1) He’s fine. Healthy. Running good routes and looks like the Marvin of 2-3 years ago. If you are wondering why his WR numbers aren’t all-world, the Colts o-line was a patchwork mess for 3 weeks and the QB is still recovering from surgery.

2) The o-line is getting healthy, sans Ryan Lilja who is on the PUP. Dallas Clark is practicing and will play. DT Daniel Muir also practiced Wednesday and will play. So, other than Sanders, Lilja, and SAM backer Tyjuan Hagler, the Colts are finally getting healthy.

He’s looked a bit uncomfortable in the pocket, but has moved fine. I think the discomfort was the patchwork OL in front of him not the knee under him like some analysts have said.

if they are targeting someone in the back 7 it’ll be the OLBs. Clint Sessions still has less than half a season of starts under his belt and despite being a converted safety Freddie Keiaho still has some trouble in coverage. They are both very good cover OLBs, but Tampa-2 LBs are asked to do a ton in coverage. They might go at Melvin Bullit, Bob Sanders replacement, but the Colts scheme really discourages deep passing.

A good receiving TE like Daniels usually works over a cover-2 because of the hole between the deep safeties, but the Tampa-2 drops the MLB into that zone and Colts MLB is one of the best coverage LBs in the league.

Whoever is matched up on Tim Jennings in the nickel package (it’ll be Johnson or the #2 WR because they slide Marlin Jackson inside to the slot because he’s the most physical CB by far (and the slowest) will rack up some 1st down conversions. For some reason the fastest CB on the team gives up massive cushions. Matt Jones was killing Jennings on comeback routes for first downs last game.

but it was mostly because of the other matchup. Colts O killing the Broncos D, Reggie Wayne in particular.

Since Dungy arrived in 2002 and installed the current defense the Colts are 5-1 against the Broncos (5-2 with a week 17 game where they rested starters then beat the Broncos by 25 the next week in the wild card round)

In all six of those games against the Colts starters the Broncos ran well though. They ran the ball often (lowest total attempts was 20, highest was 56) and were effective (lowest YPC was 4, highest was 6.3)

So the great zone blocking run game of the Broncos had plenty of success against the Colts D, but the team lost because they could never stop the Colts O (they Colts broke 40 points twice, 30 twice more, won in overtime with 23 and lost the only game they didn’t score 20).

2 sacks and a forced fumble in two games. They are rotating him out more often, but he’s been very effective.

Against the Jags they didn’t make any obvious changes, they don’t change up coverages or alignments much normally, just play your zone and do it very well. They do switch to a cover-3 with Sanders in the box when they are getting run on. They ran the same thing against the Jags with Sanders’ backup, Melvin Bullit.

I was watching on my laptop and didn’t always have a feed, you see anything different BBS?

Answering questions about the Colts is more fun than studying for a Multivariable Calculus (wish I was kidding) test

Saturday was back two weeks ago against the Jags and (not) coincidentally the Colts running game returned at the same time. Saturday being back and appearing totally fine is big because it means Peyton doesn’t have to make the line calls in addition to calling and adjusting the play and Saturday is one of the elite centers in the league so he’s pretty useful after the snap too. See his demolishing of 350lb Vince Wilfork in the AFC Championship game (replays at 1:22 give a great view)

Clark had a knee injury in the Opener (Chicago game) that kept him out of the Colts second game, but he was back for week 3, where he took the nasty hit. It looked bad but his concussion testing game up clean and he’s had two weeks to recover thanks to the bye. He’s not even on the injury report. You may have been thinking of Saturday’s injury that was suppose to have him out 4-6 weeks without surgery or 6-8 with it (he didn’t have surgery, returned to practice after 3 weeks, played after 4).

The Texans offense scares me in that if the DTs and LBs don’t step up the Texans are capable of running on them. Win teams can run on the Colts it levels the playing field by limiting the Colts strength (Peyton and the O) and avoiding what the D is designed to do (stop the pass and pressure the QB).

Ugoh has all the talent, but he has lapses. He was a better run blocker than Tarik Glenn from day one (with is a complement to Ugoh not a knock on Glenn who was good but not great run blocking). Glenn was a phenomenal pass protector. Ugoh is progressing, he doesn’t get dominated and consistently beat, but he’ll just blow once every game or two.