Philliez01
09-07-2007, 05:00 PM
I already posted the link to the article in the Colts forum so you can check it out there. But does anyone have any advice on how I can improve? I am a junior, now, in HS and hope to take a journalism class in college.
The Indianapolis Colts began their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions on NBC’s Thursday Night Football! Opening night, as it’s referred to, kicked off with the singing of John Cougar Mellancamp. After a few of those Reggie Bush / Peyton Manning commercials, the season began!
Colts vs. Saints; some tout it to be a potential Super Bowl preview. As Olindo Mare (former Dolphin K) kicked off to Luke Lawton, it seemed that Blue Nation was ready for some football.
But boy, did we get a scare. One the first play of the game, Peyton Manning threw a small underneath pass to starting RB Joseph Addai who, for a lack of a better term, got “jacked up” by Saints CB Mike McKenzie. Addai stayed on the turf and I am certain that every fan wearing blue last night, whether they were at the RCA Dome or in their home, held their breaths. As the Colts training staff came out, several thoughts entered everyone’s minds. With only two RBs on the roster, and with NBC reminding us that none have anything more than a quick cameo with the Jets (in Luke Lawton’s case) and a CFL career (Kenton Keith); it seemed that the season was doomed. Addai would walk off, and everyone exhaled as it was deemed to have been a simple case of getting the wind knocked out of you. As the Colts went 4&Out, all I cared about was that Addai was healthy.
The first break for the Indianapolis Colts came from the foot of Olindo Mare. Always regarded as a kicker with a big foot, Mare easily had the distance for the 52-yard FG. However, it did not have the accuracy. The Colts would get the ball on their own 39 and Peyton Manning threw his first TD of the season, a perfect 27-yard pass to WR Marvin Harrison who made a great effort in keeping both feet in-bounds. It seemed that the Colts offense looked to be back in sync and that is never good for opposing defenses. The TD did come at the expense of former Colts CB Jason David who was burned by Harrison. But David would get his redemption. After another Saints drive stalled out, Reggie Wayne attempted to drag David and reach the first down marker. Unfortunately, David would take the ball 55 yards to tie the game up 7-7. After one FG by each team, the score was 10-10 at halftime.
Then the floodgates opened. The Colts struck first with a two-yard run by Addai. After the run defense kept stepping up their game, David was burned again! This time by Reggie Wayne who caught a slant by Manning for a 29-yard TD. It was then 24 – 10 Colts and the game was nearly out of reach. Then the game got out of hand. After another Adam Vinatieri FG, David again lost to Wayne. A 46-yard TD with 10 minutes remaining all but solidified the game’s ending. As the clock ticked down to 1:00, Matt Giordano; widely known as a player with the most hustle on ST, returned a Drew Brees INT 83 yards and the final score was:
Colts-41
Saints-10
Now a new item I’m adding to my post-game wrap-ups is Player of the Game (for both offense and defense) and Disappointment of the Game:
Offensive Player of the Game: Peyton Manning
A bit of a cop out regarding how he won Horse Trailer Player of the Game by NBC, but it has to be him. Manning again proved why he’s perhaps the best QB in the game right now with his play calling ability. We even saw him throw on the run a few times, which isn’t too common. Tony Ugoh, Jeff Saturday, Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai were also up for consideration. Eric Johnson was the only Saint in consideration.
Defensive Player of the Game: Freddie Keiaho
I was high on Keiaho before the season but did not expect this. Keiaho racked 6 tackles and had an INT earlier in the game that gave the Colts momentum. He also looked decent in pass-coverage especially on a deflection on a Brees pass that was intended for Johnson. Other Colts in consideration were Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson, Scott Fujita of the Saints was in contention as well.
Offensive Disappointment: Reggie Bush
I started him in my fantasy league and took a small hit. Bush has been expected to break out this season into the star he can become. However, he did have a few good inside runs (including one that he fought for a first down) but had a critical drop and still had a few runs for losses.
Defensive Disappointment: Jason David
Don’t worry Saints fans, David isn’t THAT bad. In fact, let him get accustomed to facing off against better WRs and he’ll be a nice player. However, his performance after the TD was abysmal. It’ll get better but when you give up 3 TDs; it’s hard to not notice.
The Indianapolis Colts began their quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions on NBC’s Thursday Night Football! Opening night, as it’s referred to, kicked off with the singing of John Cougar Mellancamp. After a few of those Reggie Bush / Peyton Manning commercials, the season began!
Colts vs. Saints; some tout it to be a potential Super Bowl preview. As Olindo Mare (former Dolphin K) kicked off to Luke Lawton, it seemed that Blue Nation was ready for some football.
But boy, did we get a scare. One the first play of the game, Peyton Manning threw a small underneath pass to starting RB Joseph Addai who, for a lack of a better term, got “jacked up” by Saints CB Mike McKenzie. Addai stayed on the turf and I am certain that every fan wearing blue last night, whether they were at the RCA Dome or in their home, held their breaths. As the Colts training staff came out, several thoughts entered everyone’s minds. With only two RBs on the roster, and with NBC reminding us that none have anything more than a quick cameo with the Jets (in Luke Lawton’s case) and a CFL career (Kenton Keith); it seemed that the season was doomed. Addai would walk off, and everyone exhaled as it was deemed to have been a simple case of getting the wind knocked out of you. As the Colts went 4&Out, all I cared about was that Addai was healthy.
The first break for the Indianapolis Colts came from the foot of Olindo Mare. Always regarded as a kicker with a big foot, Mare easily had the distance for the 52-yard FG. However, it did not have the accuracy. The Colts would get the ball on their own 39 and Peyton Manning threw his first TD of the season, a perfect 27-yard pass to WR Marvin Harrison who made a great effort in keeping both feet in-bounds. It seemed that the Colts offense looked to be back in sync and that is never good for opposing defenses. The TD did come at the expense of former Colts CB Jason David who was burned by Harrison. But David would get his redemption. After another Saints drive stalled out, Reggie Wayne attempted to drag David and reach the first down marker. Unfortunately, David would take the ball 55 yards to tie the game up 7-7. After one FG by each team, the score was 10-10 at halftime.
Then the floodgates opened. The Colts struck first with a two-yard run by Addai. After the run defense kept stepping up their game, David was burned again! This time by Reggie Wayne who caught a slant by Manning for a 29-yard TD. It was then 24 – 10 Colts and the game was nearly out of reach. Then the game got out of hand. After another Adam Vinatieri FG, David again lost to Wayne. A 46-yard TD with 10 minutes remaining all but solidified the game’s ending. As the clock ticked down to 1:00, Matt Giordano; widely known as a player with the most hustle on ST, returned a Drew Brees INT 83 yards and the final score was:
Colts-41
Saints-10
Now a new item I’m adding to my post-game wrap-ups is Player of the Game (for both offense and defense) and Disappointment of the Game:
Offensive Player of the Game: Peyton Manning
A bit of a cop out regarding how he won Horse Trailer Player of the Game by NBC, but it has to be him. Manning again proved why he’s perhaps the best QB in the game right now with his play calling ability. We even saw him throw on the run a few times, which isn’t too common. Tony Ugoh, Jeff Saturday, Reggie Wayne and Joseph Addai were also up for consideration. Eric Johnson was the only Saint in consideration.
Defensive Player of the Game: Freddie Keiaho
I was high on Keiaho before the season but did not expect this. Keiaho racked 6 tackles and had an INT earlier in the game that gave the Colts momentum. He also looked decent in pass-coverage especially on a deflection on a Brees pass that was intended for Johnson. Other Colts in consideration were Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson, Scott Fujita of the Saints was in contention as well.
Offensive Disappointment: Reggie Bush
I started him in my fantasy league and took a small hit. Bush has been expected to break out this season into the star he can become. However, he did have a few good inside runs (including one that he fought for a first down) but had a critical drop and still had a few runs for losses.
Defensive Disappointment: Jason David
Don’t worry Saints fans, David isn’t THAT bad. In fact, let him get accustomed to facing off against better WRs and he’ll be a nice player. However, his performance after the TD was abysmal. It’ll get better but when you give up 3 TDs; it’s hard to not notice.