I think we're seeing a trend with the Colts this year, believe it or not. They play well at home. Week 2 was a slaughter of Eli and the Giants. Kansas City played their trump card on us and made the game look ugly, but we played tough and found a way to win. Now, back to start fresh off a bye week, the Colts defeat Houston in good fashion for Week 7. The win puts Indy atop the AFC South division, which is where they are used to being. The only question is, will this kind of intensity that the Colts play with at home travel with them on the road?
In case you're named Rip Van Winkle and have been asleep for mega-years, each week there is one game on Monday night. For players, it is the special time to know that the rest of the league is watching, because they're not playing their games. Monday Night Football is a tradition for fans, kind of a "premier" time to showcase your team and brag about them to your co-workers from Cleveland. Figures that the Colts were heading into this national spotlight without (are you ready for this?) Bob Sanders, Melvin Bullitt, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie, Joseph Addai, Antonio Johnson, Jerrod Powers, Jacob Lacey and Pat McAffee. A bit shorthanded, and every one of those guys was a starter at some point this season. Needless to say, The Colts were counting on a guy named Peyton to show up.
We've talked in previous weeks about how the Colts defense is built to play with a lead, and is able to be more aggressive when the offense is putting up points. But also, the defense can set the tone for a game. That's exactly what happened last night vs. the Texans. Dwight Freeney & Co. played with a reckless abandon that really kept the Texans tentative all night. It just seemed like a night where the Colts were making their own destiny.
For those who may not have noticed, the first touchdown of the night was a pass to Jacob Tamme (who?). This is relevant because Tamme is the replacement for Dallas Clark. On the first quarter back in action after Dallas has been lost for the year, the Colts find a way to get Tamme a touchdown. Message to the NFL: "you can't replace a Dallas Clark, but we can sure beat you without him".
After the Colts were up 7-0 on the Tamme TD, the defense went back to work and showed us something we haven't seen much of this year: the blitz. Clint Session comes out of nowhere to blast Texans QB Matt Schaub, and the result is a lame duck pass just waiting for Kelvin Hayden to make the interception and run it back for touchdown number 2. After that, it was the Colts' game to control. I won't bore you with the specifics of the rest of the game, as most of us watched it and saw the same thing. It just appeared like the boys in blue were back. No matter who got the call, who lined up, who made the play. It was a very fitting performance on a night where the Colts honored Tony Dungy by placing him in the Ring of Honor. It was Tony, who back in 2000 came to the Colts and began the mantra "Next Man Up... No Excuses, No Exceptions". It seems that a decade later, those words are still ringing true in the Indianapolis locker room.
