9-28-2007

Last week, we directed your eyes toward the plays and players that mattered.  Because you read 18to88.com, you weren't surprised when Tony Ugoh owned Mario Williams.  You sat in awe as the Colts totally shut down Ron Dayne (ZERO YARDS!).  You snickered at the banner wafting from the rafters of Reliant Staduim that proclaimed:  

2007 Houston Texans:  2-1 and we almost came close to overcoming a 17 point deficit at home, but we didn't have Andre Johnson so we still get to feel good about ourselves!  

This week we temporarily cease mocking the Texans to bring you all you need to know about this Sunday's showdown with the Broncos.

1.)  Watch for the Colts to stay undefeated by beating Denver, but still fall two games behind the amazing New England Patriots in the race for the top seed in the AFC.

2.)  Home sweet home.  The Colts have two home games before the bye week.  After they break they hit the road for 6 of the next 9 games.  Brutal.  Look for Indianapolis to fine tune all three phases of the game before the big trip.

3.)  It's not too soon to watch the MVP race.  Tom Brady is running away with it, and Peyton needs to at least keep pace this week if he wants to win his third MVP award.  A two or three touchdown day for Joseph Addai could spell disaster for Manning’s chances.  Okay, maybe it is too soon to watch the MVP race.

4.)  Watch for a slow first quarter from the Colts Offense.  This smells like a classic letdown game after two huge AFC South road games.  None of the fans are taking this game seriously so we can’t really expect the players to either. 

5.)  Watch for reindeer.  Jay Cutler hails from Santa Claus, IN, and will need a Festivus miracle to pull one out on Sunday.

6.)  Watch for clutch field goals.  This game will feature two of the best place kickers of all time.  Jason Elam and Adam Vinatieri have an amazing 27 NFL seasons and 7 Super Bowl appearances between them. 

7.)  Watch for Rob Morris.  The Colts held Houston to 40 yards rushing in Week 3, but the Texans’ running back injuries make it difficult to judge this statistic.  With Rob Morris back in the fold the Defense has a chance to make a statement.  They face Travis Henry a back who racked up over 200 rushing yards in two games against the Colts last year.  This challenge should clarify just how much the Run D has improved since last December.

8.)  Joseph Addai is one of the few running backs in the NFL that is living up to preseason expectations.  He’s racked up 4 scores and a nice average of 4.2 yards per carry.  Last year Addai exploited the Broncos for better than 5 yards per carry.  LT and LJ are nowhere to be seen.  Look for Joe to finish the first quarter of the season with a Pro Bowl spot in sight.

9.)  Look for an inappropriate wave from the crowd.  The Indianapolis fans are getting spoiled     because the team almost never loses at home.  It’s only Week 4 of the season and there isn’t a banner to be hung or a Brady to be intercepted.  The fans may get bored around the midway point of the second quarter and start doing the wave regardless of the score.

10.)  Watch Dry Bly try and cover Reggie Wayne.  Every year the Broncos trot out a new corner to try and contain the Colts offense.  After watching Rock Cartwright and Darrent Williams get destroyed by Reggie Wayne, the Broncos went out and signed the aging Bly specifically to shut him down. 

11.)  Watch Anthony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark.  With John Lynch hurting and possibly out, and the Broncos featuring two cover corners, Manning may choose to attack the middle of the field. This could mean another huge day from Clark and lots more throws to AG.

12.)  Watch the Denver sideline.  Mike Shanahan is considered one of the brightest coaches in the NFL, but has had no solution for Peyton Manning.  He hasn’t been shy about calling #18 the greatest QB today, and you know he gets up for this matchup of wits.  Shanahan scripts the first 15 plays offensively.  If the Broncos struggle early, it’s a great sign.

13.)  Watch Denver’s Yards per Carry.  Last year, they killed the Colts with long runs thanks to one of Gilbert Gardner’s worst games (that is herby defined as:  any game he ever played).  They are averaging a solid 4.5 yards per carry, while the Colts D is allowing a meager 3.7 ypc. 

14.)  Watch Brandon Stokley.  The Colts cut him due to injury problems and a high cap number, and then went and drafted his clone to play in the slot.  Stokley is excellent in finding gaps in zone coverage, and the Colts are most vulnerable to exactly his type of routes.

15.)  Watch for deep kickoffs. The Colts are terrible on special teams, and Denver is unspectacular.  Watch the Colts to try and solve their problems straight up rather than relying on gimmicky kicks.

16.)  Watch Jay Cutler’s ankle, because there isn’t much point in watching his arm. The last time a Heritage Hills High School grad threw a touchdown pass in the RCA Dome it was Ken Dilger taking a lateral from Peyton Manning and finding Marvin Harrison in the end zone.  Here’s betting Cutler won’t outdo his fellow alum.

17.)  Watch for the ghost of Elway.  The Broncos have struggled with the Colts as far back as the Halloween Massacre of 1988.  Rumor has it that John Elway sold his soul for the chance to get out of Baltimore.  Satan sent him the Broncos where he took crap for years despite going to three Super Bowls.  During the late 90s Bill Belichick also sold his soul to Satan in exchange for another head coaching job.  Temporarily distracted, the devil forgot about Elway and he won two titles before retiring.  Furious at his oversight, the dark prince cast a curse upon the good people of Denver, vowing they would pay for #7’s treachery.  Since then, the Broncos have started Brian Griese, Jake Plummer, and Jay Cutler at QB, and the Colts, the team who started it all, have dominated them.  

18.)  Watch the scoreboard. The last several times these teams met, the board shorted out because the Broncos gave up so many points.  The operator, Joe Sneed of Boone County, sued the team for not paying him overtime. The club argued that he only worked a regulation game, but he countered that he did more work against the Broncos than he had in weeks.  The case has gone to arbitration.