On both sides. D Free was drilling Warner like he was going for oil.

So, some things I think I think but could be wrong about:
1) Is the Cards offensive line that bad, or are the Jags and Fins lines that good? Our guys were living in the 'Zona backfield, and Warner looked like he's going to have nightmares about Freeney and Mathis for weeks.
2) Someone better take Garcon to the hospital, because that guy is SICK. Worth noting: Rodgers-Cromartie had one of the best 40 times at the draft the year he was taken, and Garcon had him beat by at least a yard or two.
3) Finally, a good game on the ground. No complaints about Addai and Brown.
4) The Colts are 3 games into the season and essentially have a hammer lock on the AFC South. This is going to be a good year.

Nice game, tho.

That is comedy gold.

Anybody count how many times Freeney was held? Holy crap--it was sad to explain to my 8 year-old that "unless you wrap up and tackle a guy in the NFL, it's not holding. Plus, they have different rules for guys facing Freeney and a few other DEs...." grrrrr.

I have never seen s stiff-arm to the face called a facemask.

despite it being a semi-chick flick.

In what movie did the cop say "I see it's Monet's unknown masterpiece, 'Dogs Playing Poker.'"

Cards problem was no run offense. 11 for 24. You can't throw 50 times and beat indy. The game plan should have been obvious after last week, but they fell behind and that just feeds the beast.

I mentioned last week not to fold on Garcon and Collie. They are good players, and showed it tonight. Not better than Gonzo, but they CAN PLAY. Although, I was shaking my head after the first quarter about both of them. Glad they stepped up in the second and on.

Also, as good as we looked tonight, I still think there is room for improvement. Right side of the line still needs to improve, especially Pollak. The run game looked very good otherwise. I assume Freeney is fine (I mean, he looked fine...right? RIGHT???). He was walking out on his own with no noticable limp, but still...you can't help but sweat a little.

Collinsworth, although he was not too bad tonight, is still a turd. Many weird comments. Especially how he has the hots for donald brown. Haha. Arizona is not as good as many thought they were. Our D looked very VERY good (and that's withoug Bob, Brackett, and Hayden). Seriously, though, be fine, Freeney. Make the chip shots, Vinny.

And finally, is Peyton the front runner for MVP thus far??? 3 straight 300+yd games and 7 tds to 1 pick. And 3-0. Okay...that's too much homerism, there, but he is playing great. There is no doubt.

After failure to protect #11 and mental errors (fumbles, dropped INTs, blown QB/WR communications, etc).

Okay, I know it's Waaaaay to early to be looking at this stuff, but I just noticed that the "mighty" 3-0 Broncos, who have allowed an average of 6 PPG, face a murderer's row in the next 5 weeks: Dal, NE, SD, bye, Bal, Pit. Good luck winning three of those five, guys. Other 3-0 teams: Jets face a pretty easy slate, but NO should score on their otherwise stingy D next week. NO, Mia, Buf, Oak, Mia. They COULD go 8-0 to that point. It's a fairly easy looking slate for them all year, really. NE twice. Atl.... Then Indy in week 16. Could be a biggie. Jets could concievably win 13 and should win 11 for sure they way they're going.

The high-scoring Ravens face a decent group: NE, Cinn, MN, bye, Den, Cin, then Indy, Pit, GB. I doubt they make it to 7-0. Tough slate in general with GB and MN, Pit twice, even Cinn twice, and then that Colts game. I say 12-4, and this is a GOOD team.

Colts, meanwhile, have Sea, a suddenly weak TN, an always weak StL, and a suddenly solid SF. Then Hou, NE, Balt. Should be 8-0 or 7-1 when we host NE. Hope Brady puts it up 50 times in that game and hits the plastic as many times as Warner did tonight. Smells like 13-3 to me.

Over in the NFC, the Vikes don't have me convinced and the Saints are scary, but I don't think they are championship caliber. Which leaves a very convincing Giants team. Oh God, I fear a Manning Bowl (mainly for the media hype) as much as Archie and Olivia do (for ulcer and "you always loved him more" reasons).

I never gave up on Collie and Garcon. I just said we needed to see more.

Tonight we saw more.

This is what I wrote about them:

Collie and Garcon made a couple of good plays when it counted. Both have bright futures. I like both players. Don't read this as a criticism of them. They are doing the best they can, and we have to have realistic expectations about what they can do. It's not necessarily their fault they aren't getting open. It's part of the process.

That was fine. The line that got me in trouble was:

But, they are a huge problem right now, and the Colts' offense won't be reliable until Gonzo comes back.

Well color me convinced. They will be serviceable enough for the time being.

The D came to play. Tim "I give 8 yards of cushion on 3rd and 4" Jennings played really well. They were getting constant pressure. I only remember one instance in which they brought extra rushers and were beat. The blitz was really effective this game.

What will go under the radar is this is now two good running games against good run defenses. The Cards and Dolphins were both above average in run D last year. The COlts had 5.5 YPC last week (though only ran it 11 times, so it looked meager in gross terms). Tonight, both Addai and Brown had good runs. Addai looked like the fleet-footed guy from 06-07. Brown seems like a steady 4-7 yard per rush guy.

Another thing that will fly under the radar, the Colts doing the opposite of running up the score. I mean, they did that run on 4 and 12 at the end of the game instead of kicking the field goal. That is a class organization.

McAfee is a great punter, and an even better kick-off guy. The coverage special teams have been quite good, and it helps when you get 3 Touchbacks.

I'm loving this team. I just hope that the Hayden/Brackett injuries don't linger, and, obviously, the Freeney thing is no major issue. I really see 13-3 as an almost low-bar, with 15-1 the high. Other than the game going to Houston (who I still believe in), and Baltimore (who we OWN), I don't see many games that are not easily in the Colts favor. This offense is far better than I imagined, and the defense, at least when the Wildcat is not involved, comes to play.

That Freeney hurt his quad and will have an MRI done on it to see what happened. Said he felt something pop.

Freeney can take the Seattle game off. He's earned it. Hopefully it's not too serious. Freeney seemed upbeat and in not much if any pain.

Garcon gets no love!!

He was the wideout to fear when he was at his divII school. Only Div II, but they have to run and catch just like the Div I guys. I'd gladly take the top 1 - 5 WRs from d-II over the to 20 - 25 from div I any day of the week in the draft.

How can someone that good go so late in the draft...

1. Mount Union is Division III

2. Most NFL teams pay lip service to the draft and generally only go so far as measurables and needs before Best Player. Not everyone has time to send a scout to Mount Union and look at Garcon.

3. The NFL Draft is a joke. It's pretty much a crapshoot and teams like New England get a pass on every draft even if only one to two picks max make the team. Look at JaMarcus Russel: Big "NFL ready arm" with no mention of his head being "NFL ready". Inaccurate is being kind, but guys like Todd McShay and Mel Kiper touted him heavily and Oakland tried to hope they could coach him. Hasn't worked. The draft is a hype factory, pure and simple.

It sure is.
Peyton Manning
Reggie Wayne
Dallas Clark
Marvin Harrison
Edge
Freeney
Da Zombie


All 1 or 2 round picks

such a crap-shoot

Garcon has finally shown why the Colts like him. And frankly; I like him at this point too. He has a little bit of a swagger, awesome speed, and he isn't afraid to get physical. We haven't had that combination in a receiver for a while. All of that and he doesn't sound like TO or OchoStinko when they interview him.

Is it time to get off the Vinnie bandwagon? He was a good kicker . .. but I am afraid that the injuries these past few years are making him too unreliable. Seems like every week it is "touch and go" as to whether he is going to play or not. Then if he does; we hear about a sore ankle, hamstring, groin . ..sounds like an old guy that needs put out to pasture.

Speaking of old guys that need put out to pasture. I bet if Warner had to face defenses like that every week, he would retire before the end of the season. He looked old and I am sure he felt old by the end of the game!

"Said he felt something pop."

I think I'm going to be sick.

Strange game. Three straight possessions without a first down to start. When was the last time the Colts have done that? Peyton puts up a monster stats game, but looked to be a little off from his standards -- he was high with the ball all night.

BTW-- anyone thinking the Titans are weak is looking at the standings and not the games. They could easily be 3-0.

They could be, but they aren't. I still say they go 9-7, which would be a nice run for them to close the year.

They aren't what they are.

They weren't as good as 13-3 last year.

They aren't as bad as 0-3 this year.

There's a lot of luck involved in NFL games.

That's a good point. They'd have to go 9-4 just to finish at 9-7.

And they still have to play Indy twice.

The weird thing about the Titans/Jets is that Collins finished a horrific 15 of 37, despite the announcers insisting the entire game that he was throwing darts.

Is it The Thomas Crown Affair?

There was a dogs playing cards in there somewhere.

How could you ever call something with Dennis Leary and James Bond a chick flick??

And it WAS a chick flick, like Speed. Doesn't make it bad. I love them both. (Dennis Hopper out of his mind with revenge and explosives in a chick flick? Um, yes.) Denis Leary has an almost weepy confession about when his wife left him he beat the crap out of a suspect and ran his car off an on-ramp at 75 MPh or some junk... no wise-ass remarks, no snark. Little profanity. Just beating himself up inside. Gulp. Sniffle.

Chick flick. Not Ya-Ya Sisterhood chick flick, or Steel Magnolias, but... well, we can put it up to a vote.

Good job; I know you'd get it, you cinephile you. Next up, something--ANYTHING--about Catherine Deneuve.