Eyes in the Backfield:  Colts at Jaguars

Mad Jack proudly shows off his club to the nation

1. Watch for revenge.  The AFC South revenge tour wraps up in Jacksonville on Monday night.  The Colts have already avenged two of the three road losses they incurred late last year.  None of those other two losses compared to the ass whooping they suffered to the Jholes.  The only good thing about that game was that it led to the end of Gilbert Gardner experience. 
2. Watch for an ultra macho color scheme.  It’ll be hard to spot though, because the Jags are planning to wear all teal.  Teal?  What, pink was taken?  They’ve also asked their fans to join them in burying their masculinity.  Rumor has it Jack Del Rio plans on wearing a suit to the game.  I didn’t know Armani made a teal suit.  I think the Men’s Warehouse has one though.  Mad Jack…always classy.
3. Watch for us.  The game is on national TV and Demond and Deshawn will be there.  Actually, we’ll be hard to spot.  Due to years of being irritated by visiting fans at the dome, we have a policy against acting like fools on the road.  It's discourteous.  We hate it when people do it at the dome, and it would be hypocritical of us to do it to others.  We’ll be in the upper deck, playing it cool and quietly mocking the teal clad fools around us.  After the game, however, we'll delight in taking our shots on the way out.
4. Watch for at least one major coaching faux pas by Del Rio.  He always makes at least one against the Colts.  Even in the games they win, he screws up.  He'll punt when he should go for it, challange an obvious play for a 5 year gain, chop off his punter's leg...something.
5. Watch for Freddy Keiaho and Bob Sanders.  Word is that they should be alright for Monday’s game.  Their presence is critical if the Colts hope to shut down the Jags run game.  Last year, Matt Giordano and Gardner were horrible against the run.  The Zombie’s mere presence should improve the Colts number against the rush by about 150 yards at leasts.
6. Watch for Fred Taylor to prove that numbers aren’t what they used to be.  He is about to become the worst running back in history to gain 10,000 yards.  But you know what they say, “10,000 is the new 6,000”
7. Watch David Garrard struggle to make decisions under pressure.  The Jags have had a pretty easy run of late, and advocates (they don’t really have any fans) say the main reason is Garrard’s 6 TDs and no picks.  Finally, the Jags will play a team that can bring pressure.  Watch for at least 2 picks from Garrard.
8. Watch Clark and Gonzo over the middle.  It’s becoming almost passé to say it, but since the Jags have severe problems at safety, Peyton will try to exploit the middle of the field for big gains.
9. Watch Marvin vs Mathis on the outside.  Marvin has to be steaming that his numbers are so low this season, and Mathis is talked up as one of the best corners in the league.  Look for Marvin to score at least once.
10. Watch the Colts run block vs. the Jags line.  Apart from getting drilled by the Titans running game in week one, the Jags allegedly possess a tough D-line.  The Colts will be running a lot of sweeps and stretch plays to avoid the stout interior of the Jags D.  If Joe Addai picks up 90 yards, the Horse should be ok. 
11. Watch for the emotional edge.  The Colts were embarrassed last year and conventional wisdom would say they will be focused and on a mission.  The Patriots hype they were subject to during the bye week will only amplify this. The Jags, though, usually bring it against the Colts, even if it doesn’t always translate into wins.  It’s the biggest game of the year in Jacksonville that doesn’t involve the Gators.
12. Watch for angry old men with bad joints.  The Jaguars DTs Henderson and Stroud played terrible in the opening loss to the Titans.  Since then they have been much better.  Henderson has an assistant coach slap him in the face before each game.  Sometimes old dudes need something extra to get up for the big game.   
13. Watch Maurice Jones Drew’s stat line.  He destroyed the Colts last year, and his penchant for big running plays could be the difference between 10 points for the Jags and a loss or 27 points and a win.
14. Listen (ho ho! We changed it up on you!) for the crowd noise.  Rumor has it that the Jags will pump in artificial crowd noise to try and make it sound loud.  Of course this is totally unfounded, but since Vic of the Jags.com loves to baselessly accuse the Colts of the same thing and since we have just as much proof as he does, we’ll run with it.  We both have the exact same amount of evidence.
15. Watch for the Monday night crew to spend large portions of the game ignoring the action and talking to celebrities instead of doing their freaking job.  Tony Kornheiser especially will forget that he used to be intelligent and just sound whiny as he lists all the things he was wrong about in this this game.  It's my favorite fourth quarter moment.
16. Watch for #18 in the pocket.  The Jags like to try and bring pressure with their front four, but Manning excels in sliding around the pocket to avoid the rush.  If he gets sacked more than twice, it’ll be a disaster.  If the Jags don't get to him at all, the Colts will win.
17. Watch for moving vans.  This is the first Jags game that has sold out since week one.  The last time the local market saw the Jags on tv, they were humiliated against the Titans.  If they get it handed to them this week, fan interest will wane severely.  It may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and sends them packing up for LA, thus making the AFC South one seriously weird division.  One can only hope they’d move St. Louis to the AFC South and the LA Jaguars to the NFC West.  Well, we can dream anyway (about realignment, not about the team moving.  They ARE moving.  It's just a matter of time).
18. Watch for a stranglehold.  With a win, the Colts effectively go up 3 games in the division after just 6 games.  With all their remaining division games at home, a 28-13 win will essentially seal up a playoff spot, and break the Jags spirit.  They also face a brutal rest of the year (tougher even than the Colts schedule), and a loss should start them on a slide that will lead to 8-8 and the unemployment line for Mad Jack.