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That's a Wrap: A Saturday look at the Indianapolis Colts | San Francisco 49ers Q&A version
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Indianapolis Colts TE Dallas Clark (Tom Gannam/AP Photo)
Wrapping up the week that was around the Indianapolis Colts as they prepare to play the San Francisco 49ers a Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis Sunday at 1 p.m. . . .
We'll change the format a bit for That's a Wrap this week, because San Francisco 49ers Examiner Samuel Lam asked me to do a question-answer about this week's game. I'll start off with Samuel's answers to five questions about the 49ers, them finish up with my five answers to Samuel's Colts-related questions.
First, San Francisco 49ers Examiner Samuel Lam's answers to Indianapolis Colts Examiner John Oehser's 49ers-related questions . . .
Question 1: What kind of impact has WR Michael Crabtree had and what will that impact be going forward?
Answer 1: His five catches for 56 yards was a great sign of his talent. He is already now the most explosive receiver on the team. He can run the short routes and challenge a cornerback for the big plays. What I see from his is a lot of what I saw from him last Sunday. He has a blessed set of hands that can help the 49ers in their third-down situation. For starters, with the team now trying out a new kind of offense, knowing that the running game has been struggling, Crabtree becomes much more important to the team than ever before. Right now, he already makes this offense so much better.
Q 2: Was putting QB Alex Smith back in starting lineup right thing to do?
A 2: For this team to go forward, it had to be the move to make. The 49ers knew that they couldn’t rush him into the lineup when the season began. So then, they gave the hot Shaun Hill the nod to start the season. Coming off of surgery, Smith was able to play the second-string role and learn the offense with no pressure. Because of that, he was able to just get comfortable. Now that he is comfortable and clearly has more firepower than Hill, he gives the 49ers offense a huge boost. And since the Colts will fight with their offensive fire, the 49ers have to use their own with Smith’s arm.
Q 3: At 3-3, are the 49ers still going forward under Mike Singletary?
A 3: After the last two losses, the team is a smarter 3-3 team under Singletary. The 49ers have learned a lot under the head coach and most importantly, the talent is still learning but clearly getting better. One thing about Singletary is that he knows what it takes to win. He’s been there before as a player and as a linebackers coach, he has seen some of the great talents on the field become winners. The 49ers at least right now are a lot better than what I saw in them in the preseason. They don’t have any huge superstar names making the big plays, but they have the right people for the right task at hand.
Q 4: Can the 49ers make the playoffs?
It depends on what the Cardinals do. Actually, the 49ers do hold their own destiny in their hands. Their 3-0 mark against the division gives them a huge step up in taking the division title. But with this stretch of games, it is hard for me to see them making the playoffs. Well, I actually want to see how they play this Sunday. But I believe if they put together an effort like they did in their first four games and just keep things close, they have a good chance of snatch out maybe six more wins and giving themselves a chance to take the division or even a wild card spot.
Q 5: What do the 49ers have to do to win Sunday?
A 5: They need to stop the big plays from happening. The muffed punt and the play action to Owen Daniels took the game away from the 49ers. The Colts are very capable of scoring early and often. As a veteran team, the Colts can just run up the score early and make another comeback for the 49ers hard. The 49ers have to prevent this from happening and just keep it close. Like the game against the Vikings. It was close to the point where the 49ers almost had the game won. The same can be done if the team adds pressure to the Colts offense. And for the 49ers offense, they just have to be smart and take the educated risks to help the offense get into a groove.
Indianapolis Colts Examiner John Oehser's answers to San Francisco 49ers Examiner Samuel Lam's Colts questions . . .
Question 1: 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?
Answer 1: 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 momentun 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.
Q 2. 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?
A2: 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.
Q 3: 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?
A 3: 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.
Q 4: Dwight Freeney has had a sack in seven straight game 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?
A 4: 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.
Q 5: Who wins this game and who is the game MVP?
A 5: 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.
That's a wrap.
**** BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT THE COLTS. SUBSCRIBE TO IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S EXAMINER ARTICLES BY CLICKING "SUBSCRIBE" ABOVE
*** PREVIEWING COLTS-49ERS. HERE
*** IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER ON COLTS DE DWIGHT FREENEY: HERE
*** A REVIEW OF COLTS PRESIDENT BILL POLIAN'S WEEKLY RADIO SHOW: TE DALLAS CLARK SHOULD GO TO THE PRO BOWL HERE. AND AN UPDATE ON WR REGGIE WAYNE. HERE.
*** COFFEE WITH THE COLTS. A NEXT-DAY REVIEW OF RAMS-COLTS. HERE.
*** COLTS 42, RAMS 6. INDY FOOTBALL REPORT EDITOR JOHN OEHSER'S GAME STORY. HERE
*** THE TOP FIVE SEASONS OF COLTS QB PEYTON MANNING. HERE
*** COLTS S BOB SANDERS: "I LEFT PLAYS OUT THERE." 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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