FanHouse Tonyugoh

You've got questions. I've got answers. If not, I'll make them up. Each Thursday at 1 p.m. EST, I answer your queries on all things related to the NFL. If you have a question, send it over to NFLMailbag@gmail.com. Don't forget to include your name and location. Click here for the archives. Rock'n'roll.

How bad will the Colts beat the Texans on Sunday? Also, will the Texans win a game this year? Matt Schaub got in tune with the game for a while last week but he is so inconsistent. I think it's time for him to take a hike and take Gary Kubiak with him.
- Ward77029, Texas

Oh ye of little faith. The Texans won't continue to slide into the 2008 twilight. While the Dolphins and Rams last year offered legitimate hope for an 0-16 season, the Texans are simply too talented to continue losing, and I think it comes together this week in what most would consider a shocker. Schaub did begin to harmonize last week, and though the Colts defense is offering a remarkably stout pass defense, they're also now missing Bob Sanders, and if we've learned anything about the Colts it's that their defense relies quite heavily on that tiny young man. Add in a remarkable Texans front four that will be playing against a Colts line that will be missing Tony Ugoh and Ryan Lilja (though the line has done a good patchwork job of protecting Peyton Manning, they've been awful on the ground, and they haven't played a unit like this), and I like the increasingly-healthy Texans' chances of getting in the win column this week. Added motivation? I don't care what Bob McNair says, the Texans have a chip on their shoulder after Jerrah equated the fourth-largest city in America with Mayberry.

If you thought the Colts were in bad shape with Jeff Saturday and Dallas Clark sidelined, things have gotten a lot worse on Sunday.

Starting left tackle Tony Ugoh was helped off the field at the end of the first half. With Ugoh out, the Colts have slid right guard Charles Johnson out to left tackle and brought in rookie Steve Justice at guard. Rookie Jamey Richard was already playing center for Saturday, so the Colts now have two rookies playing and a guard trying to block Jared Allen.

There's been no word yet on the extent of Ugoh's injury, btu he did not return to the lineup after all of halftime.

As you would expect, it's no going well. Allen had a sack before Ugoh went out, and E.J. Henderson had one in the third quarter on a blown block by Justice, but the bigger problems is that Peyton Manning has no time to throw even when he does get the ball off. The Colts' longest pass play is 18 yards, and Manning is averaging only 4.7 yards per attempt, which explains why the Vikings hold a 12-0 lead.

There are many questions entering the 2008 Carolina Panthers season. The Panthers first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts gave some answers.

The main question is how QB Jake Delhomme looks after Tommy John surgery. Well, we don't know. Delhomme played just two series ... which is commonplace for a quarterback this early in the preseason. However, both series began off Colts turnovers deep in their own end.

Delhomme threw just one pass -- a fade route to Muhsin Muhammad that fell incomplete. Other than that, he turned around and handed the ball off the DeAngelo Williams five times ... with two of them ending in touchdowns. And that was all for Jake.

Maybe we can get a better look against Philadelphia this week.

We got a great look at the Carolina defense that set up those two early TD drives.

Everyone seems to agree that yesterday's Game of the Century proved one thing: When the Colts and Patriots play again, in the AFC Championship on January 20, the game will be at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Honestly, there's a pretty good chance that it won't work out that way. Football seasons have a funny way of surprising us, and if I had to lay a wager, I'd wager that the AFC Championship will be something other than Colts at Patriots.

But let's assume that it is Colts at Patriots. Can the Colts win in New England?

I think they can, and that's something I didn't think 24 hours ago. It sounds strange to say that after the Patriots won at Indianapolis, I'm now more confident than I was yesterday that the Colts can win at New England, but there are two things that make me say that.

The first is that these Colts are clearly not the defensively inept crew of the 2006 regular season. Although they ran out of gas late in the game and allowed the Patriots to come from behind and win, the Colts' defense is tough enough to give Tom Brady and Co. a long day.

The other is that the Colts might be healthier in January than they were yesterday. They clearly missed wide receiver Marvin Harrison, and they might have missed left tackle Tony Ugoh even more. With a healthy Harrison for Peyton Manning to throw to, and a healthy Ugoh to protect Manning's blind side, he could play better in January than he did yesterday, even without home-field advantage.


Would I pick the Patriots to beat the Colts in January at Gillette Stadium? Yes. But do I think it's a sure thing? No.

FanHouse's Michael David Smith summed it up succinctly this morning -- Peyton Manning missed Marvin Harrison -- but he also missed Marvin Harrison's replacement, Anthony Gonzalez.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando has the lowdown on where Gonzalez disappeared to as the game wore on:

... Gonzalez suffered a dislocated left thumb on the first play of the game. He tried to play thereafter, but the thumb lacked the strength needed to grasp much of anything, let alone fastballs from Peyton Manning. Gonzalez was buttoning his shirt with one hand in the locker room following the game. His palm seemed to show some discoloration. He said the thumb was pointing out to the side after a Patriots defender -- presumably Randall Gay, who made the tackle on the play -- grabbed his thumb while defending the play.

Well, that helps explain the dropped touchdown pass during the Colts' second series. For an idea of how short-handed Indy's offense was, consider this: Joseph Addai was the team's leading receiver, and Dallas Clark only hauled in two passes.

Sando goes on to write that such an injury can bother a player all season, which means that between Marvin Harrison's knee and Gonzalez's thumb, the Colts could be in the market for a short-term solution at wide receiver. Might I suggest Mike Williams. He has the speed of a tight end and the body of an offensive tackle. If nothing else, he can replace Charlie Johnson as Tony Ugoh's backup.

To get you ready for week 4, FanHouse is previewing all 14 NFL games. Here is your Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts preview.

2007 Records:
Denver Broncos: 2-1 (1st in AFC West)
Indianapolis Colts: 3-0 (1st in AFC South)

Last Week:
Jaguars 23, Broncos 14
Colts 30, Texans 24

When the Broncos have the ball: The Broncos need to get a big game from Travis Henry if they hope to control the clock and keep their defense off the field. They didn't get that against the Jags last week and it cost them the game. The Colts want their linemen to shoot the gaps and get upfield, much like the Jags, so the offensive line will have to be quicker off the ball to create gaps for Henry to exploit. When they put the ball in the air the Broncos need to keep Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis from rushing Jay Cutler's throws. If Cutler can utilize his tight ends (and if Daniel Graham can actually catch the ball) it would occupy Bob Sanders and stop him from forcing the ball into the jaws of Indy's Cover-2. The running game is the key, though, because if Henry can find the second level it would slow down the Colts line which would then make Cutler more likely to find Javon Walker and Brandon Marshall for big gains.

I decided to go back and watch last night's game again, because I hate myself, and I decided that starting tonight I'm going to go on a bender with lots of booze and perhaps a narcotic or four and hopefully, by the time Monday rolls around, I'll have no memory of the debacle that was Saints v. Colts. (Note: The FanHouse doesn't condone this type of destructive behavior, though it seems like the right thing to do at the moment).

Before I voyage off into an uncertain future, though, I took notes. By notes, I mean I drew lots of frownie faces. Because if you were to take notes of this game from the perspective of a Saints fan, it would be giant effing frownie face.

Anyway, here's what I noticed, without trying to mention Jason David too much because, Christ, that guy must have had a terrible day:

• The Saints stuck with the Colts in the first half, primarily because they used the Colts' very own Cover 2 defense. This gave Joseph Addai plenty of room to run, sure, but it also kept Peyton Manning virtually ineffective (save Marvin Harrison's touchdown catch). In the second half, they switched to their standard man coverage to neutralize Addai, moving Roman Harper into the box, which allowed the Colts receivers to get behind the Saints secondary. Game over. The Colts were going to pick up yards and points no matter what, I just don't know why they chose to put the ball in Manning's hands instead of the more managable Addai's.
  

Remember when I suggested that Indianapolis Colts GM Bill Polian knew what he was doing by using the draft to find replacements for so many departing players? Look how prominently most of them figured in last night's blowout win over the Saints.

First off, it's hard to understate how impressive rookie left tackle Tony Ugoh was. Pro Bowl defensive end Will Smith was held without a sack and only touched Peyton Manning twice the entire evening. Plus, Ugoh was highly effective as a run blocker. After Joseph Addai was knocked out for a moment after the first play -- and Colts fans, you can freely admit how terrified you were when that happened -- the Colts gave the ball to former CFLer Kenton Keith, and he gained 8 yards on his first carry running behind Ugoh. In fact, Keith gained 6.4 yards a carry in limited action. Who saw that coming?

Then there was Freddy Keiaho, the linebacker who replaced Cato June. In his first start, he notched six tackles and a key interception. And how about new cornerbacks, Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, who harassed New Orleans' receivers all night and nearly got an interception or two themselves -- all while former Colt corner Jason David was getting destroyed by Reggie Wayne the entire second half?

This Colts offense was as strong as usual, but it was the defense that stood out, and much of that was a result of the new players that Polian drafted. The man's a genius, folks. There's no denying that now.

To get you ready for week 1, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is the New Orleans Saints/Indianapolis Colts preview.

"Since you've been gone, I can breathe for the first time."

In picking the entertaining for tonight's season opener, the NFL was surely thoughtful of their target audience -- nothing says football like Kelly Clarkson (save, perhaps, the names Pink and Faith Hill). At least, nothing describes the end of a torturously long offseason like the chorus of one of Clarkson's biggest hits. Football is back. The summer is gone. The offseason is gone. And I feel like I can breathe for the first time.

If you're looking for entertaining offense, an intricate web of storylines, or marquee players, tonight's game shouldn't disappoint. This will not be another Pittsburgh v. Miami; this is not Roethlisberger v. Culpepper. There will be points. There will be big plays. There won't be much punting.

That being said, this offensive masterpiece will showcase the two ringleaders, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning. Manning has all of the accolades, and it's going to be tough to knock off the champs, running on the celebratory afterglow of their Super Bowl championship. But think back to 2005, when Brees and his Chargers ended the 13-0 Colts' hopes of a perfect season. That game was in the RCA Dome too.

No matter the outcome, the NFL won't be disappointed they chose to highlight this game to open a new season. Take that first breath again, football fans. The wait is over.

The days leading up to the NFL draft are awkward ones for draft prospects. Everything physical is over; the combines, the workouts ... all that's behind them. But there are still opportunities to impress or let down prospective employers.

All teams can meet with 30 individual prospects for one day each, and in these meetings, there can be no physical activity. It involves a lot of travel, handshaking, wining and dining ... it's another opportunity to shuffle. The New York Times today look at Arkansas lineman Tony Ugoh's journey. Some snippets:

• Ugoh flew over 5,000 miles in six days to meetings with the Ravens, Giants, Chiefs, 49ers, and Raiders.

• He was rooming with a guy who was perfectly willing to let him oversleep, so he'd look like a chump in front of team officials. All the guy did was make fun of his ringtone.

• The Giants pop-quizzed him on blocking assignements for a counter play. The Chiefs measured him and drug-tested him.

• Ugoh met with a psychologist at 49ers headquarters, who talked to him about girls, but not football.

• Al Davis described himself as "The King of Brooklyn," and Ugoh describes Davis as "amazing."

This all has to be an extremely surreal experience for these guys. Ugoh, for his part, seems like a level-headed and solid guy. If you're curious about where he'll end up, he says the Giants showed him the most love ... but I'd be willing to bet that the level of love shown for individual guys is a pretty poor predictor of where they'll end up in the draft.