Early look at the Indianapolis Colts

(Photo by Brian Spurlock/USA Today Sports Images)

by Dakota Antelman

Following Indianapolis' stunning upset of the Denver Broncos in Sunday's divisional playoff game, the New England Patriots are on to preparing for their AFC Championship Game against the Colts. 

The Patriots, decided favorites in this game, will spend this week prepping specifically for a unique Colts team as they aim to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2011. 

Below are some key storylines and players to watch going into next Sunday's game...

Colts passing game is second to none

The Indianapolis Colts were ranked first overall in the NFL in passing yards during the regular season. Such was largely the produce of third year quarterback Andrew Luck who completed 61.7% of his passes also leading the league in passing yards with 4,761. 

In the receiving game, stars TY Hilton and Reggie Wayne combined for over 2,000 of Luck's 4,761 passing yards. Though somewhat shaky in the endzone, Hilton and Wayne served as the secondary anchors to this offence that Luck built.

Indy run defense leaves room for breakout day for Patriots RB's

After running the ball on just 7 of 57 offensive plays vs. Baltimore, the Patriots could be headed towards a match-up vs Indianapolis that would favor a running back heavy approach. The Colts were 18th in the NFL this season in run defense, allowing an opposing RB to rush for 90+ yards on them five different times. 

The most stinging of those 90 yard days came in Week 11 when New England's own Jonas Gray dismantled the Colts rushing for 201 yards and 4 touchdowns on 38 carries. 

Lastly, if the past is any indication, this Patriots team enters this game with a history of running back explosions vs Indianapolis. Even before Gray this season, LeGarrette Blount blew the Colts away in last year's playoffs with 166 yards and four touchdowns of his own. 

Former Patriot Adam Vinatieri looking to prove he still has it

42 year old, four time Super Bowl winning, seasoned kicking great Adam Vinatieri has, in the time since he left the Patriots after the 2005 season, carved out a legacy for himself in Indianapolis. More so, 2014, a season 19 years after his debut, has arguably been his greatest. 

Vinatieri missed just one of the 31 field goals he attempted this season. He converted on three different kicks from 50 or more yards while also never missing from closer than 40 yards. 

As he faces the team that fostered his initial years of placekicking excellence, Vinatieri will be aiming to play a big part in one more AFC Championship win, proving his sustained skill as he does so.

Read More

Julian Edelman, Kyle Arrington, Le Garette Blount do not travel to New York, out vs. Jets

(Photo courtesy of Jared Wilkerham/Getty Images)

By Dakota Antelman

According to multiple reports, the Patriots realized the extent of several key players’ injuries Saturday afternoon before they travelled to New York for their game against the Jets. As a result, they elected to leave WR Julian Edelman, RB LeGarette Blount and CB Kyle Arrington home; ruled out for Sunday’s game.

All week, injury trouble has been a common theme and an overtly discussed topic for the Patriots. Julian Edelman had been listed as limited in each of the Patriots practices this week reportedly nursing a concussion. During that time, LeGarette Blount had participated in almost no contact drills as he is said to be dealing with a shoulder injury.

Finally, Kyle Arrington, who pulled up lame during last week’s game with Miami, has been out for much of the week with an injured hamstring.  Even though an MRI conducted Monday morning showed no major damage to Arrington’s hamstring, the CB appears to be still feeling soreness and as a result will not play.

The losses of Blount, Edelman and Arrington stand as big stories going into Sunday’s game. But against a 3-11 Jets team that has the worst passing game in football and is ranked 20th in pass defense, the Patriots ought to be able to compensate.

Without Edelman, who has hawked big target numbers from Brady all season, passes could be distributed to less targeted players like Danny Ammendola or Brian Tyms. Tyms has only been targeted six times this season, catching one ball. Ironically, that catch went for a touchdown in Week Four vs. Buffalo.

In the run game mind you, the Patriots excelled earlier in the year when Blount did not even play for them. Predictions and past trends dictate that rookie running back Jonas Gray could see increased snaps while an appearance from draftee James White has not yet been ruled out.

The New England secondary will likely absorb the loss of Arrington seamlessly as, beyond cornerstone CB Darelle Revis, Brandon Browner has been on the rise in recent weeks, increasing his effectiveness and thereby decreasing the yards his opponents gain off of him. The Jets passing game, which largely consists of just two capable targets (Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley) could be negated by Revis and Browner alone.

Las Vegas favored the Patriots to win this game on Monday and still does on Saturday night. Though a lack of Blount, Edelman and Arrington stings on paper, a Patriots team that prides itself in positional depth feels they are able to absorb the loss. 

Read More

Jonas Gray ready to ease back into the mix vs. Packers

by Dakota Antelman

24 year old Patriots running back Jonas Gray has had an up and down past three weeks. But at the end of it all, reports indicate that Gray will get back into game action Sunday vs. the Packers.

Gray made headlines back in Week Eleven when he rushed for 201 yards and four touchdowns on 37 carries vs. the Colts. He earned the nickname “Supreme”, was named the AFC Player of the Week and was also featured on the national cover of Sports Illustrated.

But then, the very next week, the Patriots brought in a proven competitor for Gray’s playing time in LeGarret Blount. Further complicating things was the disciplinary actions taken against Gray after he was late to practice. He was turned away from that practice and effectively suspended that Sunday vs. the Lions.

Watching from the sidelines, Gray witnessed LeGarret Blount retake the role of number one running back.

But ahead of Gray’s perceived return to action Sunday, the young running back was not overtly bitter. Rather, he thanked his teammates and coaches for “sticking with him”.

“These guys rallied around me,” Gray said. “No matter what I was going through, they were always there for me. I think the best thing about it is they were all concerned. But we’re moving on from it. I’m already past it. I feel like it’s been a while already. I’m ready to go play, get out there and finally get a chance to hit the field again.”

He will hit the field again when the Patriots match up against the Packers at 4:25 on Sunday. The game is one that could very quickly turn into a rush centered one for the Patriots as a 25 degree F game time temperature, combined with the Packers’ being ranked 30th in the league in run defense, seem to beg Brady to perpetually hand the ball off.

But within the run scheme it is still unclear how much of his old starting role will still be Gray’s to fill.

“They really never let you know,” Gray said on the subject of snap distribution. “I feel like a lot of these guys, no matter what position you're at or what you're doing, you're going to get some reps.”

But still, the Patriots have shown in recent years a predictable tendency to pick the running back that has “it” going on any given day and simply stick with him right through the end of the game. That was true for Gray vs. the Colts just as it was true for Blount last week vs. Detroit.

In an outing vs Detroit where he was given the ball 12 times, Blount was present on the field for 17 snaps. In comparison, secondary running back Brandon Boulden was on the field for two snaps while of course, Gray was completely absent.

What these statistics dictate is the fact that the Patriots could be leaving this game wide open in regards to who carries them in the run game.

Needless to say, Gray will be looking to remind them why he was offensive player of the week with a strong first quarter vs. Green Bay. 

Read More

Patriots intentions at RB clouded by LeGarrett Blount signing

November 21st, 2014

by Dakota Antelman

For the first time this season, the Patriots had a defined number one running back. Jonas Gray had one of the highest scoring games in years and proved himself capable of handling big time snaps. But then, mere days after Gray’s one man demolition of the Colts, the Patriots complicated the running back picture once again when they signed former player LeGarrett Blount to a two year contract.

Gray, a rookie, came alive verses the Colts. His four touchdowns were the most by any running back in the NFL this season. Beyond that, he rushed for a total of 201 yards on 38 carries; that was also a first for this year’s Patriots running back core.

In the coming days, the overnight sensation was trending on Twitter and dominating both local and national sports headlines. He was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated early this week and had stories about him circulated in the New York Times. More bluntly, a video of teammates chanting his nickname ‘Supreme’ had gone viral by Monday morning.

"I'll probably go home tonight, when we get back around 4 a.m., and just lay in bed, look up at the ceiling and just be astonished at what's going on," Gray said amidst that elated locker room atmosphere after the win. "Just writing a great story."

But at the same time that Gray was writing a great story, Steelers running back LeGarret Blount was erasing one. Controversy had sprung up around Blount angrily leaving the Steelers sideline late in their game vs. the Titans after a dispute with coaches over his playing time.

Though very little was known at the time, it was clear that there was an issue of character within the Pittsburgh locker room. Said issue was addressed swiftly and decisively when, Monday morning, the Steelers announced the release of Blount.

"We believe the decision to release LeGarrette is in the best interest of the organization and wish him the best of luck," said head coach Mike Tomlin in a prepared statement.

Blount had run into trouble with the Steelers before. He had previously expressed displeasure with his receiving sometimes less than 10 carries per game while also getting arrested for Marijuana possession back in August.

From the perspective of a fan, even one who watched Blount blow away the Colts a little less than a year before Gray did the same, Blount did not seem like the kind of player New England should spend its time on. They, a team recently plagued by the legal debacle brought on by Aaron Hernandez and the lesser mess brought on by Alfonzo Dennard’s DUI’s and probation violations, did not seem like one that should pay a guy who just got fired for his behavior.

But alas, the Patriots disregarded Blount’s issues and signed him to a two year deal at minimum salary Thursday afternoon.

Blount was present and practicing at Patriots facilities the next day.

One man who was not was the previously celebrated diamond in the ruff, Gray. He was sent home from Friday’s practice after showing up late. Though the Patriots coaching staff assured the media that the discipline would not affect his Sunday playing time it certainly added insult to injury for Gray.

Furthermore, the absence of Gray and the presence of Blount at Friday’s practice seemed to put a shocking, bow on a week of running back turmoil.

Right now not much is clear about how the Patriots will handle their new depth at running back or how the playing time of Blount and Gray will be managed.

One thing that the Patriots know for sure about Blount though is that he gives the Patriots a proficiency in the return game. He was the king of the kick return in his last stint with the team averaging nearly 30 yards a return in 17 attempts and once logging a stunning 84 yard run back in an explosive season finale win over the Bills.

But beyond the kick return game, Blount and Gray are very similar running backs. They are both powerful players who at the same time possess slick abilities to slip through gaps in defensive lines and then break away from any and all who chase them.

Thus the case could be made that the team should split their playing time, putting Blount on kick return and splitting rushing attempts right down the middle for him and Gray.

Friday at practice however, Bill Belichick seemed to disband any arguments in favor of that approach saying that for the time being, Blount would have to earn every snap he was given.

"That will be up to him, just like everybody else," Belichick said. "When he gets an opportunity, [it's] how much he can take advantage of it, how much he can be productive and what he can do with those opportunities [that] will determine how many more there are. It's totally up to him.”

Blount seemed to also understand that Belichick was putting his foot down and would not tolerate any of the playing time complaints that he assembled down in Pittsburgh.

"Bill is a straight-forward shooter, he's a 100 percent honest person," he said. "I truly believe that if I do what I have to do, then I'll make myself a role on this team. Whatever I have to do, I'm going to do it to be productive."

If Blount can be what he was when he rushed for 166 yards in the 2013 Divisional Playoff game for the Patriots, than they will be in possession of one of the strongest run games in football. But if he cannot than they will be in big trouble.

In short the Pariots have been indecisive in the run game for much of the season. This Blount signing, just a few days after Gray emerged as apparent king of the masses, was an example of that indecision at its most obvious.

It seemed to hint that the Patriots might not trust Gray as a number one back. After the great confidence boost that he was given by Sunday’s excellence, his team undermining him and bringing in this guy to breathe down his neck could do more harm than good. That could be shown as soon as Sunday when the Patriots face the Lions at home.

To keep that from happening, the Patriots need to let Gray defend his statistics with another day of starting reps. After a performance as historic as the one that he put up last Sunday, he does not deserve to fade back into the pot of talented Patriots running backs.

Read More

Patriots offense comes up big on day Tom Brady does not

November 17th, 2014
by Dakota Antelman

Well removed from the Week Four loss that seemed to put their season in jeopardy, the Patriots practiced more of the same in their 42-20 win over the Colts Sunday.

The win served as New England’s third straight 40 point performance while Rob Gronkowski caught yet another touchdown pass extending his streak to three games.  

But at the same time, the game also featured some things that fans have not seen out of this team in over a month.

Tom Brady was intercepted twice and threw just for 253 yards. His most notable interception came on a short fade out play that resulted in his lofting a high arcing pass that was quickly picked off at mid field. The Colts would eventually score and send New England into the locker room at the half with a sour taste in their mouths.

 “It was like a no-look throw and those don’t ever end up good,” said Brady. “I thought I had a good look presnap. Gronk got through there, but I just put too much air on the ball and ended up lobbing it up right to Mike. Hopefully, there are no more of those this year.”

Brady threw for fewer yards than he had since that dreadful Week Four loss in Kansas City while his two interceptions nearly doubled his previous season total. But despite that the Patriots still found a way to win in a big way.

Rookie running back Jonas Gray ran for a franchise record four touchdowns in the game adding to a 199 yard all around performance. He rushed with both power and agility jumping through scrums of players and scoring each of his four touchdowns on short, easy runs up the middle of the field.

Gray took the ball on 38 total plays, which given that the Patriots got off only 75 plays, speaks to the omnipresence of the running back in Sunday’s game.

“I think you’ve got to be able to find different ways to win,” said Brady. “Depending on the matchup that you get you’ve got to devise a game plan that you think is going to work. Then once you get in there, see if it works, and if it is you stay with it.”

Operating off of previous observations, the team also elected to favor a red hot Gronkowski. The tight end averaged almost 18 yards per catch vs the Colts and assembled an impressive array of hard blocks and stiff arm plays.

Speaking about a third quarter block on Sergio Brown, Grokonwski said, "He was just yappin' at me the whole time. So I took him and threw him out of the club. I was the bouncer, picked him up and tossed him out of the club on that one touchdown. So that was perfect."

Gronkowski, like Gray, seemed to give the Colts more than they could handle. The same could also be said for the Patriots defense which seemed to put its trust in the capable hands of cornerback Darelle Revis.

Revis was all over the field Sunday but delivered his most debilitating blow during a second corner coverage play on wide receiver Reggie Wayne. Revis was able to go over Wayne’s head and tip a pass intended for him up and back towards a waiting Devin McCourty.

The interception seemed to energize the Patriots defense who stood tall especially in similar situations where the Colts were close to being in a position where they could score.  

“We’re sharks,” Revis said, via ESPNBoston.com. “We smell blood in the water. Each game like this is another step closer to our goal.”

In a game that could have gone very differently, the Patriots stayed vigilant and hungry. Such are traits the team will need in the coming weeks as they face the Lions at home and then travel to Green Bay for a Week Thirteen battle with the Packers.

But for the briefest of moments, the Patriots remain focused on yet another convincing win against a well ranked opponent.

 “It was a great win, great win on the road, against a damn good football team. [But] they all get bigger from here,” Brady said after the game.

Read More