You left out:mwonow said:
moved their franchise in the dead of night
kept their franchise in place
paid only 14% of the cost of the stadium in which they play
paid all the costs for their stadium
Indy Week
- Thread starter RedOctober3829
- Start date
moved their franchise in the dead of night
kept their franchise in place
paid only 14% of the cost of the stadium in which they play
paid all the costs for their stadium
Not every writer at the Indy Star is a total douche nozzle like Gregg Doyel This guy actually gets it, saying that when it comes to Pats/Colts that New England owns the rivalry. Technically, he's wrong because in order for it to be a rivalry, one of the teams has to win occasionally:
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2015/10/13/deflategate-doesnt-matter-patriots-own-colts/73878168/
http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2015/10/13/deflategate-doesnt-matter-patriots-own-colts/73878168/
I know there's a natural tendency to want to avoid homerism, so predicting a close game feels right. Narratives are rarely written correctly ahead of time, after all.
However, I just don't see it. I haven't seen anything from Indy this season, or in past matchups, that leads me to believe they can remotely hang with the Patriots.
New England has looked amazing. Indy has looked like shit, against a pillow-soft schedule to boot. Luck, if he plays, is injured and hasn't played in 3 weeks. Look at the results vs. common opponents. One team is clearly much much better than the other one.
Indy is 28th in total defense, giving up 400 yards per game. None of that is a "garbage time yards" illusion either, as they haven't had a single comfortable victory.
Any given Sunday and all that, but the Patriots should obliterate this team. Yes, the game is at Indy, but a quick score or two shuts that crowd up quickly. They know what's coming.
However, I just don't see it. I haven't seen anything from Indy this season, or in past matchups, that leads me to believe they can remotely hang with the Patriots.
New England has looked amazing. Indy has looked like shit, against a pillow-soft schedule to boot. Luck, if he plays, is injured and hasn't played in 3 weeks. Look at the results vs. common opponents. One team is clearly much much better than the other one.
Indy is 28th in total defense, giving up 400 yards per game. None of that is a "garbage time yards" illusion either, as they haven't had a single comfortable victory.
Any given Sunday and all that, but the Patriots should obliterate this team. Yes, the game is at Indy, but a quick score or two shuts that crowd up quickly. They know what's coming.
Not only is Doyle a massive troll, but he's a terrible writer too. The sentence:
"Let’s not be scared around here, OK? Let’s not be anything like the franchise coming to town on Sunday."
as constructed implies that the Patriots are a scared franchise.
"Let’s not be scared around here, OK? Let’s not be anything like the franchise coming to town on Sunday."
as constructed implies that the Patriots are a scared franchise.
Not that we should spend anytime on this but he says only a scared team would cheat and since he believes the Patriots cheated he thinks they are a scared franchise.deanx0 said:
Hendu is right. Normally I want to temper a prediction because every game makes me somewhat nervous. Heck, to my friends, I even explained a scenario where Jacksonville could have made it difficult for NE two weeks ago.
But...... The Patriots are clearly the superior team. In virtually every way. Some numbers...
Points per game
NE - 37.3 (#2)
Ind - 19.8 (#24)
Yards per game
NE - 423.8 (#1)
Ind - 334.8 (#23)
Third down conversions
NE - 53.3% (#1)
Ind - 42.4% (#10)
Giveaways
NE - 2 (#1)
Ind - 12 (#31)
Points allowed per game
NE - 19.0 (#7)
Ind - 22.6 (#16)
Yards allowed per game
NE - 342.5 (#12)
Ind - 398.8 (#28)
Third down conversions allowed per game
NE - 38.9 (#15)
Ind - 38.9 (#15)
Takeaways
NE - 7 (#15)
Ind - 5 (#21)
Record
NE - 4-0
Ind - 3-2
Pro-football-reference.com strength of schedule rating
NE - 0.4
Ind - -2.1
I mean, this should be a total and complete destruction of Indianapolis by the Patriots. And, barring a catastrophic injury, I think that's exactly what will happen. If Indy loads up against the run, the Pats will shred them through the air. If Indy plays a lot of nickel, Blount and Lewis will run wild. Indy doesn't get much pressure on the QB, and that means Brady should have time to do what he wants. If they try to get extra pressure by blitzing, well, that leaves their mediocre cover guys in one on one matchups against more talented players, and Brady is deadly against the blitz. He has a passer rating this year of 144.7 against the blitz: 20-26 (76.9%), 243 yds, 9.4 ypa, 6 td, 0 int. So good luck to them if they try that.
Long story short, unless NE has an uncharacteristically bad day, I don't see any way they score fewer than 35 points. And I don't see Indy putting up nearly that many points, even if Luck returns.
Final score prediction: NE 41, Ind 20. Another 20+ point hammering of Indy by the Patriots.
But...... The Patriots are clearly the superior team. In virtually every way. Some numbers...
Points per game
NE - 37.3 (#2)
Ind - 19.8 (#24)
Yards per game
NE - 423.8 (#1)
Ind - 334.8 (#23)
Third down conversions
NE - 53.3% (#1)
Ind - 42.4% (#10)
Giveaways
NE - 2 (#1)
Ind - 12 (#31)
Points allowed per game
NE - 19.0 (#7)
Ind - 22.6 (#16)
Yards allowed per game
NE - 342.5 (#12)
Ind - 398.8 (#28)
Third down conversions allowed per game
NE - 38.9 (#15)
Ind - 38.9 (#15)
Takeaways
NE - 7 (#15)
Ind - 5 (#21)
Record
NE - 4-0
Ind - 3-2
Pro-football-reference.com strength of schedule rating
NE - 0.4
Ind - -2.1
I mean, this should be a total and complete destruction of Indianapolis by the Patriots. And, barring a catastrophic injury, I think that's exactly what will happen. If Indy loads up against the run, the Pats will shred them through the air. If Indy plays a lot of nickel, Blount and Lewis will run wild. Indy doesn't get much pressure on the QB, and that means Brady should have time to do what he wants. If they try to get extra pressure by blitzing, well, that leaves their mediocre cover guys in one on one matchups against more talented players, and Brady is deadly against the blitz. He has a passer rating this year of 144.7 against the blitz: 20-26 (76.9%), 243 yds, 9.4 ypa, 6 td, 0 int. So good luck to them if they try that.
Long story short, unless NE has an uncharacteristically bad day, I don't see any way they score fewer than 35 points. And I don't see Indy putting up nearly that many points, even if Luck returns.
Final score prediction: NE 41, Ind 20. Another 20+ point hammering of Indy by the Patriots.
They should fill in those gap years with "AFC Participant" banners.
I had forgotten that they won the division in 1987 (strike year?). That was the year they traded for Dickerson, right?
I had forgotten that they won the division in 1987 (strike year?). That was the year they traded for Dickerson, right?
Even if I were the most ardent believer in their cheating ways, having observed football for the last 15 years, the last word I would use to describe Belichick's Patriots is "scared".
Non-Colts media aren't being allowed at practice? How common is this in the league? Honest question.
37-24 Patriots.
Its hard to completely hammer decent teams with good QBs on the road in the NFL. It happens but not that often.
Is Indy a decent team? They're not among the AFC elite but they're probably not as bad as they have looked, assuming Luck plays and is relatively healthy.
All that said, I still predict a relatively comfortable two score kind of win (or a one score final tally made closer by a garbage time TD). They are just very ill equipped to handle our offense. We may not be able to jam it down their throats again. But their defense is an awful matchup for our passing game. They can't get pressure without blitizing. And in coverage their strength is their outside CBs while our passing offense is all about moving Edelman, Gronk, and Lewis into matchups against safeties, LBs, and nickel corners. If you can't get pressure without blitzing, which leaves you undermanned in the middle of the field, and you don't have good coverage through the middle to begin with then not going to stop this offense.
I expect them to score some points on us, however, assuming Luck is healthy. We haven't really played a team yet that has a good QB and the personnel to put four pretty good WR or TEs into a pattern at the same and I'm not sure we have the secondary depth to handle that kind of attack very well. It should be a good test but I expect them to make some plays on us, just not enough to keep pace with our offense.
Its hard to completely hammer decent teams with good QBs on the road in the NFL. It happens but not that often.
Is Indy a decent team? They're not among the AFC elite but they're probably not as bad as they have looked, assuming Luck plays and is relatively healthy.
All that said, I still predict a relatively comfortable two score kind of win (or a one score final tally made closer by a garbage time TD). They are just very ill equipped to handle our offense. We may not be able to jam it down their throats again. But their defense is an awful matchup for our passing game. They can't get pressure without blitizing. And in coverage their strength is their outside CBs while our passing offense is all about moving Edelman, Gronk, and Lewis into matchups against safeties, LBs, and nickel corners. If you can't get pressure without blitzing, which leaves you undermanned in the middle of the field, and you don't have good coverage through the middle to begin with then not going to stop this offense.
I expect them to score some points on us, however, assuming Luck is healthy. We haven't really played a team yet that has a good QB and the personnel to put four pretty good WR or TEs into a pattern at the same and I'm not sure we have the secondary depth to handle that kind of attack very well. It should be a good test but I expect them to make some plays on us, just not enough to keep pace with our offense.
Same here. You'd think the league would frown upon limiting access in that manner. Would imagine a team could enforce it on a specific outlet or media member, but a complete shutout of non-local media?Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
(so, no ESPN or NFLN, either?)
Smiling Joe Hesketh said:
I would not have thought the League looks too kindly on that stuff. No ESPN? No NFLN? No Peter King?! But its apparently legal:
http://uaasnfl.blob.core.windows.net/live/1788/2015-nfl-media-access-policy.pdf
PRACTICE ACCESS AND INFORMATION – Following the completion of Week 2 of the NFL preseason schedule and through the regular season and playoffs, daily practice (Monday through Friday) must be open to local media (those who regularly cover the team) for at least the first 30 minutes or until the start of “team” work. It is permissible to limit the videotaping or photographing of certain portions of practice. Starting the
4
week prior to the opening of the regular season, clubs are required to designate on the NFL Intranet site and issue to local media the names of those players who missed any portion of 11-on-11 team or individual work on the specified days noted in the NFL Injury Report policy.
Setting reasonable ground rules for coverage of practice – subject to the general access rules specified above – is the responsibility of the clubs. For practice sessions during training camp and minicamp that are open to the public, there should be a balance that addresses publicity for our teams, the role of media in serving our fans, and the goals and procedures set by individual teams. As such, we require that at least for practice sessions that are open to the public – and subject to guidelines set by clubs on the reporting of strategy – clubs must allow reporting (tweeting, blogging, etc.) of newsworthy events, such as VIP visitors to practice, exceptional catches, standout rookie performers, etc.
It seems very odd to exclude only visiting media---though, certainly suggests the Colts view their own writers as homers, too. I say that because you could perhaps justify excluding New England-based media on theory they are more likely to share with the team, but certainly that's a stretch for national media
Chances are, the final score will be somewhere between the NE revenge blowout and the close game predicted by "Good QB team at home" mentality, especially with Solder out. Something comfortable throughout, but never quite entirely so, ending around the 33-23 or 35-20 range, Pats win.
(Of course, that's just the 'regression to the mean' talking. I would not be at all shocked to see a repeat of the AFC playoff game beatdown all over again)
(Of course, that's just the 'regression to the mean' talking. I would not be at all shocked to see a repeat of the AFC playoff game beatdown all over again)
I don't understand where these predictions of moderate, 13ish-point wins are coming from. NE has beaten Indy by 20+ points 4 times in a row, including a 22 point victory on the road just last year. And while their front 7 might be a little better (they've always looked worse against NE than everyone else), injuries to Luck and Davis and how bad they have played make this look like the worst Colts team of the bunch.
I don't see how this Colts team keeps it close. Moncrief will have to have the game of his life, because you know the defense is going to focus on TY. If Luck is in there you blitz him, which he sucks against, and if Hasslebeck is in there you just show up because he sucks and is a back-up for a reason. You let Gore get his 5-10 yard runs, knowing that it just takes the occasional tackle for a loss to stall a drive.
On the other side, Indy's pass defense has been awful and the ability to beat them in the air has always been what has kept them from going bigger against the run. This should be another classic example of the opponent picking how they want to be beaten. Put in extra DBs and NE will run on them. Play base and Brady will pick them apart. Their defense just isn't good enough at anything to dictate anything to the offense.
I'm going with 41-13.
I don't see how this Colts team keeps it close. Moncrief will have to have the game of his life, because you know the defense is going to focus on TY. If Luck is in there you blitz him, which he sucks against, and if Hasslebeck is in there you just show up because he sucks and is a back-up for a reason. You let Gore get his 5-10 yard runs, knowing that it just takes the occasional tackle for a loss to stall a drive.
On the other side, Indy's pass defense has been awful and the ability to beat them in the air has always been what has kept them from going bigger against the run. This should be another classic example of the opponent picking how they want to be beaten. Put in extra DBs and NE will run on them. Play base and Brady will pick them apart. Their defense just isn't good enough at anything to dictate anything to the offense.
I'm going with 41-13.
Last fall, I stayed in the same hotel in Indy the same weekend the Ravens did the night before they played at the Colts. We were at the Mariott and the Colts stayed in the neighboring Hyatt Hotel. Both are connected to the glass covered walkways that are 2 stories up and connect various parts of downtown including the stadium and the convention center so folks could walk around the dead of winter I guess.
I was there as part of Special Olympics Team USA as we were training there in Indy for upcoming World Games. We had credentials and were allowed access to all areas of both hotels and many athletes got pictures with athletes and coaches from both teams. as far as security, our hotel had one outside police car in the main lobby parking lot and one really nice but overweight security guard who looked like a Mall cop. The Hyatt, where the Colts stayed, had state trooper cars all over the place and the lobby had a few check points to even get to the main desk and and the restaurant. It looked like POTUS was staying there. The hotel bar was full of off duty police and reporters.
I wonder with the Patriot hate a fever pitch in Indy, if they will step up the security for the Patriots. I hope so.
I was there as part of Special Olympics Team USA as we were training there in Indy for upcoming World Games. We had credentials and were allowed access to all areas of both hotels and many athletes got pictures with athletes and coaches from both teams. as far as security, our hotel had one outside police car in the main lobby parking lot and one really nice but overweight security guard who looked like a Mall cop. The Hyatt, where the Colts stayed, had state trooper cars all over the place and the lobby had a few check points to even get to the main desk and and the restaurant. It looked like POTUS was staying there. The hotel bar was full of off duty police and reporters.
I wonder with the Patriot hate a fever pitch in Indy, if they will step up the security for the Patriots. I hope so.
You misread it--it's not "local media only," it's "no non-Colts media."Omar's Wacky Neighbor said:
PedroKsBambino said:
Letting your own media have some time to get their stories from the players seems like it makes sense. Teams have a special relationship with those guys, and while national reporting is important, the local guys usually have more in-depth reporting that might take more time.
If this is a different policy than normal it does seem a bit petty, but it doesn't seem wildly unusual.
We fly out to Indy every year at this time for my grandson's birthday. Months ago when I booked our flight for this Saturday I couldn't figure out why the selection was much less than usual and the price much higher than usual. I've got that pretty much figured out now. I imagine that my Patriots hat will draw more comments than normal. Care to guess the over/under on Deflate Gate/Cheater comments? Care to offer any snappy responses?
drleather2001 said:
I get more of a, "'79 Ford F-150" vibe from most of the folks that use the "cheatriots" label.
How old are you? Old enough to remember the Baltimore Colts? If so just reference how much you enjoy the Baltimore / New England games with a straight face as if you forgot that the team moved.YTF said:
Tell them that maybe they should consider cheating because what they're doing now sure as shit isn't working.
YTF said:
Tell them they can wipe their tears on the AFC Championship Finalist banners they love to hang, then wonder aloud if they'll give out participation ribbons to the fans at the last home game.