Here's your open thread for the Colts and Texans.

Remember to follow all your favorite Colts Authority writers and "honored alumni" on Twitter as well:

Nate Dunlevy, Greg Cowan, Todd Smith, Kyle Rodriguez, Scott Kacsmar, Luke Dunlevy, Laura Calloway, Brent Fatig, Lou Pin, Josh Boeke, and Marcus Dugan

Here's the Colts Gameday Follow list.

We'll have post-game coverage here on CA, but also check out Todd, Kyle and me at Bleacher Report today as well.

Also, catch me on 1070 the Fan at 8 pm with Jersey Johnny after the game.

Once again we got to talk with Texans blogger Claire Mullins from the State of the Texans blog. Big thanks to Claire for sharing with us once again!

Very important, although the bye is more important in my opinion. That extra week would do wonders for the coaching staff's ability to game plan and (hopefully!) work out some potential in-game adjustment options. Since we can count on neither the Broncos losing to KC or the Patriots losing to Miami, a win for the Texans against the Colts will be pivotal not only for the bye, but for home-field advantage.  

Good morning, friends, strangers, and Colts fans all o'er the world.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Season.  Saturday is finally here (no not the former Colt with the great sense of humor and even better beard – just the day), and, as usual, it’s time for us to join all the “experts” around the league in picking some NFL games. 

You can join the fun if you like.  Who knows, you just might win for the week.  Just add your picks in the comments, or email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (no weird pictures this week, please).

Colts Authority Staff Picks:

In a season of tight awards races, none has been more hotly-debated than the 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Should the dynamic, entertaining Robert Griffin III, of the Washington Redskins, win it? Or should Seattle's underdog Russell Wilson, who has proven more than a few people wrong with his dazzling performances, get the nod? Or should it be our boy in blue, the quarterback at the center of Indianapolis' worst-to-not-quite-first-but-still-not-all-that-bad turnaround, Andrew Luck?

Bloguin asked me to take part in a debate for our general NFL site, This Given Sunday, and argue for Andy. Not one to back down from a challenge, I delivered Luck's defense in 1100 mostly-legible words.

Head on over, read the post, and tell us what you think!

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With the 2012 Pro Bowl rosters being released this week, there has been a lot of talk about who should and should not have made it. This discussion has of course made its way down into Colts fans' minds, especially when it comes to rookie quarterback Andrew Luck, who was named the first alternate behind Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Matt Schaub. 

But for Luck, it's hard to argue that he deserves it over any of those three. Manning and Brady are having fantastic years, and are lightyears awayr from anyone else in the conference. Schaub isn't having a great year, but has thrown for over 3700 yards on 64% completion percentage with 22 TDs and 10 INTs, and his team is currently #1 in the AFC. 

Luck, on the other hand, leads the league in interceptions, has a lower YPA than Schaub, has thrown for less TDs, and has an accuracy percentage that's nearly 10 points lower. Sure, he has a far worse supporting cast but those kind of differences in the numbers are hard to overcome for voters, especially when the Texans are leading the conference. 

It's not that Luck doesn't have a case; he does have one, and it's a pretty darn good one. But putting him as the 4th best QB in the conference is about right for me (although flip Roethlisberger and Schaub). I can deal with Luck being the first alternate. He'll likely make the Pro Bowl any way as one of those three QBs will most likely be headed to the Super Bowl. 

Now, in terms of snubs, there is one player besides Reggie Wayne that I thought definitely deserved a Pro Bowl  berth this season, and it wasn't Robert Mathis. 

Today’s Colts Notebook comes to you live from 9398 Bring the Heat Blvd, but you’ll have to keep reading to find out what on earth that means.  We’ll look at how the Texans’ coach is catching some heat despite being extremely successful this season.  Also on tap, Mathis and Wayne’s leap of faith, Luck in a snowstorm, and something about a bell cow. It's Notebook time. 

Behind Enemy Lines: Are the Texans Too Conservative on Offense?

Despite their success, both the Colts and Texans have taken some heat this season for how they run their offenses.  However, the reasoning for each couldn't be more different.  For as much as Colts Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians and Quarterback Andrew Luck have been questioned for what is perceived as a hyper-aggressive passing attack, Houston Head Coach Gary Kubiak has taken criticism for being very conservative and maybe even a little old-fashioned on offense. 

Much of the criticism of the Colts offensive philosophy centers on how it exposes one of their weaknesses, the offensive line.  Should their pass protection improve, it is hard to imagine fans continuing to clamor for more short drops, check downs, and quick passes (see: almost every pass by Peyton Manning and Tom Brady).  With elite offensive line play and another year under Luck’s belt, the Colts’ offense should hum along rather nicely.

Yes, the title changed today.  Bonus points if you know what movie it's from (and, don't worry, this writer doesn't condone anything that was said in that movie).

The Colts Notebook is back.  Today, we’ll talk about the epitome of the anti-rebuild mindset, pass protection, playing the starters, and the potential end of the Dwight Freeney Era in Indy.  As usual, all quotes come from the Indianapolis Colts PR Department.  Here we go:

The Win Now Mentality Continues

During Wednesday’s media session, Chuck Pagano, while talking about Andrew Luck and other players being worn down, said, “I’m the only guy that had a little bounce in their step this morning because I’ve been lying around for three months and I’ve had plenty of coffee.”

When he was asked about Pagano’s tongue-in-cheek statement, Antoine Bethea ended up revealing a little something extra about the kind of mindset the coach has instilled in this young Colts team.  “Yeah (laughs). That’s what he said earlier, ‘I’ve got a little bit of step with laying around.’ We’ve been out there but like I said, it’s just good to have him back, laughing, joking and cracking jokes. It’s just good to have him back there. Of course, at the end of the year, guys are banged up now but we’ve got to fight through that and go out here and get that ring and bring another ring back to Indy.”

It's hardly breaking news, but with most of the state snowed under, I thought you could all use a fun pick-me-up.

For the past several years, Colts fan Michael Dockins has been assembling a t-shirt collection from all the great moments in Indianapolis Colts' history.

The whole thing started when his wife got sick of all his shirts commemerating this division championship or that MVP season.

Michael decided to make a quilt out of all the shirts. The only problem was that he didn't have all the shirts he needed.

His wife's prodding lead him to do the opposite of what she intended. He started buying more shirts.

It was a record-setting day for Andrew Luck in Kansas City as the Colts earned their 10th win and clinched a playoff spot in the AFC.

Luck’s performance was up and down, including a season-worst streak of 10 straight incomplete passes in the second half. But that was immediately followed up with six straight completions, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne.

That’s the kind of season it has been for Luck. He makes the big plays, and his seventh game-winning drive ties the regular season record. It has only been done 11 times in NFL history, including twice by Peyton Manning, so the Colts are used to this.

They may not resemble the efficient Peyton Manning machine, but the Colts still know how to pull out an improbable victory, beating the Chiefs despite allowing 352 rushing yards and being outrushed by 262 yards. That has never happened in NFL history before.

Also never happening before is a quarterback taken No. 1 overall getting to 10 wins and the playoffs. Luck’s game-winning drives alone match the most wins (Sam Bradford’s 7 in 2010) any No. 1 pick has ever had.

Let’s examine how the record-setting day played out, and especially what went wrong on that 0-for-10 streak.

Drive No. 1

Drive Stats: 15:00 left (1st quarter), tied 0-0. 3 plays, 9 yards (three-and-out punt).

Starting to sound like a broken record, but it was a three and out to start the game again. Vick Ballard picked up two yards, Dwayne Allen was open for a little 5-yard gain, then the Colts tried to run a pick play to convert the 3rd and 3. But the Chiefs were not fooled by the two receivers running out routes, and Donnie Avery was met by Eric Berry and a crowd of defenders a yard short of the first down. The Colts had to punt.