I would even buy this down to -3, just for a little insurance from the "dodo happens" scenerio....
The Jags will definately have their hands full as this will be by far the best Offense they will have to face...and their weakness on Defense is in the secondary...The Jags are good vs the run, but as you seen yesterday vs the Packs stellar run defense...the Colts doesnt need to use the run to beat you...They only had 60 yards on the ground vs GB....If the Jags utilize a blitz package like GB did trying to get to Manning, he may have another big day like he did yesterday...Plus, the Jags pass rushing this year is not that successful at getting QB sacks and ints...with only 4 sacks on the year and 1 int...JMO
The Jags will definately have their hands full as this will be by far the best Offense they will have to face...and their weakness on Defense is in the secondary...The Jags are good vs the run, but as you seen yesterday vs the Packs stellar run defense...the Colts doesnt need to use the run to beat you...They only had 60 yards on the ground vs GB....If the Jags utilize a blitz package like GB did trying to get to Manning, he may have another big day like he did yesterday...Plus, the Jags pass rushing this year is not that successful at getting QB sacks and ints...with only 4 sacks on the year and 1 int...JMO
Holysmoke, Jags are a strong system play going back a while now, The books would probably love your action on what looks to be one of the best teams in the league against a so called "lucky" Jags team that people are betting when they will finally loose. IMO
I have not made a play but I know I will not be playing the colts.GL
I have not made a play but I know I will not be playing the colts.GL
I feel a lot of people will jump on the Colts, as most still believe that the Jags are lucky to even be sitting at 3-0...all wins they got were very late in the game to get the win...A problem I see them having with the Colts this week is that unlike the Bills, Denver, or Tenn...the Colts Offense will keep the pressure on them all game long...and this type of pressure will put to much of a strain on this Jags Defense to stop, and also to much pressure on the Jags Offense, whose struggling to gain yards let alone score a TD, that wont be able to depend entirely on their defense to keep them close...and this could spell big trouble for the Jags if the Colts get up early....
Def is a plus for the Jags, but they still need to have an Offense that is at least half decent inorder to keep pace with the Colts high flying Offense that will score points on any defense, at any stadium, in the League...Being on the road for the Colts on Offense shouldnt be a problem, as they have proven this at NE and at Tenn this year...But playing at home for the Jags I dont think will make that any difference for them now having an Offensive explosion, enough to beat the Colts...and like I mentioned, THE COLTS WILL SCORE POINTS.
Plus, when I look at this one...seeing as how the Colts Offense is clicking on all cylinders right now, and has the benefit of having a QB like Manning who can run it himself....I have to see Tony Dungy, a Defensive Guru, being able to more than prepare for the Jags enimic Offense, which ranks second worst in the League...Dungies game plan to keep the Jags Offense in check should give his Offense good field position and that is never a good thing to give Manning.
On the other side...the Jags coach, though coming from a Defensive background, isnt as fortunate as Dungy to have an Offensive machine at his disposal...
Def is a plus for the Jags, but they still need to have an Offense that is at least half decent inorder to keep pace with the Colts high flying Offense that will score points on any defense, at any stadium, in the League...Being on the road for the Colts on Offense shouldnt be a problem, as they have proven this at NE and at Tenn this year...But playing at home for the Jags I dont think will make that any difference for them now having an Offensive explosion, enough to beat the Colts...and like I mentioned, THE COLTS WILL SCORE POINTS.
Plus, when I look at this one...seeing as how the Colts Offense is clicking on all cylinders right now, and has the benefit of having a QB like Manning who can run it himself....I have to see Tony Dungy, a Defensive Guru, being able to more than prepare for the Jags enimic Offense, which ranks second worst in the League...Dungies game plan to keep the Jags Offense in check should give his Offense good field position and that is never a good thing to give Manning.
On the other side...the Jags coach, though coming from a Defensive background, isnt as fortunate as Dungy to have an Offensive machine at his disposal...
Wow... the last place guy in our contest is taking Indy, which is a bad sign for all of you taking the Colts. I am taking Jacksonville. LUCK has nothing to do with their defense playing so well this year, and the Colts half-assed defense will allow Taylor to run quite a bit and keep Manning and Co. off the field.
E
E
This line is high IMO ...No way it jumps to 6 or 7.....Jags are home and confident...Colts will be lucky to win....This team is about defense, that is half the game...The Colts cannot line up and run the ball on anyone! The Colts are still a vulnerable team against top defenses...They look pretty on the turf with the gaudy passing game but, they cannot run the ball in short yardage...
This is a tough spot for Indy to cover.
This is a tough spot for Indy to cover.
Depleted Colts’ secondary may also be without safety Bashir
Depleted Colts’ secondary may also be without safety Bashir
[size=-1]Associated Press[/size]
<!-- begin body-content -->Indianapolis Colts safety Idrees Bashir’s injured groin could keep him out of this week’s game at Jacksonville.
Bashir left Sunday’s game against Green Bay early in the second half after trying to play through the injury. Colts coach Tony Dungy said Monday he was still waiting for MRI results before announcing Bashir’s status against the AFC South-leading Jaguars.
The Colts secondary has been hit hard by injuries.
Indianapolis’ other starting safety, Mike Doss, hasn’t played since the opener because of a pulled right hamstring and may miss a couple of other weeks.
Cornerback Joseph Jefferson, who battled for the starting job with Donald Strickland, hasn’t played this season after having knee surgery in late August.
Strickland played Sunday despite a sore right shoulder, and Dungy said the Colts’ other starting cornerback, Nick Harper, got banged up in Sunday’s 45-31 victory over Green Bay. Harper is not expected to miss any time.
The Colts’ top draft pick, Bob Sanders, still has not practiced with the team after a lengthy holdout. Sanders did not participate in the Colts’ offseason workouts because he was recovering from surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot.
Wide receiver Brandon Stokley also hurt his hip Sunday, but is expected to play this week.
Rivers moving up
Philip Rivers just got a lot closer to taking his first snap with the woeful San Diego Chargers.
Rivers was promoted from third-string quarterback to No. 2 on Monday, a day after Drew Brees was ineffective in a 23-13 loss at Denver that dropped the Chargers to 1-2.
Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Brees remains the starter.
But if Brees were to get hurt – or get the hook – Rivers, the $40.5 million rookie, would get the call over 41-year-old Doug Flutie, who’s now No. 3.
Lions’ RB sprains ankle
Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones is expected to miss two to four weeks after sustaining a high right ankle sprain in the loss to Philadelphia.
The first-round draft choice was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s 30-13 loss.
“High ankle sprains can be two weeks or they can be 12,” Lions coach Steve Mariucci said Monday. “He’s had these before, and he was back in a couple weeks both times, so that’s what we are hoping for.”
Fullback Cory Schlesinger pulled a hamstring, but the Lions hope to have him back for their Oct. 10 game in Atlanta. Detroit has a bye this week.
Browns’ LB tears tendon
Linebacker Ben Taylor tore a tendon in his chest during the first quarter of a 27-10 loss to the Giants.
Browns coach Butch Davis said the three-year veteran will undergo surgery Tuesday to have the tendon reattached to his pectoral muscle and will need four to six months to recover.
<!-- end body-content -->
Depleted Colts’ secondary may also be without safety Bashir
[size=-1]Associated Press[/size]
<!-- begin body-content -->Indianapolis Colts safety Idrees Bashir’s injured groin could keep him out of this week’s game at Jacksonville.
Bashir left Sunday’s game against Green Bay early in the second half after trying to play through the injury. Colts coach Tony Dungy said Monday he was still waiting for MRI results before announcing Bashir’s status against the AFC South-leading Jaguars.
The Colts secondary has been hit hard by injuries.
Indianapolis’ other starting safety, Mike Doss, hasn’t played since the opener because of a pulled right hamstring and may miss a couple of other weeks.
Cornerback Joseph Jefferson, who battled for the starting job with Donald Strickland, hasn’t played this season after having knee surgery in late August.
Strickland played Sunday despite a sore right shoulder, and Dungy said the Colts’ other starting cornerback, Nick Harper, got banged up in Sunday’s 45-31 victory over Green Bay. Harper is not expected to miss any time.
The Colts’ top draft pick, Bob Sanders, still has not practiced with the team after a lengthy holdout. Sanders did not participate in the Colts’ offseason workouts because he was recovering from surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot.
Wide receiver Brandon Stokley also hurt his hip Sunday, but is expected to play this week.
Rivers moving up
Philip Rivers just got a lot closer to taking his first snap with the woeful San Diego Chargers.
Rivers was promoted from third-string quarterback to No. 2 on Monday, a day after Drew Brees was ineffective in a 23-13 loss at Denver that dropped the Chargers to 1-2.
Coach Marty Schottenheimer said Brees remains the starter.
But if Brees were to get hurt – or get the hook – Rivers, the $40.5 million rookie, would get the call over 41-year-old Doug Flutie, who’s now No. 3.
Lions’ RB sprains ankle
Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones is expected to miss two to four weeks after sustaining a high right ankle sprain in the loss to Philadelphia.
The first-round draft choice was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s 30-13 loss.
“High ankle sprains can be two weeks or they can be 12,” Lions coach Steve Mariucci said Monday. “He’s had these before, and he was back in a couple weeks both times, so that’s what we are hoping for.”
Fullback Cory Schlesinger pulled a hamstring, but the Lions hope to have him back for their Oct. 10 game in Atlanta. Detroit has a bye this week.
Browns’ LB tears tendon
Linebacker Ben Taylor tore a tendon in his chest during the first quarter of a 27-10 loss to the Giants.
Browns coach Butch Davis said the three-year veteran will undergo surgery Tuesday to have the tendon reattached to his pectoral muscle and will need four to six months to recover.
<!-- end body-content -->
Safety Sapp may get more opportunities
He led special teams in solo tackles Sunday and may play defense because of injuries.
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• Notebook: Safety Sapp may get more opportunities
• Message board
• Ask the expert: Mike Chappell
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By Phil Richards
phil.richards@indystar.com
September 28, 2004
Four days after joining the Indianapolis Colts, backup safety Gerome Sapp made a team-high four solo special teams tackles Sunday during the Colts' 45-31 victory over Green Bay at the RCA Dome. That was the best news regarding safeties Monday at Union Federal Football Center.
Free safety Idrees Bashir strained a groin muscle during the game and aggravated it when he returned to the game. His status for the Colts' visit to Jacksonville on Sunday is undetermined.
Idrees Bashir
Mike Doss' is not. Team physicians told him Monday that the pulled hamstring that has kept him out of the past two games will sideline him at least another week.
Backups Cory Bird and Anthony Floyd are healthy, and if Bashir can't go, they are the likely starters, backed up by Sapp.
Coach Tony Dungy earlier had indicated that, if necessary, right cornerback Donald Strickland probably would move back to safety, where he started eight games last season. Dungy said Monday that Sapp is the more likely candidate for that role.
Sapp is a former Notre Dame standout who played special teams last season with Baltimore, which waived him 11 days ago. He has this week to get ready to play for the Colts.
"The defense is pretty basic, but the defense I came from in Baltimore was totally different," Sapp said. "So even the simplest things, you really don't have a point of reference to. It's just a matter of me getting used to all the different checks and concepts.
"I think I could have played this week if they'd needed me to, and I'm sure (Sunday) I'll be able to play."
Dungy refused to speculate on when Bob Sanders, the Colts' second-round draft choice who signed late and has been undergoing drills and conditioning work, would begin to practice.
"Until he practices," Dungy said, "he's a week away from playing."
Hold that call
Left tackle Tarik Glenn was penalized three times for holding Sunday, a circumstance that left Dungy shaking his head.
"One of them, I thought, was a good call," Dungy said. "The other two, I think they were trying to keep the game close and make it exciting."
After reviewing the videotape, Colts right tackle Ryan Diem was even more direct.
"Trash," was how Diem characterized one of the calls.
Glenn is a technician who was called for holding a single time in 16 games last season. He is one of the most conscientious players on the team and he refused to quibble about the calls.
"It's the discretion that (officials) have," Glenn said. "It's just my job to get it done the right way. So I've just got to work on it this week."
An 'Oscar' performance
The most bizarre sequence during the Colts' victory came in the final minutes, when the Colts were facing second-and-goal at the Green Bay 1-yard line. An inadvertent signal on referee Ed Hochuli's replay alert mechanism stopped play with 2:40 on the clock.
With a 38-31 lead, the Colts wanted to keep the clock running until the two-minute warning.
"If I had just stood there, they (the Packers) would have said, 'OK, they're not going to run a play,' " Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. "They call timeout."
So Manning told his offense that they would not run a play, then went to the line of scrimmage when the clock restarted and did all he could to convince the Packers that they would. He pointed and shouted. He made dummy checks and calls. He gesticulated and danced up and down the line. He carried on as if he was leading calisthenics.
"I felt kind of goofy up there doing that," Manning said. "How'd I look?"
Convincing, apparently. Forty seconds ran off while the Packers defense watched until the two-minute warning. Then, on Monday, Dungy answered Manning's question.
"Denzel (Washington) doesn't have much to worry about, I don't think," the coach said.
Etc.
Game balls for Sunday's victory went to Manning, Bashir and Sapp. . . . Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich has thrown for 391 yards this season. Manning passed for 393 yards Sunday.
He led special teams in solo tackles Sunday and may play defense because of injuries.
Related content
• Colts' plan: no errors, big results
• Notebook: Safety Sapp may get more opportunities
• Message board
• Ask the expert: Mike Chappell
• More Colts
By Phil Richards
phil.richards@indystar.com
September 28, 2004
Four days after joining the Indianapolis Colts, backup safety Gerome Sapp made a team-high four solo special teams tackles Sunday during the Colts' 45-31 victory over Green Bay at the RCA Dome. That was the best news regarding safeties Monday at Union Federal Football Center.
Free safety Idrees Bashir strained a groin muscle during the game and aggravated it when he returned to the game. His status for the Colts' visit to Jacksonville on Sunday is undetermined.
Idrees Bashir
Mike Doss' is not. Team physicians told him Monday that the pulled hamstring that has kept him out of the past two games will sideline him at least another week.
Backups Cory Bird and Anthony Floyd are healthy, and if Bashir can't go, they are the likely starters, backed up by Sapp.
Coach Tony Dungy earlier had indicated that, if necessary, right cornerback Donald Strickland probably would move back to safety, where he started eight games last season. Dungy said Monday that Sapp is the more likely candidate for that role.
Sapp is a former Notre Dame standout who played special teams last season with Baltimore, which waived him 11 days ago. He has this week to get ready to play for the Colts.
"The defense is pretty basic, but the defense I came from in Baltimore was totally different," Sapp said. "So even the simplest things, you really don't have a point of reference to. It's just a matter of me getting used to all the different checks and concepts.
"I think I could have played this week if they'd needed me to, and I'm sure (Sunday) I'll be able to play."
Dungy refused to speculate on when Bob Sanders, the Colts' second-round draft choice who signed late and has been undergoing drills and conditioning work, would begin to practice.
"Until he practices," Dungy said, "he's a week away from playing."
Hold that call
Left tackle Tarik Glenn was penalized three times for holding Sunday, a circumstance that left Dungy shaking his head.
"One of them, I thought, was a good call," Dungy said. "The other two, I think they were trying to keep the game close and make it exciting."
After reviewing the videotape, Colts right tackle Ryan Diem was even more direct.
"Trash," was how Diem characterized one of the calls.
Glenn is a technician who was called for holding a single time in 16 games last season. He is one of the most conscientious players on the team and he refused to quibble about the calls.
"It's the discretion that (officials) have," Glenn said. "It's just my job to get it done the right way. So I've just got to work on it this week."
An 'Oscar' performance
The most bizarre sequence during the Colts' victory came in the final minutes, when the Colts were facing second-and-goal at the Green Bay 1-yard line. An inadvertent signal on referee Ed Hochuli's replay alert mechanism stopped play with 2:40 on the clock.
With a 38-31 lead, the Colts wanted to keep the clock running until the two-minute warning.
"If I had just stood there, they (the Packers) would have said, 'OK, they're not going to run a play,' " Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said. "They call timeout."
So Manning told his offense that they would not run a play, then went to the line of scrimmage when the clock restarted and did all he could to convince the Packers that they would. He pointed and shouted. He made dummy checks and calls. He gesticulated and danced up and down the line. He carried on as if he was leading calisthenics.
"I felt kind of goofy up there doing that," Manning said. "How'd I look?"
Convincing, apparently. Forty seconds ran off while the Packers defense watched until the two-minute warning. Then, on Monday, Dungy answered Manning's question.
"Denzel (Washington) doesn't have much to worry about, I don't think," the coach said.
Etc.
Game balls for Sunday's victory went to Manning, Bashir and Sapp. . . . Jacksonville quarterback Byron Leftwich has thrown for 391 yards this season. Manning passed for 393 yards Sunday.
Many good arguments already made for both sides. Here's my take. Jags have played and beaten 3 very good defensive teams. Their offense might not look so "anemic" at home against the Colts. I'm waiting for the line to rise as the public rides the Manning trend, then will take the Jags and all the points I can get. But, anything can happen! Good luck to all.
