Bleacher Report - Articles by Aaron Glenn

Colts Roundtable: Will Ground Game Improve or Stay Grounded?

Aaron Glenn — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:26:45 -0500

This discussion is a landmark in the Colts Community here on Bleacher Report. It is the first of many weekly discussions among some of the top writers in the community.

This week the topic arising is the Indianapolis Colts running game. Will it ever bounce back? Or will their ground game remain...grounded?

I scoured the community for the top writers that have consistently delivered great articles time and time again. I brought them to one spot.

One Topic. One Article. One Voice.

The Indianapolis Colts have a history of running the football well to set up the playaction pass threat. Running and throwing come hand in hand. If a defense doesn’t have to respect the run, they will play the pass.

Joseph Addai has been injured a few times this year, leaving Dominic Rhodes to carry the load all by himself with a less-than-mediocre rookie offensive line.

I looked to a few good friends of mine for what they believe the reasons are, and what they foresee in the future, on this detrimental aspect of football.

Corey McSweeney, Trevor Roby, Ryan Michael, and Marisa Scolamiero speak on behalf of the Colts' community and answer some key questions.

I lean on Corey when it comes to statistical matters. Here is what Corey has to say about what these Rushing Stats mean:

“Let’s look at the numbers. 19 carries for 62 yards. As a team. Dom Rhodes was 7 for 28, a 4.0 clip, and Joseph Addai was 12 for 34, a (oh no)…(here it comes)….(I can’t look)…2.8 yard per carry average. Yikes! Ok, well the game was against Pittsburgh. We have to keep that in mind.”

He continues, “So what do all these fancy stats mean? Obviously, the run game wasn’t very effective against Pittsburgh, that’s a given. Forget just Pittsburgh, it’s been putrid all season.

But what else is it telling? For me, two things.

One, the entire team only rushed 19 times. Most starting RB’s get 20-25 carries, with the rest going to backups. This tells me Tony Dungy and Tom Moore are unhappy enough to put more pressure on the passing offense.”

So, we’ve heard what the stats are. What are some of the key contributing factors to these stats?

Ryan Michael has a good outlook on this.

“Will the Colts running game pick up? As any Colts fan would hope for, the answer would be yes. But that is a simple answer to a much more complicated situation. We first have to look at why the running game has been struggling.

At first I feel as if the injuries to the offensive line were to blame. But now even with the return of some of our top guys, we still seem to struggle. I believe that the lack of stability in the o-line throughout the season may have contributed to this. “

Here’s Ryan’s thoughts on Joseph Addai’s presence, or the lack thereof.

“An issue I see with Addai is his field vision. Granted, the blocking has not been excellent but we always see him run right behind the O-line and rarely, if ever run through whatever holes there might be. With the great coaching staff Indianapolis has and the athletic ability Addai possesses, expect him to improve with time, not get worse.”

Trevor Roby tells us a little more on the subject of the failing rushing attack and what it does to this team.

“Not having an adequate running game has really hurt the Colts this season on short third downs and plays at the goal line.”

He says,” Now that Peyton seems to have found a groove, the passing game has flourished. Which is hiding the running struggles from the naked eye. The arm of Peyton, and the hands of Marvin are all people think about. Not the Legs of Addai and Rhodes. They don't focus just on the running game, which allows defenses of other teams to look past it and allowing the Colts to make big breaks every now and then. Addai's longest yard pick-up of this season is 78 yards.”

Marisa Scolamiero spills the beans on the Pittsburgh game and also what needs to happen in the future for the ground game..

“Against Pittsburgh none of these guys ran for over 35 yards on the ground or via a pass from Peyton. Joseph Addai has been battling the injury bug on and off this season so it is difficult to say whether or not he will fully bounce back, but since I'm an optimist, I'd like to think that Addai is going to regain his old form.

The others are going to have to do the same thing because they are not gaining enough yards on the ground. The Colts have a quarterback who is capable of throwing bombs and if the team runs up against a tough defense where they aren't able to score based on the passing game, they're going to need to rely on the rushing attack.”

My outstanding roundtable team all seem to agree that there really are three key things that we will see unfold in future games:

1. A more stable and healthy O-line which will build chemistry the longer they get to play as a cohesive unit this year.
2. A healthy Joseph Addai who will improve his ability to find holes in the defense.
3. An improved passing game which will open up the run.

And here, my friends, is my opinion…as if it really matters! HAHA!

I truly think that there is nothing wrong with our running game except two factors. In previous games, we have tried to run the ball early, gotten stuffed and fell behind early on the scoreboard, forcing us to throw the football to catch up.

There are many things that need to fall into place for a team to have a good running game, and some of them, not everyone thinks about.

1. Your defense must prevent teams from scoring early on and thus putting pressure on the offense to score fast.

2. If at first, your running game doesn’t succeed, try and try again. I’ve seen them abandon the run too often this season.

3. Addai’s best running play is the stretch to the end of the offensive line, where Manning sprints to the edge to hand the ball off. With Jeff Saturday pulling out and racing to the edge for lead-blocking, this is a very huge run play.

Peyton still is tossing to Addai on this play because he seemingly does not trust that knee injury just yet. When this play comes back, the running game will be there. I promise!

I’d like to extend my thanks to all the special people that have made this Roundtable possible. Stay on your toes, because next weeks topic will boast some of the most controversial aspects that make for a great article!

If you would like to be part of this unique Roundtable Panel, Here’s what you do:
Send me an email: aglenn@miwd.com, or post a note on my bulletin.

And be sure to let me know why you think you would be a great addition to this panel, as well as leaving me a link to your most credible work!

UNTIL THEN, KEEP BLEEDING BLUE COLTS FANS!

YELL, SCREAM! GO HORSE!

Indianapolis Colts: Calling All Colts Fans!!!!

Aaron Glenn — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:13:47 -0400

Calling All Colts Fans!!!

This is a challenge! I am trying to put together an article contest in the Indianapolis Colts Community, and yes, that means you!

Pick one player/coach from the past or present Colts Team, and write an article on them. No boundaries and only one rule....

Rule 1: BE CREATIVE!

If this sounds like it's down your alley, then please email me at aglenn@miwd.com so i can try to get this thing formal, and gain the support of Bleacher Report. I think this is a great idea, and it would be awesome to see what you guys can come up with.

There are 200+ in this community, and i don't expect all to do it, just the ones who want to try to climb the ladder in Bleacher Report. Thanks for your time guys, and I hope to get plenty of emails from interested persons.

Respectfully,

Aaron Glenn

Is Melvin Bullitt the Next Bob Sanders?

Aaron Glenn — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:06:56 -0400

OK, I am prepared to take a lot of heat for this article, as it is a very touchy subject to Colts fans. Let me remind you, however, that I am a very big Colts fan.

Bob Sanders. Is that a sentence? Well, it should be because nothing else needs to be said. Bob Sanders. Sounds good, eh?

What if we tried this one. Melvin Bullitt. Does it sound as good? Maybe not, but I will bet you are wondering. Melvin Bullitt. Sounds pretty good to me.

Melvin Terry Bullitt was born in Bryan, TX and raised in Dallas. He attended Naaman Forest High School, where he was obviously the team's MVP. His senior year, he totaled 78 tackles, 43 solo, five batted passes, three interceptions, three fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. Pretty good? Well, figure in the fact that he also had seven receptions for 185 yards and a touchdown on the offensive side of the ball.

In college, at Texas A&M, he was very impressive as well. In his freshman year, he did not start a game, thus he only had 13 tackles. As a sophomore, he started two games, and that year he had 29 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble.

In his third season at Texas A&M, Bullitt started 10 games, recording 59 tackles, two pickoffs, and two forced fumbles.

And his fourth and final season, he started 13 games, had 84 tackles, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery, and 8 passes swatted away.

Needless to say, Bob Sanders' college career looks a little better, okay, a lot better. But lets take a look at some key points.

1. Melvin Bullitt would never have gotten a look had Sanders not been injured and had Bullitt not made so many big hits on special teams. The job would have went to Matt Giordano.

2. Bob Sanders is amazing...when he's healthy. Will we as Colts fans ever see a season with a healthy Bob Sanders? I doubt it, due to him putting his body on the line every down.

3. While having Bullitt out there is great, because he hits hard and always seems to be around the ball, Bob Sanders is still irreplaceable. But with the way Melvin is playing right now, it's hard to miss him too much.

Like I said at the beginning, I am prepared to take the heat with this article, just remember, that just like you, I bleed blue.

Bob Sanders is amazing, but, so is Melvin Bullitt.

I must admit, I am very well pleased with Bullitt.

Indianapolis Colts' Aerial Attack Leaves Baltimore Ravens Grounded

Aaron Glenn — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 02:46:09 -0400

I am pretty much eating my words right now. I predicted this to be a low-scoring, hard-fought game.

I bleed blue, yet somehow did not expect the Colts to blast the No. 1 ranked defense in the NFL. Did you?

Peyton Manning has been struggling mightily to get back to the form he was in a year ago. Now it seems that Superman has returned.

With two touchdown passes in the first quarter, Manning steadily picked apart a mangling and brutal Baltimore Ravens defense.

Chris McAllister—one of the NFL premiere defensive backs—was in a cloud of dust all game long, while Marvin Harrison used blistering speed and clean-cut route running to prove that he is still one of the best the game has ever seen.

His counterpart and partner-in-crime Reggie Wayne was just as brutal to the Ravens' secondary, catching two touchdown passes from Manning.

The Indianapolis Colts' running game has been less than suspect as of late. That is, until this past Sunday.

Joseph Addai proved early that he could average around three to four yards per touch. And when he was jolted out of the game by a sore hamstring, his relief, Dominic Rhodes, blasted a few great touches out, including one 38-yarder in which he broke about eight tackles.

The story of the game, however, was not how Harrison, Wayne, and Rhodes played well. It was about the Colts' below average defensive squad. With some amazing plays from Melvin Bullitt, Gary Bracket, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis, the Colts allowed only one field goal.

Mathis had a three-sack game. Bullitt had some amazing Bob Sanders-type plays, and unleashed relentless hits on special teams and intercepted a pass on the Ravens' first drive.

All in all, the game was not fought hard and the Colts completely dominated every down, every drive, and every quarter of this lopsided game.

The final score was 31-3 in favor of Indianapolis.

If Brady Played for the Colts: A Poem by Aaron Glenn

Aaron Glenn — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 06:31:48 -0400

If Brady Played for the Colts:

If Brady wore light blue and white,

I'm sure he'd do real well.

If Brady played for the Indy Colts,

The city would go to hell.

If Brady played for the trottin' Colts,

I bet he'd like Reggie Wayne,

If Brady played for the Indy Colts,

I'd have to go insane.

No offense to Brady,

Hopefully none would be taken,

I would say keep him out of here,

I'd rather stick with Peyton!

Colts-Jaguars: Showdown or "No-down?"

Aaron Glenn — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:39:21 -0400

A jaguar is similar to a leopard. A colt is a young horse.

In nature, one of these two animals would kill the other without a problem.

In the NFL however, it's a tad bit different.

The Indianapolis Colts have numerous injuries. The Jags have very few. Some say this is the year the Jags will distinguish themselves in the AFC South. I have yet to see anything special from them yet. Their rushing game is very impressive, with a tandem of Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor. They have also added a few more key players on defense.

The Colts have two key players that are listed as probable, according to The Indianapolis Star: Jeff Saturday (knee) and Dallas Clark (knee) are fully expected to play this Sunday, which will help the Colts immensely.

Saturday's absence from the O-line was very noticeable, because there were three rookies trying to hold off some very big defenders. Dallas Clark will give Peyton Manning another close range target to throw to instead of only having Anthony Gonzalez.

The Jaguars will run and run and run again, trying to wear down the Colts' worse-than-average run defense while keeping Peyton Manning off of the field. If they can achieve this, the game will be pretty one-sided.

But as I have said before, as long as Manning is on the field, you can never count the Colts out of the game until the final whistle blows.

The Jags have the best run defense in the NFL, so if the Colts can't establish the run or get Addai in the open field with screen passes, this could be a long day for Manning and the Colts.

My Prediction: Colts-27 Jags-21

Indianapolis Colts: Dungy, Polian Will Have all the Answers.

Aaron Glenn — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 01:13:43 -0400

The Indianapolis Colts, 1-1 so far this season. Did you see what I just wrote? If not, let me accommodate you. The Indianapolis Colts, 1-1 so far this season. What does that mean you might ask? It all adds up to exactly SQUAT! I understand a lot of people may have extremely high hopes for the Colts.

I mean, lets face it, in Indy we are spoiled. We are whiny little brats tugging at Dungy's pant leg, saying, "Come on Daddy. I swear, I'll never ask again...just this once?” We are so used to winning in Indy now that it looks like we have forgotten what it's like to have a 3-13 season.

At some point you must realize that they can't win every game. The Patriots went 16-0 in the regular season, but what happened in the playoffs? They lost. I won’t lie, my expectations of the colts this season are high. With all the injuries this year, it will be hard to get double digits in the "W" column, but we will do it. Our record is 1-1.

Take out the hyphen and that's my prediction for this year. 11 wins are just good enough to not be a wild-card team in the AFC South. The Colts were banged up pretty bad last year and still won 13 games, but were even more banged up this year, and with emerging talents on the other AFC South teams, we will be lucky to get 11 wins this year, and to have a healthy roster come playoff time.

I wish that for once the injury gods would change their gaze to another team, like the Chargers! But don’t worry Colts Fans, even though the Colts are injury plagued, Dungy and Polian seem to always find a young undrafted rookie that will come in and play like you wouldn’t believe. I mean, come on, you remember Terrence Wilkins, right? He was undrafted.