I've had a lot of emotions today: nervous, confident, angry, irate, relieved, resigned, elated.  By now my bipolar afternoon has settled down into one dominant reaction:  satisfaction.  This game was a huge win for the Colts.  It takes all the pressure off of next week's game with the Pats.  That tilt will have all its own drama, I'm sure, but it's nice not to feel like the fate of the free world is riding on it.  More on that to come. For now, we should all take a deep breath, and just enjoy being 8-0 for a few more hours.

Reasons to Smile:

• Joseph Addai's TD run.  Actually, his whole game.  I know we've been branded as "Addai apologists", but anyone who still doubts him doesn't understand football.  This guy does everything that's asked of him every week.  I know his rushing numbers have been lackluster, but the problem is clearly the offensive line who can't seem to keep people out of the backfield.  Addai's TD run could have been a three yard loss easily, but Addai shook free of the tackler and gave the Colts the lead.  There are problems with the run game, no question.  Addai is part of the solution, however.
• Jerraud Powers.  I realize that he didn't actually get the second foot down that would have made for a recovery, and instead touched the ball on the goal line while technically still out of bounds.  The result is the same.  He's playing a great corner right now and is making heady plays.  We'll miss MJax, but much less so because Powers has the look of a star.
• The defense in general.  Tremendous game.  I've been harping on it all year, but this unit is the better of the two, or at least the more complete.  They forced two picks in the passing game and held the Texans backs to 22 caries for 45 yards and a fumble.  This Texans team can really fling the ball, so 17 points allowed is a great effort.
• Dallas Clark.  He'll be starting in the Pro Bowl.
• Freeney.  Not just for the sacks, but for the nice plays against the run.  He's doing it all right now.
• Great 5 man rush with Brackett blitzing.
• Frenchy gettng a PI on the Wayne pick.  Didn't help, but shows he tried.  OPI on a pick is one of the few 'acceptable' penalties.  As was Saturday's hold after the Texans jumped offside and threatened to swallow Manning whole.  That play was a bad break.

Reasons to Frown:

• The coaching.  Hang on, I'll get to it.  There were at least 5 awful, indefensible decisions in this game.  I've praised Caldwell a lot.  He caught my wrath all afternoon in this one.
• The offensive line.  Mario Williams beat CJ for a sack.  The running game was non-existent early as Addai was getting killed in the backfield (which is almost always the fault of the line, people). 
  
• No deep passing game again.  I don't think Manning had even one 20 yard pass today (other than the one to Collie that was called back).  It's getting to be an issue.  The offense is taking on a serious 2008 look in the last two games.  Teams are getting more pressure on Manning (2 more sacks-that's 5 in two games after 2 in six games), and not respecting the run at all with the safeties. 
  
• No run game again.  I know, Addai broke free in the fourth quarter to make the YPC respectable, but there was nothing there for most of the game.  It's killing us in the red zone.
  
• As a result, there were 40 first half passes. Not good
• Manning's pick.  Awful.   He never saw the linebacker sliding over.  He used to throw that pick all the time back in the day, but now you never see it.  It almost cost the Colts the game. 
  
• Wayne's throw.  Good lord.  Like the call, hate the call, whatever.  The WR has to know he should only throw the ball if the dude is wide open in the endzone.  Simply inexcusable.
• We don't have a kicker who can make a 48 yard kick.  I liked going for it in the first quarter with fourth and 1 (I wanted it on fourth and 6, too), but really, from that distance you should have a kicker who can be trusted to hit a 48-50 yarder.  We don't. It'll get us before it's all said and done.
• It seemed like the Texans picked on Lacey.  I'll have to watch the tape to confirm.  It would have been nice if Jennings had pulled in that pick.
• Awful 'Big Blitz' (at first glance they came with at least 6).  It lead to a huge play and eventually a TD for the Texans.  I don't like blitzes, but I really hate big blitzes that don't come close to landing.
  

Best Call:

• It's a tie:  the challenge of the fumble and going for it on fourth and 1 early.  One worked, the other didn't.  Both were the right call.

Worst Call:

(Pardon me while I crack my neck in preparation)  It's a five way tie!  In chronological order:

• Opting to take the ball when they won the toss with the roof open.  Seriously?  Is this rocket science?  There is a MASSIVE GLARE in your endzone that only lasts for a quarter.  Defer to the second half.  It cost them on the first drive as the WRs were looking back into the sun (especially Wayne) on the fourth down play.  We have a retractable roof.  Fine.  Don't screw yourself with it, though.  Stupid, stupid decision.  Make the Texans drive into the sun endzone.  By the second quarter it's no longer an issue.
  
• Punting on fourth and 3 from the 39.  Yes, yes.  I know Addai just lost two yards thanks to a major fail by the offensive line. Still, no team in football would punt to the Colts in that situation.  Houston is not Saint Louis.  They have a good offense.  You can't just assume your D will go the whole game without ever allowing a first down.  The stats on this are overwhelming...GO FOR IT!  It took Houston just four plays to pass that spot on the field.  Awful call.
• "Icing the kicker" at the end of the first half.  Dungy had a brilliant philosophy on this:  never give a kicker a practice kick.  If you are going to ice, you do it early.  Letting him get a free try to work out the kinks is moronic.  Now, it's possible the kick attempt was only blocked because of the timeout, but there's just no reason to do it.  I'm proud of Caldwell for figuring that one out at the end of the game.  If Brown had been given another chance, I would have started to break things.  Hopefully, he learned his lesson on this one.  UPDATE:  Word on the street is that Caldwell was not trying to ice the kicker, just trying to put a return man on the field.  That's better logic at least.  Bad execution is one thing, bad logic is another.  All is forgiven.
• Punting on fourth and 1 from the 45.  Again, same logic.  It took the Texans three plays to get to that spot on the field.  Punting on anything shorter than fourth and 4 or 5 on the other team's side of the field just doesn't pay off most of the time.  Especially against a good offense.  The three and out allowed Houston to dominate the entire third quarter and almost cost the Colts the game.  This crap won't fly against New England, Jim.  You have to be aggressive.  No one would do you the favor of punting in the same position.  Stop helping the other team out. 
  
• The Wayne pass.  I was tempted to let this go, because I loved the call last week, and I want to be fair.  Then a reader pointed out that having Wayne throw the ball takes Wayne out of the pattern.  It was also fresh on the D's mind because you just tried it last week.  Granted, the execution by Wayne was WORSE than the call, but still.  Terrible job.

Jim Caldwell has been brilliant all year.  He nearly cost his team the game today, however.  This was not a good day for him, at all.  Still, he's 8-0, so that helps make him bullet proof.  He's still got a lot of rope with me, but the punting on fourth and short has to stop.  It will crush our season if it doesn't.

Reasons I'm Flyin':

• This was a serious 'big boy' win over a playoff caliber team.  The Texans are going to win a lot of games this year, and I love the way the Colts gutted it out.  Wins don't come much sweeter than this, so don't worry about it...celebrate it.  I'm genuinely thrilled they won today.  That's a fun feeling.
  
• The defense is championship caliber right now.  It's the Colts best unit. 
  
• The AFC South is all but clinched.  The Colts have some cushion to work with.  I don't think that New England and Baltimore are all that good (I know Baltimore isn't), but it's nice to know that a split of the next two games won't kill us.  We've had the game at Houston down as a loss for some time, which is why winning today was so critical.

Reasons I'm Dyin':

• They should have opened a 20 point lead on this team.  They let them hang around and could've lost easily.
• Gonzo and Hayden are still out.  We'll need them both before all is said and done.
• I hate Pats week.  I hate the Pats.  I hate thinking about them.  The only thing I like about them is watching them lose.

The Bottom Line:

Eight games.  Eight wins.  A four game lead in the division (yeah, yeah 3 1/2, whatever).  At least a one game lead (hopefully two after tomorrow night) over the rest of the AFC.  The Colts' schedule hasn't been as bad as people think (not that SOS matters at all in the NFL).  Two winning teams, a .500 team, and the Dolphins in Miami (which is not an easy game).  This team has a great D, a great QB, some great pass catchers.  That's the formula the Steelers rode to the title last year.  There's no reason to think Indy won't do the same this year.  Today, the Colts were clearly superior to a good Texans team, but made too many stupid mistakes to blow them out.  On a day they didn't play their best, they still won against a team who desperately needed to beat them.

Smile.  This was a very good day.

Colts 20 - Texans 17

PREGAME:

Brown and Moala are both inactive today.  DeVan is playing over Pollack.  All accounts are that the roof will be open.  Barf.

FIRST QUARTER:

• The Colts win the toss, and take the ball. Manning hits his first 5 passes in a row, but two passes to Collie fall incomplete (the second on third down was a flat drop).  The Colts were going for the gutless punt on 4th and 6 from the 37, when the Texans jumped offsides.  On fourth down, Manning threw a terrible ball to an open Addai.  Texans start at the 31.  Simply a terrible toss by #18.  Addai wasn't super open, but the ball carried too far out of bounds.  Demond says Wayne was covered deep, and Clark may have been open.
• The D comes out strong.  Freeny picks up the coverage sack to start the game.  Jennings hits Johnson for little gain.  On third and long, Powers saves a TD (so says Demond at the game) by tripping up Slaton on a screen.  The result is three and out for the Texans and Indy's ball.
• Manning is just picking them apart.  He's dumping short on every throw, and the addition of Addai out in patterns is making all the difference.  79 yard drive ends with Manning hitting Kid Joe on 3rd and 4 for a 7 yard score.  7-0 Colts.  Manning might have 60 attempts today.
• POWERS WITH THE PICK.  He couldn't be playing better.  Colts ball at midfield.
• Manning hits Garcon with a huge pass for 26 yards, and then he gets the Texans to jump offsides on consecutive plays.  It set the Colts up with first and goal from the 4, but a negative run (LB untouched up the middle), a drop? on a pass behind Addai, and a one yard screen pass to Wayne (Collie had OPI on the play but was waived off).  Field goal gives the Colts a 10-0 lead.  This reminds me of the game in Houston last year where the Colts dominated early, but the Texans scored a bunch of points in the middle of the game.
• We see the first vestiges of slipping from the kick coverage team as Cody Glenn (formerly of the practice squad until this week) picks up a 15 yard penalty on the coverage.  The D more than holds its own.  Two runs, a false start (thanks crowd noise!) and Freeney forces a third down scramble.  That's two three and outs and a pick for the Colts D.  Can't ask for more than that.
• Colts are driving to end the quarter.  26 passes, 5 runs.  And the offense is moving the ball with ease.  So there you go.

SECOND QUARTER:

• The Texans help the Colts with a couple of bad penalties, but the drive eventually stalls, and the Colts settle for 3.  Colts 13-0.  The lack of a real run game may be starting to catch up to Indy in the redzone.  The team just isn't converting in close the way the did early in the year.  Manning can't be happy with that.
• Glenn atones for his earlier penalty with a HUGE stick inside the 20 on the kick off.  Houston is (was at least before they lost Owens) a good offensive team.  Well, at least they could pass.  Today, they can't do anything.  Freeney and Mathis sack Schaub on 3rd down, and the Texans punt AGAIN.  Incredible performance by one of the best defenses in football.  It's time to get a touch down and put this game away. 
  
• The Colts drive stalls as Addai is swarmed under on third and 1 from the 40.  He got hit 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage for a loss.  He had no chance to even make a move.  This team can't run block even a little bit.  Not even a little.  They punt on fourth and four. 
  
• The Texans go to the ground game and generate some first downs, and Johnson helps them out with a facemask penalty.  It takes them just four plays to get past where the Colts punted from.  The Texans get down inside the 35, and go for it on fourth and 1, by throwing to Andre Johnson. The Texans drive down near the goal line, but Moats fumbles.  Jerraud Powers makes a crazy smart play to reestablish himself in bounds.  After review, the ball is ruled to be a fumble, recovered in the endzone.  Colts ball.  Wow.  Houston was threatening to get back in the game, but the turnover saves the 13 point lead.
• The Colts get bailed out after three straight incomplete passes to Clark.  Dallas gets popped on third down and drops the ball.  The Texan is called for a personal foul.  Manning drives them deep into Houston territory before throwing an awful pick.  The Texans run it back to midfield, and now threaten to score.  They have the dreaded "two for none" working. They could have the lead before the Colts ever see the ball again.
• The D does a credible job, only allowing 12 yards.  The Texans started at the 50, so it was enough for a 56 yards FG attempt.  His first attempt was blocked, but the Colts called timeout first.  That's never a move that makes sense.  Why let him practice?  Stupid, stupid move by Caldwell.  Brown hits the kick on the second attempt.  13-3 Colts.

HALFTIME:

Manning has already thrown the ball 40 times for just 6 yards a throw.  That's not a recipe for success. The defense was incredible, and Indy leads by 10, but this was a deeply frustrating half.  The Colts should be up by 20 at least.  They have to find a way to run the ball in the second half.

THIRD QUARTER:

• The Colts didn't put them away when they had the chance, and now the Texans are back in the game.  The key play on the drive was Schaub escaping Mathis on third and 7 and scrambling for 19 yards.  It was close to being a sack and a punt, but instead went the other way.  The Texans wound up down on the goal line and scored easily.  13-10 Colts.  Game on.  Nightmare:  continuing.
• The Texans continue to self destruct.  This time a stupid personal foul after the kick off set up the Colts at the 45 yard line.  The Colts don't take advantage, however, as they elect to punt on fourth and one with a three and out.  No sooner do I praise Caldwell this week, than he shows up with an AWFUL game.  Tons of punts on fourth and short, a stupid decision to take the ball in the first quarter, and an inexcusable time out on the field goal attempt.  He's coached this game to lose it.  Terrible job.
• A moronic blitz on 3rd and 5 gives the Texans a big play.  They pass the 46 in just three plays.  The Colts brought the house and didn't come close to reaching Schaub.  The Texans convert two more third and mediums on the drive.  They now face third and goal from the half yard line as the third quarter ends.
  
• Indy has punted on 4th and 3 from the 39 and 4th and 1 from the 45.  They are on the verge of trailing 17-13 (barring a miracle stop).  Manning is going to need another fourth quarter comeback if the Horse hopes to pull one out today.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Touchdown Texans.  17-13.  Betcha wish you had that stupid punt back, Jim.
• WTF?  Wayne throws a flanker pass which is picked off.  Awful throw.  What was Wayne thinking?  He threw a duck.  Hard to kill the call after it worked with Addai last week, but that throw was insanely bad.  Indy is in serious trouble.
• HUGE stand by the D.  Jennings drops a potential pick six, but the D holds in three plays.  Colts survive the stupid pick, and get the ball near the 40.
• Joe Addai carries the Colts downfield and into the endzone.  The Horse finally finds some running plays, and Addai delivers on third and goal from the one.  He got hit in the backfield (again), but danced his way to the go ahead score.  20-17 Colts.  It's time for the D to make another stand.  It's Freeney and Mathis time!
• Another huge third down conversion for the Texans as Jennings falls down to get the drive going.  A holding call and a brilliant play by Foster forced another huge third down, which Schaub converts again for 20 plus yards to Johnson.  This time the blitz saves the day, however, as Brackett hits Schaub as he throws and Session picks it off.  Colts ball with 2:14 to play. The Texans have 2 timeouts, so one first down will win the game.
• The O Line collapses at the wrong time.  A two yard run, a false start, and a sack fumble (mercifully recovered by Diem) took the clock down to the two minute warning.  Addai does his best on third and long, but Houston will get the ball with 1:40 and change and no timeouts.  McAfee puts it down around the 15.  The D needs to hang on one more time.
• The D plays soft, and the Texans make it out near midfield, but use a minute to do it.  Schaub makes a miracle completion to avoid the sack, and the Texans pick up yet another big third down.  The Texans get the ball down to the 25 with just :01 to go. 
  

HE MISSED IT!  WIDE LEFT!!

WIDE LEFT!!! HE MISSED IT!

HOOOO!

Last week our picks went 2-2, which I can live with.  We got the most important result with Denver going down hard at Baltimore.  Let's take a look at this week's key games. 

Easy Calls

Miami at New England:  Bill Belichick would like to teach the cheeky Dolphins a lesson after the beatdown the Dolphins dished out last year in New England.  The Dolphins were on the road last week and play 5 of the next 7 on the road.  Brutal.  With four losses already, this is the biggest game of Miami's season. 

San Diego at New York (N):  The Broncos have been exposed, but the Chargers are still two games back in the West.  San Diego has a tough slate coming up and needs to win this game to keep their division title (and wild card) hopes alive.  I hope they lose.

Tough Calls

Baltimore at Cincinnati:  Hmmm.  The Colts still have to play the Ravens on the road, but I'm going with the obvious call here.  I'm rooting for the Bengals to pick up their third loss.  I believe if the Colts prevail tomorrow against Houston they are looking at a 13-3 season (worst case scenario).  Thus, I am rooting for everyone in the AFC to have at least four losses.  I believe this will happen. 

Pittsburgh at Denver:  I'm going with the "chalk" pick here as well.  Is it risky to root for a two loss Pittsburgh team?  Yes, but the Steelers still have enough tough games left to get to four losses.  I want some padding in the event that the Colts blow the home game against Denver. 

AFC Playoff Standings

Indianapolis (7-0)

Denver (6-1)

Cincinnati (5-2)

New England (5-2)

Pittsburgh (5-2)

Houston (5-3)

Baltimore (4-3)

San Diego (4-3)

Bob Sanders won't be cut.

2010 Base salary:  $2.275 million

This is the amount of real money the Colts can save by cutting him.

Outstanding Bonus Money:  $7,355,000*

If you cut Bob Sanders next year (assuming there is a salary cap and that the rules are the same as before), it costs the team roughly $3,677,500 EACH of the next two years in cap space.

To keep him next year it costs just $4,184,166.

Cutting Bob Sanders only would save the Colts 500K in cap space and $2.275 million in real dollars.

In other words, you couldn't even resign Freddy Keiaho with the cap space you'd save.  That's assuming there even is a cap, which is a massive assumption.

Bob Sanders is cheap next year.

He's not going anywhere.  It makes zero sense to cut him at that price unless he actually retires from football or is dead.

*there might be play in the numbers based on types of bonuses and what the CBA ends up being, but the rough framework holds.

It's been a rough week.  Here's a recap of all the injury news ranked by how much it will affect the team going forward:

1.  Kelvin Hayden is out a month-This is actually the worst of the news.  Indy plays their next four games against teams with good offenses (Houston, NE, Baltimore).  Losing Hayden is a major blow.  Sure he'll probably be back for the playoffs, but where and who the Colts play could be greatly compromised by his absence. Impact Rating:  5 bandages (out of five)

2.  Anthony Gonzalez is out 2-3 more weeks-First, can we can the whole "Colts lied to us" crap?  There is a difference between an injury taking longer to heal and getting lied to about it.  He went in for a scope yesterday.  Do you think they would have waited that long to scope him if they thought he was hurt worse than they said?  Gonzo's injury is a serious blow.  Garcon's play has deteriorated week to week, and his DVOA is down to -14% (57th in the league) and his catch rate is 50%.  That means he only catches half the balls thrown at him, and he is about 14% worse than an average WR would be.  This team needs Gonzo back and soon.  Impact Rating: 3 bandages

3. Tyjuan Hagler is on IR (done for the year)-Hagler took the job from Phil Wheeler right before the season opened.  The Colts' run defense has been solid, so taking out a starting linebacker (even a reasonably fungible one) hurts.  Still, Wheeler has shown flashes before, and hopefully he'll be able to step in.  Impact Rating:  3 bandages

4.  Marlin Jackson is on IR (done for the year)-This is depressing from a personal level since everyone loves MJax.  It also takes away the hope that the Indy defense was going to find another gear.  The pass D has been outstanding with the rookie corners, but a healthy Jackson and a healthy Hayden promised to take things up another level.  Still, the D has been playing without Jackson most of the year anyway, but the dream secondary of Bethea, Hayden, Sanders and Jackson will probably never play together again.  The Colts D now is what it is (which is very good), but I see little hope it will get even better.  Impact Rating: 2 bandages

5.  Bob Sanders is reported to have a torn biceps (done for the year)-You don't get to whine when injury prone players get hurt.  Indy knew Sanders was an injury risk, and they have a more than adequate backup plan.  Bob's barely played anyway, so it's hard to argue that his injury will hurt the defense.  Again, however, the 'extra gear' is gone.  This D is what it is.  All we needed was for Bob to be able to play in January and to lose him to an injury totally unrelated to his offseason knee surgery is devastating emotionally.  Impact Rating: 1 bandage

Every team has a threshold.  There is a level of injury that a team can sustain before you start to see slippage on the field.  The Colts have the depth to cover these losses, but we are right up against the wall now.  Another major injury and 2009 will become just like 2007 and 2008.  Bob and MJax were already absorbed well.  Gonzo's been missed, but 18 has kept the ship afloat.  Hayden needs to come back.

There's no panic yet, but we need to start getting some good news quickly on the injury front.  As the team stands right now, assuming that Gonzo and Hayden return, this team is still Super Bowl cailber.  Take out one more piece though, and odds begin to drop.

The Indianapolis Colts have signed veteran free agent defensive end Josh Thomas and have placed defensive back Marlin Jackson on injured reserve.  Wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez underwent arthroscopic right knee surgery yesterday to clean out loose particles, and safety Bob Sanders visited with Dr. James Andrews yesterday to gather additional information on the left elbow injury he suffered last Sunday against San Francisco, the club announced today.

Jackson suffered the left knee injury during a non-contact drill early in Wednesday’s practice.  He is out for the remainder of the season.  Gonzalez suffered a recent setback in practice that led to yesterday’s procedure.  A timetable for his return is not determined.

Again, no podcast this week.  My laptop on which I do all the recording/editing is still in the shop.  You'll just have to read.  Stop complaining.  I don't care if it hurts your eyes.  You're lazy!  Lazy ingrates all of you.  By the way, Eyes will be up later tonight or tomorrow.

First Quarter

1. 2-4-SF 36 (11:28) 21-F.Gore up the middle for 64 yards, TOUCHDOWN

DS:  Muir gets manhandled by two blockers, and Johnson is well blocked also. Brackett gets blocked by the Center which springs Gore. Powers and Bethea blow the touchdown saving tackle by ramming into each other and missing the runner.

DZ:  Muir is the key here.  He gets shoved back about 5 yards, and as he's falling to the ground, he wipes out Bob Sanders who looks to have a good shot on Gore.  Forget making the play, if he had only kept his footing, Sanders could have finished Gore for a short gain.  It's hard to get too upset over this play. The run D was great the rest of the way.  It was one bad run.  Fix it and move on.

2. 3-8-IND 25 (7:12) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass short right to 87-R.Wayne pushed ob at SF 43 for 32 yards (36-S.Spencer)

DS: Trips right. Manning throws the screen to Wayne. Reggie follows good blocks by Baskett and Collie and Diem. Wayne gets to the outside. I thought Wayne looked a little hobbled on the run, but still a big play.

DZ:  Collie's block is close to being OPI, but the defender engaged him, so I guess it's ok.  Incredible block by Diem.  Reggie squeezes through for big yards.

3. 3-2-SF 20 (4:09) 29-J.Addai right tackle to SF 20 for no gain (96-K.Balmer).

DS:  Your 2008 Indianapolis Colts. This looks like every bad run we’ve seen. It is not even totally clear who is at fault. There’s just not gap there whatsoever. San Fran’s front line is very good.

DZ:  It looks like the play is supposed to go wide but there is no hole.  Addai cuts inside where there is also no hole.  There was no hole.  There was no gain.  Fourth down.

4. 1-10-SF 40 (1:18) 11-A.Smith pass deep right intended for 15-M.Crabtree INTERCEPTED by 21-B.Sanders at IND 37. 21-B.Sanders to SF 34 for 29 yards (62-C.Rachal).

DS: Decent protection, but just a poor throw off the mark. The announcer insisted it was a good throw, but it clearly wasn’t. Crabtree deflects it and it is an easy pick for Bob Sanders.

DZ: Bob Sanders catches picks.  Bethea drops them.  If there is a difference between the two excellent safeties that elevates Sanders to an elite level when healthy, that's it.  Alex Smith's play was vastly overrated in this game.  He had some moments, but in general didn't look that great.  Nice coverage by Hayden who was blanked on Crabtree.

Second Quarter

5. 3-4-SF 15 (15:00) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass incomplete short right to 44-D.Clark.

DS: Clark lined up at TE right, runs a corner route. Manning floats it out to him. Looks like it is a catchable throw, but Clark is nowhere close to actually making the catch. Weird play which we can chalk up to the sunlight.

DZ: CLOSE THE ROOF!

6. 3-10-IND 33 (6:43) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass incomplete deep left to 81-H.Baskett.

DS:  Big third down with Indy trailing by one. Addai picks up the blitz. Manning has time to find Baskett. Unleashes a brilliant throw to a sliding Baskett. For some reason they never replay it on television, but they did at LOS. Ball hit him square in the chest.

DZ:  We are not fine at WR.  I don't care what anyone says.  Baskett dropped two balls, and Garcon...we'll get to him.

7. 2-10-IND 40 (:51) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith pass short right to 21-F.Gore to IND 25 for 15 yards (58-G.Brackett, 41-A.Bethea). PENALTY on IND-55-C.Session, Roughing the Passer, 13 yards, enforced at IND 25

DS:  Insult to injury. Colts send Session on the blitz, but Smith hits Gore out of the backfield. Nice play by Smith to buy just enough time. Session went low at the legs, which is a mandatory flag. Huge play in this game. Very atypical of the colts to give up a big play and a penalty.

DZ: Great read by Smith on the blitz.  Gore was the perfect outlet.  Brackett had the coverage, but had to respect the TE crossing underneath, that left him a step slow in getting back to his left to cover Gore.  The Session penalty was another idiot "Brady" rule call.  He was stumbling.  There was nothing he could do as he was falling down.  The hit wasn't late, it was just low.  I hate that rule.  It penalizes players for things they can't possibly control.

8. 1-10-IND 39 (:26) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass deep left to 17-A.Collie pushed ob at SF 38 for 23 yards (26-M.Roman).

DS: Collie in the slot to the right. Play action to Addai. Niners drop one lineman back into coverage and blitz two. Addai and CJ pick the blitz nicely. Collie slides all the way across the field to the left. Very tough route to defend. Manning puts it just over the linebacker. Collie gets out of bounds.

DZ: Collie is open because the 49ers blitzed.  They didn't get home because Joe Addai threw a good block.  Excellent execution.  What is amazing is that to a Colts' fan :26 is plenty of time for a FG drive.  Insane.

Third Quarter

9. 3-20-IND 16 (13:31) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass deep right to 85-P.Garcon to IND 48 for 32 yards (36-S.Spencer).

DS:  Garcon is lined up right. Manning fakes the quick throw to Wayne and finds Garcon amongst three defenders on a deep in route. 8 men in coverage on this play. Sick sick play.

DZ:  Demond said to me, "That play is was worth the price of admission".  Incredible throw just beyond the linebacker.  The 49ers only rush three, so there are tons of people in coverage. Laser rocket throw.  By the way, it was 3rd and 20 because Pollack got blown up for a sack.

10. 3-4-SF 15 (9:55) 18-P.Manning sacked at SF 22 for -7 yards (91-R.McDonald).

DS: Yet another big third down. Colts need a touchdown. Peyton drops back and pump fakes to Garcon. Pollak gets stormed over. Just a horrific job. They didn’t get much of a hit on Manning, but enough to get him to the ground.

DZ: Pollack allowed two sacks on the drive

11. 2-10-SF 44 (5:20) (Run formation) 11-A.Smith pass short left to 15-M.Crabtree to SF 46 for 2 yards (25-J.Powers). FUMBLES (25-J.Powers), RECOVERED by IND-25-J.Powers at SF 46. 25-J.Powers to SF 42 for 4 yards (88-I.Bruce). San Francisco challenged the fumble ruling, and the play was Upheld. (Timeout #1 at 05:10.)

DS:  Quick throw to Crabtree in the slot. He slips past Sanders, but is hit simultaneously by Hagler, Powers, and Bethea. It appears that Powers strips him just as Bethea provides the impact. If they could have gotten Bruce blocked it is a touchdown. Interesting that both turnovers involved Crabtree.

DZ:  The quick throw is forced by the blitz.  Then the Colts swarm the ball carrier.  Sandres misses the tackle for a loss, but Crabtree has to make a crazy move to avoid him, and swings the ball out loose.  Then he's met simultaneously by the law firm of Hagler, Powers, and Bethea.  When you see lots of hats on the ball, good things are going to happen.  Powers has been a season saver considering the injuries to Hayden and Jackson.

12. 1-10-SF 42 (5:10) 18-P.Manning pass incomplete deep right to 85-P.Garcon.

DS:  Manning goes deep for Garcon who appears to have no idea what route he is running. He moves into the coverage, allowing the defender to get a nice grab. No flag.

DZ:  Bad route.  He'll learn.  He's open, but then just drifts and the coverage man catches up to him.  If he had run to the spot where the ball was going to be thrown, it's 6.  Manning made hand motions after the play indicating he didn't run the right route, which was obvious on tape.

13. 3-5-IND 35 (2:39) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 87-R.Wayne to IND 46 for 11 yards (36-S.Spencer). SF-98-P.Haralson was injured during the play

DS:  Manning gets the play off before the defense is set. Throws short to Wayne. Great job by Manning. This time the Colts pick up the big third down.

DZ: This one is for the "why does he let the clock run down?" crowd.  The quick snap might have even been illegal because Addai came off the field, so the 49ers should have been given time to set.  Note the "injured" player after the play.  Indy went to quick snap again, and he just crumpled in front of the official as if someone had shot him.  Bad, bad acting.

Fourth Quarter

14. 1-10-SF 22 (15:00) 29-J.Addai pass deep left to 87-R.Wayne for 22 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Handoff to J. Addai to the left side.

DS:  Manning hands off to Addai who appears like he is running the stretch. In the stadium I thought he might have a big run going because he appeared to have the corner. Instead he pulls up and throws to a wide open Wayne. A play we’ll remember for a long time.

DZ:  Incredible catch. Incredible call.  We'll be referencing that for years.

15. 3-12-IND 35 (11:49) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith sacked at IND 43 for -8 yards (98-R.Mathis).

DS:  Colts fake the blitz, but instead only send three. Mathis does a great spin move. Smith holds it too long and the result is a huge sack. Smith did well not to fumble.

DZ:  Mathis continues to make plays.  Anytime you get a sack from your DE on a three man rush, it's a huge play.  It knocked the 49ers out of FG range.

16. 2-7-IND 13 (10:48) 18-P.Manning pass deep right to 44-D.Clark to SF 47 for 40 yards (38-D.Goldson).

DS: This is one of the biggest plays of the game. The Colts are only up four points and are backed up deep. Play action to Addai. Manning does a great fake and drops way way back. Clark gets wide open from the TE position. He runs an awesome route to the corner that no one is going to be able to cover.

DZ:  It didn't lead to a score, but it changed the field position at a time when yards mattered.  Clark's route was an ankle breaker as he faked the cross and cut outside leaving his defender helpless.

17. 3-10-SF 35 (6:14) (Shotgun) 11-A.Smith sacked at SF 30 for -5 yards (93-D.Freeney).

DS: Smith takes the snap out of the shot gun. Freeney stunts to the inside. Brock forces Smith back into Freeney. 93 cleans up the mess. Great coverage by the Colts on the play in the secondary. The sack streak lives on.

DZ:  Freeney was not 100% in this game.  This was one of the rare times where he benefited from his teammates' work.  Foster and Mathis get some pressure, and Freeney who had a stunt inside cleans it up.

18. 3-4-SF 36 (1:58) (Shotgun) 18-P.Manning pass short left to 44-D.Clark to SF 27 for 9 yards (38-D.Goldson).

DS:  Didn’t have this play on tape, but it was brilliant.

DZ:  Shades of 2006 as Manning forces a pass into Clark who snatches it to seal up a crushing drive that prevented the 49ers from seeing the ball again.

Yahoo.com picked up a Phil B Wilson report, and claimed that Anthony Gonzalez could have a torn PCL

The word is that the injured third-year pro was drafted in the first round from Ohio State is looking for a second opinion on a knee injury that won't go away, according to the Indianapolis Star.  The word is that he's asking Dr. James Andrews, who is likely to confirm that he's got more than sprained PCL. The thought is that it is likely torn.

The actual article doesn't claim to have any information, but is merely an interpretation of what Wilson reported originally.  I wrote Phil B to clarify if what he meant syncs with the Yahoo claim.  This is his comment:

This is what is wrong with the Internet today.  Caldwell said Gonzo was getting another opinion on the knee. That's the only comment we have on it. So somebody somewhere who isn't dealing with the team takes the statement and interprets it another way.  Could be true. With the Colts history, wouldn't be surprised. But I don't know anything other than what Caldwell said. Wish I did.

My gut tells me Gonzo has had a setback. Hope I'm wrong, but he went from doing some work and running to needing another opinion.

I hope the report is wrong, but sometimes, guys know stuff but can't "out" their sources, either.

Think about it. It is fishy. Caldwell said the past two weeks that Gonzo was improving, he was doing a lot of running, and then last week, he said he was going to get some practice in, now Gonzo needs a second opinion.  I can see how someone outside would assume the worst. I hope he's wrong, but something inside tells me he might be right.

The unthinkable happened last night.

I was forced to root against the Indiana Hoosiers basketball team for the first time in my life.

In one of the strangest turns of fate, IU actually took the court against my alma mater, NAIA Division 2 powerhouse Grace College.

Now I love the Hoosiers, but considering that I spent 6 years of my life at Grace (I got my masters there as well), and many of my close friends work there, and the president's son is one my best friends, I had no choice to trade in my cream and crimson for black and red.

For about 18 minutes, it looked like I would forever be able to mock Demond as my beloved Lancers gave his Hoosiers everything they could handle.  As Terry Hutchins said,

As Grace College was going toe-to-toe with Indiana throughout the first half and the game was still tied at 36-all with 90 seconds to play before the intermission, I have to admit my mind was beginning to wander. The thought I couldn't get out of my head was a simple one: "In five weeks, these guys are going to play Kentucky?''

Now, in IU's defense, these guys are really young and haven't really played together very much. They're still learning what to expect from each other. They're still learning Tom Crean's system. And sometimes when you try so hard you end up making more mistakes than if you were relaxed. This was what I thought IU fans saw over and over Wednesday night. A lot of point blank misses. A lot of chances to convert inside that were unsuccessful. Several defensive lapses where the Hoosiers got beat on back door cuts or pick-and-rolls with Grace's big kids.