NFL FanHouse

Bob Sanders Reportedly Out for Season

Matt Snyder — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:10:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, AFC South, NFL Injuries

There's never a good time to have half of your defensive backfield hurt, but having it happen immediately before facing the Houston Texans' powerful passing attack is close to the worst possible situation during the regular season. But that is exactly what's happening in Indianapolis.

News broke Thursday that Marlin Jackson would be out for the season with a torn ACL -- for the second consecutive year. Friday, the Colts learned that Bob Sanders needs surgery to repair his injured elbow -- which will end his season, according to Adam Shefter of ESPN -- and that starting cornerback Kelvin Hayden has been definitively ruled out for Sunday's game as well.

This means that the Colts are left with Antoine Bethea, Melvin Bullitt, Jacob Lacey and Jerraud Powers to deal with the mighty Texans pass offense this Sunday in Lucas Oil Stadium. Though the Texans will be without star tight end Owen Daniels, they have plenty of weapons in Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones, Steve Slaton and Ryan Moats.

Hayden will reportedly miss up to four weeks with a knee injury.

Sanders, the oft-injured former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is apparently having surgery to clean up some lingering issues in his elbow. For now, the Colts are saying he's out for an undetermined amount of time. Some reports say he'll miss at least a month while Shefter broke the news that he'll miss the rest of 2009. The Colts are certainly used to playing without him, as he's only suited up twice this year after missing 10 games last year. It's a real shame Sanders can't keep himself healthy, because he is a punishing player. Apparently he punishes his own body more than opponents.

Bob Sanders Reportedly Out for Season originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL FanHouse Preview Chat Recap

Bruce Ciskie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Bengals, Colts, Ravens, Saints, NFL Fans, NFL Live Blogging

Most teams will play their eighth game this week, meaning that we're hitting the halfway mark. Already, there's talk of 16-0 teams and teams that have played themselves out of serious contention.

We previewed this weekend's big games, got your predictions, and found out who you think has the better shot of running the table among the remaining unbeatens. Read all about it after the jump.

&lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;altcast_code=b2b20c2f1f" &gt;NFL FanHouse Week 9 Chat&lt;/a&gt;

NFL FanHouse Preview Chat Recap originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colts' Marlin Jackson Out for Season

Matt Snyder — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, AFC South, NFL Injuries

In what will surely be a big blow to the Colts' very solid pass defense, Indianapolis starting cornerback Marlin Jackson confirmed Thursday that he has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. The unfortunate injury reportedly occurred on the last play of Wednesday's practice -- it's the second straight year that Jackson's suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

The timing is especially bad for the Colts, as they gear up to face the league's third-ranked passing attack this weekend, in the Houston Texans. This also further jumbles the situation as to who will guard superstar wideout Andre Johnson, considering Kelvin Hayden is also banged up for the Colts.

The timing for Jackson is actually worse than it is for his team. He's scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2009-2010 season and he likely won't be healthy enough to prove himself until most teams will have filled their most pressing depth chart needs.

The Colts (7-0) face a big test this weekend against the upstart Texans (5-3). Johnson leads the NFL with 697 receiving yards. He also led the NFL with 1,575 receiving yards last season. The Texans average 282 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air per game.

The Colts do have a solid pass defense, ranking seventh in the NFL, but they haven't faced a high-powered attack like Houston provides and this injury further presents a challenge.

Jackson was a first round draft pick out of Michigan for the Colts back in 2005. He has been a starter, when healthy, for the past three seasons. One notable play for Jackson was he made the interception which iced the game in the Colts victory over New England for the 2006 AFC Championship. He has battled injuries the past two seasons, but the Colts are better with him on the field.

Colts' Marlin Jackson Out for Season originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:15:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colts Face Big Test ... Against Houston?

Matt Snyder — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, AFC South

Much has been made about the Indianapolis Colts and their 7-0 start. As I pointed out in the power rankings, they are actually 82-21 in the regular season since the beginning of 2003. They are an absolute juggernaut. Thus far this season, we've heard lots of talk about how Peyton Manning looks better than ever and the Colts are firing on all cylinders. This week, we're bound to hear a lot about how the Colts are the biggest test yet for a Houston Texans team looking to visit the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

The funny thing is, in a movement worthy of Bizarro-World status, the Texans are actually the first big test for the Colts.

Say what?

The Texans have only beaten the Colts one time in franchise history, and that was in Houston.

It's true that this game is a much bigger test for the fledgling Texans, who appear ready to make the playoffs for the first time ever. But let's not act like the Texans are the only team being tested here. The San Francisco 49ers recently gave each respective team here quite the scare at home. The Texans escaped by three; the Colts by four.

The Texans have also won four of their last five games and are presently a better football team than anyone the Colts have dealt with thus far in the 2009 regular season. The only team the Colts have defeated who currently sports a winning record is the Arizona Cardinals. The Texans did lose to that same Arizona team, but the Texans have steadily improved since that game and the Cardinals have been so inconsistent it's hard to figure which Cardinals team will show up on any given Sunday. It would be hard to find a legitimate argument that the Week 9 Houston Texans are a worse team than the Week 3 Cardinals' squad the Colts manhandled.

Houston also sports the type of high-powered offense the Colts haven't had to defend yet. The Cards are the highest-ranked passing offense the Colts have faced, and they check in at eighth, while the Texans are third. Houston Quarterback Matt Schaub is having a stellar season. He's completing 2/3 of his passes while leading the NFL with 2,342 passing yards and is tied for the lead with 16 touchdown passes. Yes, his stats are a bit padded by not having had a bye yet, but he's playing well enough for a 100.5 passer rating.

The biggest plus for Schaub this week is the Colts haven't seen him since September 23, 2007 -- just his third start as a Texan. He's a bit more comfortable at the helm now and has developed a rapport with Andre Johnson rivaled by few QB-WR combos in the NFL (and, yes, including Manning and Reggie Wayne).

The offense is finally getting some complementary defensive play, though. The defense for Houston has long been the source of embarrassment for the Lone Star State, but this season they are actually in the top half in total defense (barely, checking in at 16th). They have especially improved against the run since Week 3, no longer being manhandled at the line of scrimmage. The growth of rookie Brian Cushing has especially lent a hand in this marked improvement.

Of course, the Colts have improved drastically against the run since being shred by the Dolphins and Bob Sanders is now back in the fray. They would probably also like to point out the Texans have only defeated one team with a winning record (the Bengals). Oh, and did we mention Schaub?

The Colts have Manning. And Manning owns the Texans. He is 13-1 in his career against them with 33 touchdowns and just five interceptions -- good for a 116.5 rating. There is no team in the NFL Manning has defeated more times, and he's won 124 games.

So, obviously the test for the Texans is a big one. Probably a much bigger test than the one the Colts are being provided.

Just don't trick yourself into thinking only one team is being tested in Indy this coming Sunday, because it's a two-way test.

When you are talking Texans-Colts, that's certainly something new -- and quite refreshing. A little competition never hurt anyone.

Colts Face Big Test ... Against Houston? originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colts' Donald Brown, Bob Sanders (Surprise!) Hurt in St. Louis

Chris Burke — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, NFL Injuries

Still missing wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez because of a knee injury, the Colts' offense suffered another setback Sunday at St. Louis when running back Donald Brown exited Indianapolis' game with a first-half injury. Receiver Reggie Wayne also left, limping off with a groin injury, but returned after halftime.

On the other side of the ball, defensive back Bob Sanders, who continues to make his case for "Most Fragile Player in the NFL", walked to the locker room with a trainer early in the fourth quarter.

Even with all the injury issues, Indianapolis smoked St. Louis, 42-6, to move to 6-0 on the year.

More: Check Box Score | Texans Hold Off Niners | Chargers Improve to .500

Brown had two carries for 58 yards, but left after his second run -- a 13-yarder -- with a strained left shoulder after taking a hard hit on his arm. He immediately went to the sideline and appeared to be in a substantial amount of pain.

Both Brown and Wayne were initially listed as questionable to return, but Wayne rejoined the Colts' offense after halftime. Brown stayed in the locker room for extra treatment. Joseph Addai led the Colts with 62 carries on the season, heading into Sunday, but Brown had 44. The only other running back to rush the ball was Chad Simpson, who had just three attempts.

Sanders, meanwhile, was making his 2009 debut after a knee injury sidelined him for Indianapolis' first six games. Sanders only played six games in 2008, four games in 2006, and has been simply unable to stay on the field.

Colts' Donald Brown, Bob Sanders (Surprise!) Hurt in St. Louis originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:57:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bob Sanders to Make 2009 Debut

Matt Snyder — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, AFC South, NFL Injuries

It's been a long wait for Bob Sanders. The 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year hasn't suited up since last Dec. 18 against the Jaguars, but he'll be back for the Colts this Sunday in St. Louis. In fact, as of right now, he's able enough to start the game. He's close to finally being recovered from offseason surgery on his right knee.

Sanders, when on the field, is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Back in 2006, the year the Colts won the Super Bowl, they had severe problems stopping the run late in the season. When Sanders returned for the playoffs, they were -- all of a sudden -- able to stuff the run. That's the element he brings to the defense.

Of course, the violent nature of his play has taken its toll on his body. The bone-crushing 28-year-old is just 5-foot-8 and 206 pounds. He plays like a much bigger man, but his body just can't keep up. Out of a possible 85 career games, Sanders has played just 45 -- due to various injuries through the years.

This year, the Colts' defense has actually been pretty solid without him. They have the top passing defense in the NFL. Sanders' forte has always been run support and the Colts currently rank 14th against the run in the league -- and that's including the 239 ground yards for which the run-happy Dolphins shredded them.

Put simply: if Sanders can stay healthy -- granted, that's one gigantic "if" -- the Colts' defense is going to be among the NFL's best. Team that with their scary-good offense, and this is clearly bad news for every other team in the NFL.

Bob Sanders to Make 2009 Debut originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeff Fisher Stars in Titanic: Video of Manning Jersey Photoshop Mischief

Stephanie Stradley — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, NFL Fans, NFL Video

Some Titans fans weren't amused when coach Jeff Fisher wore a Peyton Manning jersey at a Nashville fundraiser, and he joked "I just wanted to feel like a winner today." Fisher seemed surprised anybody would be angry about this, even after his 0-6 team just got humilated by the Patriots 59-0.

He gave the "apology to those I've offended" non-apology, saying he wore the jersey in honor of former Colts coach Tony Dungy who he was introducing, it was all in fun, and even with what he knows now, he would do it again. Really?

How about if he knew some Bud Adams-hating Houston Texan fans got pictures of him in the jersey and decided to do their own Photoshop fun? The video of the result is after the jump. I have to give a Celine Dion warning, and tell you that the video starts off a little slow but then gets very wrong, which means it gets very funny.

Jeff Fisher Stars in Titanic: Video of Manning Jersey Photoshop Mischief originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jeff Fisher Dons Peyton Manning Jersey At Nashville Fundraiser

Clay Travis — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:50:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Titans, NFL Coaching, NFL Video

Jeff Fisher's Tennessee Titans are 0-6. This week the Titans are on a bye, and Fisher appeared at a Rocket Town fundraising event alongside former Colts head coach Tony Dungy. In so doing Fisher chose to make light of the Titans failure. How? By taking off his trench coat to reveal that he was wearing a Peyton Manning jersey underneath.

Seriously.

As if that weren't enough, he then said, "I just wanted to feel like a winner today."

Manning, oh by the way, recently swept into Nashville and stomped Fisher's winless Titans 31-9. I'm sure they're laughing in Indianapolis, but is this really the way to endear yourself to the local community? Even if it's at a fundraising appearance? Especially when people are already starting to question whether you deserve another season as head coach?

I think not.

Especially after your team just got beat 59-0, the worst defeat in the NFL in over thirty years.

And I don't think the people of Nashville are overreacting. Would this go over well in any city in America if the team was 0-6? Can you imagine if Jim Zorn showed up at a Washington fundraiser in an Eli Manning jersey?

Would it even go over very well if the Titans were 5-1 and had only lost to Peyton Manning?

Nope.

A joke like this is perhaps the best evidence yet that Jeff Fisher has lost touch with the average fan's frustrations over the collapse of his team. Either that or he truly feels that he's so bulletproof thanks to his relationship with owner Bud Adams that he can get away with anything.

Regardless, fan outrage is building rapidly. And this, wearing the jersey of a rival even if it is for a fundraiser, may have just been the tipping point for the Jeff Fisher era in Nashville. Look out below, Jeff, at least you've got that Manning jersey to cushion your fall.

Jeff Fisher Dons Peyton Manning Jersey At Nashville Fundraiser originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:50:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colts Need More Super Bowl Titles to Immortalize Great Manning Era

Matt Snyder — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, AFC South

The Montana-Young 49ers, the '70s Steelers, the '70s Dolphins, the '90s Cowboys, the Belichick-and-Brady Patriots: what do they all have in common? They are all-time great NFL teams that racked up many wins in a handful of seasons. You know what else they have in common? None of them have ever put together as impressive a regular season resume as the current Peyton Manning-era Colts.

That's right, after beginning this season 5-0, the Manning-era Colts are now 80-21 since the beginning of 2003. The '70s Steelers went 87-27-1 from 1972-1979. From 1981-1998, the 49ers were always pretty stout, but they never put together a six-plus season run where they played close to .800 ball like the current Colts (they came closest from 1987-1992 when they went 75-20). The '90s Cowboys went 70-20 in their best stretch. From 2001-2007, the Patriots went 86-26. Shula's '70s Dolphins, at 67-16-1, check in as the best competition.

So, these Colts should go down as one of the best teams of all-time, right? Uh, no. Not yet, at least.

You know what else those teams have in common (that the Colts don't have)? Of course you do. It's the same thing the Gibbs-led Redskins, Parcells-led Giants, Big Ben-Polamalu era Steelers, Elway-TD Broncos, Plunkett Raiders and Lombardi's Packers have: More than one Super Bowl ring.

Should the Manning-era Colts not win another Super Bowl here in the next few years, they will be just another team who won a Super Bowl, instead of being considered among the immortal groups in the NFL. They can join the Bears of the 1980's (who went 52-11 for a four-year stretch, but won only one Super Bowl and have been relegated to being a one-year wonder instead of an immortal team), and the Brett Favre-era Packers (who went 160-91 under Favre, including seven seasons with 11 or more wins and visited the playoffs 11 times -- yet won just a single Super Bowl). Sure, it's better to have won the big one instead of failing to win it at all (sorry, Minnesota Vikings teams of the '70s and late '90s and the Jim Kelly-Thurman Thomas Bills teams). Winning the big one is what defines greatness, but winning more than one is how you achieve immortality.

We see potentially great all-time teams fall short of multiple championships and not end up getting the relative recognition they seemingly deserve in other sports, too. Look at the Atlanta Braves in baseball -- they won 13 straight division championships, which is just absurd. They were only able to win the World Series one time, though, and have been greatly overshadowed by the New York Yankees and even the Boston Red Sox in recent memory. What about the Detroit Pistons earlier this decade in the NBA? They went to the conference finals six consecutive years, losing less than 30 games in the final five years of that stretch. They only won one ring.

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Indianpolis Colts Photos

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Peyton Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts is pictured during the NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Peyton Manning

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Indianapolis Colts Photos

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans is pictured during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vince Young

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans throws the ball during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vince Young

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Vince Young #10 of the Tennessee Titans runs with the ball during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Vince Young

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: A Tennessee Titans fan shows her support during the 31-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Dwight Freeney #93 of the Indianapolis Colts celebrates a sack during the NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Colts won 31-9. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Dwight Freeney

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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning throws against the Tennessee Titans in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. Manning passed for 309 yards and three touchdowns as the Colts improved to 5-0 with a 31-9 win. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Tennessee Titans fans wear bags on their heads during the 31-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Tim Jennings #23 of the Indianapolis Colts tackles Mark Jones #84 of the Tennessee Titans during the NFL game at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. The Colts won 31-9. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Tim Jennings;Mark Jones

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Instead of being thought of as transcendent teams, the Bears, Packers, Braves and Pistons teams mentioned above are actually thought of as relative failures. Not because they didn't win, but because they only won the big prize once. Whether or not that's fair, that's how it is in the annals of sports history. Look at the talent those teams had and the number of chances they had to add to their ring total. Not being able to do so sticks in the craw of fans. The current Colts are staring down the barrel of joining this group.

And, really, that would be a shame. These Colts are so good during the regular season, we take them for granted. Look around at the remaining unbeaten teams this season. You have the Vikings undefeated after netting Brett Favre. You have the upstart, Josh McDaniels-led, Broncos. You have the Saints, who are garnering press for actually having a good defense now opposite the stellar Drew Brees. The Giants are just killing teams and have been really impressive. And then, you have the Colts. Ho hum, just another 5-0 start -- their fifth in the past six seasons. They have now won 14 straight regular season games. When watching the Colts these past three games -- when they throttled the Cardinals, Seahawks and Titans -- how boring was it? It was just an "oh well, the Colts are blowing someone out again" feeling. You can make excuses about the competition all you want, but when anyone else outscores teams 97-36 in three games, you usually get to hear about how great they are. When it's the Colts, opposing fans scoff and find ways to downplay it -- all simply because it's nothing new.

That's how good they are (again, in the regular season).

It all starts with Manning, who is easily one of the top-10 quarterbacks of all-time. In fact, you could make an argument for the best ever (and his stats will show it before he retires). The only argument you can make against him? The one I'm talking about right now: "he's only won one Super Bowl!" Sure, Marvin Harrison is a Hall of Famer (and Reggie Wayne probably will be before it's all said and done). Dallas Clark has morphed into one of the premier tight ends in the league. Edgerrin James and Joseph Addai are Pro Bowlers. But Manning makes them look better by running the offense the way he does. He also makes guys like Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, Brandon Stokley, Dominic Rhodes, Marcus Pollard, Anthony Gonzalez and herds of others appear studly at times. As amazing as it sounds, Manning is actually playing the best ball of his illustrious career at present. He's not going to have the gaudy stat-line of 2004, but he's more efficient and polished this time around.

Bill Polian probably deserves more credit, because he is the man who constructed this franchise, and he's pulled all the right strings. He drafted Manning. He's given Manning the weapons to survive and has constantly reloaded the offensive arsenal at the expense of spending more money on defense. He's gathered the book-end pass rushers (Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis) and other important pieces (Bob Sanders, Cato June, Antoine Bethea, Marlin Jackson, etc.) that help keep the defense respectable at worst and very solid at best. He's shuffled in the right offensive lineman (including Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday) to keep his quarterback upright and healthy. He hired Tony Dungy, who found a way to blend all the talent into a championship team. He helped install the current coaching staff, which is thriving due to the continuity after Dungy's departure.

We could go on and on about all the great things about the Indianapolis Colts for the past decade -- and everything will come back to one negative: post-season failures. The Super Bowl championship is overshadowed by the 3-8 postseason record in all the other playoff seasons under Manning/Polian (including six first-round losses).

By my estimation, the 33-year-old Manning has roughly five years left while fully in his prime. In order for the Manning-era Colts (or even Polian-era Colts, if you prefer) to be truly appreciated, they need to bring home the hardware one more time. If they are really serious about being a transcendent team, they'll do it at least twice -- just for good measure.

After all, that is what a truly immortal team would do.

Colts Need More Super Bowl Titles to Immortalize Great Manning Era originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Adam Vinatieri Has Knee Surgery, Colts Ink Matt Stover

Matt Snyder — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, AFC South, NFL Injuries

Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri was forced to undergo surgery on his right knee to remove some cartilage. Early Wednesday, the Colts announced the surgery has been successfully completed and they expect the 37-year-old to miss four to eight weeks with the injury.

In his absence, the Colts have signed 41-year-old Matt Stover to take over field goal and extra point duties. Stover had previously kicked for 18 full NFL seasons, all with the Baltimore/Cleveland franchise -- 13 for the Ravens after five for the original Cleveland Browns. He's a very accurate kicker, having made 83.7 percent of his career field goal attempts and 99.5 percent of his extra point tries. Believe it or not, Colts fans, losing Vinatieri for Stover actually doesn't hurt the team much, if at all.

First of all, the next few weeks shouldn't pose an issue for the Colts. They have a bye, followed by a trip to St. Louis, before taking on the 49ers and Texans at home. None of those games should come down to a last-minute field goal, otherwise you can blame other areas of the team for being in that position.

Secondly, the only area that really seemed lacking in Stover's game heading into the season was in long kicks. He hit on 22-of-23 kicks from under 40 yards last season. He was 5-of-9 from 40-49 yards and 0-for-1 on field goals of more than 50 yards. Not only will the Colts' offense generally get their kicker closer, but Vinatieri isn't all too different than Stover. Vinatieri hit 14-of-16 kicks from under 40 yards last year, 4-of-7 from 40-49 and 2-of-2 from 50 or more. He might seem to have more range, but he hadn't hit a 50-plus yarder since 2002 until last year. He's already missed a 32-yarder this year. Also, consider Stover has never kicked for a team who plays indoors in bad weather and has better career percentages in both extra points and field goals.

This isn't to say Stover's a better career kicker than Vinatieri, but, if he's not, the gap isn't very wide. All things considered, the Colts landed themselves a fine replacement kicker for the injured Vinatieri.

Adam Vinatieri Has Knee Surgery, Colts Ink Matt Stover originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austin Collie, Colts vs. Titans Hero: NFL Twitter Mailbag

Michael David Smith — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:55:00 EST

Filed under: Colts

Austin Collie was a little-known receiver coming out of BYU in this year's NFL draft, but on Sunday night he had a big game on a big stage, with the best performance of his young NFL career in the Sunday night Colts vs. Titans game. And as we open up the Monday morning NFL Twitter mailbag, we start with Collie.

We also get to Randy Moss's interception, Mike Singletary's coaching, Dre Bly's Leon Lett moment, and Derek Anderson's pathetic completion percentage. Your questions and my answers for the NFL Twitter mailbag are below.

FBfollies: Did you ever think Austin Collie would be the star of a game for the Colts?
No, I didn't, certainly not as a rookie. I thought the Colts were taking Collie in this year's draft mostly for roster depth and special teams help, not as an integral part of their passing game. But there he was on Sunday night, scoring two touchdowns and generally looking like a poised veteran, not a rookie with one NFL start under his belt.

Think about this: Collie was the 19th receiver taken in this year's draft, and he already has 20 catches for 228 yards and three touchdowns. The top two receivers taken in this year's draft, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Michael Crabtree, have a combined for two catches, 36 yards and zero touchdowns.

It's amazing that the Colts are undefeated, and yet they look like a team that will get a lot better by the end of the season: They're still missing starting wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who's bound to improve their passing game when he's healthy, and I still think their offensive line looks a little out of sorts and can get more cohesive as a unit as the season goes on. Most importantly, Bob Sanders -- who in my opinion is the Colts' second-best player, after Peyton Manning -- hasn't played a down yet. The Colts are going to be really, really hard to beat in January.

jakeytorres Why was Randy Moss playing defence?
The Patriots put Moss in the secondary on the last play of the first half because his height and leaping ability make him a natural fit to defend against a Hail Mary. Sure enough, he got an interception -- meaning that in Sunday's game, Moss caught as many passes from Kyle Orton as he caught from Tom Brady.

WatchKalibRun: All I see Singletary doing is lecturing players in a condescending way, maybe they should make adjustments.
I've been impressed by Singletary as the 49ers' coach -- he took a terrible team and made them competitive -- but this is a good point. Most weeks, Singletary's fiery personality seems to motivate the team to play hard, but on Sunday against the Falcons, the 49ers didn't need a fiery personality. They needed a good game plan. They were badly outplayed and badly out-coached by the Falcons, and I hope Singletary holds himself as accountable as he holds his players when they screw up.

ninerchick05: Do you think that was a Leon Lett-Don Beebe moment in SB 27?
mmahotstuff: He should be fined for being an idiot. If I owned the team I would have fined him $15000. Then I'd give it to charity.
These were among the responses to the absolutely ridiculous play by 49ers cornerback Dre Bly, who intercepted a Matt Ryan pass, only to start showboating on the return, fumble, and have the Falcons recover. Bly has made stupid mistakes for years. I used to watch him with the Lions, and he was maddening: He's a good enough athlete to be one of the best cover corners in football, but he would regularly mess up his coverage assignments -- and refuse to be accountable for it, claiming publicly that the only problem in Detroit was Joey Harrington. (The Lions are 11-42 since Harrington left.)

AusRob They've got to make a change after that, surely? Derek Anderson completed 11% of his passes today -- and won.
As I tweeted on Sunday, Anderson completed 11.8% of his passes against the Bills. For perspective, JaMarcus Russell's lowest completion percentage in any game of his career is 29.2%. And yet I'm not at all sure the Browns will make another quarterback change. I think Browns coach Eric Mangini will view the fact that his team finally won a game as evidence that he made the right move by benching Brady Quinn. Either way, it's going to be a long year for the Browns.

Want to be part of our next NFL Twitter mailbag? Post a question or comment on Twitter.com, and be sure to start it with @MichaelDavSmith.

Austin Collie, Colts vs. Titans Hero: NFL Twitter Mailbag originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans

Adam Gretz — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Titans, NFL Live Blogging

A season ago, the Tennessee Titans finished with the best record in the AFC. They enter Sunday nights game against the Indianapolis Colts riding a six-game losing streak dating back to Week 17 of the 2008 season. If they want to end that streak, they're going to have their hands full with an unbeaten Colts team that looks to be one of the best in the NFL through the first four games.

We'll be discussing all of the action in our weekly Sunday night live chat, so please stop on by. Fun starts at 8:15 PM ET.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=c1240701a0&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sunday Night Football Live Chat&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Indianapolis Colts vs. Tennessee Titans originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Suicide Pool Solution: Week 4

Brett Pollakoff — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: 49ers, Chicago Bears, Colts, NFL Gambling

Each week, FanHouse takes a deeper look at the obvious -- and not so obvious -- options for your NFL suicide pool. Standard rules apply: pick one team to win straight up (no point spreads), and each team may only be used once.

If you were alive in your pool heading into Week 3, then it's pretty much a given that you're alive as we get ready for Week 4. With no major surprises, and with the obvious pick in the Ravens cruising to an easy blowout victory, even the most inexperienced of players couldn't help but advance.

While there might not be one team that sticks out as the clear-cut, obvious choice this week, a few games should provide the opportunity to make it safely to Week 5. Let's take a look.

The Colts are hosting the Seahawks, and this would appear as good a place as any to go with your pick this week. Seattle comes into this one with Seneca Wallace at quarterback, who has virtually no chance of matching the production from his counterpart on the other team, Peyton Manning.

Manning has thrown for over 300 yards in each of his team's first three games, and has seven touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year. The only shot that Seattle has is to try to play keep away from the Colts, like the Dolphins did somewhat successfully two weeks ago. But even then, Manning got hot when he finally did get his chances, and Indy still came away with the win.

Yes, the Colts appear to be a solid choice this week. But while they're unlikely to face a weaker team at home all season, a quick look at the weeks ahead shows that you may want to save them -- possibly for Week 7.

Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but the Colts will face the Rams in St. Louis that week. And while I usually advise against taking road teams unless absolutely necessary, the Week 7 schedule doesn't feature a single game with a dominant team playing a weak one at home. Most of the teams you'd look at that week are on the road, and with the Rams being among the worst teams in the league, along with the Colts coming off their bye week, I'd rather try to keep Indy in my back pocket, just in case.

Of course, you would have to make it that far to do that. Which means you'd have to find someone else to go with this week. No problem: we have options. One of which is the 49ers hosting the aforementioned Rams.

San Francisco really outplayed the Vikings -- on the road -- for most of the game last week. They lost on a last-second touchdown pass, which surely must have stung. But the Niners have looked solid so far, and even with Frank Gore out of this one with an ankle injury, fantasy football players know from the preseason that Glen Coffee should be a more-than-capable backup.

If you're leery of the 49ers without Gore, how about the Texans hosting the Raiders? Houston has been really up and down, and to be honest, an embarrassment on defense against the run. But despite Jamarcus Russell having his career game against the Texans last season, he's looked absolutely abysmal this year. When you add in the fact that the Raiders have just the 20th ranked rushing offense, I'm not really worried about taking the Texans to bounce back here.

Speaking of bad teams on the road, Tampa Bay is in Washington to face the Redskins. You might, might be able to skate by with the 'Skins this week, but have fun sweating out four quarters of atrocious football in order to get there. Just ask anyone who rode Washington to a Week 2 win, as they barely beat the Rams, 9-7.

Our final option is the Bears hosting the Lions. Detroit did break their 19-game losing streak with a home victory over the Redskins last week, but making it two in a row on the road in Chicago is asking a lot. Sure, the Bears struggled in Seattle last week, and as one astute observer pointed out, they "beat Pittsburgh and Seattle ONLY because of missed field goals of 43, 38, 34 and 43 yards." But they should certainly be able get it done against Detroit at home this week ... shouldn't they?

So to recap, the Colts look like the best option. But if you can talk yourself into liking any of the other games enough, Indy might be worth saving for a tougher week down the road, and one that has certainly appears to have fewer available options.

Good luck this week.

Suicide Pool Solution: Week 4 originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 04 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A 3-0 Start? As Last Season Showed, That Means Very Little

Dave Goldberg — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: Broncos, Colts, Jets, Giants, Ravens, Saints, Vikings, NFL Analysis

The NFL loves parity. There's just not much of it so far this season.

There are currently seven unbeaten teams and seven winless ones -- including Carolina, 0-3 after losing Monday night's game in the Jerry Jones Pleasure Dome. There also were seven and seven in 2002. The most 3-0 teams to start a season? Eight in 1998, when the NFL had 30 franchises.

Still, even for those off to perfect starts, nothing is guaranteed.

Historically, about three-quarters of 3-0 teams make the playoffs. But last season, five teams won their first three games and only two, the Titans and Giants, made it. Dallas finished 9-7, Denver 8-8 and Buffalo 7-9.

It should get back to a more normal percentage this year.

Of the 3-0 teams, only the Jets and Broncos are a surprise -- Denver seemed in turmoil entering the season, and New York's expectations were the limited ones you expect with a rookie quarterback. The Ravens, Giants, Vikings and Colts were all considered at least contenders -- if not favorites -- in their divisions, and the Saints needed only to find a semblance of a defense to have a playoff season. .

One other note: The cliche about defense winning championships seems to be true. Although early stats often mean little because schedules vary, unbeaten teams are 1-2-3-4 in yards allowed: Broncos, Giants, Jets and Vikings in that order. And the Ravens' D may be better than all of them.

A look at the 3-0 teams:

o. BALTIMORE: Always an intimidating defense, even with Rex Ryan having gone to the Jets and taken Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard with him.

But look at the offense, a problem since the Ravens' first season in Baltimore 14 years ago. Joe Flacco might be the best second-year QB since Peyton Manning in 1999, and there are three premier running backs, including fullback Le'Ron McClain. A healthy Ray Rice has 192 yards rushing, and the competition has rejuvenated Willis McGahee, who has 190 yards and is averaging 5.9 per carry, a full two yards more than last season. McGahee also leads the league with six touchdowns, five on the ground.

PROGNOSIS: A game ahead of the Bengals and two over the Steelers, who remain the primary competition in the AFC North. It will be hard for the Ravens to miss the postseason.

o. NEW YORK GIANTS: The defense, without four injured starters, returned Sunday in Tampa, holding the Bucs to one first down and just 35 offensive yards in the first 50 minutes. A few garbage yards late gave Tampa Bay 86 total for the game. Problems running and stopping the run in Dallas? Not against the admittedly awful Bucs -- 226 yards rushing for New York, compared to 28 allowed.

Steve Smith and Mario Manningham (with injured rookie Hakeem Nicks in the wings) are answering the questions at wide receiver. Smith's 23 catches are second in the NFL.

PROGNOSIS: With two division wins already, and Tampa the beginning of the softest part of the schedule -- Kansas City and Oakland are next -- the Giants are in good shape in a division with at least two other tough teams, most notably Philadelphia.

o. MINNESOTA: If we didn't know why the Vikings were so anxious to have Brett Favre, we know now. Game manager? Does anyone think Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels could have executed the last-minute drive that beat the 49ers? That winning 32-yard TD pass to Greg Lewis was drilled almost 50 yards on a line -- 7-8 yards behind the line of scrimmage to the back line of the end zone. And kudos to Lewis for the catch -- given Tom Brady's lack of rapport with Joey Galloway and Sam Aiken, it might have been a rare mistake by Bill Belichick to let him go from New England.

The Favre-Lewis play overshadowed the work of Percy Harvin, whose 101-yard kickoff return was another highlight. Given the strength of the defense, adding another playmaker to Adrian Peterson makes Minnesota scary.

PROGNOSIS: The Vikings are simply better right now than Chicago and Green Bay, the competition in NFC North. But that can change if Favre, who will turn 40 on Oct. 10, goes down -- he's acknowledged that he might be good for only 10-11 games.

o. INDIANAPOLIS: Ho hum. So Manning lost Marvin Harrison and (temporarily) Anthony Gonzalez. Enter Austin Collie, Donald Brown and Pierre Garcon (and please, hold the increasingly trite French jokes -- he was born in Carmel, N.Y.and grew up in Florida.) The defense still gives up a lot of yards, but that Miami game is classic Colts -- a win with 14:53 time of possession

"He knew what plays to call at the right time and we couldn't stop him," Arizona's Darnell Dockett said after Manning torched the Cardinals 34-10 Sunday night.

We've heard that one before.

PROGNOSIS: As always, the Colts will finish 12-4 or better. With a questionable defense (as always), they're on their own in the playoffs.

o. NEW ORLEANS: Drew Brees threw nine TD passes in two games, then none in Buffalo. But the game against the Bills demonstrated more about the Saints' playoff potential than wins over Detroit and a hobbled Philly team. That's because Pierre Thomas' running, 14 carries for 126 yards and two TDs, carried them.

The defense also held up well, although the Bills are hardly the NFL's most potent offense. But it was still the kind of showing the Saints needed -- a nice win in outdoor weather against a physical opponent.

PROGNOSIS: Too many offensive weapons not to win the NFC South, where if Carolina's slide continues, Atlanta is the only other contender. The next two games will tell a lot: the Jets, then the Giants after a bye. Both are at home, which should help a lot.

o. NEW YORK JETS. For all the hype about Mark Sanchez, the first rookie quarterback to start 3-0 since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, the Jets are doing it with defense. They pressed a still rusty Tom Brady in Week 2. And on Sunday, they did to Kerry Collins what more teams should do -- pressured him endlessly, even at the end of a 24-17 win, when most teams would play soft on defense. Looking as immobile as ever, Collins missed on his last 13 passes.

If the Jets make the playoffs, Rex Ryan's aggressive defenses will be the reason. Sanchez has been solid so far, but all rookies make mistakes and the receiving corps is just ordinary.

PROGNOSIS: The Jets just might do what they might have done last season before Favre got hurt and faded -- win the AFC East. Their win over New England will help, although the Patriots figure to get better as Brady returns to form. But every win helps -- if there's no division title, there still could be a wild-card spot.

o. DENVER: Clearly the biggest surprise among this group. A 32-year-old coach, Josh McDaniels, arrives in town, gets into a tiff with his franchise QB and finally trades him. Then his franchise receiver plays ultra diva and is suspended for two exhibition games. The defense, one of the NFL's worst last season, is expected to remain vulnerable, and the new QB seems to be basically a placeholder.

So after three games, the defense, under deposed San Francisco coach Mike Nolan, has allowed just one touchdown and three field goals, best in the league and best in team history. It leads with league with only 214 yards allowed and has eight takeaways and a plus-six turnover differential.

PROGNOSIS: The Broncos won with a lucky bounce in Cincinnati and beat Cleveland and Oakland, two of the league's worst. They could be 3-3 after Dallas, New England and San Diego. If they come out of that with even one win -- especially if it's the Chargers -- they might be a legit contender in the AFC West.

COACHING CHANGES?

There will be NONE in the immediate future, although to monitor Twitter, you'd think everyone with a losing record is in danger. And there's a huge media circus going on at Redskins Park.

But nothing is likely to happen there despite an ugly Week 2 win over St. Louis followed by Sunday's 19-14 loss in Detroit that ended the Lions' 19-game winless streak..

Two people who have spoken directly with Daniel Snyder confirm he has no plans to fire Jim Zorn right now, at least in part because there's no replacement available.

Next year? Bill Cowher seems less likely a candidate than Mike Shanahan. But Cowher, Shanahan and everyone else out there know, as Tony Dungy pointed out on NBC Sunday night, that Snyder is running the team like a fantasy franchise. So whoever gets the job will want a new GM to replace Vinny Cerrato, who mostly does Snyder's bidding.

Nor is Randy Lerner going to fire Eric Mangini in Cleveland. Maybe Lerner shouldn't have hired him, but three games is hardly a fair sample.

As for Bucs fans ranting about Raheem Morris ...

Give the guy a chance. He had to tear down to rebuild the aging team he inherited from Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen. Yes, they were pathetic against the Giants on Sunday and they might be better off trying Josh Johnson at QB for Byron Leftwich. But even that's a question -- the mini-drive of about 50 yards that Johnson engineered came with the game way out of hand and New York backups in the game playing a soft defense.

A 3-0 Start? As Last Season Showed, That Means Very Little originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Manning, Colts D on Fire as Cards Misfire

Nancy Gay — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:40:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Colts

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Peyton Manning's four-touchdown performance was a headline-grabber in the Indianapolis Colts' emphatic 31-10 road victory Sunday night over the reeling Arizona Cardinals.

So was emerging offensive star Pierre Garcon, the Colts' second-year receiver who caught three passes for 64 yards, including a 53-yard touchdown reception down the right sideline with 1:52 remaining before halftime in a game that proved totally one-sided after a tight opening quarter.

That play was the third of Manning's three second-quarter touchdown passes -- Reggie Wayne caught a 20-yard scoring pass and tight end Dallas Clark snared a 10-yard TD -- and all of them put this contest out of reach for the Cardinals (1-2), who are now 0-2 at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Garcon, who has improved each week as a speed-burner replacement for injured starter Anthony Gonzalez, was matched up multiple times against Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and he burned Arizona's left cornerback one-on-one on the scoring catch. Wayne had seven catches for 126 yards against a Cardinals' defense that seemed out of position all night.

"We had to figure them out and see what they're doing, and then attack their weaknesses," said Garcon, who has grown so comfortable with Manning, he began suggesting plays along the sideline.

Manning's final scoring throw, a 3-yard TD pass to Joseph Addai, was set up by a 72-yard toss to wide-open rookie running back Donald Brown, who capitalized on a key block by Garcon to break free on the option route.

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"Huge play. I've got to feel it was some kind of blown coverage," said Manning, who completed 24 of 35 passes for 379 yards and a passer rating of 130.5. Sunday's win was also the 18th game in his NFL career that Manning's thrown at least four touchdown passes. He did have a first-quarter pass intercepted by Cardinals free safety Antrel Rolle, but that would be one of the few memorable plays for an Arizona secondary that was routinely shredded throughout the game.

Said Addai, "You know, the crazy thing is, when you've got guys like Peyton, Reggie, Dallas, you never know what's going to happen. You know it's just a matter of time that it's going to happen.

"I think for us, in this game, it was just a matter of knowing it was eventually going to work out. We have a great defense, so you just have to trust it's going to happen. And when it got rolling in the second quarter, you saw what happened."

Arizona fumbled three times in the first half, losing one, and that turnover early in the second quarter sent the game spiraling out of control for the home team.

On the play, Cardinals running back Tim Hightower was rocked by a Melvin Bullitt tackle, and Colts free safety Antoine Bethea scooped up the loose ball at the Indianapolis 5-yard line, which may have been lousy field position for anyone but Manning on a night like this.

He systematically drove the Colts 95 yards to the first of three second-quarter touchdowns, connecting with Wayne for the score.

"We just got hot," said Manning, who was unhappy with the Colts' sloppy first quarter, after which they trailed 3-0. "We had an aggressive game plan, wanted to spread them out a little bit. It was a little frustrating early, coming out with three-and-outs and you hate to do that on the road.

"But our defense did a great job keeping us in it, forcing some turnovers. We could have easily fallen in a hole."

No doubt. This was a Colts defense that was coming off playing a remarkable 84 snaps in a Week 2 Monday night victory at Miami -- but it still managed to force two Arizona turnovers (a fumble and interception) inside the Colts' 10-yard line.

"This game is about getting the ball. Get the ball. Turn it over and get that offense back the ball. We did a good job," said defensive end Dwight Freeney, who twice sacked quarterback Kurt Warner but left the game at the start of the fourth quarter with a right quad injury. Freeney will undergo an MRI exam on Monday.

The quick turnaround from Monday's night's exhausting effort to another prime-time road game could have proved crippling, but Colts coach Jim Caldwell recalled that his team experienced a similar potential schedule-killer three years ago. So he was prepared.

"In 2006, we played Jacksonville on a Monday night and then we came back and played Carolina on Sunday," said Caldwell, who is 3-0 in his first year as Tony Dungy's replacement. "I took a look at the schedule and made some modifications I thought were necessary."

The Colts run defense rendered Hightower (9 rushes, 22 yards) and rookie Beanie Wells (2 rushes, -2 yards) non-factors, and forced Warner to go to the air repeatedly. Problem was, Warner was hurried and beaten down all game long by Bethea and Freeney.

Warner threw 52 passes and had 332 passing yards. But he was sacked four times and tossed two interceptions trying to get his offense in sync.

And catch-up football only proved more fatal for the Cardinals and Warner, whose early fourth-quarter interception put Indianapolis in position for an Adam Vinatieri field goal and the three-touchdown advantage.

Vinatieri's kick sent the University of Phoenix Stadium crowd for the exits. By the time Warner was chased down and dumped for a whopping 28-yard sack with 6:30 remaining, Cardinals fans were heading for the doors and loudly booing the quarterback that took their team to the Super Bowl last season.

"I'm very disappointed to lose two games at home like we did," Warner said, "but that's our job -- to go out and play better, because we know our fans are going to show up and help us create a home-field advantage."

Manning, Colts D on Fire as Cards Misfire originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:40:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dwight Freeney to Undergo MRI Exam on Right Quad

Nancy Gay — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: Colts

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney said he will undergo an MRI exam on his right quad Monday after injuring himself on the final play of the third quarter of Sunday night's 31-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Freeney told FanHouse he was rushing Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner on a 3rd and 5 play at the Arizona 45-yard line when he was held by offensive tackle Levi Brown. Warner completed an 8-yard pass to Steve Breaston, but Brown was called for holding.

More Coverage: Manning, Colts D Crush Cards | Box Score

And Freeney said he felt his right quad pop.

"I came around the left side -- the tackle held me; it was one of the holding calls," Freeney recalled. "And I felt something kind of pop in my quad."

Freeney, who has four sacks this season, left for the locker room and did not return.

He said it's too soon to tell how badly the quad muscle is injured.

"It feels OK, but I'm not running on the field," Freeney said. "I won't know until probably Tuesday."

Colts president Bill Polian had a concerned look on his face as he waited for Freeney to finish a television interview. Polian accompanied his standout pass rusher out of the locker room and directed him toward a waiting golf cart. Freeney loaded his bags onto the cart and he was driven to the Colts' team bus.

Dwight Freeney to Undergo MRI Exam on Right Quad originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals

Adam Gretz — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Colts, NFL Fans

Sunday night's contest in Arizona marks the first time multiple regular season MVP's, and Super Bowl MVP's -- Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner -- have faced each other in a regular season game. The Colts are coming off a come-from-behind win in Miami, while the Cardinals are coming off a near-perfect game from Warner in a win against Jacksonville.

Should be a good one, and we'll be live-chatting every single play. Fun starts at 8:15.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=dacb7832d2&amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;gt;Sunday Night Football Live Chat&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Sunday Night Football Live Chat: Indianapolis Colts vs. Arizona Cardinals originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Than a Passing Fancy as Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning Collide

Thomas George — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Arizona Cardinals, Colts

The bus ride to last season's Pro Bowl gave Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh a fresh perspective of Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner. Off the field. On the field.

"They both sat beside my daughter, Alison, and treated her like a princess,"' Harbaugh recalled. "It was really impressive how they related to an 8-year-old. Just great. And then Peyton starts pumping me for information about how we run our defense. Kurt wanted to talk about chemistry on offense and how best to get it."

Manning, the I-know-what-your-weakness-is, I-know-what-my-film-study-showed, I-have-your-game quarterback. Warner, the I-see-what-you-are-trying-to-do, let's-see-what-happens, take-this-shot quarterback.

Manning the intellectual approach.

Warner the daring approach.

Manning the surgeon, the cold-blooded, precision style. Warner the push-it passer.

Manning the blue-blood, the prince from his three-fold, NFL quarterback family.

Warner the ex-grocery sacker.

Multiple MVP winners and Super Bowl MVPs have never met in an NFL game. We see that on Sunday night when Indianapolis plays at Arizona.

When Peyton Manning meets Kurt Warner.

A slice of Ali-Frazier. A nip of Koufax-Gibson.

Two accomplished quarterbacks. Two hot ones.

Manning is fresh from a dramatic victory on Monday night at Miami, where he passed for the winning touchdown on a whirlwind last-second drive that you missed if you blinked. And Warner just completed passes at a higher percentage in a game than anyone in NFL history -- 24 of 26 (92.3 percent) in beating Jacksonville.

Harbaugh is correct when he says we should savor every moment of Manning and Warner on the same field and realize this is a special slice of NFL history. These teams have not played since 2005, the Colts have not visited Arizona since 1990 and the only way we could see a repeat of this matchup this season is in Super Bowl XLIV.

"Those are two Hall of Fame quarterbacks," Harbaugh said. "It is a craft for those guys, not a job. The way the NFL goes, you had better take what you can get, appreciate the moment you have, because things don't always come back around. The next time we might see them together is in Canton when we see their busts."

Manning is 33. Warner 38. Both entered the league in 1998 and are in their 12th NFL season. Manning has played only for the Colts. Warner gained his first shot as a free agent with Green Bay in 1994 but was cut, spent 1995-1997 in the Arena Football League, 1998 in NFL Europe and then his NFL career stuck: St. Louis (1998-2003), the Giants (2004) and Arizona (2005-present).

"When you talk about these two guys," said an NFL general manager whose team has played against each quarterback in the past year, "you are talking great leadership ability and great knowledge of the game. Both are prototypical drop-back NFL quarterbacks: Neither one is going to take off and kill you running. They can be methodical to watch. Fans may like flash and dash, but these guys do less of that and more of just lining up and beating you.

"There are differences. Peyton comes from a royal quarterbacking pedigree and lineage. Kurt comes from sacking groceries. Peyton played at Tennessee, one of the most prestigious schools in the SEC. Warner comes from one of those directional Illinois schools and I'm not even sure which one it is."

Actually, a directional Iowa school. Northern Iowa.

No matter, NFL talent evaluators agree. Same leadership, same drive, same knowledge, champion quarterbacks.

Both have mastered the art of quick decision-making, critical to successful quarterbacking. Both have excelled in reading defenses and having command of his offense, including all intricacies.

Manning's career quarterback rating is 94.9. Warner's is 93.8.

The element to appreciate most in this matchup is the competitiveness. Sure, both quarterbacks face the opposing defense and not directly each other. But both have been around the game long enough to know that it boils down to Manning vs. Warner. That this is the show.

It is a unique spot where winning the matchup rivals winning the game. It is a prime instance where those concepts are, indeed, the same. That is the encompassing impact this duo can have on any game.

"Peyton has that system down; he can do it with his eyes closed," an NFL scout said. "When Peyton comes to the line and starts barking and signaling, if I was a linebacker, I would think he was reading my mind. He counters. You counter. He counters. You counter. He usually gets the last word."

Not this time.

Go with the ex-grocery sacker.

Despite Warner's already splendid legacy, this shot is too juicy, too energizing for him to let slip. He has the better receivers, he has the better defense and he has the home, dome crowd.

And Warner is made for these moments -- shoving aside the regal to make room for the runt.

More Than a Passing Fancy as Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning Collide originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Colts vs. Dolphins, Pierre Garcon Scores on Monday Night Football: NFL Q&A

Michael David Smith — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:59:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Dolphins

The Colts beat the Dolphins 27-23 in a thrilling Monday Night Football game featuring a late touchdown by Pierre Garcon and the failure to score a late touchdown by the Dolphins' offense, and that's where we start our latest NFL Twitter mailbag on Tuesday morning.

We also get into the controversy of Terrell Owens tweeting about Tony Romo and more in our latest NFL Twitter mailbag, which starts below.

FBfollies: Pierre Garcon? Who is this guy? Kind of amazing he got the winning score.
Seriously, has there ever been a name that sounds less like an NFL player than "Pierre Garcon"? But in crunch time on Monday night, Garcon caught a Peyton Manning pass, made a nice move to cut back to the inside, and took it 48 yards to the house. The Colts drafted Garcon out of Mount Union in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL draft, and the scouting report on him at the time was that he "Accelerates well and is also a strong runner after the catch." I'd say so. A good pick by Bill Polian.

RodSanity: Have you ever seen an NFL team run a more ineffective 2 minute offense as the Dolphins did tonight? That was really bad!
Off the top of my head, no: I can't recall an NFL team showing less of a sense of urgency while trailing by four points late in a game than the Dolphins showed on Monday night. On the other hand, let's not forget that Ted Ginn dropped what should have been a game-winning touchdown pass from Chad Pennington. If Ginn holds on to that ball, no one is saying anything bad about the Dolphins' clock management this morning.

iRoselina: I think it's unfair to assume that TO's RT was a direct attempt to bash Tony Romo. It could be the case that TO was happy that someone wasn't onboard the TO hate train. It sucks when all fingers, especially the media's, are pointing at you.
I heard from a few readers who didn't think T.O.'s re-tweet about the Cowboys having a "T.R. problem" was a shot at Romo. I feel strongly that it was. As my colleague Will Brinson tweeted, T.O.'s M.O. for his entire NFL career has been to take passive-aggressive shots at his quarterbacks. This was the latest example of that.

ninerchick05: What does AJ Smith still see in Norv Turner?
Excellent question. I've always thought the Chargers made a mistake by firing Marty Schottenheimer and replacing him with Turner, and the way the Chargers played on Sunday in losing to the Ravens reinforces that view. The AFC West is weak enough that I still believe the Chargers will win it, but I just hated the way the Chargers played late in a close game.

Pepitolives09: That Hillenmeyer "pancake" looked more like a massive hold or did they change the rule so you can grab the outside of pads?
I heard from several readers who took issue with my tweet that Hunter Hillenmeyer got pancaked on a long Rashard Mendenhall run, and upon further review I think the readers were right. I asked my colleague Ryan Wilson, a Steelers fan, what he thought, and he said, "Steelers right tackle Willie Colon had his right arm wrapped around Hillenmeyer's head/neck and took him to the ground. If they had thrown a flag i wouldn't have argued." So, for the record, I withdraw my tweet blaming Hillenmeyer for that play.

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Colts vs. Dolphins, Pierre Garcon Scores on Monday Night Football: NFL Q&A originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday Night Football Live Chat: Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins

Adam Gretz — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:20:00 EST

Filed under: Colts, Dolphins

The last time the Indianapolis Colts played in Miami they were hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy following their Super Bowl XLI victory over the Chicago Bears. The stakes aren't quite as high on Monday night as they close out Week 2 of the NFL season with a throw down against Chad Pennington and the Miami Dolphins.

Join us for the FanHouse live chat as we discuss everything that happens on and off the field. Fun starts at 8:15 PM ET.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=6a970c1265&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Monday Night Football Live Chat&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Monday Night Football Live Chat: Indianapolis Colts vs. Miami Dolphins originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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