Just a quick note:  Due to work obligations, I might be more scarce for a few days (though I always squeeze in what I can).  As a parting gift, here's the newest 18 Plays Podcast.  Demond and I discuss Sunday night's game in depth. 18 Plays is brought to you by Broad Ripple Tree Service.  If you call for an estimate, you may just luck out and get a personal visit from a surly blogger/pleasant professional arborist.  As always, you can direct down load the podcast, listen in the embedded player, or subscribe via ITunes.

One note I meant to mention that didn't make it in was that Bethea said his own name in the introductions and pronounced it "Bethe-uh" instead of the new fangled "Beth-A" that he apparently asked the media to say.  Seriously, if he's going to say his name one way, shouldn't the rest of us get to as well?

Fans freak out.

Fans spread rumors.

Fans are irrational.

Sometimes, fans do great research.

Yesterday was one of those times.  Yesterday we linked to 18to88 reader Cass's fan post on Stampede Blue where tried to play junior medic and diagnose Dwight Freeney based on the symptoms and known issues.  At the time, he thought Freeney's injury would cost him a handful of games because of a strained quad.

Then Bill Barnwell of footballoutsiders tweeted that it was a torn quad.  We wept.  We gnashed our teeth.  We cursed.  Freeney was done!

That is until Cass pointed out that a strained quad and a torn quad are essentially the same thing.  Whew.

Since then there have been two different reports as to when to expect Freeney, the most recent claiming he'll be out 2-3 weeks.  While that certainly makes it doubtful he'll play in the Tennessee game, with a bye and then the hapless Rams on the docket, it now appears that Freeney will hopefully be in good shape for the tough stretch of games starting with San Francisco in November.  The Colts schedule in November is manageable, but more difficult than the early section.  Indy plays SF, Hou, NE, @Bal, @Hou, and Ten.  That's the stretch when they'll need to have Freeney.  With any modicum of luck, the Colts should be able to go at least 2-1 or 3-1 without him. Because neither the Rams nor the 49ers have explosive passing offenses, the Colts don't need to rush Freeney back.  They can give him an extra week or two of rest if necessary.  I realize the 49ers are a solid club, but they'll try to beat the Colts by running the ball so if you had to pick a game against a solid team for Freeney to miss, that would be the one.

To date the single most informative article written about what to expect from Freeney's injury was written by a fan.  Will wonders never cease.

"Stats are for losers", they say.

Yeah, but they said the same thing about Star Wars and comic books, and look how that turned out for me.

I love the numbers, and one of my favorite parts of every Monday is heading over to the NFL stats pages to pour over who is where.  Now as part of my weekly contribution to Cold Hard Football Facts, I get started on Sunday afternoon.  For the record, I enjoyed researching that Texans/Jags game.  Seriously.  After covering three straight Texans games, I now no longer fear them at all.  Demond rightly compared them to the 2001-2002 Colts team. Lots of fire power, really shaky D.

Here's some of the feel good numbers after three weeks in the season.

Peyton Manning:

• #2 in passing yards (8 behind Rivers)
• #2 in Passer Rating at 117.7 (Brees is at 118.1)
• #1 in YPA
• #4 in comp % at 68.8% (Roethlisberger is at 71.6)
• #2 in TD passes with 7 (Brees has 9)

Reggie Wayne/Dallas Clark

• 4th and 7th in receptions with 20 and 18 (Moss has 26)
• 1st and 4th in yards with 325 and 284
• tied for 2nd with 2 TDs along with Garcon as well (Colston has 3)

Dwight Freeney is third in sacks with 4 (Antwan Odom has 7)

Antoine Bethea is tied for fourth with 2 picks (three with 3)

The Colts are:

• 4th in total offense (1st in passing, 2nd in yards per play)
• 5th in defensive yards per play
• 3rd in fewest points allowed.
• 8th in sacks, 6th in defensive passer rating, 2nd in passing TDs allowed.
• 31st in 3rd down % allowed.  The Colts D gives up 50% of all third downs.  I definitely believe the injuries in the secondary are hurting this number.
  

I couldn't be happier with the game.  That's the kind of put-it-all-together football we haven't seen from this team since the early part of 2007.  When training camp opened, we had visions of this kind of team...dominant on offense, cruel on defense, competent on special teams.  Last night was revelatory.  Please put any minor details or criticisms in that context.  There are no complaints today, just observations.  These are my completely gut reactions from last night's game.

Reasons to Smile:

• The pass pro was great, aside from the one play where Pollack got beat, and Manning was hit as he threw.  Listen, it's officially time to stop worrying about Charlie Johnson at left tackle.  He's been absolutely acceptable.  I don't gauge this on the lack of sacks.  Manning was rarely sacked last year, but his YPA was the third lowest of his career.  This year, he clearly feels comfortable enough to take deep shots downfield.  He's looking deep, so I'm happy.  CJ, I apologize.  I doubted you.  You are getting the job done.  I was wrong.  I don't mind saying that at all.  I don't know if you are the answer, but you are an answer, and I can live with that.  CJ has already been better than I thought he could be.
  
• 12 carries.  24 yards.  One fumble.  That's ok, I guess.  Melvin Bullitt is Baby Bob.  Last week, his play was erratic and you could see that we still very much need Sanders to be healthy, but if he was your team's real starting safety, you could live with him and win with him.
• The run game is officially competent.  This actually goes hand in hand with #1.  It was beautiful to watch Addai run the stretch left last night.  Going into the game the Colts were last in the league running around left end, but that seems to have been patched up.  Addai has now had back to back good YPC games.  Don't look now Addai haters, but his YPC is better than Don Brown's 3.8 to 3.4.  Seriously, everyone needs to stop begging for Addai to get benched.
• Speaking of Don Brown...he's pretty good.  You can see he's still figuring out the run game some, and I actually think Addai is visibly running more effectively, but Brown has that big play burst that is tantilizing.  He's still kind of boom/bust, which isn't what works best in the NFL, but I think that will come.  We'll have to keep an eye on his "success rate"
• The young receivers played wonderfully.  Last night was the kind of game I wanted to see in order to fully buy into them.  I never denied that they were talented or that they were ahead of the curve, just that they were good enough to make the offense truly fearsome.  Now, I can buy it.  Last night they combined for 6 catches for 111 yards and a score.  That's almost as many catches and MORE yards than they had in the first two games combined.  They caught balls thrown more than 3 yards past the LoS.  Garcon is clearly a freakish weapon waiting to happen, and Collie did enough early to open things up for the other guys.  Very impressive game to say the least, and it was a huge step up from weeks 1 and 2.  It was interesting to hear Collinsworth say that Collie and Manning did one on one work all week to prepare.  You could see a difference in the confidence level.
• Jim Caldwell took a major step forward with this win.  I felt that he was too conservative during the game, but I almost always think that.  Having said that, however, the Colts' offensive game plan and thought process was aggressive and innovative.  There were lots of reasons the Colts could have chalked this game up as a loss and blamed Monday night's game.  Instead, they showed the same killer instinct they did under Dungy.  This team couldn't look any identical to previous Colts squads.  That's to Caldwell's credit for sure.
• Pat McAfee.  Wow, great kickoff work..  Again, three games is way too soon to judge anything, but can you ask for anything more out of a draft than Polian gave us this year?  Ironically, the thing we were most excited about (the DTs) is the only thing to show no results so far.  Amazing.
• Kurt Warner just got sacked again as I write this.  Dwight Freeney ran him down in a wheel chair.
  
• Revenge for Edge James.  That makes me happy, what can I say?

Reasons to Frown:

• Garcon played wonderfully, but picked up two more penalties.  That gives him 5 in three games.  The official numbers say four, but that doesn't count the illegal formation penalty that he caused on Monday (which technically wasn't on him because there weren't enough men on the line, even though it was his responsibility to be there).  Collie's little give up short of the first down was weak.  These are talented young men who are playing well, but mistakes aren't hard to find either.
• The third and one play early was not blocked well at all.  I didn't like the play call, and there was just no place for Addai to go.
• AV.  Let's face it.  We are all concerned.

Best Call:

The end around to Clark on third and one.  We all love that play and it's a real tendency breaker.  That was an exciting game plan.

Worst Call:

Not challenging the spot on the Addai catch on third down.  I would have gone for it anyway, rather than kick, but not challenging didn't make sense.  There was no downside; considering the lead, losing a timeout was not going to hurt any.

Best Play:

Reggie Wayne's TD catch.  He may never make a better play.  How good is this guy?  He was always going to be remembered as a great Colt, but he's becoming something else before our eyes this year.  Stunning.

Worst Play:

Pollack Saturday allowing pressure on Manning as he threw.  It looked like Peyton had Wayne breaking free deep for a touch down, but instead it turned into his second pick of the year.

Reasons I'm Flying:

• A two game division lead after three weeks.  The rest of the AFC South is 2-9 and both wins came in the division.  I know there were some tough games early, but please.  That's just weak.
• I had this game marked as a loss on the schedule from the start. The other three losses I marked:  @ Tenn, @ Hou, @ Buff (because it wouldn't count for anything). This team could post a 13-3 or 14-2 kind of mark real easily.  Anytime you 'win a game you shouldn't' it's big.  Considering that Indy almost never has those kinds of games in the first place, it's doubly big.
• Peyton Manning's YPA is up.  WAY up.  He's going to have a monster year.
• This team has a championship attitude.  The defense shrugged off every possible excuse and played an incredible game (their second in three games).
• Our next three opponents are a combined 1-8.  Our first three opponents?  2-7.  Murders' Row it ain't. This is only significant because this team has already showed it's not the kind of club that's going to go out and stink because they overlooked someone.
• This team is missing MAJOR stars.  Gonzalez, Brackett, Hayden, Sanders.  Those aren't just warm bodies.  To get wins with guys like that on the sidelines...

Reasons I'm Dying:

• "I heard something pop".  No Brackett AND no Freeney.  I just threw up in my mouth.  We have to hope it's not serious

The Bottom Line:

Yes, we don't know how good the Cardinals are.  And yes, they played an awful game.  They were sloppy and stupid.  I don't care.  When you beat a team on six days rest on the road, it's a good win.  When you blow them off the field in every possible way, it's a great win.  I'm astounded at the job Caldwell did to get this team fresh and healthy enough to go out there and dominate last night.  That'll buy him a few punts on fourth and inches in my book any day.  Arizona was a perfect matchup for the Colts on paper, but they had enough natural advantages to win that game.  Their two turnovers (especially the Warner pick) in the red zone were unforgivably bad. In the end, everything they had to do they didn't do, and everything Indy had to do, they did (go back and read that again.  I know picked the Colts to lose, but the key issues were all right there).

Seattle is up next.  It's time to take care of business at home and generate serious momentum going into the big game at the Titans.

PREGAME:

It's been a great Sunday for Colts' fans already.  The Titans have dropped to 0-3 and with the Jags upset of the Texans, Indy has a chance to put the hammer down on the rest of the AFC South.  The Pats managed to win thanks to brilliant coaching by Belichick (going for it inside your own 30 up 7 is spectacular).  The Bengals pulled out a stunner against the Steelers, putting Pittsburgh in real trouble, already two games behind the Ravens.

Tonight's game will be difficult for the Colts.  Without Sanders, Hayden, and Brackett, the Colts excellent pass defense will be put to test.  Still, Indy has Manning, Freeney and Mathis.  Let's hope they are enough.

Demond Sanders Comments:  I want to see Caldwell go balls out tonight and try to steal a game.  Playing it tight and conservative won't get it done.  Indy is going to need to score to win, and this is the kind of game that will tell us what kind of coach we have.  He needs to be aggressive on fourth down and with the game plan.

FIRST QUARTER:

• Pierre Garcon is not Marvin Harrison.  Austin Collie is not Gonzo.  Three and out to start the game.
• And that's our best hope.  Third and four, Freeney makes Warner fumble.  That needs to happen several more times tonight.
• The Colts get an iffy spot on third down and have to punt.  Caldwell should have gone for it.  Yes.  I'm serious.  The number say so.  It was fourth and an inch.  A sneak gets it.
• The Cards really love us.  A weird reverse/flip play loses 6 yards on first down, and it kills a drive.  Freeney is disruptive early.
• Three runs and out.  Awful play call on third down as the Colts run wide and there is NO hole at all.
• Good pressure by Ed Johnson forces an incomplete on third and two as Warner barely gets away from the rush.  The Cards wind up with a 38 yard field goal set up by a personal foul penalty.  That drive has to be considered a win for the defense.
• Well that sucks.  Manning had Wayne lined up for a TD, but Pollack lets his man get too deep.  Manning is hit as he throws, and it's a pick.  Major swing.
• And that's why we miss Gary Brackett so much.  On a key third and one, the Colts get good pressure and force the incomplete pass.  Oh but wait, Freddy Keiaho grabs Fitzgerald for a pass interference call.  He struggles in coverage.  That's what he does.  So at the end of the first quarter, it's 3-0 Cards.  Feels worse though.

SECOND QUARTER:

• Tim Jennings watches a ball hang in the air FOREVER on a twenty yard gain, but the Cards bail the Horse out as Bullitt whaps Hightower for a fumble and the Colts recover.  Wow.
• After a pair of nice runs by Addai, Clark catches a couple of balls out near midfield.  Collie goes down like a pansy an inch short on third down, but the Colts convert with the sweet little end around to Clark.  Then Reggie Wayne makes the sickest possible catch imaginable.  95 yard drive for a score.  Amazing.  7-3 Colts.  Seriously, that catch was Marv-sick.  It was game winner verses Houston sick. It was polio-sick.  Sick.
• Freeney is destroying Warner.  He has 2 sacks.  He might finish with 10 tonight.  Warner gets heavy pressure on three straight plays and the Cards punt.  Unfortunately, a nice return by Rushing is wiped out.
• The Colts start with a sweet end around to Frenchy Garcon for 20 yards, then Manning went to work.  He hit Wayne and Clark on a couple of first down throws, before sealing the TD drive with an easy toss to 44.  13-3 Colts as AV gets his PAT blocked. Wow.  Manning is annihilating the Cards D.  Whoa...hold on, the PAT hit the camera and is good.  Huge.  14-3 Colts.
• The Colts run D (thanks Marlin Jackson) comes up huge on 2nd and 3rd down by diagnosing draw plays exceptionally well on consecutive plays.  Another huge three and out.  Indy and put the hammer down here.
• We have another Frenchy sighting.  He catches a nice first down pass just before the two minute warning.  It was a huge play because the Cards start the second half with the ball.  By converting, Indy reduces the chances of the dreaded two-for-none on Cards possessions.
• Holy crap.  Frenchy is pretty damn visible now.  21-3 Colts.
• A BS roughing the passer call sets the Cards up deep in Colts territory.  They got the Cards to 3rd and 10, but a big blitz (which makes NO SENSE) gives up a huge completion to the 1.  Warner acts like a freaking retard on the first play, throwing a HORRIBLE back against his body throw, which Tim Jennings (who had just dropped a pick) tapped up in the air to Bethea who batted it around and finally secured it.  WOW.  That was a huge play as the game could have been 21-10 with the Cards still holding the ball.

HALF TIME:

I'm a happy man.  That was an incredible half of football folks.  The defense was the best version of itself. The young guys came up large in the passing game. Addai is toting the rock for nearly 5 yards a carry.  McAfee is slamming the ball 8 yards deep on the kickoffs.

All is right with the world.

I pray it stays that way.

THIRD QUARTER:

• The Cards hit a big gain as Senn struggles in coverage on multiple plays.  I'm a little shocked he's even in the game right now.  The Cards rip through the Colts with ease, scoring in less than five minutes.  This makes the pick in the endzone loom larger than ever.  21-10 Colts.  Why do I feel like this game will come down to a two-point conversion before it's over.  Indy has to keep the pressure on with good offensive possessions.  21 points doesn't feel like enough tonight.
• Another sick catch by Wayne moves the Colts immediately out to midfield.  Addai slams the ball down to the thirty with a pair of great runs.  He's been carrying the ball very well, as the run game has become credible.  Frenchy picks up his third penalty of the season with a hold to negate a big gainer by Addai in the passing game.  There's no harm as Brown immediately gains 23 on 2nd and 17.  The drive stalls on a no gain run and a couple of incomplete passes.  Vinatieri slams the short field goal off the uprights, and a promising drive goes by the boards.
• The defense fails to get off the field on third and 10, as they get no pressure.  They recover as Freeney is held on a third and six, and the Cards throw short on third and 16.  Huge stop by the D.  Major league play by Dwight "Yeah, I'm really that good" Freeney.  It's time for the Colts to run the ball, and put up points.
  
• WOW.  The Cards blow the coverage and Manning dumps off to Don Brown for 72 yards with a personal foul tacked on to the end.  The Colts were set up with first and goal at the 5.  Manning dumps to Kid Joe for the score, and Indy again opens up a comfortable lead.  Beautiful football, folks.  Beautiful.  28-10 Colts.

FOURTH QUARTER:

• So after battling technical difficulties for the last 10 minutes, I missed talking about the following:  more great plays by Freeney, a pick by MJax, a horrible decision to not challenge a catch by Addai that was marked poorly, and Dwight Freeney walking off the field hurt.  Right now, the thing that most bothers me is that I'm losing my fantasy game by 6 points.  I took a -4 when AV missed that field goal...a seven point swing.  Arrgh.
• Mathis gets a sack, Warner gets killed, and the Cards go 3 and out.  Excellent.  This game is rounding out nicely.
• Kurt Warner just took the single worst sack in the history of time.  A 28 yard sack on fourth down.  Amazing.  Colts ball.
• Manning to Wayne on fourth and 8 will help Indy run out the clock.  It also gives me the win in my fantasy game.  I was trailing by 1, begging for AV to hit a field goal.  Instead Manning gifts me with one more catch, 17 more yards and the win.  Wow.

I'm putting this one to bed, folks.  Needless to say, I've never been more happy to be wrong.  Everything that could have gone right did for the Colts.  They did every single thing they were supposed to do (pressure, run the ball, find other WRs).  It was a classic win for the Colts.

Beautiful.

I've waited a long time for this one.  Even Bill Simmons has seen the light on the 2009 Pats.

There are so many wonderful passages in this article, that I want to savor every single one.  Like say, this one:

I'm not sure if the 2009 Colts are any good. It's up for debate. Still, they have Manning, so for moments like the one on Monday night -- Miami playing it safe in a tie game with four minutes to play, going with a lame inside draw on third-and-6 and settling for a field goal -- anyone who followed football even a little this decade muttered to themselves, "That's a huge mistake, Manning will make them pay." And he did. The guy many people (including me) once questioned in crunch time has turned into the league's premier assassin. He gives them their swagger. Single-handedly.

For the record, I agree with him about the 2009 Colts.  We saw it last year.  Manning covers up everything else.  That can take you a long way, just not all the way...but I digress. Here's the truth about 18:  he's always been that guy. He led SIX 4th quarter comebacks his second year in the league.  The Colts' problems were never really Manning's fault.  It just took everyone a decade to figure that out.  Now he's playing at a truly transcendent level, and even the playoff losses were so undeniably his fault (what? He only threw for 400 yards?  How dare he choke like that!) that even Simmons has finally figured it out.

There's so much more to love here:

The next three drafts looked worse than they actually were because they lost the Spygate pick (No. 32 in 2008) and dealt two picks for Wes Welker and Randy Moss, but from 2007-09, only Mayo has emerged as an impact player, and only three current starters (Gostkowski, Mayo and Brandon Meriweather) came from the last four Patriots drafts (even though the team had three firsts, six seconds and five thirds over that time). When seventh-rounder Julian Edelman emerged as Welker Jr. this summer, I remember being shocked that we finally struck pay dirt with a non-first-rounder. Not a good sign.

Did Belichick lose his touch, or has it just been a prolonged cold streak? Like with so many other teams, you could play the "damn, we could have had so-and-so" game with every Pats draft from 2005 to 2009 -- Frank Gore, Justin Tuck, Santonio Holmes, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jon Beason, Steve Slaton, etc. (it's a long list) -- but Belichick's Patriots were never "like so many other teams." It's a little sobering. The last few years, he's been drafting by need instead of just taking the best players, which he never used to do. And he spends so much time flipping picks that I reached the "can't we just stand pat and take the best guy?" point two years ago. Just this spring, instead of moving up 2-3 spots to grab game-breaker Percy Harvin or just taking tackle Michael Oher at No. 23 (now a staple of Baltimore's excellent offensive line), the Patriots traded down twice, picking up a second and two thirds (none of whom are starting). Quantity over quality yet again.

I've been SCREAMING THIS for two and a half years now.  The Pats just haven't been drafting well.  Oh, but there's more.  So, so much more...

Undeniable Truth No. 4: In retrospect, it sure seems like the Football Karma Gods weren't a huge fan of Spygate.

I will now gargle with hydrochloric acid. Let's move on.

Hee hee.  It makes me so happy.  Actually, it's not Spygate.  It's the score running up they did that season.  They pissed on all the other teams around them (especially the AFC East) and made everyone hate them.  Teams are going to enjoy kicking them hard and often for a long time.  Everyone hates them.

For the second camp, it's more complicated. You wouldn't call them naysayers, just realists. And here's the reality: Today's NFL isn't built for teams to succeed year after year indefinitely. Extending the Malibu analogy, a good foundation only lasts so long. You still need to take care of your house. Need to wash the salt off your deck every day, update the furniture, keep a fresh coat of paint on there, check that foundation every few months to make sure it's fine. You cannot slip. You cannot fall behind. You cannot take anything for granted. Or else your house will start to look like crap.

I relate to this because we are realists here at 18to88.com.  We are never happy with just winning and hoping everything will be ok.  We want the team to play as well as possible.  Even today, we've been called 'negative' for being honest and realistic.

The truth about the Pats is that virtually every charge people leveled against Indianapolis (too much change on the coaching staff, key foundational veteran moving on, injury concerns) applied better to New England than the Colts, yet somehow the Don Banks of the world were convinced New England was a beast and the Colts were finished.  Indy has the second youngest team in football.  The Pats have second oldest.  The Pats have had nothing but front office upheaval, switching out the GM, coaches and coordinators.  Our franchise QB had minor knee surgery over a year ago and already came back to win an MVP award.  Theirs had massive reconstruction and hadn't seen the field.  We lost one WR who had been essentially absent for two years; they lost 6 starters from the defense from a Super Bowl played last year.  Indy won a Super Bowl title just two years ago, but the Pats haven't won in 5.  Maybe the 'closed window' shoe fits Indy, maybe it doesn't, but it was freaking cobbled tailor-made for the Patriots.

It's fine for someone to doubt the 2009 Colts.  There are reasons to doubt for sure.  But whatever those reasons, there are those and then some to believe the Pats' best days are behind them.  If they aren't, it's only for one reason:  they still have Randy Moss.  He can make miracles happen.  Of course, he's never been on a Super Bowl winner either...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy that article again.

For those so inclined, be sure to check out the newest 18 Plays Podcast (brought to you by Broad Ripple Tree Service).

As with all our podcasts, you can either download it by clicking the link, listen to it in the embedded player below, or subscribe using ITunes.

18 Plays is our attempt each week to break down the tape and provide some insight into the pivotal plays.  It's a multimedia extravaganza, if by multimedia you mean that you just listen to it.

Surprised by the headline?

Don't be.  One of the weirder elements of Monday night's game is the sudden perception that Collie and Garcon played well.  Each player had a catch of critical importance.  Collie got a big third down.  Garcon scored the game winning touchdown.

Obviously, they played great.

Except they didn't.  And they haven't.

Collie and Garcon were each the target of three passes on Monday.  Each caught one ball.  The two passes traveled a total of about 5 yards in the air.

Look, both young men are talented.  Garcon made an excellent play after the catch.  His speed is a real asset.  Collie showed good hands and a knack for the sticks.  The problem is that they aren't getting open downfield. Collie is averaging less than 7 yards a reception.

Take out Garcon's great RAC on Monday.  The two WRs have seen extensive action in the first two games and have combined for 6 catches for 43 yards.  That's just seven yards a catch.  That's two guys, over two games.  Even with Garcon's play, they have 7 catches for 91 yards and a score.  If that was Anthony Gonzalez by himself over two games, everyone would be a little worried about him and complaining about his lack of production.  Instead, it's the total for two players and people are somehow pleased.

Winning is a great deodorant and it gives us selective amnesia.

Collie and Garcon made a couple of good plays when it counted.  Both have bright futures.  I like both players.  Don't read this as a criticism of them.  They are doing the best they can, and we have to have realistic expectations about what they can do.  It's not necessarily their fault they aren't getting open.  It's part of the process.

But, they are a huge problem right now, and the Colts' offense won't be reliable until Gonzo comes back.  This is the Manning, Wayne and Clark show right now and a good defense will find a way to take those two players away, leaving Manning no options.  It will take much more than one screen pass on a big blitz to convince me that Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie are ready to produce in the Colts' offense.

Random thoughts about last night without having gone back to view the tape...

• I think our little debate about what it means to carry a team is settled.  No QB has ever carried a team in a game so completely as Manning did last night.  40 attempts, my ass.
• That win was huge.  I don't mean to be pessimistic, but the Colts will have a difficult time coming back from that to win Sunday night.  After a tough, physical game for the defense, having to go out and play a team that will try to run them out of the gym six days later will be a chore.  Late in last night's game, I had the feeling that if they didn't pull out the win, they were going to be in real trouble.  Now, they can't go any worse than 2-1 (which is where I figured they'd be). 
  
• Arizona will be the polar opposite from Miami.  The Colts match up much better against the Cardinals, so there's hope at least.
• Don't confuse lightning in a bottle with good offense.  What Peyton did last night was practically impossible.  He was under constant pressure.  He completed 5 passes to WRs.  No one besides Clark and Wayne caught more than one pass.
• The line struggled to figure out where the rush was coming from.  On the sack in the third quarter, the back replay makes it look like Addai abandoned his spot and let Porter kill Manning.  What I saw from the main angle is that a guy was coming free up the middle and Addai was turning to block him.  Meanwhile Diem was standing around not blocking anyone.
• The pass to Brown at the end of the first half was genius.
• I will salute the return of a credible run game.  Addai and Brown combined for 5.6 YPC with both backs over 5 yards.  I'm not sure why people found it significant that Brown was in at the end last night.  He was last week too.  That's the way the Colts do things.  In 2006, Addai finished ever game until the playoffs, but then Rhodes was on the field late (esp. against Baltimore and the Bears).  I would expect Brown to take the bulk of the fourth quarter carries.  It's just the way they rotate.  Last year, Addai saw his carries drop quarter by quarter, while Dom saw his go up quarter by quarter.  If you see Brown start and Addai close, that could mean something.  This is what I expected all along.  They'll need the run game to work to beat the Cardinals.
  
• The terrible run defense was troubling because Miami isn't that great a running team. They weren't a top 10 running team last year. The Wildcat was an issue last night, but the real problem was that the Colts let a very average running team stomp them.
• Despite the run yards, the defense had opportunities to get off the field.  There was a major regression in pass coverage last night.  The drop off from Powers to Jennings is severe.  Pennington picked on Jennings on several key third down plays.  I think that if Powers had played, the game might have gone differently.  I don't sweat the whole "3rd down conversion" stat when there are a lot of 3rd and shorts, but this D has to get off the field on third and 5 or longer.  That requires better corner play than they got last night.
  
• The defense has forced just one turnover in two games (the hail mary at the end). That has to change.
• Freeney worked his butt off last night.  Long did incredibly well against him, but he also had help constantly.  They doubled Freeney on many of the key plays.
• The fact that an exhausted Mathis got a sack fumble last night was inspiring.
  
• Eric Foster made some big plays.
• Aren't you all glad we got new Special Teams and Defensive Coordinators?  Coaching is overrated.  It's the players, folks.  It always has been.