Archive for 13 Sports Blog
Colts look as good as I can remember
Posted ByI’ve watched some really good Colts teams since Peyton Manning arrived wearing number 18. More than once I’ve thought the Colts were the best team in football, only to see them exit early from the playoffs. The year they finally won the Super Bowl, I would not have given them a chance when the playoffs started. Having said all that, this Colts team is playing as well as any Colts team I can ever remember covering.
I’ll admit the seasons and the games run together a bit for me after covering the Colts for 18 years. The teams that went 13-0, 7-0, 9-0 and so far 6-0 this season were obviously very good. But I don’t remember a Colts team playing this well in all phases like the Colts are this year.
Where can you begin to be critical of the Colts this year? Peyton Manning is playing almost perfect football, the best he has played in his incredible career. He has plenty of weapons, with Anthony Gonzalez coming back eventually. Reggie Wayne has become a top 5 receiver in the NFL. Dallas Clark will finally be a Pro Bowler this season. Austin Collie is already dependable as a rookie and Pierre Garcon has shown well in flashes.
The running combo of Joseph Addai and Donald Brown is even better than the Addai/Dominic Rhodes rotation from the Super Bowl season. The Colts have even become reliable in short yardage situations.
All this offensive production comes behind an offensive line that is deep and talented. Jeff Saturday is the only player with any name recognition around the league. But Peyton is the safest quarterback in the NFL and the runners are finding enough holes to keep the defense honest.
You could argue the Colts defense is outperforming the Colts offense. With the exception of being baffled by the Dolphins Wildcat offense, the Colts defense has shut down everybody. Outside the Miami game, the Colts defense has allowed just two touchdowns (I’m not counting two late 4th quarter meaningless Seahawks touchdowns).
Dwight Freeney has a sack in every game this season. Robert Mathis causes a fumble it seems every time he touches the quarterback. Steven Jackson gashed the Colts a bit Sunday after the game was already well in hand. But the run defense is not a constant concern like it has been in seasons past. Even with Ed Johnson’s mysterious departure, the Colts have enough big boys on the defensive line.
The defensive secondary is unbelievably deep. Bob Sanders has returned, but no Colts fan should be uncomfortable with Melvin Bullitt in the game. Rookies Jarraud Powers and Jacob Lacey have grown up quickly filling in for Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson. When everyone is healthy, the Colts can put 6 quality defensive backs on the field.
The linebackers are solid, not spectacular, with Clint Session delivering big blows and Gary Brackett keeping the whole defense on the same page.
Pat McAfee has performed well as a rookie punter. And if Matt Stover has some leg left at 42-years-old, the Colts will be fine until Adam Vinatieri returns, if he returns.
Sure, Jim Caldwell inherited a great team. But let’s give him some credit, too. This is not Barry Switzer being handed the Cowboys. Caldwell helped build the Colts into the perennial power they are. His undefeated record as an NFL head coach speaks for itself.
So there, I’ve covered the whole squad with no glaring weak spots or concerns. I picked the Colts 12-4 at the start of the season. I upped that to 13-3 during the bye week. But I honestly find it hard to find three losses left on the schedule, unless the last couple of regular season games become meaningless.
Simply put, this is the best Colts team I’ve covered.
-Rich Nye, WTHR-13 Sports Reporter
Follow me TheSportsGuy13 on Twitter.com
I’m headed for the Arch. Sunday, the undefeated (5-0) Colts will take on the winless (0-6) Rams in St. Louis. I would say the Colts have received a bonus bye week. But the line in the NFL is “any given Sunday”, meaning any team can beat any other team. That’s usually true in a league known for parity. But this year is the exception. There are several really good teams, and the Colts might be the best. There are several really bad teams in the NFL right now, and the Rams are the worst.
The Colts have won 14 regular season games in a row. That’s impressive. But the Rams current losing streak is more impressive. St. Louis has lost 16 games in a row. The Colts can set another franchise record with their 8th consecutive road win. Then comes three straight home games. The Colts are sitting pretty.
The only meaningless statistic that favors the Rams is that the Colts have never won at the Edwards Jones Dome. They’ve only played there once, in 2001, when the Greatest Show on Turf was lighting up the scoreboard and whipped the Colts, 42-17. The cities are only four hours apart. But remarkably, the Colts have only played in St. Louis three previous times (the other two were against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium).
-Rich Nye, WTHR Sports Reporter
TheSportsGuy13 on Twitter.com
Fever’s biggest moment
Posted ByPhoenix, Arizona – The Fever have waited ten years for this moment. The party had to be put on hold Wednesday night when the Phoenix Mercury beat the Fever at Conseco Fieldhouse. But there’s another chance to celebrate tonight.
But if the Fever are going to win their first WNBA championship, they will have to win on the road. In the 13-year history of the league, only one team has ever clinched the title on the road. That team happens to be the Phoenix Mercury, who won game 5 in Detroit in 2007 to win the WNBA title – the same Mercury who stand in the way tonight between the Fever and their first championship.
The Fever should have some confidence, though. They won game 2 of the Finals here. They won the regular season game here. The Fever have a winning record (6-4) all-time in Phoenix.
This season began with expectations of this moment. Fever General Manager Kelly Krauskopf assembled a team capable of playing for a championship. But this season also began with doubts about the future of the franchise beyond this season. Those doubts are still there, although Pacers owner Herb Simon said last week he will do everything he can to keep the Fever in Indy (My loose translation: shutting down the Fever after this incredible season would be a really bad PR move by the Pacers. That’s the last thing the Pacers need.)
This team has had championship aspirations before. But Tamika Catchings’ injuries and the Detroit Shock always seemed to get in the way. The Fever finally took out the Shock in the Eastern Conference Finals in front of a huge crowd, thanks to Larry Bird buying out the balcony. The win advanced the Fever to their first Finals and the crowd enticed by freebies sparked a fever in the community over the city’s WNBA team.
This is a great story. I’m hoping for a happy ending. Catchings is top 5 among women’s basketball players ever in my book. But she needs a title to help cement her place in the Hall of Fame.
Perry Meridian High School and Purdue University alum Katie Douglas always wanted to come home to play for the Fever. She got her wish two seasons ago and has given Tamika a nice complement on the court. Douglas has lost in the Finals twice. She doesn’t want that feeling again.
So it’s a showdown in the desert tonight. Winner takes the title.
Who wins? If the mercury goes too high in your thermometer, you have a fever. That’s not an answer. But I like the line.
-Rich Nye, WTHR sports reporter
follow me TheSportsGuy13 on Twitter
Was IU traffic or performance worse?
Posted ByIndiana University promoted a new football gameday traffic plan this season. University and government officials had worked together to find a better way to get cars in and out of Bloomington. IU has also promoted a new gameday experience at the renovated Memorial Stadium. Saturday night was IU’s Big Ten home opener, the first big-time game since the Stadium facelift.
I’m not sure which was worse, the traffic getting to the game or the game itself. We needed an hour and half to get from the Bloomington exit off State Road 37 to our parking spot. We missed kickoff, and Ohio State was already leading 10-nothing before I finally sat down in my seat in the pressbox.
This was a chance on primetime national television for the Hoosiers to build on last Saturday’s near upset at Michigan. Instead, the Hoosiers proved they still have plenty of work to do. Ohio State beat Indiana 33-14. The Hoosiers were effectively out of the game before halftime.
The traffic plan needs work, too. If the Hoosiers ever consistently become winners and attract regular full houses, what a traffic nightmare! At least when IU is lousy, you can get to the game in a timely fashion.
-Rich Nye, WTHR Sports Reporter
Follow me at TheSportsGuy13 on Twitter.com
Fever Struggle To Survive
Posted ByIf you have to give away 9,000 tickets to the biggest game in franchise history, that doesn’t say much for the support of the Indiana Fever. That was the scenario last Saturday when the Fever beat the Detroit Shock to advance to the WNBA Finals for the first time and Larry Bird bought out the balcony. Conseco Fieldhouse was nearly full, an announced sellout. The crowd was loud. The atmosphere was great. I was there, and it was an awesome celebration as the Fever were crowned Eastern Conference champions.
The Fever are not unique in struggling to attract paying fans. Steve Kerr of the Pheonix Suns front office gave away 7,000 tickets to game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Tuesday. The Mercury won the championship just two seasons ago.
Pacers owner Herb Simon came out this week with some more positive comments about the future of the Fever franchise. Simon says he will do everything he can to keep the team here. I hope so. The Fever offer a cheaper alternative for sports fans who can’t afford the Colts and Pacers. The basketball is entertaining. The players are classy ladies. They are involved in the community and easy to root for.
But this is professional basketball. The Fever has to pay for itself, even try to make money. This is not Title IX college basketball, where the women are legally required to get equal opportunities whether anyone shows up to watch or not. So the Fever will not survive just because women deserve a chance to have their own league or to provide a more diverse Indy sports landscape.
One problem is that most WNBA teams are tied to NBA teams but really should not be playing in NBA arenas. The season ticket and fan support is just not there. I’ve been surprised the Fever have not enjoyed more support. This is a great girls basketball state.
Will the Fever survive? A championship this season would help, and the playoff run to the Finals makes it hard for Simon to shut down the team. But paying fans in the stands is most important.
Rich Nye, Eyewitness Sports Reporter
Follow me @TheSportsGuy13 on Twitter.com
