wow. Garrard is not all world but has been solid. McCown can become a good QB, imo, but he isn't ready yet and looked a bit overwhelmed in the preseason.
brainfart...was thinking of Gabbert, i had assumed they would start him but looking at some articles they are going with McCown
We are(as of right now) the only team that has the same starting QB from last year in the division. Someone pinch me, actually someone punch me if we don't win the division.
Nor is this the NBA where one player can carry a team to a championship. Peyton's come close, but he's not on the field the whole time, and stuff like coaching and schemes have a much heavier impact on success. The writing's been on the wall, hump or no hump. The Colts have not been building well or assembling pieces to shore up their gaps. They've been weak against the run for as long as we've been weak against the pass. In 5 years their running game has gone from average to bottom 5, and they go and resign their concussion prone RB.
It's amazing to me how poorly they've drafted the past 5 years. Starting in '01, they used first round picks on Wayne, Freeny, Clark and Sanders. That is a pretty unbelievable four-year stretch. But they've since followed up with Marlin Jackson, Addai, Gonzalez, Mike Pollack, Donald Brown and Jerry Hughes. They've consistently failed to address OL issues, run defense issues, rushing issues; they've never developed a back-up QB or even younger players, save for WRs (and that's probably mostly due to Peyton).... When Peyton goes, that team is going to be baaaaaaaaaaaad for a long time.
It's a testament to the greatness of Peyton in my mind. Unlike New England where they draft well and generally scheme well on both sides of the ball and make smart FA moves, Indy has basically survived on Manning's arm. The GM, the coaching staff...all of them keep their jobs because Peyton is the most talented pocket passer the game has ever seen.
So, that team was garbage before Manning, and will be garbage after Manning. Wow; almost like the Chicago Bulls (while acknowledging the huge differences already pointed out).
From Don Banks: 20 Bold Predictions 2011 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...redictions/index.html?eref=sihp&sct=hp_t12_a2 1. Whether the roof's open or not at Reliant Stadium, the sky will officially fall in Houston next Monday if the Texans can't beat a Peyton Manning-less Colts team at home in Week 1. If No. 18 does indeed miss the first regular season game of his 14-year NFL career, there would never be a bigger, more pressurized must-win in league history than the one Houston would face on Sunday. Let the gray-bearded Kerry Collins and Co. come in and embarrass the home team, and Gary Kubiak's Texans may never recover 16. The Lions will end the NFC's longest current playoff drought, making the playoffs for the first time since 1999. The Bills will increase the AFC's longest current playoff drought, missing the playoffs for the 12th time since 1999. The Texans, who have never made the playoffs since joining the league in 2002, will need to win at home against Tennessee in Week 17 to clinch a berth, but fall short for a 10th straight year. Texans owner Bob McNair will give Kubiak an immediate vote of confidence.
We joke about Uncle Bob and his loyalty to Kubiak, but I think if we don't make the playoffs he will have no choice but to give him the axe. There is just to much talent on this team to not be in the post-season.
And the irony that the lone year they won the SB, it was mainly because of the defense and running game....and not Manning's arm.
Must remain confident despite media. Must remain confident despite media. Must remain confident despite media. Im pretty sure the Texans team I saw during the preseason will destroy the colts by 3+ TDs. But dang, there are so many haters, its hard to not think of the potential collapse that could take place.
If they've shown one thing over the years, the media is decidedly fixed in the past when talking about the present. They almost never see the actual winners coming.
Not a hater, but I can't bring myself to expect anything better than nine wins, and early defensive struggles for the Texans. I mean, they've made a lot of the right moves (no veteran corner/KJ-still-here notwithstanding) and the preseason results were encouraging, but the fact remains that this Texans defense has proven nothing. And they have everything to prove. Additionally: -- The Offense has to prove they can start fast more than twice a year -- The Special Teams have to prove they belong in the NFL at all -- Kubiak has to prove he can keep from out-stupiding himself at least 11 times this year That's asking a lot. Go Texans!
I'm at a loss to explain the Patriots. I'd say once Brady goes... but we all saw what happened in 2008. Still - New England does *not* draft well, IMO. Look at the literal dozen WR/DBs they've drafted just in the last 5 years: Edellman is OK; they just released Merriweather and Chung and McCourty are starters. So they hit on 4 of 12 (and "hit" is being generous with Edellman). Meanwhile, they haven't been able to develop a RB in years, their defense hasn't been dominant in years and is currently not very good - and that's Bellichick's forte. Obviously, their system is sound and the coach is tremendous. But I don't see that team thriving without Brady... (as you throw 2008 back in my face - I can't explain it.)
No veteran corner? What is Johnathan Joseph? I'm pretty much in agreement with you. The defense needs to prove itself in real games. The offense needs to be more consistent and not take entire halves off. The special teams have looked like doo doo and need to improve over the course of the season. The Texans should be around 11-5, but I'm not sold and think we'll inevitably blow a few we should wing and end up around 9-7.
I was thrilled with the JJ signing. Don't know what I was thinking with the "no veteran corner" remark.
