Are the Colts underachievers?

[edaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBH3

EXACTLY...Which is where I was going to go...That is the name of the game. Since Manning was put in horrible field position w/ 6 punts in the 20 he was asked to basically go 80 or more yards up the field. Its hard for any offense to do that once or twice let alone 6 times. The defense wasn't helping any giving up field position either. And for this people want to say they underachieved??? Please.

Ok Manning also had a chance to put the game away with a third and 2 situation and opts to call a pass play with an empty backfield and no protection...I think the defense did a decent job against the Bolts and had the O manged to pound the ball ,take advantage of the stops the d got for them, and put at least 3 more on the board the game is history...

[N51_rob]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBH3

Where are you getting 162 from because on both NFL.com and ESPN.com the # of PAA's for BAL is 528 to Indy's 481 which is only a 47 PA difference. Teams pass more against Baltimore because it's more successful to pass on them then to run...If you want to consider passing against them as being 'successful'.

My bad I ment that threw 162 more times against baltimore than they ran it. I didn't clarify that. Sorry.

[JBH3]

Quote: Originally Posted by edaddy

Ok Manning also had a chance to put the game away with a third and 2 situation and opts to call a pass play with an empty backfield and no protection...I think the defense did a decent job against the Bolts and had the O manged to pound the ball ,take advantage of the stops the d got for them, and put at least 3 more on the board the game is history...

Pound the ball w/ who? The Colts avg'ed 2.9 ypc...

[tmulk]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBH3

Delusional...check... There was this little team in Boston which had arguably the same type of QB, a run game, and a defense which was as stout as they come... Emphasis here on that team winning because of ... wait for it.... DEFENSE!

Manning will have better numbers when its all over, by far. Manning was the #1 overall pick. Talent-wise, Manning is much better than Brady.

What makes Brady better? The wins. The championships. If Manning and co. weren't underachievers and took care of business (IE, how Jordan did over the Knicks), Brady would have been a one hit wonder. If Jordan had choked, is there any reason at all to think New York wouldn't have won a few championships. If Jordan couldn't get the job done like Peyton and Co., would we be arguing who was better, Jordan or Ewing?

[ProfessaPackMan]

Did somebody really just attempt to compare this team to Jordan's Bulls??

[tmulk]

Quote: Originally Posted by ProfessaPackMan

Did somebody really just attempt to compare this team to Jordan's Bulls??

IF they would have performed to the level of their talent, they should have 3 championships and possibly 4 after this year. Manning has 3 MVPs, their offense has been one of the most leathal in NFL history (in the regular season) and they have a coach who Should be one of the best of all time.

If they achieved to the level of their talent, they WOULD be in the conversation with Jordan's Bulls.

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by tmulk

Best player of the era? Check (Manning). Superstar to compliment him? Check (Harrison). Fantastic Role Players? Check (Clark, Wayne, Edge James, Addai). One of the best minds in the game? Check (Dungy). How CAN'T this team be compared with Jordan's Bulls? The defense has never been dominate, but Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeny are both elite defensive players in this league. They should have won at Least 2 Championships, if not 3 or 4.

You missed the point entirely. First he was saying there isn't a comparison to the situation other stars were in, not winning b/c at some point they had to go through the Bulls to get a ring. The Colts were never compared to the Bulls and honestly, straight comparisons of a football team to a basketball team is pretty much impossible.

The way you're trying to is far from true anyway. Jordan and Pippen lead the all defense teams for years. Horace Grant was known for his defense, as was Cartright, Ron Harper, Rodman, etc. The Bulls defense was most definitely dominant.

[Nza]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

I just used this year as an example. We could be talking about any of the years. Those are actually two VERY different things. For example, the Dolphins overachieved as a team this regular season... no one would ever say they underachieved in the playoffs. One is a compliment and the other is an insult. I'd say the Cowboys underachieved this year. The Colts have a formula that gets them in the dance. You could say they choke when they get there or their formula is just good enough to get them there but that's it based on the talent they have. Everyone says defense wins championships and everyone knows they have holes on their D. The year the D stepped up they won the SB. It'd make sense to criticize the front office for not bringing in more players to fill the holes by now, but I personally wouldn't criticize the coaches and team for finding ways around that during the regular season but getting exposed in the playoffs. Most teams' weaknesses get exposed during the playoffs and all the teams around the Colts are getting better or worse every year so each year should be looked at individually rather than in a vacuum just for them over a 10 year span.

I don't think an overachieved label is that good a compliment, it suggests to me they're not as good a team as their record suggests. At least, I didn't particularly care for it when the Titans were labelled overachievers in 06 and 07. It's probably not as bad as being underachivers but neither is good IMO.

I consider choking and underachieiving to be the same thing basically. At the very least, I think Manning underachieves in the playoffs and can basically thank his D for the ring he got, even if he was given a freebie SB MVP in the process. Perhaps that is the real variable with the Colts once they get to the postseason, as he's been sensational during the regular season, but isn't the same once January rolls around. The rest of the team could very well be doing the exact same things, just not Manning.