INDIANAPOLIS -- You expect the Colts to throw, and throw a lot, but even for Peyton Manning and his band of merry, pass-happy men this was a little bit nuts. Indy ran nine plays -- eight of them passes -- in the first two minutes of the game, averaging one every 14 seconds, completely disregarding the play clock and leaving their star offensive players more than a little bit tuckered out.
"I wouldn't call it fun," said tight end Dallas Clark, who caught 11 passes in the first half and 14 -- for 119 yards -- in the game. "When you run 60 plays in the first half, you're going to feel that on Wednesday and Thursday. But the win makes it feel a lot better."
This weekend's AFC South showdown appeared, at the beginning of the week, to be one of those strength vs. strength matchups. The Colts have the NFL's seventh-ranked pass defense and they have only allowed three passing touchdowns all season (making them the stingiest in the NFL). The Houston Texans are the NFL's third-best passing team and have thrown 16 touchdown passes in eight games.
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.
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.
On a televised report, ESPN's Adam Shefter reported the Colts are likely going to ink wide receiver Hank Baskett to a contract. Baskett is most famous for stealing Kendra Wilkinson from Hugh Hefner, but he does play a little football on the side.
The four-year veteran has caught 72 passes for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns in his career. Most notably, he has a penchant for long touchdowns -- he's caught TDs of 90, 89 and 87 yards in his career. Baskett was recently released by the Eagles.
Early in the season opener Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Colts' No. 2 wideout Anthony Gonzalez left the game with a non-contact, apparent knee injury. After some evaluation in the locker room, reports say the preliminary diagnosis was that he'll miss anywhere from two to six weeks with a strained ligament in his right knee. There will be more testing Monday and the team will keep an eye on any swelling, but, for now, it appears he's on the shelf for a while.
The third-year receiver suffered the injury while running a route. It seemed a freakish-type injury, considering he wasn't making a hard cut with the ball nor was he hit.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
For most franchises, 12 wins is a banner year; one they can hang their proverbial hats upon. For the Colts, 12 wins is a certainly. They have won at least 12 games in each of the last six seasons. They have also had Tony Dungy as their head coach for the past seven years, but now he's gone. In 2009, the Colts will look for some continuity. Can it be provided by the Jim Caldwell administration?
Reggie Wayne is one of the more underrated wide receivers in the NFL. Seriously, he is, even if he's Peyton Manning's primary target -- he's one of the few guys out from an era of Miami (U) football who doesn't act flashy (looking at you, Jeremy Shockey!) and he consistently works hard to generate a high level of performance. But, he apparently wants to work harder. Or at least let his teammates know that they need to get back to basics, grinding it out to win another Super Bowl. That's, I'm assuming, why he showed up to training camp in a hard hat while driving a dump truck. Frigging awesome. (Via Mr. Brown)
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble, and today we look at some burning questions in the AFC South and offer a ridiculously early prediction.
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet the ... Team under Peyton's leadership for the first time without Tom Moore*. That's right. Peyton's only offensive coordinator for his entire 11-year career has been the venerable Moore. Moore's first year at the helm was Manning's rookie season, so the two grew together. It's going to be interesting to see how Manning fares without his mentor calling the shots.
Of course, Manning's obviously cerebral enough to deal quite well with the transition, and the Colts have enough weapons in their arsenal to remain the high-octane offense we're used to seeing every fall.
INDIANAPOLIS -- You expect the Colts to throw, and throw a lot, but even for Peyton Manning and his band of merry, pass-happy men this was a little bit nuts. Indy ran nine plays -- eight of them passes -- in the first two minutes of the game, averaging one every 14 seconds, completely disregarding the play clock and leaving their star offensive players more than a little bit tuckered out.
Much has been made about the 
The Montana-Young 
On a televised report, ESPN's Adam Shefter reported the 
Early in the season opener Sunday against the 
Training camps have wrapped up, the 
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
