Dallas Clark and Austin Collie are two weapons for the Colts.
(AP Photo/Wade Payne)
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As the 49ers prepare to face the Colts this Sunday, I checked in with Indianapolis Colts Examiner John Oehser.
We exchanged a handful of questions with each other about our teams.
Here's what I asked:
The Colts have started hot before in the past but have struggled down the stretch. With the Colts and their win streak dating back to last season, do you see something different with the team than those of years past?
Actually, it's not really fair to say the Colts have struggled down the stretch. The Colts have been the best regular-season team in the NFL since 2003, and won nine consecutive games to make the playoffs last season. Somewhat amazingly, the only season since 2004 when they have lost a December regular-season game with playoff implications was 2006, when they four of their last seven games – and won the Super Bowl.
The Colts' problems have come in the postseason and in a lot of cases, it has been injuries and/or outside circumstances that have hurt them. In 2007, DE Dwight Freeney's absence crippled the pass rush and led to a Divisional Playoff loss at home to San Diego. In 2005, the death of then-Head Coach Tony Dungy's son, James, destroyed the momentum and in 2003 and 2004 they lost to superior New England team.
Last season, frankly, they probably weren't quite as good as their 12-4 regular season record. Dungy did a great coaching job in his final season and QB Peyton Manning had as good a nine games down the stretch as a quarterback can have to carry them into the playoffs. To answer the question – finally – the difference thus far is that this team seems to be the best Colts' defensive team since the first half of 2007, when they were dominant before Freeney's injury.
They also have better depth and more weapons offensively at the skill positions than many years past. The theme with the Colts, though, is what it has been since 2003, and that's that the postseason will be the measure.
Peyton Manning is having another MVP-type of year. He does, however, have to work with a new cast and crew. What is making Manning’s season so far such a spectacular one?
It's hard to specify any one thing, but having covered Manning since 2001, the overriding thought I keep having watching him this season is that this is a Hall of Famer at the peak of his abilities. He still has the physical skills to make all of the throws, and he has 12 years of experience in the same offense with the same offensive coordinator. He also is working with an experienced, talented tight end (Dallas Clark) and wide receiver (Reggie Wayne). Honestly, it's not so much that this season is different from past seasons. It's that the seasons seem to pile onto each other and get progressively better. Colts President Bill Polian said late last season Manning's final nine games of that season were perhaps as good as any stretch a quarterback ever had played. If anything, he has been better thus far this season.
New head coach Jim Caldwell, from an outsider’s perspective, was blessed with such a talented team after Tony Dungy’s retirement. How much of an impact is he making with the organization that has such high expectations every year?
The main impact would be that he has maintained the confident, steady approach that made the Colts so consistently successful under Dungy, but he also made changes where they were necessary. Immediately after his hiring, he replaced former defensive coordinator Ron Meeks with Larry Coyer and former special teams coordinator Russ Purnell with Ray Rychleski. Those two areas have improved this season. He also is a bit more old-school than Dungy, and while the team always performed under Dungy, there is an energy under Caldwell that makes you think perhaps the team is responding to the somewhat older-school approach.
Dwight Freeney has had a sack in seven straight games and the 49ers offensive line is struggling. Also with the return of Bob Sanders and the Colts defense flying under the radar, do you expect the Colts to send a lot of blitz packages to new quarterback Alex Smith?
The Colts have blitzed more this season under Coyer than they did under Dungy and Meeks, but that's partly because they hardly EVER blitzed under Meeks and Dungy. I don't know that I'd say the Colts' defense is under the radar. Their improvement has been a big story around Indianapolis and the secondary is a deep, talented unit that has benefited from Sanders return but that also was playing well in his absence. The Colts' blitz shouldn't worry teams nearly as much as falling behind early. If that happens, not only Freeney but also Robert Mathis can tee off on the quarterback and that's when teams get in real trouble against Indianapolis.
Who wins this game and who is the game MVP?
Because they're at home, and because they're playing at a very high level, I'd say the Colts. Freeney and Mathis are each at the top of their games, as is Manning. I'd expect WR Reggie Wayne to play despite a groin injury, and TE Dallas Clark is playing at a high level. Indianapolis typically doesn't have letdown and it doesn't often lost to inferior teams. The 49ers are good and improving, but they don't seem to be in that higher gear that enables them to go on the road and beat a team that's got things going in the right direction. For MVP, it's easy to take the easy rout and say Manning, but you can say that every week. Let's say Freeney. He, like Manning, may be a future Hall of Famer playing at the best level of his career. His sack streak aside, he has a remarkable motor and rarely is not a factor in the game. If the Colts get a lead early, it's very difficult to keep him off the quarterback even with double teams and chips.
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Check out the questions John asked me at the Indianapolis Colts Examiner page.
Follow me on Twitter for updates. Check me out here @SLam49ers
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