Steve-o said:
Well, with a Colts D that ranked 2nd in the league in points allowed last season, but 11th in total yards, the "bend but don't break" moniker seems to fit THEM pretty well.
Ah, but there's the devil in the details, isn't there? You're ignoring the volatility surrounding the average drive against the Colts D.
The Colts D was in the bottom half of the league in yards/play. They were dead-last by far in completion percentage against. They were 5th-worst in running yards/play against.
So how does that reconcile with what you've just posted? Here's the answer: big negative yardage plays and turnovers. The Colts were 4th in the league in forced fumbles, 7th in takeaways, and 5th in sacks, not to mention 4th in yards per sack.
So why would you even bother to pass against the 5th-worst running yards/play defense in the league? Because teams are forced to play catchup b/c of Indianapolis' prolific offense. And the stats back that up, and have for some years now.
That's not a "bend-but-don't-break" defense; that's a "swinging-from-the-heels, hope-I'm-ahead," gambling defense.
It's also the reason why when the weather gets cold and the fields get muddy, slowing down the Colts O, the Colts D is exposed. Furthermore, it's why the Colts really blew their one big chance last year when they had HFA throughout the playoffs. Ouchy.
Simon was a tremendous addition to that D last year, really helping out on 1st and 2nd down. The question now is, who's going to replace the presence of Triplett and Thornton?