Quick Thoughts - Week 10

[ChaosTheory]

-Fuck the Patriots.

-Fuck overseas, morning games.

-Fuck Rich Eisen, you coastal/northeastern-biased cuntface. You had a former Patriot in the booth with you who was less transparent.

-Fuck the NFL and their public-relations induced unnecessary roughness penalties. They're stupid, make the game worse, and I'm convinced they're like this so the NFL has a data point to reference in future litigation ("We tried").

-I like Minshew more than I expected I would before the season... but he's very frustrating to watch due to his physical limitations. At least he's our backup QB and not our 1st-round pick like Mac Jones.

-I'm interested in rewatching both lines. Felt like the OL was dealing with a sellout run defense... and the DL had some crazy pressure, but we also gave up 167 rush yards and 34:25 in TOP.

-Also interested to see what the issue with the overall run-D was. Watching live felt like the fits were there for the most part, but then the dude would pop out of the pile and gain 8-10yds.

-The most interesting part of the whole game for me was the 4th quarter switch to putting Minshew under center. We haven't done that all years (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). By then, it was too late to establish much of anything, but I do think Steichen needs more of that with Minshew in...

These read-option schemes aren't helpful if the defense NEVER has to worry about the QB running. So if Minshew is never going to keep it... maybe a more traditional, under center, play-action scheme can suit him better.

I had wondered if it was too big a shift because Steichen always runs shotgun/pistol RO and RPO... and clearly that's what AR was drafted to run. But maybe it's necessary with Minshew for the rest of the season. Very interested to see the plan, especially with the bye week coming.

What else?

[Chromeburn]

Not maintaining gap integrity on runs. Grover is very good at that. Our guys were jumping too far or trying to go around the block instead of going through the block. He’s really the only 1tech we have in the roster.

[nate505]

Finally got to see this game. Fuck the NFL for scheduling these things at 7:30 in the morning here.

Pretty intense game. I have no clue if the Pats coverage was that amazing or if Minschew was just that indecisive. On the other hand, it was thrilling to see the Colts put a lot of pressure on a QB for a change.

Random, or not so random note I guess, Buckner might be one of the best Colt defensive players I've ever seen who probably won't get the credit for how great he is due to playing on mediocre teams. The way the Colts were getting gashed when he was out was one of the most painfully obvious things ever. Mediocre teams or not, dude better get his name in the Ring of Fame when he retires.

[Chromeburn]

Finally got to see this game. Fuck the NFL for scheduling these things at 7:30 in the morning here.

Pretty intense game. I have no clue if the Pats coverage was that amazing or if Minschew was just that indecisive. On the other hand, it was thrilling to see the Colts put a lot of pressure on a QB for a change.

Random, or not so random note I guess, Buckner might be one of the best Colt defensive players I've ever seen who probably won't get the credit for how great he is due to playing on mediocre teams. The way the Colts were getting gashed when he was out was one of the most painfully obvious things ever. Mediocre teams or not, dude better get his name in the Ring of Fame when he retires.

It’s Minshew.

https://x.com/joelaerickson/status/1723743497390350826?s=46&t=FvKeTlgkL8ardaxv32vrGQ

[Spike]

-Fuck the Patriots.

-Fuck overseas, morning games.

-Fuck Rich Eisen, you coastal/northeastern-biased cuntface. You had a former Patriot in the booth with you who was less transparent.

-Fuck the NFL and their public-relations induced unnecessary roughness penalties. They're stupid, make the game worse, and I'm convinced they're like this so the NFL has a data point to reference in future litigation ("We tried").

-I like Minshew more than I expected I would before the season... but he's very frustrating to watch due to his physical limitations. At least he's our backup QB and not our 1st-round pick like Mac Jones.

-I'm interested in rewatching both lines. Felt like the OL was dealing with a sellout run defense... and the DL had some crazy pressure, but we also gave up 167 rush yards and 34:25 in TOP.

-Also interested to see what the issue with the overall run-D was. Watching live felt like the fits were there for the most part, but then the dude would pop out of the pile and gain 8-10yds.

-The most interesting part of the whole game for me was the 4th quarter switch to putting Minshew under center. We haven't done that all years (somebody correct me if I'm wrong). By then, it was too late to establish much of anything, but I do think Steichen needs more of that with Minshew in...

These read-option schemes aren't helpful if the defense NEVER has to worry about the QB running. So if Minshew is never going to keep it... maybe a more traditional, under center, play-action scheme can suit him better.

I had wondered if it was too big a shift because Steichen always runs shotgun/pistol RO and RPO... and clearly that's what AR was drafted to run. But maybe it's necessary with Minshew for the rest of the season. Very interested to see the plan, especially with the bye week coming.

What else?

Rich Eisen is a punk ass. Couldn't stand listening to his sorry ass biased bullshit.

We need Grover back in a bad way. run defense is lost without him.

Minshew is too slow processing information and gets way too damn many passes batted down. But he will make some passes when needed unlike that putz Mac Jones. Gotta cut Minshew some slack though, he is a backup for a reason.

Gotta get JT out in space more, after that first drive, up the middle runs were going nowhere.

Overall, happy with the win, but that was a brutal game to watch and listen to.

[Oldcolt]

Steichen doesn't get out coached. His team doesn't give in. It is a nice change.

This will be a different, and much better, team with AR out there.

Pittman made some nice contested catches, as did Pierce at least one time.

Want JT more involved in pass game, he did make a couple of nice blocks in protection however.

Moss sure isn't getting much love

I know its only Jones but our defensive backfield is way way better than I would have given credit for at the beginning of the year had I known how many injuries we would have. I'm pretty amazed.

Like others have said we miss our juicer big time. Stewart needs to learn how to not get caught like the rest of the NFL does.

Winning is always better

Fuck Eisen

[Hoopsdoc]

Minshew is beyond frustrating to watch. He’s just too limited to ever push the ball downfield and he’s maddeningly inconsistent on some of the short stuff.

He makes at least one throw every game where I’m like what the hell was that?

[apballin]

Hats off to the defense for winning another game… that’s 2 in a row they saved the day

Frustrating to see this run game struggle I thought JT was improving and Smith being back I was expecting big things from the run game today

Hate seeing Kelly go down with another concussion

Hate seeing Minshew panic after first read isn’t there

Game ball to Dayo and Downs

Ugly win but I’ll take it

[Luck4Reich]

Shaq Leonard needs to gtfo. The field.

[DragonTails]

If the refs didn't screw us vs Clev, we'd be the #6 seed right now.

While I know this team is going nowhere, it would make the season more interesting with just a little hope of a playoff game- even without AR.

Rest of the schedule is soft but the offensive needs to figure out some things cause it's hard to watch.

[bigalbert]

I didn’t see the game, it was over by the time I got home but looked at the stats and it’s obvious to me we need a playmaking tight end like Dallas Clark back on this team.


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[Dam8610]

I didn’t see the game, it was over by the time I got home but looked at the stats and it’s obvious to me we need a playmaking tight end like Dallas Clark back on this team.


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They have two in Granson and Ogletree, just need them to catch catchable balls.

[ChaosTheory]

Not maintaining gap integrity on runs. Grover is very good at that. Our guys were jumping too far or trying to go around the block instead of going through the block. He’s really the only 1tech we have in the roster.

I rewatched some of the second half... a lot was the young DT's. Eric Johnson in particular was mauled a couple times.

Both he and Ade Ade got caught overrunning their gaps or letting the OL cross their face and wall them off.

[ChaosTheory]

Minshew is beyond frustrating to watch. He’s just too limited to ever push the ball downfield and he’s maddeningly inconsistent on some of the short stuff.

He makes at least one throw every game where I’m like what the hell was that?

As has been pointed out, he seems tighter than when he comes in for relief work. I think he wants to be cautious by nature (probably because he knows his limitations)... and then DC's gameplan for his physical limitations, take his comfort away, and he seems like he panics.

It's like 1st read, maybe 2nd read, and then straight to backyard football.

[rcubed]

They have two in Granson and Ogletree, just need them to catch catchable balls.

if they cant catch catchable balls, then they are not playmakers.

[Colts And Orioles]

If they cant catch catchable balls, then they are not playmakers.





o


Gardner Minshew would be one of the best quarterbacks in the league if he didn't miss open targets as often as he does.

o

[Racehorse]

I went to the pig sty that is Patriot Planet, and read their game thread. The takes from it are the Cheats suck, and would have been blown out by a lot if not for Gardner being inaccurate as Mac Jones is. I can't wait for Richardson to return next season.

[Colts And Orioles]

I went to the pig-sty that is Patriot Planet, and read their game thread. The takes from it are the Cheats suck, and would have been blown out by a lot if not for Gardner being inaccurate as Mac Jones is ...... ) I can't wait for Richardson to return next season.





o


In the meantime, you get to see a defense that is as good as the 1968 Colts were ...... OK, maybe not THAT good, but they have been doing a pretty darned good job of keeping this season's Colts afloat.

o

[albany ed]

o


In the meantime, you get to see a defense that is as good as the 1968 Colts were ...... OK, maybe not THAT good, but they have been doing a pretty darned good job of keeping this season's Colts afloat.

o


I'm not sure why you say that.

The offense is 9th in the NFL in terms of points per game

but

the defense is 25th in the NFL in terms of points allowed per game.

up until this last game, the Colts were the only team in the NFL to score at least 20 points in every game.

[Colts And Orioles]

I didn’t see the game, it was over by the time I got home ...... but looked at the stats, ) and it’s obvious to me that we need a playmaking tight end like Dallas Clark back on this team.







o


That, and we need Anthony Richardson back, which unfortunately won't happen until next season.

o

[Colts And Orioles]

I'm not sure why you say that.

The offense is 9th in the NFL in terms of points per game

but

The defense is 25th in the NFL in terms of points allowed per game.

Up until this last game, the Colts were the only team in the NFL to score at least 20 points in every game.





o


Points-per-game alone can be sometimes be a deceiving statistic.


A) ) The offense can turn the ball over deep in their own territory, and if the opposition scores a FG or a TD it looks just as bad for the defense as does a sustained, 80-yard drive for the opposing offense.

B) ) The offense can throw a pick-6 and/or fumble the ball in their own end-zone, and that TD/7 points counts as the defense allowing points.

C) ) When the Colts scored 27 points in their win against the Panthers, the defense scored 14 of those 27 points ...... so yes, the team scored 20-or-more points in that game, but the offense did not.



Anyone watching the games with their own lying eyes can see that the Colts' defense had a horrible games against the Saints, but have been at least adequate (and sometimes more than adequate) in most of their other games this season ...... in the game against the Browns the defense officially gave up 38 points, but 7 of those points were scored by the Browns' defense, 7 were scored by the referees after the defense did their job of closing out the game in the final seconds of the 4th quarter, and the offense turned the ball over a total of 4 times (the one in which the Browns' defense scored a touchdown by recovering the ball in the Colts' end-zone, plus 3 additional turnovers.) And of the other 3 turnovers, 2 of them were in the Colts' own territory ...... the Browns 2 scoring "drives" off of those turnovers were 6 yards on 4 plays for a FG, and 36 yards on 5 plays for a TD ...... PLUS, the Browns added another FG off of a blocked FG-attempt by the Colts. That scoring "drive" was 0 yards on 4 plays.

In 2 of the Colts' 5 wins so far this season (the Panthers game and the Patriots game), the defense carried the team to a win while an extremely-challenged offense had done very little.



So no, this is not the 1968 Colts defense, or even some of the Robert-Mathis-Dwight Freeney-led Colts defenses of the 2000's ...... but they have done pretty darned well while playing alongside a back-up QB for the majority of this 2023 season.

o

[ChaosTheory]

I'm not sure why you say that.

The offense is 9th in the NFL in terms of points per game

but

the defense is 25th in the NFL in terms of points allowed per game.

up until this last game, the Colts were the only team in the NFL to score at least 20 points in every game.

C&O beat me to it, but eyeball test it.

Just look at the CLE game. They had one good drive and one long final drive aided by universally recognized bullshit penalties. Other than that, our D crushed them as they should have when they had a backup QB. Yet they ended up with our season high 39 points. Goofy.

New Orleans and Los Angeles legitimately lit us up. Of course there were significant personnel differences between those games and, say, the Baltimore game where they showed what a decently healthy unit can do.

[YDFL Commish]

I'm not sure why you say that.

The offense is 9th in the NFL in terms of points per game

but

the defense is 25th in the NFL in terms of points allowed per game.

up until this last game, the Colts were the only team in the NFL to score at least 20 points in every game.

HERE HERE! Comparing this defense to the '68 defense or the the '71 defense or even the '07 defense is completely ludicrous!

We haven't even made the playoffs yet for crying out loud!

[albany ed]

o


Points-per-game alone can be sometimes be a deceiving statistic.


A) ) The offense can turn the ball over deep in their own territory, and if the opposition scores a FG or a TD it looks just as bad for the defense as does a sustained, 80-yard drive for the opposing offense.

B) ) The offense can throw a pick-6 and/or fumble the ball in their own end-zone, and that TD/7 points counts as the defense allowing points.

C) ) When the Colts scored 27 points in their win against the Panthers, the defense scored 14 of those 27 points ...... so yes, the team scored 20-or-more points in that game, but the offense did not.



Anyone watching the games with their own lying eyes can see that the Colts' defense had a horrible games against the Saints, but have been at least adequate (and sometimes more than adequate) in most of their other games this season ...... in the game against the Browns the defense officially gave up 38 points, but 7 of those points were scored by the Browns' defense, 7 were scored by the referees after the defense did their job of closing out the game in the final seconds of the 4th quarter, and the offense turned the ball over a total of 4 times (the one in which the Browns' defense scored a touchdown by recovering the ball in the Colts' end-zone, plus 3 additional turnovers.) And of the other 3 turnovers, 2 of them were in the Colts' own territory ...... the Browns 2 scoring "drives" off of those turnovers were 6 yards on 4 plays for a FG, and 36 yards on 5 plays for a TD ...... PLUS, the Browns added another FG off of a blocked FG-attempt by the Colts. That scoring "drive" was 0 yards on 4 plays.

In 2 of the Colts' 5 wins so far this season (the Panthers game and the Patriots game), the defense carried the team to a win while an extremely-challenged offense had done very little.



So no, this is not the 1968 Colts defense, or even some of the Robert-Mathis-Dwight Freeney-led Colts defenses of the 2000's ...... but they have done pretty darned well while playing alongside a back-up QB for the majority of this 2023 season.

o

I'm not saying this is a bad defense, but to say that the D is what has kept this season afloat is a little extreme. The team has given up 30+ points in 4 of the games played (all losses). Sure, some of those points can be blamed on the offense, but this is not a great defense and without a good QB it's not a good offense. I would say that both sides could take blame and credit for keeping the team afloat so far.

[Colts And Orioles]

I'm not saying this is a bad defense, but to say that the D is what has kept this season afloat is a little extreme. The team has given up 30+ points in 4 of the games played (all losses). Sure, some of those points can be blamed on the offense, but this is not a great defense, and without a good QB it's not a good offense. I would say that both sides could take blame and credit for keeping the team afloat so far.





o


This is a flim-flam that is glossing over what almost any Colts fan knows about this team ...... there is no way that one can equally distribute the blame/credit for the successes and failures of this team so far this season. The defense has been noticeably stronger than the offense has been so far this season. That would probably not be the case if Richardson were the QB for most of the season, but he has not. Minshew has been the quarterback for the majority of the season, and the offense has had more bad games than has the defense (largely) because of that.

o

[albany ed]

Flim flam? Would it surprise you if I told you that the offense and the defense are almost equal in the amount of yards per game? Only 6 teams in the NFL give up more yards per game than the Colts. 25 teams give up less. That, my fellow Colts fan does not impress me.

[Dam8610]

Flim flam? Would it surprise you if I told you that the offense and the defense are almost equal in the amount of yards per game? Only 6 teams in the NFL give up more yards per game than the Colts. 25 teams give up less. That, my fellow Colts fan does not impress me.

Not saying you're wrong, but I'd be more interested in metrics like third down success rate, red zone success rate, takeaways, sack rate, pressure rate, negative plays forced, points per drive, etc. As metrics of a successful defense than yards allowed. Yards allowed can be skewed by a high volume of plays, which, as Chromeburn pointed out earlier, the Colts defense has the most plays run against them in the league.

[Colts And Orioles]

Not saying you're wrong, but I'd be more interested in metrics like third down success rate, red zone success rate, takeaways, sack rate, pressure rate, negative plays forced, points per drive, etc. As metrics of a successful defense than yards allowed. Yards allowed can be skewed by a high volume of plays, which, as Chromeburn pointed out earlier, the Colts defense has the most plays run against them in the league.





o

Correct.

The Colts' defense had one of their best games of the year in their win over the Ravens, but they ceded 364 yards in that game ...... in the Panthers game, the Colts' defense gave up only 275 yards, and they played similarly well in that game as they did in the game against the Ravens ....... but if you looked strictly at the number of yards ceded by the defense and compared the two, you would think that they played considerably better in the Panthers game than in the Ravens game. Additionally, the Colts were playing a much more potent offense when they played against the Ravens compared to the offense in which they faced against the Panthers.



As I stated earlier, watch the games with your own lying eyes if you want to see how a team and/or their specific units are playing rather than relying on generic statistics such as points allowed and/or yardage ceded.

o

[YDFL Commish]

Yards allowed can be skewed by a high volume of plays, which, as Chromeburn pointed out earlier, the Colts defense has the most plays run against them in the league.

The volume of plays is a direct result of being ineffective on defense. There is is a simple fix to that. It's called three and outs. That's what good defenses do.

[Dam8610]

The volume of plays is a direct result of being ineffective on defense. There is is a simple fix to that. It's called three and outs. That's what good defenses do.

Not necessarily. I'd posit a bad offense would be highly correlated to a high volume of defensive plays, for example.

[albany ed]

So far this year, only 8 teams have scored more TDs than the Colts

25 teams have given up less TDs than the Colts

[Dam8610]

So far this year, only 8 teams have scored more TDs than the Colts

25 teams have given up less TDs than the Colts

How many of those were pick sixes or fumble recovery TDs?

[albany ed]

How many of those were pick sixes or fumble recovery TDs?

2

[Dam8610]

2

I should clarify. How many of the allowed TDs were fumble recoveries or pick sixes? Because I'm pretty sure there were at least 3 of those, maybe more. Then how many of the TDs the defense actually allowed were drives of 50 yards or less?

[Chromeburn]

How many points were scored off turnovers for those several weeks.

[albany ed]

I should clarify. How many of the allowed TDs were fumble recoveries or pick sixes? Because I'm pretty sure there were at least 3 of those, maybe more. Then how many of the TDs the defense actually allowed were drives of 50 yards or less?


Dam brother! Do your own research. I stand by my belief that while the D is better than it's been for a while, it is not elite and there are many teams with a better D.

[YDFL Commish]

Not necessarily. I'd posit a bad offense would be highly correlated to a high volume of defensive plays, for example.

So three and outs are bad thing?

[Colts And Orioles]

Not saying you're wrong, but I'd be more interested in metrics like third down success rate, red zone success rate, takeaways, sack rate, pressure rate, negative plays forced, points per drive, etc. As metrics of a successful defense than yards allowed. Yards allowed can be skewed by a high volume of plays, which, as Chromeburn pointed out earlier, the Colts defense has the most plays run against them in the league.







o

Correct.

The Colts' defense had one of their best games of the year in their win over the Ravens, but they ceded 364 yards in that game ...... in the Panthers game, the Colts' defense gave up only 275 yards, and they played similarly well in that game as they did in the game against the Ravens ....... but if you looked strictly at the number of yards ceded by the defense and compared the two, you would think that they played considerably better in the Panthers game than in the Ravens game. Additionally, the Colts were playing a much more potent offense when they played against the Ravens compared to the offense in which they faced against the Panthers.



As I stated earlier, watch the games with your own lying eyes if you want to see how a team and/or their specific units are playing rather than relying on generic statistics such as points allowed and/or yardage ceded.

o
o


Also, turnovers have been a big factor in favor of the Colts' defense, and not in favor of the Colts' offense ...... the Colts are very close to the top of the NFL in both takeaways (their defense) and giveaways (their offense.)



TAKEAWAYS



Cincinnati Bengals ) 18

New Orleans Saints ) 18

Pittsburgh Steelers ) 18

Jacksonville Jaguars ) 18

San Francisco 49ers ) 17

Indianapolis Colts ) 16

Denver Broncos ) 16

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) 16

Buffalo Bills ) 15

Cleveland Browns ) 15

New York Jets ) 15

Los Angeles Chargers ) 15

Baltimore Ravens ) 15

Dallas Cowboys ) 14

Minnesota Vikings ) 14

Kansas City Chiefs ) 13

Seattle Seahawks ) 13

Washington Commanders ) 13

Houston Texans ) 12

Detroit Lions ) 11

Las Vegas Raiders ) 11

Philadelphia Eagles ) 11

Atlanta Falcons ) 10

New England Patriots ) 10

New York Giants ) 10

Arizona Cardinals ) 10

Chicago Bears ) 9

Miami Dolphins ) 9

Green Bay Packers ) 8

Los Angeles Rams ) 8

Tennessee Titans ) 7

Carolina Panthers ) 7



GIVEWAYS



Cleveland Browns ) 19

Buffalo Bills ) 18

Chicago Bears ) 18

Las Vegas Raiders ) 18

Kansas City Chiefs ) 17

Minnesota Vikings ) 17

Jacksonville Jaguars ) 17

Atlanta Falcons ) 16

New England Patriots ) 16

Indianapolis Colts ) 15

Washington Commanders ) 15

New York Jets ) 14

Baltimore Ravens ) 14

Denver Broncos ) 13

Miami Dolphins ) 13

New York Giants ) 13

Philadelphia Eagles ) 13

Arizona Cardinals ) 13

Green Bay Packers ) 12

New Orleans Saints ) 12

Carolina Panthers ) 11

Dallas Cowboys ) 10

Detroit Lions ) 10

Tennessee Titans ) 10

Los Angeles Rams ) 10

Seattle Seahawks ) 10

San Francisco 49ers ) 9

Cincinnati Bengals ) 8

Pittsburgh Steelers ) 8

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ) 8

Houston Texans ) 8

Los Angeles Chargers ) 7

o