2010年12月2日星期四

Run Defense Profile

At 3-0 and leading the AFC South division, the look to be on top of their game this young NFL season. Peyton Manning has already had a 400-yard game, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are among the league leaders in yardage gained by wide receivers, and Adam Vinatieri has kicked some clutch field goals. But as 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.The Colts are dead last in the league in rushing yards given up to their opponent (an average of 5.3 yards per carry) and near the bottom in rushing yards gained (an average of 3.1 per carry). True, their victory over the Houston Texans was sheer domination (for three quarters) in a game that went pretty much as everyone had expected. But in games against the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars the team was beaten in time of possession, relying instead on key turnovers at critical times of the game and good special teams play for close wins.The numbers are pretty lopsided from those two games. New York outgained Indianapolis on the ground 186 to 55. Jacksonville 191 to 63.A widely held belief around the NFL is that teams that can run and stop the run win championships. Think 1985 Bears, 2000 Ravens and 2002 Bucs. Right now the 2006 Colts are doing neither well.On defense, a combination of things may explain their poor results. The offseason losses of linebacker David Thornton and tackle Larry Tripplett through free agency. Nagging injuries to Bob Sanders, Mike Doss and Nick Harper. The fact that Corey Simon, their biggest run-stuffer, hasn't played a snap yet, and now is not expected back until Week 7.It appears the team may need to look outside the organization for a player or two who can improve its run defense.On offense, the Colts may miss Edgerrin James more than they'd like to admit, because their current offensive line is essentially the same one that opened holes for James in 2004 and 2005. And they haven't had a coaching change, either -- coordinator Tom Moore and offensive line coach Howard Mudd are now in their ninth consecutive seasons with the Colts. So it's logical to2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
scrutinize the running backs.Through three games veteran backup Dominic Rhodes has carried the ball 44 times and has averaged only 2.6 yards per carry, while rookie Joseph Addai has run 26 times for an average of 4.7 yards. Though the growing trend around the league is to use a running back by committee, these numbers suggest that perhaps it's time to see if Addai can carry the full load.Whatever the Colts brain trust decides, it remains to be seen how many games they can win by continuing to rely on a great passing offense and opportunistic special teams.Original analysis

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