Comments for Anatomy of a Nail Biter at http://www.18to88.com , comment 1 to 42 out of 20 comments http://www.18to88.com Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:59:46 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2683 Fair enough on Schatz. But I still can't root for Pittsburgh in the game knowing the Colts play the Broncos and need the steelers to lose more than they need the Broncos to. Having said that, go Bengals this weekend. (I also harbor a very large amount of hatred still from the 2005 season playoffs - I will never forgive the Steelers, nor Nick Harper for running directly at Roethlisberger while he was laying on the ground) - J-DC Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:00:33 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2680 Don't be too hard on Schatz. 1. He doesn't cook the books. 2. He's always been pro-Manning. He's one of the only analysts out there who has already told the truth about Manning in the playoffs. He's consistently trumpeted that Manning has always played pretty well but has been horribly unlucky and let down by his teammates. It's hard rooting for Pittsburgh, but I sleep better having two games in hand over the whole conference. - DZ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:57:40 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2679 For someone who hates the patriots so much (and believe me, I do too), you put an inordinate amount of stock in what the people at Football Outsiders say. Aaron Schatz is the biggest patriots homer this side of Bill Simmons. While I find their various analyses interesting, you always gotta keep in mind who is writing it. Also, how could you be rooting for Pittsburgh?????? The Colts play Denver, and will demolish them. Always root for the Steelers to lose - always!!! - J-DC Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:10:43 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2647 You missed the discussion earlier. The sun in LOS with the roof open at that hour isn't 'natural sun'. The way the roof works it creates weird light/shadow patterns that are different than what you get in a normal outdoor setting. Think about what happens to a hitter around 4:30 PM when the shadows in most ball parks start to cross the mound. Until they cover home plate, pitcher become invincible. It's not just the sun, it's the sun/shadow effect that makes it impossible. - DZ Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:14:43 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2645 An NFL receiver should catch a ball in the sun. Outfielders have been doing it for a hundred years. That's borderline childish. Gets worse and worse here sometimes. - J.C. Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:04:07 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2641 If Wayne's route was anything but a clearing pattern to get Addai and/or Clark open, I'm a bit disappointed in their decision making. Once they chose to go that direction, they should've been smart enough not to run routes to that part of the field. Good call about the emotional argument. - Willy Duer Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:12:38 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2639 Stover wished a couple kicks in vs. the Niners. The trust level is definitely not there yet from the coaches. But again, given his age I don't know that 45+ yard kicks are ever going to be a comfortable option. Assuming older=weaker (and unless you're on 'roids it always does) longer kicks force you to put more torque than normal on your kicks... which leads to misses. - DemondSanders Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:36:43 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2638 I don't the overall tone of this piece was "borderline panic". I acknowledged the quality of the win, but I still have to be honest about the problems. RE: Deep ball. I'm still watching the tape. Remember that I always reserve the right to change my mind after watching the tape. The coverage appeared to be good down field and Manning didn't have a ton of time. I don't care what the cause of it was, it wasn't there and we missed it. It felt like 2008. RE: CJ He doesn't get graded on a sliding scale. If he can't protect against an elite pass rusher we face twice a year, he's not an answer at LT. I'm not through the tape yet, but he had a rough day run blocking too. RE: Stover. They clearly don't feel comfortable with him kicking from long range. A 48-50 yarder should have been tried if they thought he could hit it. RE: The Wayne pass. I've been pretty restrained on it. Read the in game blog. I didn't kill him at all. Still, you don't try that play without telling the HC first. I'm sure Caldwell knew way ahead of time it was coming. RE: run game early. Ive only watched the first half, and on several key plays it most certainly was NOT there. Addai was blown up in the backfield several times before he even had a chance. It opened up late as the Texans adjusted to the constant passing. The balance thing is a tough call. On one hand, you want to stick with what works, but on the other, you have to have balance. - DZ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:15:07 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2637 And DZ is correct about the 4th and 1 on the first drive. We obviously can't read Manning's mind, but the announcers made a big deal of the fact (ie they took the time to replay it two drives later) that Wayne's route was inhibited by the sun. - DemondSanders Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:14:13 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2636 Dude. Matt Stover is 41 years old. There is no chance in hell they are letting him kick a 50 yarder unless they have no other choice (game winner with no time left). - DemondSanders Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:12:47 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2635 You're off base a bit in your "reasons to frown" assessment. The deep ball wasn't there because it was very well covered. I was at the game. Trust me. Peyton took what was given to him and thrived for the most part. And you say we don't have a kicker who can kick 48+ yards and will bite us in the end? I watched stover warm up and consistently hit 50+ yarders. Yeah we do have a kicker that can do that. Also, if you're complaining about CJ letting Mario Williams, a former no. 1 pick and pro bowler, get by him, then you're expectations are way off. CJ is not a better player than Mario and I'm glad he did as well as he did. There were definitely some errors that need to be fixed, but you're frown section is borderline panic. Way WAY overdoing it. We beat a very good possible playoff team who may have been the hottest offense in the NFL playing the biggest game of the team's history. No complaining about beating that. As for Caldwell, I agree entirely. The fourth and one where peyton slid just short, we should not have punted. I figured it was obvious. Instead, we did, and the Texans drove and scored. PS, go easy on Caldwell on the Wayne pass, that was likely Moore's call. The biggest coaching error I thought was not one play. It was the fact that we passed SO much, we became one dimensional and almost predictable, even with Peyton. That is part of the reason the pass game in the red zone struggled. Contrary to what you thought you saw, the run game WAS there. We just did not use it. We have to mix it up more against NE. Joe played great and his effort was off the charts, but we need Brown healthy next week. - npb1985 Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:01:21 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2634 RE: drive one and the sun I just watched the fourth down play in prep for 18 plays. Wayne broke open just as he hit the sun part of the field, but Manning clearly didn't want to throw the ball to him in that spot because he wouldn't be able to see it. If you have a game tape, check the high angle replay of that play (which they show after the Texans drive). Had Manning thrown that pass, Wayne could never have seen it as he would have been looking right back into the sun. RE: punts I've emphasized that out the Wazzo. People either buy into numbers or they don't. Everyone that knows the numbers all ready agrees with them. For everyone else, I make the emotional argument. - DZ Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:06:19 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2633 [i]part of the reason they didn't was because they were driving into the sun endzone.[/i] Bullshit. They didn't get to the end zone or run any plays that could possibly have been affected by it. You're reaching. [i]And by the way, what a season is having Austin Collie. The guy is doing really well. [/i] Yeah, except for those three drops he had yesterday, including the two that killed the first drive. He's playing very well for a rookie though. Peyton is a great teacher/mentor, and Collie has been more of a first year presence than any of us expected. [i]Addai running behind the Vikings line would make him one of the top running backs.[/i] Your co-workers are clearly wrong. It's not the O line. It's Favre. He makes the Vikings go. Haven't you heard? [i]No one dismisses Brown. The fact is that Brown hasn't really been any better than Addai. [/i] Statistically, no, and that's on the line and his age. But obviously there are things that he has shown that he can do that Addai can't. He's a much harder and more decisive runner. There are situations where that can really pay off. If the line keeps improving (BBS has correctly pointed out that it is getting better - we're just still not confident in it, of course) they're going to end up being a great 1-2 punch. Regarding punts, while I like your tactic of imagining how we'd feel about the other team punting, you should also emphasize the fact that statistically, it is almost always the right move to go for it, just based on probability of converting short yardage and expected return in points. Not to mention, in the first half, the D hadn't even given up a first down. Failing and giving them the ball in the 40 region isn't exactly a terrible worst case outcome. - Willy Duer Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:48:06 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2632 I'm not one of the Addai haters, but I still think he has trouble bursting north-south through holes from time to time. His receiving and blocking skills more than make up for it and a crappy offensive line makes him look worse than he is, but there is usually once per game where it seems like to me, he could turn downfield and gain a couple yards and doesn't. I was having a discussion with a co-worker earlier and we both agreed that the Colts O-line is bad enough not even Adrian Peterson would look good running behind it and likewise, Addai running behind the Vikings line would make him one of the top running backs. - Uno Ocho Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:04:01 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2627 I don't get it with the Addai-haters. The first time I heard the complaint, I thought someone was being facetious. Now, it's just a really bad joke. What are these people seeing that I'm not seeing? I'll admit that it's been a while since I coached and I don't break down film anymore. But I don't see any missed holes. If you watch much football, you'll see plays every weekend where a RB left yards on the table. I just don't see it from Addai. Perhaps fantasy football is ruining the game. Maybe fans get confused into thinking that QBs, RBs, and WRs are solely responsible for their stats. Someone needs to get a clue. The O-line is not good. Mediocre would be an upgrade. And their run blocking is a lot worse than their pass blocking. If the Colts had a rookie QB, Indy would have one of the very worst offenses in the NFL. There's a good reason for the old axiom that games are won and lost upfront. Unless you have an 18 at QB, that's almost always true. Colt fans should be happy they get the rushing yardage they get, because the blocking is a lot worse than the numbers indicate -- and the numbers are bad enough. - sb Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:00:16 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2624 I think Addai is more elusive in the open field, but obviously there are few times that this line is going to get him into that situation. I was at the game and I know that on at least a few occasions, he had chances to hit a seam on the stretches (you could see the gap) and he still kept trying to get the corner. Brown, on the other hand, gets North and South as quick as he can. This not only makes him seem to hit the holes better, but he then gets a second level that is moving laterally, creating the opportunities for breaking off a big run. I do have to give Addai credit for the TD run, he went through 3 defenders to get there, but that is a goaline situation and he knows that he has no time to dance due to the defense being in a postion to close. He needs to have that same mentality in the middle of the field as well. I am not saying that he'll break off 4+ yards a crack then, but it will get him more 1-2 yard gains and less no gains and losses. (Then next year we can look for a new right guard) - tg Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:23:05 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2622 DZ: Vivis en La Plata?? Leí que alguna vez estabas escribiendo desde Argentina, pero pensé que viajarías o algo así. Vivo en Villa Urquiza, en Capital. OK voy a hacer comentarios en Español, aunque en inglés me divierte y también me ayuda a practicarlo! Ojala alguna vez podamos mirar algun partido juntos, seguro que me podes enseñar muchisimo. Regarding the post-season recent failures, i do not buy completely the injuries argument. In recent years Indianapolis have won dozens of regular-season games (many of those against great teams, and eventually champions, like 2008 reg-season win over Steelers) with many key players injured. But they cannot keep that winning pace during playoffs. And i keep asking myself why is that. And perhaps wins like yesterday against Houston are not that positive in the long run. Anyway, hope we have another shot to the SB this year. And by the way, what a season is having Austin Collie. The guy is doing really well. - Nacho from Buenos Aires Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:02:25 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2621 The kicks have been better, but the coverage has been too. They are busting through blocks and making plays. It's the total package right now... - DemondSanders Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:37:27 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2618 I think they elected to drive towards the sun in the first quarter with the thought of if they had to punt or kickoff then the Texans would have trouble finding the ball in the sun. You could clearly see the few times they did kick that way that the returner had his hand over his facemask like a visor tryuing to look for the ball. I think they were trying to create a muffed punt or kickoff return. - Tony Pierce Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:13:53 +0100 http://www.18to88.com/2009-archives/november/anatomy-of-a-nail-biter.html#comment-2615 I realize McAfee has made a big difference and I include him as part of the coverage units. They pass the eyeball test - at least my eyeballs. I think they've done a great job of replacing D. Reid's contributions. - Merr Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:32:58 +0100