i think it was more the Colts opportunistic defense than Andrew Luck i mean he led the NFL in turnovers, im not sure how you can help your team win games when you are constantly giving the other team possesions, and i think the WHOLE team kinda rallied around their coach and played for him because he was in the hospital battling cancer Not to mention the Colts had gimmie wins againist the Cheifs, Bills, and 4 againist the Titans and Jags..
It wasn’t schedule, per se, though. The Colts only managed two (out of 11) double-digit victories (sadly, one was against the Texans... who had 7, btw.) They posted nine wins that were decided by 7 or fewer points, and four of those games were by a FG or less. Altogether, they were 9-1 in games decided by a TD or less - an incredibly pristine mark that almost certainly won’t carry over. It’s *hard* to consistently win close games in the NFL - too many random bounces and luck (not Luck). Last year, the Patriots were 4-4; the 49ers 2-1-1; the Broncos 1-2... 9-1 is remarkable.* They don't have an appreciably difficult schedule next year (they draw the Bengals and Dolphins to our Ravens and Patriots) - but I suspect they'll still regress to 8-9 wins. (* The Texans were 5-0 in games decided by a TD or less last year, a bit of an anomaly, too (they were 4-4 the year before).
32. Matt Flynn 31. Jake Locker 30. Kevin Kolb 29. Chad Henne 28. Mark Sanchez 27. Christian Ponder 26. Brandon Weeden 25. Michael Vick 24. Ryan Tannehill 23. Carson Palmer 22. Sam Bradford 21. Josh Freeman 20. Alex Smith 19. Andy Dalton 18. Cam Newton 17. Philip Rivers 16. Matthew Stafford 15. Tony Romo 14. Jay Cutler 13. Robert Griffin III 12. Russell Wilson 11. Colin Kaepernick 10. Andrew Luck 9. Matt Schaub 8. Eli Manning 7. Ben Roethlisberger 6. Drew Brees 5. Matt Ryan 4. Joe Flacco 3. 2. 1.
Schaub hardly the lone ranger in Texans' pursuit of Super Bowl title As the Texans prepare for their eighth training camp under coach Gary Kubiak, it'll take so much more than quarterback Matt Schaub to make sure the Texans reach their goal of winning a Super Bowl. If we're going to blame Schaub for the collapse over the last four games of the regular season as well as the embarrassing playoff loss at New England, shouldn't we give him credit for the 11-1 start and postseason victory over Cincinnati? It's amazing how much Schaub is being ridiculed for the Texans' cratering in December. Most of the criticism is aimed at the lopsided losses at New England that were 33 days apart. Granted, Schaub deserved criticism because he didn't play well, but let's be fair. A lot of players and coaches deserved to be criticized. The defense was horrible in both losses to the Patriots. Still, you don't hear anyone pointing out that the defense allowed 83 points in the routs at Gillette Stadium. It's all about Schaub. The truth is a lot of players and coaches failed to produce when the Texans needed them the most. I still say the inexcusable 23-6 loss to Minnesota at Reliant Stadium was the worst during the regular season in franchise history. The stench from that egg lingers. Tale of two teams We all know the Texans weren't the same team after the 11-1 start. They averaged 29.2 points and allowed 16.2. Over the last four games, they averaged 18.4 and surrendered 30. Schaub swears he was healthy, but I think he was hurt. Whether it was his foot, shoulder or finger, he just didn't throw the same ball after the 11-2 start. Now there's no question about Schaub's health as he enters his seventh season as Kubiak's starter. Rather than spending the offseason rehabbing an injury as he did in 2012, Schaub, 32, focused on improving his performance and becoming consistent. Schaub, who has a 20-8 record, counting playoffs, over the last two seasons, was given a new receiver in first-round pick DeAndre Hopkins. Now it's up to Schaub to shut up his critics, and there's only one way to do that - win and don't stop winning. Considering the way they've been eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs on the road the last two seasons, common sense says the Texans better earn home-field advantage. When everybody is healthy, the Texans are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. They have 13 Pro Bowl players on the roster, second to San Francisco. Their 22-10 record over the last two seasons is tied for second best in the AFC. Only four NFL teams have more playoff victories over the last two seasons. Hosting top rivals The Texans get their most recent nemesis, the Patriots, at Reliant Stadium this season. They also host Denver, the AFC Super Bowl favorite. The Texans won the last time the Patriots played at Reliant Stadium. They've defeated Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning the last two times they've played him, including last season when Schaub threw four touchdown passes and lost a piece of his ear at Denver. Because Kubiak loves to run the ball to benefit the play-action passes, the running game must produce effectively and consistently. The better it is, the more productive Schaub will be. Onus on Foster Arian Foster, who rushed for 1,424 yards and led the NFL with 17 touchdowns, needs to improve his 4.1-yard average per carry and his 5.4-yard average per catch. Ben Tate needs to stay healthy. The offensive line, with three Pro Bowl selections in left tackle Duane Brown, center Chris Myers and left guard Wade Smith, needs more production from the right side than it got last season. If Hopkins catches 40 to 50 passes and becomes a weapon in the red zone, Johnson won't see as much double coverage in his 11th season. He recently turned 32 but is capable of reaching last season's 112 catches for 1,598 yards. Wade Phillips' defense allowed only 15.7 points during the 8-1 start but gave up 68 in consecutive victories over Jacksonville and Detroit in which Schaub and Johnson collaborated for a record-breaking performance. The defense has new starters in nose tackle Earl Mitchell, outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus and, at some point, free safety Ed Reed. Nobody has a clue when Reed (hip) is going to be healthy and ready to play. Defense a strength As long as end J.J. Watt, inside linebacker Brian Cushing and cornerback Johnathan Joseph stay healthy, the Texans should have a terrific defense. The defense lacks depth at nose tackle and linebacker, and it's time for veteran backup cornerbacks Brandon Harris and Roc Carmichael to elevate their contributions to a level that shows they were worthy of being picked in the second and fourth rounds. This is the third consecutive season the Texans will have a new kicker and punter. Randy Bullock and Shane Lechler went to Texas A&M. If they screw up, rather than blame Kubiak for having too many Aggies, they can always blame the Baylor snapper, Jon Weeks. The Texans have improved their record in each of the last two seasons. Another improvement means they'll finish at least 13-3. If they can pull that off, expect the road to Super Bowl XLVIII to go through Reliant Stadium.
Better 32. Matt Flynn 31. Jake Locker 30. Kevin Kolb 29. Chad Henne 28. Mark Sanchez 27. Christian Ponder 26. Brandon Weeden 25. Michael Vick 24. Ryan Tannehill 23. Carson Palmer 22. Sam Bradford 21. Josh Freeman 20. Alex Smith 19. Andy Dalton 18. Cam Newton 17. Philip Rivers 16. Matthew Stafford 15. Tony Romo 14. Jay Cutler 13, Matt Schaub 12. Matt Ryan 11. Joe Flacco 10. Russell Wilson 9. Eli Manning 8. Ben Roethlisberger 7. Andrew Luck 6. Colin Kaepernick 5. Robert Griffin III 4. Drew Brees 3. Manning 2. Brady 1. Rodgers
the funny thing is peyton won't win another superbowl unless he quits turning it over and his defense doesn't give up half hearted hail marys. And Rodgers, he can't win you a game unless he can suit up on defense too. The haters don't like to admit it, but schaub is a streaky qb. When he gets hot, the hof committee takes his jock strap to display his 527 yards. when he is not hot, he gets into the fetal position, just like Brady did against the Ravens. so in essence ,we're all in the same boat. it's just who gets hot and which team we can match up against. Styles make fights. We have an equal shot at the superbowl.
