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That's a Wrap: A Saturday look ahead and back at the Indianapolis Colts | St. Louis Rams version
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Indianapolis Colts DE Dwight Freeney (left) and DE
Robert Mathis (right)
Wrapping up the week that was around the Indianapolis Colts as they prepare to play the St. Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo., Sunday at 1 p.m. . . .
If it seems it was All Bob Sanders All The Time around the Colts this week, there's a reason for that. It was All Bob Sanders All the Time.
And you know what? That's OK.
Because the truth is, Sanders was the story this week, and despite some fans, bloggers and media being tired of the questions about whether this is indeed the week Sanders will make his 2009 debut (it is indeed the week, by the way) the overriding truth is that Sanders has been nearly a daily story all year because he merits it. He was the 2007 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year and a Pro Bowl Bowl selection in 2005. In the season in between, he helped energize a once-struggling defense, and became one of the NFL's biggest stars during the Colts' Super Bowl run.
So, now the word comes this week that Sanders will indeed play Sunday . . .
And with that, comes more issues . . .
One is whether or not Sanders should automatically return to the starting lineup. Indy Football Report's friend, BigBlueShoe, at Stampede Blue is one of the most prominent Colts voices in the blogopshere, and it's his belief that Sanders should not start, that S Melvin Bullitt has earned the right to start and is a more valuable player -- and a better safety than Sanders -- because he is the more reliable player. A good point, and a valid point, but when you have a player of Sanders' caliber, he's a starter, not a backup.
Another issue . . .
Is Sanders the same player as he was in 2005-2007? That's a more legitimate question, and one that likely will be answered in the coming weeks. It's BigBlueShoe's belief that Sanders has not been a dominant player since 2007, and there's some truth to that. From 2005-2007. he energized the Colts' defense when he played. That didn't seem true as often last season when he made 48 tackles with a pass defensed and an interception in six starts. Sanders on Friday said, "I can't wait to put the pads back on and see if I still got it." The answer to that question could determine a lot about the rest of the Colts' season.
BUT . . .
While it may determine a lot about the Colts' season, there's another truth and that's that the answer won't necessarily make or break the Colts' season. Yes, Sanders is important, but while his absence/presence from 2005-2007 seemed to predetermine the success and failure of the Colts' defense, that's substantially less the case this season. The presence of the 2005-2007 version of Sanders has the potential to make already very-effective defense something special. In a sense, the Colts' couldn't be in better shape. They very much want Sanders to return -- and the prospect of him being 100 percent is enticing -- but if he's not, the effects on the defense aren't tragic.
THE IRREPLACEABLES
It's very possible this list repeats itself from a few weeks back, and it's very possible it could change week to week. But it's always interesting to consider the most irreplaceable Colts . . .
10) WR Anthony Gonzalez. The words of QB Peyton Manning in recent weeks prompted his inclusion in this list. It's easy to think that the Colts are fine with WRs Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon -- and that duo has played well -- but Manning has been insitent in recent weeks that the Colts need Gonzo to play. If Manning feels that strongly, it will be intriguing to see how much better and more efficient this offense can be when the third-year veteran and 2007 first-round draft choice returns.
9) DT Antonio Johnson. A few weeks ago, he wouldn't have made the list. But with Ed Johnson gone, does any Colts fan want to see "Mookie" out?
8) CB Kelvin Hayden. The Colts' pass defense was solid in his three-game absence, but he's the best in the Colts' secondary at breaking on the ball and turning an opponents' pass into a big play for the defense.
7) S Bob Sanders. Yes, the Colts can play without him. But a healthy Sanders provides an element few can.
6) DE Robert Mathis. Few defensive players in the NFL have his knack for the big play.
5) C Jeff Saturday. Most teams don't have a center this high on this sort of list, but his experience is crucial to the offensive line.
4) TE Dallas Clark. He's on pace to set NFL records for yards and receptions by a tight end. Clark always has been good, but he has continued to get better every season. Not every NFL player does that.
3) WR Reggie Wayne. The Colts' offense has been efficient in the absence of WR Anthony Gonzalez. It's hard to imagine that being true in the absence of Wayne.
2) DE Dwight Freeney. There was a time the question of most important Colts defensive player -- Freeney or Sanders -- was debatable. But Freeney, hurt or not, double-teamed or not, finds a way to be productive. Like Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, he's an all-timer in his prime.
1) QB Peyton Manning. What superlatives are left?
LIKING LEONARD . . .
I had interesting conversations with Colts DEs Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney this week, two of the better guys on a roster of pretty good guys. I was curious their thoughts on St. Louis Rams DE Leonard Little.
I wasn't concerned with their thoughts on off-field Little, rather on on-field Little, where in a very real sense he was a precursor to Mathis and Freeney.
Little entered the NFL in 1998 as a linebacker and has played defensive end since 2001, but at 6-feet-3, 263 pounds, he in a very real sense has spent his career as a relatively undersized pass rusher. Freeney, who entered the NFL in 2002, also has spent his career as a relatively undersized pass rusher and Mathis -- who entered the league in 2003 -- has spent it as a very undersized pass rusher, and I asked each if they admired Little. Mathis said absolutely.
"When he first came into the league, and at Tennessee, I watched him," Mathis said. "I remember seeing him using his speed and taking advantage of that a lot. He was one of the guys I used to watch -- him and Jevon Kearse. Those guys were the first, I guess, of our kind. They set the trend."
Freeney said he used to watch Little, too -- but not for how he played.
"He was the first guy to have the silver visor," Freeney said, referring to a visor on Little's helmet. Freeney also said he liked that Little wore No. 1 while playing defensive end at Tennessee.
"I just liked how he was looking on the field," Freeney said. "That was the first time I really saw anyone vise it out like that. It was how he dressed on the field. I know he's a good player. He makes a lot of plays."
CASE-BY-CASE . . .
One more Sanders-related note.
While some in the NFL believe in the adage that a player "can't lose his job due to injury," Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said he doesn't have a hard, fast rule on the issue.
"I think every case is different," Caldwell said. "I don't think you just make a blanket statement in that regard, but for the most part, we look at that as a factor."
EFFECTIVE ENOUGH . . .
An ongoing debate among Colts fans centers on the team's running game, and understandably so. The team finished 31st in the NFL in the area last year, and it was the inability to pick up short yardage against San Diego in the first round of the playoffs that ended last season.
The Colts rank 29th in the NFL this season, and have averaged 78.8 yards per game rushing.
Caldwell was asked about the running game Wednesday:
“I think it’s improving steadily, although each and every week it may not show in terms of the stats," Caldwell said. "I do feel good about what we’ve been doing and how it’s been progressing. Even in the last ballgame, although we threw the ball quite a few times, and you’d have to consider maybe sometimes the check downs that we threw in some situations, the screen passes that we threw could serve as what runs typically give you. But, also, where we use the run we’re pretty effective, in terms of converting third-down-and-two’s and a couple of second-down situations. I thought we ran the ball effectively. We didn’t have many 12-yard gains or explosive plays in the running game, which we certainly would love to have, but I think we were efficient.”
He added that he particularly liked that the Colts have been effective in important situations, saying, "Those are key. You have to go back and kind of look at those situations, and you can see we ran the ball pretty effectively. The big thing is you don’t take a number of lost yardage plays. I think we’ve been able to stay on the plus-side of it, for the most part. It’s one thing that you have to keep working on. It’s not an easy thing, running the ball consistently in this league. That’s an area that we have to just continue to work and work and work and try to continue to improve. I think our guys are doing a good job of that.”
Caldwell also was asked if he had an ideal yards-per-carry average.
“Not really," he said. "I think oftentimes, just like this last ballgame (Tennessee), if you didn’t go back and look at the game and see the running game and how effective it was, in terms of converting first downs, then you would look at it and say, ‘Your yards per carry aren’t quite what you’re looking for, not quite what you want.’ Even in the red zone we ran it pretty effectively. Three yards in the red zone is pretty big when you get down in there tight. You have to look at those things and assess it from that vantage point. If you just strictly look at the numbers, it maybe is not always going to be a pretty picture. The most important thing is that we’re effective, and that we win. Sometimes, it depends on who you’re playing. It may require that you throw it a lot more than you run it. The way our offense is set up it just depends on what the defense does. If they give us a situation where we can run it, we run it. If they give us situations where we can’t, we throw it. A lot of it depends on the opposition.”
Former Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy often said the team likely wouldn't be among the league leaders in rushing and likely wouldn't be a 150- 200-yards-per-game type of team in the Manning era. Not that they couldn't do that, but the team wasn't set up that way and it made no sense to have Manning and the Colts' receivers and not have that be a major part of the offense.
"I think there’s no question that we do have some weapons in those areas, but we also have to make certain that we have good balance, because what it does is it gives the defense the opportunity to back everybody off and strictly play pass the entire time," Caldwell said. "If they do that to you, they can slow you down in the pass game. That’s why you have to be able to run the ball, at least efficiently, so they have to honor it. I think up until this last game, just in terms of sheer numbers with yards per carry, we were pretty good. We were right around four yards carry, somewhere in that area the last couple of games before this. That to me is where you want to be.”
INDY FOOTBALL REPORT EDITOR JOHN OEHSER PREVIEWS COLTS-ST. LOUIS RAMS. HERE
**** BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLTS. SUBSCRIBE TO IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S EXAMINER ARTICLES BY CLICKING "SUBSCRIBE" ABOVE
*** A REVIEW OF COLTS PRESIDENT BILL POLIAN'S POST-BYE WEEK RADIO SHOW. PART ONE. HERE.
*** A REVIEW OF COLTS PRESIDENT BILL POLIAN'S POST-BYE WEEK RADIO SHOW. PART TWO. HERE.
*** THE TOP FIVE SEASONS OF COLTS QB PEYTON MANNING. HERE
*** WR PIERRE GARCON AMONG FIVE KEY EARLY-SEASON DEVELOPMENTS FOR 3-0 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS HERE ***
ED JOHNSON COVERAGE
* Ed Johnson release performance-based, Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell says. Here.
* Ed Johnson officially waived. Here.
* The ramifications of releasing Ed Johnson. Here.
* Ed Johnson reportedly released. Here.
MORE COLTS NEWS . . .
* S Bob Sanders more confident he will play Sunday. Here.
MAGNIFICENT SEVENS: WEEKLY COLTS THOUGHTS . . .
Magnificent Seven I: Seven training camp thoughts and observations
Magnificent Seven II: On the Colts' defensive tackle position and WR Reggie Wayne
Magnificent Seven III: On the Colts' running backs and offensive line
Magnificent Seven IV: On the Colts' offense, OG Ryan Lilja and WR Anthony Gonzalez
Magnificent Seven V: On S Melvin Bullitt and QB Peyton Manning
Magnificent Seven VI: On RB Donald Brown and the start of the season . . . at last
Magnificent Seven VII: On WR Reggie Wayne, the OL and blitzing
Magnificent Seven VIII: On WR Reggie Wayne, QB Peyton Manning and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven IX: On DE Robert Mathis, S Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney
Magnificent Seven X: On QB Peyton Manning's start and life without DT Ed Johnson
Magnificent Seven XI: On RB rotation, DE Dwight Freeney and S Bob Sanders
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