The Ex-Colts are at it Again.

Apparently the Tennessee Titans believe that to beat the Colts, they have to become the Colts. Not in some figurative zen-like way either. The past couple of years the Titans have picked up several players from the Colts, evidently in the hopes that they will enjoy some of what has made the boys in blue so successful.

It doesn't work that way, however, and a player that fits in well with one team may not perform so great with another team, particularly against his old team. Jason David is a case in point. Though he played well for the Colts, and is not doing too badly at New Orleans, he was brutally used and abused by Peyton Manning when the teams met this past season.

Tennessee has a talented quarterback, who has caused the Colts some problems. They should build around him, rather than try and clone the Colts by bits.

Update: Oops! I originally said David was playing for Tennessee when he actually plays for New Orleans. Nick Harper is the former Colts' cornerback at Tennessee. Nevertheless, I think the example is still valid.

Believing in Blue: Colts 21, Chargers 23.

What a disgusting display. I don't care how close it was at the end or how great the comeback almost was, when you throw six interceptions, you don't deserve to win.

I could go into a big rant here about that, the coaching, special teams, and the missed field goal, but it just wouldn't be worth it. What I will say is that as much as the team talks about guys stepping up for injured players, don't be fooled: this is a different team without the offensive weapons. Some of the young guys are passable, but down the stretch you want to have your best available. As it is, our playoff picture is looking worse if we don't get back with it. This team is not used to losing and does not take it very well. Last year they translated that into one of the best playoff runs ever. Hopefully they can do that now.

One bright spot: you can't lay this one at the feet of the defense. They played a good game and made it possible for us to catch back up, despite the horrendous special teams play and Manning's turnovers. Quite a switch from past years.

Believing in Blue: Colts 20, Pats 24.

Well, it was certainly a good, though frustrating game. I didn't like the way our offense wilted in the second half. The defense put up a mighty fight, but against a team as good as the Patriots, you can't afford to be one-sided. So, I'll admit, I predicted wrong.

But it's only one game, even if it means the road to the Super Bowl will probably go through Foxboro. I doubt New England can go undefeated; they looked average against a good team today, and will surely play good teams as the year goes on. Remember also, that Miami has an eerie habit of defending the '72 Dolphins' record. As they say, it's the NFL, anything can happen.

Anyone got any ketchup?

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Believing in Blue: Game of the Year

I know I got off-track keeping up with the Colts' season. Here's a brief rundown since the last update:

Indy 30 - Houston 24

Indy 38 - Denver 20

Indy 33 - Tampa 14

Indy 29 - Jacksonville 7

Indy 31 - Carolina 7

The Colts are playing well, though they are still starting slow each game. I'm glad to see that the defense is no longer seeming to lag a little late in the games the way they did the first couple of weeks.

Now the game everyone has been waiting for is nearly here, and the hated Patriots come to town with their 8-0 record. I think this game will live up to its hype, but the Colts will prevail, though not by a large margin. For all the talk about the Pats' offense, they haven't played any good teams yet, and their defense is pretty much the same as it has been. The other reason the Colts will win? Propaganda like this cannot fail to inspire.

(h/t Hoosierpundit)

Believing in Blue: Colts 22, Titans 20.

Well, the Boys in Blue pulled it out in the music city today to go 2-0. Tennessee gave them a tough go, and played the full sixty minutes. It came down to a huge defensive stop and Tennessee fumble with 4 seconds to go.

The Colts played fairly well today, though they seemed a little less sharp than they did last week. Perhaps that's due to the Titans being so familiar with the Colts or two of our starting linebackers being out. The defense played worse against the run by giving up more yards, but they did not get gashed nearly as badly as some games last year. Vince Young was either better contained or more patient. It looked again as if the defense ran out of steam in the latter part of the game, though they came up with the big plays when it counted.

The offense was its usual productive self, though the interception intrigues me. Why did Reggie Wayne stop and look for a flag? They never said if he was hurt or not, and he came back in on the next possession with a big catch. Finish the play, and then worry about whether or not there should be a penalty flag. The line had a tough fight in this game, and Tennessee brought lots of different pressures. Everyone talks about rookie Tony Ugoh at left tackle when it was the right tackle and the guards getting called for the penalties and allowing the sacks.

The win is good, but I hope the close score does not become the pattern this year; last year was enough of that!

Believing in Blue: Colts 41, Saints 10

Football season is officially underway and Colts fever has hit in a big way. I had to work last night, so I missed watching most of the game, but it looks as if the Colts are off to a good start.

The big concern in the media was the number of rookies that are starting for the Colts, but I didn't see where they were that much of a detriment. They played well for their first time out, and in some cases it looked as if they played better than last year's group. The defense did especially well against the run, and seemed to be tackling better than in years past. They seemed to run out of steam a little in the late stages of the game, though, and did not look quite as sharp on some plays.

The offense was its usual efficient self, and I think having a rookie to spell Joe Addai is not going to be a big issue. Keith ran well the few times I saw him, and the line is good at opening holes for anyone. I think we'll see a big year for the offense now that the ridiculous pressure of the media's "can he win the big game?" is off of Manning.

It's always good to start the year off with a win.

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