Colts’ offense gets a bailout

Plenty of excuses are available for why the Indianapolis Colts’ offense didn’t perform up to par in Sunday’s 18-14 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Blame it on practice — something key players Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, and Tony Ugoh mostly did not do last week.

Thank the defense for this one.

Blame it on an unfamiliar opponent. The Colts haven’t seen the 49ers since 2005, and last played them at home in 2001 — when former coach Jim Mora famously questioned the team’s playoff chances.

With the sun poking through the roof and into the eyes of Colts receivers, you can even blame it on Lucas Oil Stadium.

Whatever the reason, the timing was simply off, especially between Manning and Wayne.  Passes were overthrown. Receivers zigged when they should have zagged. Usual receptions were dropped. On that note, does anyone else think preseason performer Taj Smith would have been a much better option at fourth receiver than Hank “butterfingers” Baskett? Baskett sure didn’t help his cause Sunday, dropping two catchable passes — one on third down.

It took a trick play to crack the end zone. Joseph Addai’s wobbly halfback pass to Wayne may have provided the game-winning points, but it was the Colts’ defense and special teams who deserve credit for the win.

While the Colts settled for four Matt Stover field goals, the defense never let the 49ers make them pay.

Take away Frank Gore’s 64-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and the Colts shut him down, holding him to just 27 yards the rest of the way. The Indianapolis pass rush harrassed San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith, knocking him down seven times and recording four sacks.

But the Colts’ defense was most impressive when it was on the sideline. That’s because it was finally able to do something that’s haunted it all season — get off the field. San Francisco converted just 2-of-10 third downs, and had its final drive killed by a Freeney sack on 3rd-and-10.

Don’t forget the special teams.

Jamie Silvia undoubtedly made Colts fans cringe each time he caught a punt, but the rest of the unit — including Silva on kick coverage — was fantastic. The 49ers never started a drive further than their own 30. Rookie Pat McAfee averaged 46.3 yards per punt, and is quickly making Colts fans forget about Hunter Smith.

So the Colts are 7-0, the last unbeaten team in the AFC for the fourth time in five years. They have the defense and special teams to thank.

James will be a Hall of Famer … eventually

A future Hall of Fame running back took the field Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium, but he didn’t have a horseshoe on his helmet.

It might take a while, but Edge will make it to Canton.

Now a back-up with the Seattle Seahawks, he’s a guy Indianapolis fans haven’t seen since arguably the lowest point in franchise history, in a 2005 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That was nearly four years ago, and that was the last time Edgerrin James touched Indianapolis turf.

A lot has changed since James last donned his blue and white No. 32.

The Colts won a championship without him. Featured running backs, which James was during his seven years in Indianapolis, are extinct in today’s two-back NFL. At age 31 — 81 in running back years — James is obviously in the twilight of his career, which should end in a year or two.

But give it another five or six years, and James’ gold teeth should be on a bronze bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Should, but probably won’t for a while.

That’s because each year, there are simply more deserving players than available spots in Canton. More than 100 retired players and coaches are picked as preliminary candidates, then the list is whittled down to 17 finalists. Of those finalists, there’s no set number that get in, but between four and seven get the honor as new members.

Good luck, Edge.

The Hall of Fame’s arbitrary maximum of seven inductees is exactly what leaves candidates like James on the outside looking in. If 10 deserving players are nominated in a given year, why can’t they all get in? If there’s only one or two another year, so be it, only allow one or two.

The voting system is as flawed as college football’s BCS.

You’d think stats would be the deciding factor, but that’s not always the case. Former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas, the 13th-leading rusher in NFL history, was snubbed in 2006 before being inducted the next year. In an even more heinous decision, the voters passed on former Minnesota Vikings receiver Cris Carter not once, but twice.

Come on.

Say what you want about Carter being a “possession receiver” who lacked big-play ability, but the numbers don’t lie. Carter ranks third all-time in receptions (1,101), fourth in receiving touchdowns (130), and seventh in receiving yards (13,899).

James’ stats aren’t quite as lofty, but there’s no doubt he’s deserving.  

Not only is he the Colts’ all-time leading rusher, but he ranks 11th all-time in the league. A mere 132 yards separate James from eighth-place Jim Brown, which means Edge has a legitimate shot of becoming the league’s eighth-leading rusher just by gaining meaningless yards during garbage time in Seattle.

James didn’t do it with speed, he was a bruiser. Outside of a 72-yard run during his rookie season, he hasn’t broken one longer than 43 yards the rest of his career.

He was also a major reason the Colts won an unheard of 80 games during his tenure from 1999-2005. Indianapolis had one losing season in that span, going 6-10 in 2001 — the year James blew out his knee.

James was also incredibly durable.

Outside of that injury year in 2001, James only missed six starts as a Colt. In 2002, he had reconstructive surgery on his knee, injured two ankles, a rib, and a hamstring, and still rushed for 989 yards in 14 starts.

But will all that be enough to sway the voters when he’s eligible in 2014 or 2015?

Good luck, Edge.

‘09 NFL Picks

Starting tonight in Pittsburgh, football is finally back. No more suffering through Major League Baseball and no more stupid NASCAR races. With just hours until the ‘09 regular season gets underway, I figured now’s a good time to make some pointless picks.

Jevon Kearse made some picks of his own with the Terrible Towel. Should be a good one tonight.

AFC EAST: New England
Brady is back, and apparently so are the Patriots. But with defensive veterans Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel all gone, New England is going to have to rely on Brady more than ever before. No problem, he’ll pick apart the pitiful East. Buffalo is a mess. Miami and New York should be decent in a few years, but are too young to do much damage in ‘09.

AFC NORTH: Pittsburgh

Baltimore will be good again, but this division’s champ still resides in the Steel City. Pittsburgh returns virtually its entire league-leading defense and has plenty of offensive threats in Willie Parker, Santonio Holmes (Super Bowl XLIII MVP), and Hines Ward (1,043 rec. yds, 7 TD in ‘08). I still think Ben Roethlisberger is an idiot for his motorcycle stunt, but all he has done on the field is win. Almost forgot… Cincinnati and Cleveland will suck.

AFC SOUTH: Tennessee

Just can’t pick the Colts here. Too many coaching changes, several key injuries, and the run defense still can’t stop a high school team. That doesn’t add up to a title in the toughest division in football. The Titans should drop off a bit from last year, but should be good enough to take the South. RBs Chris Johnson (1,128 yds, 9 TD in ‘08) and LenDale White (15 TD) will tear up AFC South run defenses that range from weak — Indy (ranked 24th in ‘08) and Houston (23rd), to mediocre – Jacksonville (13th).

AFC WEST: San Diego

Move along, nothing to see here.

NFC EAST: Philadelphia

With three different division champs in the last three years, the NFC East is always a tough one to pick. Well not really, the race is only between Philly and New York for the title. Washington is rebuilding, and Tony Romo will choke away any shot Dallas had. The Eagles and Giants both have strong defenses, but I’ll give the edge to Philly for actually having receiving threats in DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. Who does New York have?

NFC NORTH: Minnesota

The Vikings should benefit from the league’s second-weakest schedule. Opening against Cleveland, Detroit, and San Francisco, 3-0 is basically a lock for the Favres. The Packers are better at quarterback, but the Vikings have the edge in run defense (ranked 1st in ‘08 to Green Bay’s 26th) and at running back (Adrian Peterson to Ryan Grant). Chicago is going nowhere, and for Detroit, just winning a game is a successful season.

NFC SOUTH: Atlanta

I don’t follow this division as closely as others, but I know one thing for sure — Tampa Bay sucks.  That leaves Carolina, Atlanta, and New Orleans as contenders, and I’ll take the Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, and the Falcons. Why not?

NFC WEST: Seattle

Jim Mora leads the Seahawks back to the PLAYOFFS?!? This pick isn’t so much about how good Seattle is, but how terrible the 49ers and Rams are. The Cardinals should be OK, but they lost several defenders and RB Beanie Wells is an injury waiting to happen.

Boring preseason still beats anything else

I’m sitting in the press box at the Indianapolis MotoGP race, waiting for it to start. Since I could care less about auto racing — and even LESS about European motorcycle riders whose names sound like pasta dishes — I decided now’s a good time to dust off the blog and start talking some good old (American) football.

The preseason is in full swing.

Are you ready for some meaningless football? Curtis Painter is.

Outside of the Brett Favre and Michael Vick media circus, not much has happened on the field. There are usually several compelling position battles in the preseason, but this year, it seems most teams are just sifting through their bench fodder, deciding who gets to stand on the sideline with a clean uniform each week.

There have been a few notable position battles at quarterback — Matthew Stafford vs. Daunte Culpepper in Detroit, Byron Leftwich vs. Luke McCown in Tampa, and Derek Anderson vs. Brady Quinn in Cleveland. But you can’t help but feel that each of those “battles” is a little pointless, as it’s only a matter of time until the Lions, Bucs, and Browns turn to their young quarterbacks — Josh Freeman, in Tampa’s case.

For the Indianapolis Colts, this preseason marks the beginning of a new chapter in the team’s history. With a new coach, several first-year coordinators, and plenty of new faces on the roster, it’s obviously going to be a season of change. But with three glorified scrimmages down and one to go Thursday at Cincinnati, it’s obvious not that much has changed with the Colts.

The Peyton Manning-led passing game still looks sharp. The run still needs work — both stopping it and creating it. Bob Sanders and Adam Vinatieri have been, and still are MIA.

With a 1-2 record, it’s a poor preseason as usual in Indianapolis. But there have been a few surprising exceptions. This year’s rookie class — especially RB Donald Brown, CB Jerraud Powers, WR Austin Collie, and punter Pat McAfee has looked solid. Brown could make Colts fans quickly forget about Dominic Rhodes, and Powers is making a strong case to put Tim Jennings out of a job.

So even though the preseason is mostly just a bunch of fourth-stringers grasping for a roster spot, I’ll still watch it. What’s the alternative?

The chase for stupid points in auto racing? No thanks.

Late-August baseball? Wake me when it’s October.

Luckily, college football is days away. But for now, the meaningless NFL preseason beats anything else going on in sports.

Bird plays it safe on draft night

Bird got the player he wanted.

By selecting former North Carolina star Tyler Hansbrough 13th overall in last month’s NBA Draft, Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird became a lightning rod for post-draft criticism.

Nearly everyone with an opinion had something to say.

Hansbrough is too small for his position.

His skills don’t translate well to the NBA.

He won’t get the calls he’s used to getting in college.

He’s basically a young Jeff Foster.

While there’s truth to some of the knocks against Hansbrough, it’s hard to find fault in Bird’s pick.

With the huge exception of Kobe Bryant, future superstars are very rarely available at No. 13. Just look at the last five players selected at that spot — Brandon Rush (Indiana), Julian Wright (New Orleans), Thabo Sefolosha (Chicago), Sean May (Charlotte), and Sebastian Telfair (Portland). Not exactly superstar material. In the last 20 years, only two players selected at No. 13 have been named All-Stars (Bryant and Dale Davis).

Expectations were especially low for this year’s sorry excuse for a draft, where outside of Blake Griffin it’s hard to see a single draftee making much of an immediate impact.

Most teams instead tried to draft for potential, or “upside”, which can often be a bust waiting to happen. Taking unproven players is always a high-risk, high-reward move.

But with Hansbrough, Bird knew exactly what he was getting.

He won’t be an All-Star and he might not even be a starter, but Hansbrough should provide a decent interior presence and more importantly inject the Pacers with something they desperately need — an attitude used to nothing but winning.

It’s hard to find more impressive college credentials than Hansbrough’s. He’s a former National Player of the Year. He left UNC with career averages of 20.2 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, and became the leading scorer in school and Atlantic Coast Conference history. His teams went to two Final Fours and won the 2009 National Championship.

Hansbrough must be doing something right.

Bird accomplished another important thing on draft night. He got people talking about the Pacers again.

In recent years, the word “apathetic” couldn’t even begin to describe the Pacers’ dwindling fan base. The team practically gave seats away last season and resulted to gimmick promotions normally found in minor league baseball.

Like him or not, Hansbrough inspires debate.

And as the saying goes, any press is good press.

Pick a big guy, Larry

The Indiana Pacers can get significantly better tonight — if Larry Bird makes the right decision and drafts a frontcourt player.

Plenty of talented guards should be available at No. 13. Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague, and Eric Maynor could all be solid pros.

It's time for an upgrade at power forward.

But the Pacers don’t need them.

With T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack, they already have the best backcourt tandem they’ve had in years. In his first year as a Pacer, Ford was careless with the ball at times, but had solid stats (14.9 ppg, 5.3 apg). Jack had a career season (13.1 ppg, 4.1 apg) and is durable, having missed only six games over his four-year career. He should be brought back.

The Pacers’ frontcourt is a different story.

Jeff Foster is breaking down, Roy Hibbert is still developing, Troy Murphy is a perimeter player who could care less about defense, and Rasho Nesterovic isn’t coming back. With really no low post presence last year, the Pacers threw up 21 three-pointers per game, fifth-highest in the league.

Indiana obviously needs a big guy, so who should they get?

Unless somebody pulls a Danny Granger and plummets right to them, the best frontcourt players available at No. 13 should be DeJuan Blair, Tyler Hansbrough, and B.J. Mullens. Bird has made it known that he prefers four-year college players to guys that leave early, so that pretty much rules out Mullens. 

Blair or Hansbrough would offer a significant upgrade. More of a hustle player than an explosive athlete, Hansbrough could easily replace Foster. Though undersized at 6-6, Blair dominated the paint at Pittsburgh and could be the Pacers’ best post presence since Jermaine O’Neal.

Also, don’t rule out a trade.

The Pacers have a solid bargaining chip in Murphy, who despite his ridiculous contract won’t ever have higher value. Indiana could unload Murphy for decent value in return.

Smart moves shape NBA contenders

In 29 days, we’ve seen four Game Sevens, several suspensions, a 58-point beatdown of New Orleans courtesy of Denver, and Mark Cuban call out Kenyon Martin’s mom.

And the NBA Playoffs are only about halfway over.

How did the Lakers, Nuggets, Cavs, and Magic get this far? By having a competent front office.

It has taken forever, but the NBA finally has its version of the Final Four — the Lakers, Nuggets, Cavaliers, and Magic. Some took longer to get this far, but all four have one thing in common — a smart front office. Each team can basically point to one move that provided its missing piece.

Cleveland snags Mo Williams in three-team deal

Quick, name who the Cavs gave up in last year’s three-team trade to get Mo Williams. You probably can’t. That’s because one player Cleveland lost (Joe Smith) re-signed with the team, and the other (Damon Jones) couldn’t even crack Milwaukee’s rotation. Williams (17.8 ppg, 4.1 apg) is more than just a sidekick to LeBron James. On a lesser team, he’d be the No. 1 option. 

Denver swaps Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billups

Perhaps no trade has ever had such drastic impact on both teams as this one. Detroit went 24-30 with Iverson in the line-up. Denver went 52-25 with Billups. Iverson missed 24 games. Billups missed one. Iverson’s Pistons are sitting at home. Billups’ Nuggets have an outside shot at a championship.

The Lakers get Pau Gasol from Memphis for garbage

Not even Isaiah Thomas would make the deal Memphis made. The Lakers pried two-time All-Star Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for the hefty price of major bust Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and strangely, Gasol’s younger brother Marc. Only Marc Gasol still plays for Memphis, while Pau (18.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg) has given the Lakers much-needed inside scoring. Pau may be a soft defender, but the Lakers have a realistic shot at their second straight Finals appearance since his arrival. He has to be doing something right.

Orlando drafts Dwight Howard over Emeka Okafor

In 1995, Orlando reached the Eastern Conference Finals with Shaquille O’Neal, a dominant center nicknamed “Superman” who could score and defend, but couldn’t shoot free throws. This year, Orlando reached the Eastern Conference Finals with Dwight Howard, a dominant center nicknamed “Superman” who can score and defend, but can’t shoot free throws. A shot-blocking machine, Howard has by far been Orlando’s best big man since Shaq left town almost 15 years ago. And the three-point happy Magic don’t even get him the ball.

LeBron, Cavs look to start their own legacy

Some things in sports are pretty much guaranteed.

There will never be another team like the Chicago Bulls of the 90s. No other team will win six championships in eight seasons. No player is the “next Michael Jordan”.

The comparisons will never end.

But forget the Bulls’ entire decade of dominance for a moment, and just think about how hard it will be for any team to top Chicago’s 1995-96 season. During that year, the Bulls won their fourth title in six years and an NBA record 72 games.

Just look at the awards.

In 1996, Jordan joined Willis Reed as the only player to be named regular season, All-Star, and Finals MVP in the same season. Scottie Pippen made the All-NBA First Team. Phil Jackson was voted Coach of the Year. Toni Kukoc was named the league’s best sixth man. Even Dennis Rodman kept it together long enough to win his fifth rebounding title. Well, he did headbutt a referee… but that’s about as wild as the NBA got before the days of punching fans in the stands.

So throw out the possibility of any team living up to the Bulls’ lofty legacy. No one can sustain that kind of long term success, but if anyone can come remotely close to that level of dominance in the short term, it’s LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs (66-15) are the East’s top seed, own home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and likely have the MVP in James.

Since his arrival in 2003, James has slowly transformed the Cavs from punchline to powerhouse. Cleveland has made the playoffs the last three seasons and went to the NBA Finals in 2007.

James averages nearly a triple-double (28.4 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 7.2 apg). He sells out arenas anywhere he goes. I’ve seen James play at Conseco Fieldhouse twice this season and No. 23 Cavs jerseys were everywhere. At last week’s game even Pacer fans cheered as James held an informal dunk contest with teammates during pre-game warm-ups.

The only knock on the LeBron-era Cavs is that they’ve had a weak supporting cast. Guys like Carlos Boozer, Ricky Davis, and Larry Hughes have tried, but none have been able to stick as James’ sidekick. But this year, James has finally found his Pippen in All-Star point guard Maurice Williams (17.8 ppg, 4.1 apg).

Just don’t expect these Cavs to stick together for long. Big men Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace are aging, Anderson “Sideshow Bob” Varejao should leave via free agency, and even James could bolt for New York in 2010.

But with home court advantage throughout the playoffs, Cleveland should take care of business and beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals. James would win his first title a year before Jordan got his.

If things don’t work out, at least James can do this:

No. 1 seeds should prevail in Final Four

This year’s Big Dance is nearly in the books, and my bracket is in surprisingly decent shape.

I correctly had North Carolina, Connecticut, and Villanova in the Final Four, but couldn’t have made a dumber pick for my fourth team – one-and-done Wake Forest.

The reward for making it through March Madness? .. a trip to Detroit.

Still, three out of four isn’t bad. Anybody could pick at least a couple Final Four teams when all four No. 1 seeds — UNC, UConn, Louisville, and Pittsburgh — had such dominant regular seasons. But the beauty of the tournament is it’s upsets, and only the two best top seeds made it through. UNC and UConn survived by utilizing their depth and absorbing opponents’ runs.

North Carolina made it look too easy.

Essentially a squad of All-Stars, the Tar Heels are the most loaded team in college basketball. Their entire starting line-up averages double-figures in scoring, and their best player, Tyler Hansbrough, has won just about every college basketball award known to man.

But Hansbrough wasn’t the reason UNC cruised to Ford Field. He had several down games, including a pitiful eight-point performance against Oklahoma in the Elite Eight. Guys like Ty Lawson (20.3 ppg in the tournament) and Wayne Ellington (19 ppg) stepped up, as three different Tar Heels led the team in scoring through four tournament games.

UConn won exactly the same way, with its depth.

Like UNC with Hansbrough, the Huskies have a dominant big man in the 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet. Defenses held him to well below his averages in the tournament, but UConn found success by going outside and spreading the ball around. A different Husky led the team in scoring in each tournament contest, including freshman Kemba Walker, who came out of nowhere with a career-high 23 points against Missouri in the Elite Eight.

While fellow top seeds Louisville and Pitt survived scares from the likes of East Tennessee State, Morehead State, and Siena, UNC and UConn were hardly challenged. The Huskies’ largest deficit of the tournament was two points, and the Tar Heels only fell behind by five against LSU.

Michigan State and Villanova should put up a fight this weekend, but expect UNC and UConn to finally throw down for a national championship.

I’m going with UConn to win it all.

Thabeet should dominate inside and free up the Huskies’ perimeter players for open shots. That, and I just can’t pick against coach Jim Calhoun. UConn has won the title the last two times he’s taken them to the Final Four.

Pacers run into red-hot Jazz

When thinking of NBA championship contenders, the usual suspects come to mind. Boston… Cleveland… San Antonio… the Los Angeles Kobes.

Add Conseco Fieldhouse’s latest visitor, the Utah Jazz, to that list.

The Jazz haven't played this well since the days of Stockton, Malone, and Greg Ostertag's glorious buzzcut.

They may not get much media coverage playing out in Salt Lake City, but the Jazz (41-23) have been dominating the league with the best players you’ve never heard of.

Anonymous guys like Paul Millsap (14.3 ppg, 9.2 rpg), Ronnie Brewer (14.1 ppg), and C.J. Miles (9.6 ppg) are packing plenty of scoring punch to go along with stars Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams. The Jazz rank sixth in the league in scoring.

With all that offense, you’d think Utah would be a defensive pushover like the Pacers.

Not the case.

The Jazz lead the NBA in steals per game (8.9) and give up an average of 99 points per contest (13th in the league). Tuesday, Utah forced 22 turnovers while running its NBA-best winning streak to 12 with a 112-100 defeat of the Indiana Pacers. 

Mehmet Okur, a solid starter who the Pacers always seem to make look like an All-Star, was in typical form, scoring 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He put up a career-high 43 points in the teams’ previous meeting in January.

Indiana’s Troy Murphy scorched the Jazz with 23 points and seven three-pointers, but was ineffective in the second half. Even with Murphy shut down over the final two quarters, the Pacers managed to knot the contest four times.

But they couldn’t take the lead.

It’s almost as if the Jazz were toying with the Pacers, allowing them to creep to within single digits only to hit the gas and put the game away at will. The Jazz finally delivered the knockout blow with a 16-4 run late in the fourth quarter.

The good news for the Pacers (28-38) is that they’ll likely get Danny Granger back this week. Sitting two games out of the playoffs with 16 to go, they’ll need all they can get from No. 33.