Tonight's Game

[HoustonRaven]

Any thoughts on tonights game? Since we will see the Colts again this year, I will definitely be watching.

Im intrigued by the match up not because of the talent on both teams, but because this is, in my opinion, a classic slip game for a team like the Colts. The Colts have had a hard time with receiving backs over the past two years and Reggie Bush is primed to explode. I think we're going to see a lot of pressure on Brees, allowing him to dump off to Bush for max yardage. And I just saw a nugget on the WWL that the Saints have been practicing all week in an enclosed facility and pumped in crowd noise.

If the Saints manage to pull this off, or even comes close, it sets a nice blueprint for McGahee making catches out of the backfield. Or am I just :insane: ?

Thoughts?

[jburns]

The AFC is superior to the NFC. While the Colts defense is not the best, the Saints defense is absolutely pathetic. It should be exciting with plenty of points but I do not see the Saints keeping up with Peyton.

[HoustonRaven]

The AFC is superior to the NFC. While the Colts defense is not the best, the Saints defense is absolutely pathetic. It should be exciting with plenty of points but I do not see the Saints keeping up with Peyton.

Agreed. But even if there is some success with the Saints throwing to their backs, it bodes well for us!

[jburns]

Sec 123, Row 28 ... Livin' In Houston!


Do you fly to Bmore for the home games?

[HoustonRaven]

Sec 123, Row 28 ... Livin' In Houston!


Do you fly to Bmore for the home games?

Yes indeed. Im on the aisle. Look for the shaved head and say hello.

[jburns]

i am impressed :jester:

[UKRavenStockers]

Note to young O-linemen such as Terry, Chester etc:

You're not gonna drive anyone off the line this year so please take notes on these guys wearing blue tonight on how to create creases on stretch plays and the like.

[ladyraven127]

Here is my thought . . . if I have to see one more f'ing Manning commercial, I think I'm going to hurl.

Blech . . . . . :crazy:

[Drkraven]

Agreed! I just can't help myself when I see the devils son, I get so pissed!

[Beerracuda]

Was it just me, or did I see the NFC's version of the ol' Billick ball tonight? Short dump-off passes. No imagination on offense whatsoever. No challenging of Indy's secondary.

Pathetic game. Let's all hope that Billick learned his lesson last January.

And LR, I'm with you. Let's puke together, cuz I'm so tired of Peyton Manning this, Peyton Manning that. FUCK PAYTON MANNING!!!

[purplepoe]

Well whatta you know.

The current reigning NFL passing leader layed an egg vs the Colts and their cover 2.

I wonder if Saints fans are calling for Brees to be benched.

PP

[Heap86]

Was it just me, or did I see the NFC's version of the ol' Billick ball tonight? Short dump-off passes. No imagination on offense whatsoever. No challenging of Indy's secondary.

Pathetic game. Let's all hope that Billick learned his lesson last January.

And LR, I'm with you. Let's puke together, cuz I'm so tired of Peyton Manning this, Peyton Manning that. FUCK PAYTON MANNING!!!

I was thinking the same thing.

Did Billick and Payton trade playbooks?

This game reminded me of our game against the Colts last year, but with a much worse Defensive performance by the Saints.

[RavensNTerps]

Well whatta you know.

The current reigning NFL passing leader layed an egg vs the Colts and their cover 2.

I wonder if Saints fans are calling for Brees to be benched.

PP

The difference is, McNair had played similarly to how he played against the Colts in SEVERAL games last year, but in a few he bailed himself out (Cleveland and San Diego early on). He also looked terrible against Cincy and Denver.

In fact, the only game McNair had last year that I'd consider to be "great" was the game on the road against the Steelers.

He was steady for much of the season, and clearly the best QB we've had under Billick. He was what everyone wants to say Trent Dilfer was (even though Trent Dilfer wasn't): a caretaker.

But with him, that's the ceiling you have. The offense won't ever be "explosive" with McNair at this point in his career, and take that for what it's worth. It isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As an O's analogy, it's like the difference between, say, Daniel Cabrera or ummm Steve Tracshel or Kris Benson or someone like that. Not like the latter 2 are BAD pitchers, but on any given night a guy like Cabrera has more potential to throw a no hitter.

Anyways, the Saints are clearly overrated. Everyone is all about them, they forget they had no D last year, that Jason David wasn't even good on the Colts, and that they were like 1-4 against the AFC. Seriously, we dominated them, Pittsburgh dominated them, and hell even Cleveland played them tough. The Panthers win that division, IMO, but the Saints creep in as a wild card at 9-7 or so.

The Colts are the Colts are the same team they've been for the last 8 years. They will be tough to beat. They will be 13-3 give or take, and you know that. The Ravens are on that page though.

Missing AD takes a lot away, especially in terms of confusion and disguising coverages, but we'll be up there with the best of the best this year.

[purplepoe]

The difference is, McNair had played similarly to how he played against the Colts in SEVERAL games last year, but in a few he bailed himself out (Cleveland and San Diego early on). He also looked terrible against Cincy and Denver.

In fact, the only game McNair had last year that I'd consider to be "great" was the game on the road against the Steelers.

He was steady for much of the season, and clearly the best QB we've had under Billick. He was what everyone wants to say Trent Dilfer was (even though Trent Dilfer wasn't): a caretaker.

But with him, that's the ceiling you have. The offense won't ever be "explosive" with McNair at this point in his career, and take that for what it's worth. It isn't necessarily a bad thing.

As an O's analogy, it's like the difference between, say, Daniel Cabrera or ummm Steve Tracshel or Kris Benson or someone like that. Not like the latter 2 are BAD pitchers, but on any given night a guy like Cabrera has more potential to throw a no hitter.

Or give up 5 runs in 2 innings while walking 4.

Funny you mentioned that analogy. I brought the same one up to someone last week.

And Im done with Cabrera too.

PP

[Heap86]

In fact, the only game McNair had last year that I'd consider to be "great" was the game on the road against the Steelers.

What did you expect? McNair to put up a Peyton Manning type Season last year.

He also had great games against the Chiefs, and against the Titans when our Defense was less than stellar. He had a few bad games last year, like all QB's do. His worst game came at the worst time, that was his laid egg.

Look at McNair's career stats, other than 2003, his career rating is about 83.2.

[Raveninwoodlawn]

I don't want to pile on too much because this game was almost exactly what I expected...(The Saints pass defense is absolutely terrible; McKenzie and David are a joke).

But I did want to talk about the fact that the Saints never threw the ball down the field. That goes to all those people who insist for some reason that you beat a cover 2 by throwing deep.

Throwing deep plays right into the cover 2's hands. Did you see how deep thier safeties where...how fast thier linebackers turned and ran and got deep drops?

You beat the Cover 2 by RUNNING THE FOOTBALL. If you can't run, you will have a hell of a time beating that defense no matter who your QB is or who your recievers are.

Now that we saw perhaps the most explosive offense in football last year and in the preseason have thier QB average 4.5 yards per attempt, people will see that deep passes just are not available the majority of the time.

[Heap86]

You beat the Cover 2 by RUNNING THE FOOTBALL.

Thats right, thats the only way teams beat the Colts last year.

But according to McNair haters, McNair lost us the Colts game last year because he didn't throw the deep ball.

The truth is that we lost the Colts game because the Offense as a whole choked when it mattered, plain and simple. From Heap's fumble to McNair's endzone pick, our Offense was shell shocked.

[ExiledRaven]

Right, the idea is to be very run heavy.

Then you make the deep plays with misdirection, double-moves, and play action.

Bread and butter running teams will kill the Colts. Especially once Bob Sanders gets hurt like he does every year.

[Raveninwoodlawn]

To be fair, I don't think there is any question McNair played a big role in the loss...the one play that was without question was the INT at the goal line where McNair locked into Heap.

If you want to blame McNair, that is where he gets the blame...not because he wasn't throwing bombs.

[UKRavenStockers]

To be fair, I don't think there is any question McNair played a big role in the loss...the one play that was without question was the INT at the goal line where McNair locked into Heap.

If you want to blame McNair, that is where he gets the blame...not because he wasn't throwing bombs.

And the slant to Williams.


But more to the point, you're right you can't lay the blame for the playoff defeat at one man. The whole unit didn't click and the gameplan was poor. Hopefully a good performance on Monday to kick into the new season will get that playoff performance off of the agenda for a while.

[Raveninwoodlawn]

The slant, while indeed a bonehead play, never happens if we can even just get 3 from that goal line INT.

That changed the entire game right there

We would have tied the game and been able to run the ball a lot more and worn them down in the second half instead of playing catch up and playing into the Colts strength.

[purplepoe]

The worst part about it is that Jamal was running hard and for some nice yardage in the 1st half.

PP