Colts vs Pats

Both teams offensive game plan was excellent, but it was an ugly defensive effort all around.

The Pats D gave up 458 total yds. The Colts did little better, allowing a mediocre NE offense to chalk up 417 yds of offense. If you’ve read my predictions for these two teams ‘04 season -- Pats, Colts --, you weren’t surprised by those numbers.

The Colts ran effortlessly inside, outside and even with their backup RB, Dominic Rhodes (10 carries for 42 yds and 1 TD). As I predicted, the center of the Pat’s D line could not hold up.

The Colts shoved the ball right at the Pats' weak three man front, rushing 42 times for 202 yds.






The problem is that Edgerrin James carried the ball 30 times (142 yds) and was showing definite signs of wearing out right around carry #20.

Makes me wonder about the quality and effectiveness of the Colts' off season conditioning program and James' devotion to it.

James fumbled twice (losing both) after that point. His second fumble occurred late in the fourth quarter right on the goal line and literally cost Indy the game.

The Pats’ better LB corps were the life savers for NE, preventing any run from going longer than Manning’s 19 yd jog up the right sideline after a fake hand off.

But the Colts, lacking the personnel to play effective man coverage consistently, played a soft zone most of the night, looking like they were in a constant prevent D.

The Pats took advantage of this from the start of the game, throwing the ball nine straight times on their opening drive, not even allowing Corey Dillon on the field with the starting unit.






The Colts porous secondary gave up passes greater than 20 yds to four different Patriot receivers and allowed Brady to connect on a sickening 68 % of his passes.

With Ty Law fighting a pulled hamstring and the increased enforcement of the five yard chuck rule, the Pats’ secondary did a middling job, holding Peyton Manning to an unimpressive 55% completion rate, but giving up pass plays of 42, 45 and 64 yds.

The inconsistency of both defensive secondaries was expected, but frustrating.

The Pats’ running game was just as inconsistent and usually ineffective. Corey Dillon, the expected savior of the Patriots’ rushing offense, had the games longest run at 38 yds. But in only 15 carries for the night he also had 7 rushes for 1 yd or less (two 1 yd runs, one for no gain, and four for a loss, including losses of 5 and 7 yds).

For a savior he was fabulously inconsistent, though he did block like a demon.

I’m mystified by the fact that the Colts rarely blitzed. The Colts’ D line was consistently dominated by the Pats’ O line, at least in the passing game. But, Indy seemed reluctant to send LB help.

Brady was seldom pressured and the few times he was, the defender seemed uninterested in actually tackling him.

Brady cannot be considered mobile. He does not run from the pocket. He doesn’t juke and spin and jerk away from rushers. He takes a simple step forward or to one side and that’s about the limits of his elusiveness. Yet, time and again, Brady slipped the grasp of incoming Colt linemen as if he were coated in Vaseline.

It was one of the poorest defensive rushing efforts I’ve ever witnessed. Though the Colts did manage a single sack, there is not reason that they should not have had at least two more.

Actually, there is a reason, but no one wants to hear that P. Money hurt his team, perhaps mortally, when he signed his megadeal contract during this off season.

Playing at home against a mediocre Colts’ defense, the Pats’ barely managed to win. The Colts moved the ball more effectively and more consistently, eventually falling victim to the physical limitations of Edgerrin James as the result of a perfect offensive game plan.

The Pats came away with the W, put if a three point victory is all they can do under such favorable conditions, then their ‘04 season should be long and full of disappointments.