Today’s game at Lucas Oil Stadium between the Colts and the Bengals may be fun to watch for several reasons.  First of all, the Colts will be feasting on a Bengal team that is not playing its best football.

And then there’s the impending sideline meltdown from Chad Ochocinco that will be worth the price of admission to watch.

The Colts suffered a temporary setback with their loss to the Eagles last week and are going through one of their toughest years in recent memory with regard to injuries.  Top named players like Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez out for the season with injuries and then there are the week to week setbacks of Joseph Addai, Austin Collie and Mike Hart among others as well.

But this week looks to be a matchup of feasting on whose healthy.  Manning is in top form, once again setting the standard for what an NFL quarterback can and should do.  Reggie Wayne is in top form and Jacob Tamme is filling in perfectly at Tight End.  The Colts should be able to piece together enough offensive weapons for this game to give the Bengals defense fits, a defense that is allowing an average of 27 points per game over the last five games.

The one challenge the Colts do face against Cincy today is the resurgence this season of Terrell Owens.  Owens is already fast tracking his stats over last season in Buffalo, which should have been a no brainer since he has Carson Palmer throwing to him this year.  The Colts defensive backs will have to bust him a little bit more at the line and not get beaten deep to keep the Bengals from hanging around in this game.

The flip side of the Bengal receiving corps is Chad Ochocinco.  Ochocinco is not putting up the same kind of numbers as Owens is and it’s causing a little drama in Bengalville.  It seems there has been some friction between Ochocinco, Palmer and head coach Marvin Lewis and I would suspect that if Ochocinco doesn’t get the attention today he thinks he deserves, some fireworks might fly.

It should be a fun game to watch for Colts fans.  Expect the Colts to win big at home and put the pressure on the rest of the AFC South to keep up.

When the Colts can’t run the ball. . . at all. . .they’re really not too difficult to defend.  Let’s face it.  The Eagles had a pretty decent game plan for yesterday and they executed it fairly well to boot.  But given the way the Colts ran the ball in Philadelphia on Sunday (or should I say, didn’t run the ball) I’m thinking the Liberty Bell Ladies Auxiliary could have done just as well as the Eagles’ defense.

The Colts only rushed for 62 yards on 19 attempts Sunday and that glaring statistic  really tells everyone why the Colts lost the game.  This Indy team averages around 27 points per game and those points tend to get spread out through various offensive weapons on the team, particularly the receivers.  Running the ball for the Colts in the Manning era has always been just one of the means to the end, i.e. setting up the pass.  Whether it’s a called play in the huddle or Peyton adjusting and making an audible at the line, the result of the pending pass play is set up by the defense not being sure of what’s going to happen.  When the defense can predict or at least play the odds, as the Eagles were pretty much able to do yesterday, the defensive emphasis is placed on the pass coverage and the Colts become easier to defend.

I’m sure there was a collective sigh of relief from both fans and Colts’ staff this morning regarding the status of Austin Collie and his concussion.  Collie took a big hit in the 2^nd quarter yesterday while attempting to catch a pass coming across the middle of the defense.  After the initial hit, Collie’s head hit the turf hard as he fell to the ground and he laid motionless while medical staff attended to his injury.  A personal foul was called on Kurt Coleman for an illegal hit on a defenseless receiver.  Now after watching the replay numerous times, I really didn’t think it was an illegal hit or even if it was (by the letter of the law), it did not appear to have any intention to cause harm.  It was just one of those instances in football where fast moving bodies make and take hard hits.

Here’s what did bother me though.  Asante Samuel complaining almost hysterically along the sideline. . .or DeSean Jackson running onto the field to give the referees an earful of how he’s taken that kind of hit before without  the same kind of yellow flag protection.  Now here’s Austin Collie, apparently knocked out, lying completely still in the middle of the field and you have several Eagles who were complaining about 15 yds like it was more important than the health of another player.  Here’s a tip for Samuel and Jackson. . .look up sportsmanship and class in the dictionary.

The Eagles were healthier and better prepared to win on Sunday and the final score reflected that.  Hopefully, the Colts can continue to get injured players healthy so the patchwork-bandaid system they are using now can take a backseat to starting regulars again.  Check back later in the week for my pregame thoughts on this weekend’s game against the Bengals.

This would be a good day for the law of averages to catch up with Eagles QB Michael Vick.

Vick has thrown 96 passes without an interception and you figure he’s going to attempt somewhere between 20-30 passes today.  Not to take anything away from Vick, he’s having a pretty decent season thus far filling in for the injured Kevin Kolb.  But sooner or later, Vick is either going to make a mistake or force a pass where he shouldn’t.

Hopefully for the Colts, today is the day. Because if Vick isn’t contained, it’s gonna be a hard, long day for Indy.

Do the Colts have the defensive ability to induce a passing mistake by Vick?  Not likely.  The Colts only have 6 interceptions on the season ranking them 20^th in the league.  Not exactly a stat that instills fear in the hearts of an opposing quarterback or receiver.  Compound that fact with Vick’s ability to scramble and create when called plays break down and Indy could be in for a long, defensive afternoon.  The defensive front for the Colts will have to bring their “A” game on the road today, breaking through on pass rushes and getting to Vick quickly before he can read the coverage.  It’s really the only way defenses can be moderately successful in containing him.

The Colts’ offense is still in a state of managed chaos.  Manning is still the forever constant, starting his 200^th career game.  What isn’t constant though are the options he has for both the pass and the run.  RB Donald Brown, playing hurt but active, is in for the injured Joseph Addai and Mike Hart and hopefully he can find just enough holes to open up the lanes for Manning to throw into.  Brown will probably share carries with Javarris James in the backfield.  Austin Collie is expected back, albeit in a limited role, but his presence should still take some of the pass coverage away from Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon.  Anthony Gonzalez was the latest Colt placed on the IR this week, another injury making the Colts’ training room look like a MASH unit.  TE Jacob Tamme had a decent game last week and the Colts are hoping he can continue to pick up the slack.

The Eagles’ defense and in particular, CB Dimitri Patterson, will try to make a statement at home against Peyton and the Colts’ receivers.  He’s going to have his chances.  The Colts are going into this game with little or no running game and Manning is going to have to throw the ball 30-40 times to win this game.  It should be a high scoring affair with both teams scoring 30 or more points.  Look for the Colts to win it with Manning’s experience at the helm the difference late in the game.

Hopefully Arian Foster doesn’t leave his cleat marks on the back of Colts’ defensive jerseys tonight like he did the last time the Colts played the Houston Texans.  That is, if the Colts are lucky enough to even touch him based on the last performance Foster had against Indy.  He downright torched the Colts for 231 rushing yards in the first game of the season and let’s face it. . .the Colts’ run defense ain’t got any better.  Maybe some home cooking at Lucas will do us good.

Add in the fact that Duane Brown is back after a four game “rest” and the Colts’ should expect the same dose of running-it-down-your-throat offense.

There is no secret formula the Colts can put together for tonight, it only comes down to execution by the players.  The defense ranks 26^th in the league against the run and trying to keep Foster under his 105 yds per game average will be a difficult task. . .for even the best defenses in the NFL.

The Colts’ offense is banged up and is gonna stay banged up for awhile.  Joseph Addai is still doubtful for tonight and Donald Brown is still struggling with the hammy so it appears Mike Hart is going to get most of the snaps tonight out of the backfield.  Now as Colts’ fans we never expect any glorious running totals at the end of the game so if Hart can pump out a few breakaways just to keep the Texans’ defense honest, that will open up Manning’s passing game.  Even without Collie and Clark out with injuries, expect Peyton to still find Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, rookie WR Blair White and TE Jacob Tamme who are filling in for Collie and Clark, respectively.

While the Colts are nursing their injuries and trying to get their defense where they want it for the remainder of the season, they may be in a position where they just have to plain “outscore” their opponents.  Indy still has enough offensive weapons even with key players out or playing hurt.  The Colts average about 27 points per game and the Texans average giving up about 27 per game.  Given Foster’s ability to run and open up the game for QB Matt Schaub to throw, I figure Manning is going to have to throw for over 350 yds and at least 3 TD’s tonight to counter the points the Texans throw on the board.

I’m thinking it’s going to be a high scoring affair. . .hopefully the Colts winning at home by a score of 34-31.

When Phil Hughes woke up this morning he probably already knew that today was the biggest day of his life.  If he even slept.

Now understand, he’s a young guy, only 24 years old, and I’m sure he’ll go on to have bigger days in his life that will supersede tonight’s Game 6 ALCS matchup between the Yanks and the Rangers.  There will be both personal and professional accomplishments and achievements that might make this game pale in comparison.  But for today….for tonight….the weight of the Yankee’s 2010 repeat championship hopes rest in his right arm.

Everybody knows Hughes was not sharp in Game 2.  The Rangers roughed him up like a stacked beer league softball team in a money tournament.  Compounding that problem was the lack of production from the Yankee offense.

So let’s keep it simple, what do the Yankees need to do to win?

There’s no getting around it and it’s no mystery to anyone. . .Hughes needs to bring his A game and have lots of movement on his fastball.  In Game 2, his fastball was flat and had no movement enabling a good Ranger hitting team to take the advantage.  He needs to stay ahead in the count, avoid the walk and if possible, avoid the long ball which has been his nemesis. Hughes has given up untimely homers in the past and this is not a game where there is margin for much error.

Secondly, the Yankee hitters need to approach this game with the same discipline they did in Game 5.  They worked counts and took advantage of mistakes when balls were left out over the plate.  Swisher and ARod need to have big games and hopefully Cano and Jeter can keep up their hot hitting.  Also, the Bombers should be aggressive on the base paths when opportunities present themselves so the pressure is on the Rangers to slow them down.

It’s recognizable that the Rangers have outplayed the Yankees thus far in the series, which is why they hold a 3-2 edge.  Experience will only get you so far, it’s still about performance and the Rangers have been able to out-pitch and out-hit New York most of the way.

The Yankees are certainly good enough to compete though. . .they just have to perform as well.

I hate the fact that Cliff Lee is so darn humble. . .so damn likeable.  I wish he would run his mouth like Curt Schilling used to (and probably still does) or say stupid things like ex-Braves pitcher John Rocker often did so I had a reason to hate him other than the fact that he made Yankee hitters look like that were batting blindfolded.  But no, he just goes out and pitches. Pitches good.  Pitches great.  Pitches freakin’ phenomenal.

As any fan would, I stood behind my guy, Andy Pettitte, and I still do.  With the exception of Josh Hamilton’s reach out and touch me homerun in the 1^st inning last night, Pettitte pitched a helluva game.  Two earned runs and 5 hits allowed over 7 innings. . .nothing to sneeze about.

The problem was. . .Cliff Lee was just plain out sick.

Are you kidding me? Zero earned runs, 13 strikeouts, 2 hits and 1 walk.  Thanks Cliff, for punching our face in.  If this series goes to a 7^th game and the Yanks have to face Lee again, I’m thinking that might a problem and it may be time for the Bombers to make late October golf trip plans.

Tonight the Yankees turn to A.J. Burnett and hope he can shut down a Ranger offensive onslaught that has been averaging over 6.5 runs per game over the 1^st three games of the ALCS.

Great.

Hey, don’t get me wrong.  I bleed pinstripes like the rest of the diehard Yankee fans do too.  And I know everyone of them, like me, is not too jazzed about Burnett pitching tonight.  The fact is, we are scared.  Petrified.  If the Rangers can put up big run numbers against Sabathia, Hughes, and select members of the Bomber bullpen, then you can bet your last nickel that those Texas hitters are foaming at the mouth waiting to hit against Burnett.  Burnett’s ERA is a whopping 5.26 and in a simulating setting last week, he couldn’t even maintain enough control to keep from clunking two of his own players.  Yikes.

But A.J. has had his moments. . .albeit far and few between this season but a few.  As a fan, I’m hoping he can muster the command and internal fortitude it’s gonna take to shut down that offense.

And speaking of offense, “hello. . .Yankee batters 2, 3 and 4. . . .are you there??”  A lot more production out of the middle of the lineup is in order.  Maybe tonight the Bombers can end the funk and slap Tommy Hunter around for awhile.  He’s making his first appearance at Yankee Stadium and it would be nice to give him a warm, loving Bronx welcome, if you get my meaning.

Let’s just hope it’s a welcome and quick “goodbye”.

First of all, let’s all give thanks to Redskins’ CB Carlos Rogers for eating a Triple Slider Deluxe at Five Guys Burgers and Fries giving him greasy fingers and enabling him to drop two would be interceptions.

But I’m still concerned about the run defense even after the Colts escaped our Nation’s Capital with a 27-24 win on Sunday night.  You gotta give it up for the Redskins though. . .they didn’t lay down.

The Colts rightly took advantage of a Redskins team that just doesn’t defend the run all that well.  Joseph Addai broke out for 128 yds and Mike Hart chipped in 43 after Addai got injured again in the 3^rd quarter.  Indy seemed to have the offense perfectly balanced yesterday as Peyton threw for 308 yds and two TDs.

Here’s my concern though.  Obviously the defensive front line’s job is getting into the backfield and disrupting the quarterback or at least stop or slow down the run.  I’m not sure the Colts’ defensive front line did that.

Freeney, Mathis, Moala and Muir combined for 13 tackles and assisted tackles and the week before against the Chiefs, only combined for 9, both tackles and assisted.  Now I don’t expect those numbers to be astronomical.  But giving consideration that the total defense only had 7 QB hits and 2 sacks. . .the amount of stops at the front line has got to improve and their rushing yards allowed stats bear this out.

Offensively, you had to be impressed with the output save one stat which would be the 4 fumbles with 3 lost.  I can’t say anyone is overly concerned with that though because it doesn’t happen with any regularity.  I think it’s safe to assume that Kenny Moore had a bad night and we’ll leave it at that for now.

Peyton Manning did what he does best, chipping away at a Redskin defensive backfield that suffers the same dilemma that others face when trying to stop the Colts:  which receiver is going to get the ball thrown to him.  Every NFL team usually sees a 8-10 players receive a pass on any given Sunday but the conundrum against the Colts is their highly talented receiving corp.  Any one of Peyton’s receivers can have a breakout game at any time.

As I pointed out earlier last week, the Colts needed to focus on WR Santana Moss and WR Chris Cooley while at the same time, let Peyton peck away and take what the Washington defense was giving him.  Thankfully, Moss did not have much of a night and Cooley left the game early with an injury.

We snuck out with a win and kept pace in the AFC South and we’re heading into the Bye Week which is very timely.  It’s time to get healthy and review the defensive objectives for the remainder of the season.

One of best things about being a Yankee fan is the playoff season.  For one, we’re usually in the playoffs every year so we can extend the support of our team and secondly, the situation usually places the Yankees and their fans in an “us against the world” situation.  The rule of thumb for baseball fans seems to be “if my team can’t win it, root against the Yankees.” 

I bring this up because it appears the whole baseball world, and probably some of those not in our world, think that the Yanks are done after losing Game 2 in Texas and they face the dilemma of having Cliff Lee starting against them on Monday.

Yeah. . .so?

Look, I know Cliff Lee has a 6-0 playoff record with an ERA of 1.44.  Impressive to say the least.   In fact, if he can continue on that torrid playoff winning pace he might someday equal or surpass the career leader in playoff wins.  Wow, wouldn’t it be great if we could match Lee against the pitcher who currently holds that record?  Now that would be a game to watch.  Young Lion vs. Old Lion.  Who do you think would lead their team to victory?

Gimmie the Old Lion.

Outside of Yankee fans and a few baseball analysts, Andy Pettitte is getting no love in this matchup.  I guess it’s easy to overlook the fact that he has won 19 playoff games for one of the most storied, rich in tradition teams in sports history.  And he does it without glitz, glamour and fanfare.  Pettitte goes to the mound and works the corners, slings that infamous slider and basically keeps the hitters guessing for about 7 innings.

Ranger fans and Yankee haters are saying bring it on.  They would rather have Cliff Lee who has been pitching gems over the last couple of years and I’m sure they are thinking whatever Pettitte has done is ancient history.  The fact is, in the last five playoff games that Pettitte got a decision, they were wins.  So either he was pitching well enough to win or the Bomber bats were doing their part and contributing to the cause.

There’s no denying it. . .Lee has been outstanding and carries impressive playoff statistics.  But let’s be honest, Yankee Stadium will be rocking on Monday and there has to be a certain amount of angst within him knowing that he will have to be the hero in order for the Rangers to advance to their first World Series appearance.  The pressure he feels now will build and bubble up like a shook up Coke bottle ready to explode sometime during Game 3.

For Andy Pettitte, it’s been there, done that. . .and business as usual.

How fitting is it that the Colts are playing in Washington DC this weekend since their defense resembles the politics in our nation’s capital. . .talking a good game but performing inconsistently.  Dwight Freeney said that a lot of the team’s problems that happened against the Chiefs were “self inflicted” but if you watched the same game I did, the only self inflicted problems were done by the Chiefs themselves.

Luckily, we have offense.  That’s right, we sure rolled up the score last week against the Chiefs and just tuckered Adam Vinatieri right out.  We’ll come back to the offense later though.

Now..about that defense.  Can the Colts stop the Redskins ? Who is their offensive threat?  Who is the focal point of the Redskin offense?

If the Redskins are going to run on the Colts, as most teams try to do, they will need to be better at it than their statistical average.  RB Clinton Portis is still out so most of the carries will be handled by RB Ryan Torain who is not exactly scaring any defenses after last week’s performance, 40 yds on 16 carries.  If statistics are worth anything, Washington only runs slightly better than Indy.  Given that, I’m guessing Mathis, Freeney, Muir and Moala will keep the run in check with the linebacker corp stopping the leaks.

How bout the pass. . .who is McNabb going to throw to?  Basically, it’s a two man show featuring Santana Moss and Chris Cooley.  Now neither guy is finding the end zone on a frequent basis but the two are averaging 14.1 and 13.2 yds per catch, respectively.  If Kelvin Hayden and Jerraud Powers can step up and hold the Skins’ receivers down a bit, then McNabb has really limited options.

Now for the Colts’ offense.  Joseph Addai and Donald Brown are still hurting so I’m not expecting much on the ground Sunday night unless Mike Hart breaks out.  The onus is going to be on Peyton and given the ranking of the Redskins’ pass defense, that’s fine with me.  The Skins rank last in opponents total completions and opponents passing 1^st downs, two categories Peyton should feast on like a fat guy at the dessert table.  As much as Washington would like to shut down the Indy receivers, it ain’t gonna happen. . .just too many weapons.

Any other keys?  Yup.  The Colts have got to take care of the ball.  The Redskins have had a few turnovers go their way and if the Colts don’t cough it up, the burden of scoring is on the anemic Redskin offense.  Manning doesn’t need to force any passes, just take what the Skins give him and take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself.

This should be a game where we see Manning racking up the yardage and TD passes we are accustomed to.  If you are looking to see great rushing performances, this might not be the game to watch.  I suspect it’ll be an aerial show.  Expect the Colts to pull this one off, 27-13.

I’m thinking the Colts would like to thank Chiefs’ QB Matt Cassel for his performance as the Invisible Man on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium and while we’re at it, let’s give kudos to WR Dwayne Bowe for bringing his hands of stone as well.

Let’s face it Colts’ fans. . .the team got tested by a Chiefs’ defense that was better than we expected and if it weren’t for some gaffes by the boys from KC, I might be writing a blog about how great Matt Cassel is.

Ugh.

Mistake Number 1:  An attempted onside kick by the Chiefs that was executed with the same perfection as Lindsay Lohan’s probation.  K Ryan Succop’s kick only went 7 yds so the Colts took advantage of great field position early in the game and K Adam Vinatieri put Indy up 3-0 nine plays later.

Mistake Number 2:  With about 2 minutes left in the 1^st quarter, Chiefs’ Offensive Coordinator and Guru Charlie Weis (see Ugh above) calls a pass play for Cassel to Bowe on a 4^th and 2 from the Colts’ 8 yd line which goes incomplete instead of kicking a field goal which would have tied the game and given some momentum back to KC.

Mistake Number 3: With just under 4 minutes left in the 3^rd, Bowe drops a 1^st down pass in the end zone that Betty White could have caught, drops another on 2^nd down that Rose from the Titanic could have caught and then KC settles for a field goal two downs later.

Hold up Colts’ fans. . .I hear what you’re thinking.  It wasn’t just their mistakes, we stopped the run. . .that’s cause for celebration.  I’m not convinced giving up 113 yds is stopping the run but the Chiefs were kept out of the end zone, both on the ground and in the air.

And here’s the thing. . .our own ground game still ain’t where it’s supposed to be.  I love Joseph Addai as an up and down runner but the draw play to him on Sunday just wasn’t working.  The Chiefs’ defensive front line was all over him like white on rice.  I’m thinking Colts’ Offensive Coordinator Clyde Christensen has got to address this problem before next week. . .especially if Addais’ new injury keeps him at less than full strength.

So it wasn’t a game where the Colts’ organization shows the highlights on the big screen at the Stadium every week. . .but Indy got the job done playing, if nothing else, good football with limited mistakes.

Oh yeah. . .Peyton did play by the way.

 See ya later in the week.