Eyes in the Backfield:  Colts at the Ravens

1. Watch for barking.  Both the Ravens and Colts were accused of dog-like noises this week.  The Ravens were accused of ‘woofing’ throughout the Patriots game, and the Colts D-line was hilarious accused of causing false starts by ‘barking’ at the Jaguars (despite the fact that the Jags used a silent count).  One of these two teams will play like dogs.
2.  Watch for Adam Vinatieri.  His struggles in the last month were cause for concern, but Sunday night he returns to the scene of his greatest moment as a Colt.  His clutch 5 field goals last January gave the Colts a gritty road win as underdogs.  He put us on the road to the Super Bowl that day, and because of it, his time in Indy will have to be remembered as a success.  With a tough Ravens defense on the field, 3 points is a win on any given drive, so AV needs to come up large.
3. Watch for the check down.  Manning didn’t hit Addai much last Sunday, but if the Ravens confuse the Colts with tough blitzes, he might be forced to hit his speedy back with quick passes and screens.
4. Watch for a hang over.  The Ravens left it all on the field Monday night, and it remains to be seen if an aging defense can turn around in just 6 days and combat another tough offense effectively.  It’s entirely possible that Baltimore just won’t show up.
5. Watch the YPC.  If the Colts can hold the Ravens down around 4 yards per carry, they should win. If Willis McGahee rips off 5 or 6 yards a run, it might be a tough game.
6. Watch Different Strokes.  Why?  Because if the Colts’ rotation of three rookie tackles shows up defensively, you might hear Brian Billick say, “Run the ball?  What you talkin’ about Willis?”  Wow.  That was a lot of work to set up a not funny joke.
7. Watch Kyle Boller tackle.  The odds of him having to throw himself in front of Colts defenders going the other way with interceptions are high.  He had better get his sled work in this week.
8. Watch Kenton Keith in the fourth quarter.  Dom Rhodes was never better in blue and white than he was in the fourth quarter of the playoff game last year.  Dom ran out the clock and bashed the Ravens repeatedly in a serious big boy drive.  If the Colts need to burn 4 or 5 minutes late in the fourth, it might be up to Keith to come through with some key carries. 
9. Watch Anthony Gonzalez.  He has been so close to his first career touchdown, it hurts.  He dropped an easy one against NE and had a cheap interference call take one off the board against Jacksonville.  With the Ravens swearing not to get beat by Wayne and Clark, AG might have a huge day.
10. Watch for the past to get buried.  The ‘Colts left Baltimore’ story might never fully go away, but after the playoffs last January, and the Colts subsequent Super Bowl, it seems like this angle is ready to be a historical footnote.  Both Indy and Baltimore have won Super Bowls since the move, and the Colts have now built a strong fan base and history in Indiana.  The fervor over the Horse’s return seems to have died off.
11. Watch for the two seed.  By the time the game kicks off on Sunday night, something good will have happened.  Either the Patriots will have lost, and we can finally put to bed the hilarious and laughable ‘greatest ever’ talk, or Pittsburgh will have choked away any real chance they ever had at the bye.  Honestly, it’s best for the Colts if the Pats win.  A two game lead of Pittsburgh would mean that the last three weeks of the season could be rendered meaningless with a win over the Ravens.  Not that we’ll cry if the Patsies lose of course.
12. Watch the linebackers.  Keiaho and Boiman struggled mightily on Sunday, and Tyjuan Hagler (who made multiple stellar plays) has been moved back to the starting lineup.  The backers were undisciplined and out of position for much of the Jacksonville game, but should correct things this week.
13. Watch Manning be patient.  Word is he was furious with himself for the stupid pick on Sunday.  He seems to have figured out that taking what he can get is the best way to beat Baltimore.  His performance was masterful last January.  Some morons who only looked at the interceptions (which didn’t hurt the team because they came on third and long), failed to see that he utterly dominated a great defense on the road in January, the very thing he had been criticized for not doing before.  Sunday night, he should play under control, knowing that 20 points should probably be more than enough to win.
14. Watch for creepiness.  After watching Ravens coach Brian Billick try to make out with Rodney Harrison on Monday night, word has it that Chris Collinsworth is VERY excited to be covering this game.  Apparently, he was lobbied NBC to let him film a remote report from Baltimore.  Ewwww.
15. Watch the weather report.  Word is the East Coast will experience a warming trend heading into next week.  Let’s hope it arrives a day early.  The current forecast is 39 degrees with the possibility of showers.  A night game in December in Baltimore isn’t exactly a treat. 
16. Watch the post game handshakes.  The Ravens hold a bitter hatred toward the Colts, but this may be temporarily softened.  After the game, Ray Lewis and company will implore Manning to beat the hell out of the Patriots in the playoffs.  It’s possible to imagine the Ravens praising the Colts calling them “the best team we played all year”, just to piss off the Pats.
17. Watch for a wounded animal.  Baltimore has lost six in a row and is out of the playoff hunt.  Brian Billick is eight years removed from the Super Bowl.  His team is average on defense and terrible on offense.  The Colts need to jump on them early and give them no hope.
18. Watch the offensive line.  Tony Ugoh got off to a slow start in his return, but was sound late in the game.  Charlie Johnson was rough at times at RT, but was nowhere near as embarrassing as he was at left tackle.  The Ravens like to blitz from odd angles, and it’s incumbent on the Colts young linemen to identify their men and pick up the blitz.

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