. The Colts have won the last five divisional titles. Tennessee won the crown in 2002.

Quote To Note: “We’ll find out. I thought that we had real good concentration two weeks ago (against Baltimore) and we’re going to need that. I think our players will watch the tape and they will see how well Tennessee is playing. I think we’ll know that if we don’t win this game, we really won’t have a chance to win the division, I don’t think. We should have ourselves ready to play our best game of the year, for sure.”—Colts coach Tony Dungy, on whether his team will be ready when Indianapolis travels to play the Titans on Monday night.

Strategy And Personnel

Since the Tennessee game isn’t until Monday night, the Colts had both Tuesday and Wednesday off. Indianapolis’ practice schedule will resume on Thursday and will run through Saturday.

“We’re going to give the players off (Tuesday) and Wednesday, come in on Thursday and we’ll look at the tape of Tennessee, try to figure out the best way to attack them but really look at ourselves and try to get ourselves doing things better and more sound,” said Colts coach Tony Dungy.

“The first six weeks (of the season) have been (inconsistent), and that is a little unusual for us. We could always count on a certain type of performance. We weren’t necessarily always going to win, but you always felt good about how we were going to play. I’ve been as surprised as anyone at the penalties and some of the inconsistencies. Again, it’s just technique and doing things right all the time.”

PLAYER NOTES

• Rookie WR Pierre Garcon, who has been handling kickoff returns for the Colts, will now take over as the team’s primary punt returner as well.

• OT Tony Ugoh might see more playing time this week. Ugoh has been recovering from a groin injury that he suffered against Minnesota in Week 2. He has seen limited work in the last three games.

• CB Keiwan Ratliff was waived by the Colts. Ratliff had been Indianapolis’ primary punt returner the last two weeks.

• CB Nick Graham, who had been released by Indianapolis last week, has been re-signed by the Colts.

Game Plan: Offensively, the Colts have to do a better job of controlling the game tempo. Indianapolis wants to get the ball to its receivers as early and as often as possible. Use the passing game to set up the run. And score touchdowns instead of field goals when they get the ball in the red zone. Minimize physical and mental errors.

Defensively, first and foremost, slow down the running game. Stopping it completely will be a tough chore, but keep a two-yard run to a two-yard run. Limit breakouts. Get after the quarterback, collapse the pocket and force him to throw before he’s ready. Play at a high speed. Control the game tempo from the defensive side. Play the defense the way it’s designed. And play smart.

Matchups To Watch: Colts LG Jamey Richard vs. Titans RDT Albert Haynesworth. Richard is a rookie who has played for the most part this season. Haynesworth has become as dominant a defensive tackle as there is in the NFL. He is an early candidate for league Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Titans LT Michael Roos vs. Colts RDE Dwight Freeney. Freeney has just three sacks so far this season, but the franchise’s career sack leader has always turned it up a notch or two against Tennessee. He has 12 quarterback pressures, which lead the Colts, and two forced fumbles. Roos has had some success against Freeney in the past.

Colts QB Peyton Manning vs. Titans CB Nick Harper. A pair of former teammates with Indianapolis who know each other very well. Manning loves going back to the state where he went to college and is still a fan favorite. Harper has a thing or two to prove to the Colts after he was allowed to test the free-agent market a couple of years ago.

Injury Impact:

• TE Gijon Robinson (ankle) returned to practice on Thursday. Robinson missed the Green Bay game after he was hurt against Baltimore two weeks ago.

• CB Marlin Jackson (shoulder) did not practice on Thursday. Jackson, though, is expected to start Monday night at Tennessee.

• DT Daniel Muir (illness) was held out of Thursday’s practice. Muir should be okay to play Monday night at Tennessee.

• RB Joseph Addai (hamstring) did not practice Thursday and is not expected to play Monday night at Tennessee. Addai, who was hurt against Baltimore two weeks ago, did not practice Thursday.

• CB Kelvin Hayden (knee) did not practice Thursday and will not play at Tennessee on Monday night. Hayden recently underwent surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee. He was injured at Houston earlier this month.

• WR Roy Hall (knee) did not practice Thursday. He will not play against the Titans this week. Hall has been sidelined since the second week of the regular season. He initially suffered a hamstring injury but also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee during the recovery period.

• S Bob Sanders (knee) did not practice Thursday and will not play at Tennessee on Monday night. Sanders, who may return to the starting lineup next week against New England, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee as he was recovering from a high right ankle sprain.

• DE Robert Mathis (rest) did not practice Thursday but is expected to start Monday night at Tennessee.

• DE Dwight Freeney (rest) did not practice on Thursday. He is expected to start at Tennessee on Monday night.
Click to expand...

Source: Yahoo! Sports

Analysis
The Titans' schedule has been pretty much pathetic since week 1. Bengals, Texans, Vikings, Chiefs, and then they escaped with a win at Baltimore. They are dying to get upset and we just don't play poorly two weeks in a row. 30-17 Indy.

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

I'm pumped for this game. Only problem is Addai won't play. Hopefully the Tiants will not remain undefeated past monday!

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

Yeah but he's not nearly as fast as Addai. He is a good power runner though.. I'm thinking this game will be very close, but I gotta take the Titans winning it, 30-24.

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

This game could be won if Peyton has a good passing game, well we can beat anyone if he has a good passing game. We're just not healthy, and we need to be to beat a team having this kind of a season.

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

how have we looked, i'm just now turning it on

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

hmm they are punting it, 3-0 titans.

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

good field position for us, we should be able to score.

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

Clark with a TD!

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

So are you a christian or is your sig/avvy combo more of a joke?

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

looks like it will still be a close game, most likely it will be 7-6 or 7-10 after this drive since they are in field goal range.

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

7-6 after the good field goal

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

As much as i'd love to see a win i'm still not sold yet

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

someone got injured

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

decent run by rhodes, 3rd and 7

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

intercepted

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

Colts get the fumble, atleast I think

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

nope they give it to the Titans.. dang

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

Interception!!!!

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

dang it dropped

SportsFanatic · Oct 27, 2008

here comes the FG

Log in or Sign up

Week 8: Colts @ Titans.

huevonkiller Change (Deftones)

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

Share This Page

Log in or Sign up

Week 8: Colts @ Titans.

huevonkiller Change (Deftones)

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

SportsFanatic Name says it all

Share This Page

Useful Searches