|
Colts Influence
The Colts
and Saints Recap
By Jon Anderson
September 6, 2007
Tens of thousands of blue-clad fans poured onto the
downtown Monument Circle on Thursday that stretched across several
square blocks of the central business district, where they stood
shoulder to shoulder to cheer for their beloved Indianapolis Colts
Tom Strickland / AP
Photo by Matt Dial
. . . and get a little groove on while they were at it.
The crowd crammed downtown for a free three-hour
concert highlighting the NFL Opening Kickoff celebration as the Super
Bowl champions prepared to take on the resurgent New Orleans Saints
at the RCA Dome.
The concert featured Faith Hill, Kelly Clarkson and
the rock group Hinder.
Austin Winkler, with the rock group Hinder, performs at the NFL
Kickoff concert on Monument Circle, Thursday, September 6, 2007.
(Kelly Wilkinson / The Star)
While the lucky fans in the sellout crowd of 57,361 at
the RCA Dome were treated to a rocking pregame party thrown by the
NFL to celebrate the Colts' Super Bowl XLI title with The Hoosier
homegrown recording legend John Mellencamp playing a
seven-minute rendition of his 1980s hit "Small Town."
during the pregame ceremony at midfield; appropriate for one of the
NFL's smallest markets.
"I don't think any of us realized how big a
deal this was until the planning process started,"
Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson said Wednesday.
Not all the news was positive as an unidentified man
was injured when he fell or jumped from the ninth floor of a hotel
less than a block away from the concert. His condition was still
unknown late Thursday night.
More
on this article here
The NFL honored a request by New Orleans Coach Sean
Payton and allowed the Saints to stay in the locker room during the
ceremony. NFL officials said Payton wanted his team mentally focused
on the game and felt the banner ceremony might be an unwelcome
distraction before kickoff.
In what's becoming an NFL tradition, the Super Bowl
champs got to drop its title banner, the franchise's first since
moving from Baltimore to Indianapolis.
"And now to hang in our rafters forever, our
world championship banner will be unfurled,"
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Irsay said as The Colts unveiled their 20-by-40 foot,
250-pound "2006 World Champions" banner at 8:22 p.m. in the
southeast corner of the Dome before the game Thursday night, much to
the delight of 57,361 delirious fans as the crowd went wild as Colts
owner Jim Irsay introduced the Colts while the players ran out
through the tunnel and onto the field through a mock Super Bowl XLI
ring, which included a lighted blue horseshoe and the same design as
the players' actual rings.
Matt Detrich / The Indianapolis Star
The banner gets to last just one season in the RCA
Dome as The Dome will be razed and the Colts move next door to what
is now the hulking, skeletal mass of Lucas Oil Stadium.
With the pre-festivities all said and done the NFL
season opener between The defending World Champions Indianapolis
Colts and New Orleans Saints now get underway.
The Saints, coming off their first NFC Championship
Game appearance in franchise history, have former Purdue quarterback
Drew Brees, perennial 1,000-yard rusher Deuce McAllister and Bush,
one of the league's top backs.
The Colts with their potent combination of Super Bowl
MVP Manning, Pro Bowl receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, and
last year's top rookie rusher, Joseph Addai.
The first half was a scuffle between both teams as The
Colts battled the Saints to a 10-10 tie at halftime with a 27-yard
touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison with his
signature dragging of the feet to remain in bounds
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images
and an Adam Vinatieri 33-yard field goal.
Photo by A. J. Macht
New Orleans countered with a heads-up play by former
Colt Jason David who stripped a catch out of the hands of Reggie
Wayne, scooped up the loose football and sprinted 55 yards for a score.
Kicker Olindo Mare tacked on a 34-yard field goal in
the second quarter.
That's the first half.
The second half The New Orleans Saints got an old
fashioned Horse Whoopin'!
The touchdown by Jason David off a fumble recovery
would be the only one of the night for the Saints and the only score
by the New Orleans offense was Olindo Mare's 34-yard field goal in
the second quarter.
It was the first time since Sean Payton became coach
that the New Orleans offense failed to score a touchdown.
From the middle of the second quarter until the middle
of the fourth, the Saints ran just one play in Indianapolis territory
and that was for a 2-yard loss as the Colts defense used their speed
to their advantage throughout the evening, swarming New Orleans'
running backs like a pack of hungry wolves.
Conventional pre-game hype boasted the Saints pounding
the ball into the Colts' defense with McAllister and Bush toward the
area vacated by Booger McFarland, who sustained a season-ending knee
injury in training camp.
Yet tackles Raheem Brock and Ed Johnson were jointly
making up for the lack of McFarland in the middle of the Indianapolis defense.
And they continued it throughout.
A super-quick Colts defense with four new starters
shut down Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister holding one of
the league's most potent offenses to 293 yards.
Both Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister were held to
less than 4-yards per carry, with each only managing 38 yards total
of rushing.
"We can tell they're down," Brock said,
"and when they're down, we want to keep them down."
"You always want to make a statement in the
first game, but it's only one game," Brock said.
But one very loud statement.
Meanwhile, the Colts pass defense was just as
smothering as they stifled and harassed Saints quarterback Drew
Brees, the NFC's top-rated passer last season, as he completed 28 of
41 passes for only 192 yards (a 6.9 average) and finished with a
tawdry 58.2 passer rating.
Brees was on the verge of setting a dubious NFL
record for the fewest yards-per-completion in a game (minimum 25 attempts),
but a few cosmetic completions helped him avoid that mark.
With the loss of cornerbacks Nick Harper, Jason David
and linebacker Cato June; three key starters on defense to free
agency along with the training camp loss of starting defensive tackle
Anthony McFarland to injury. Defense does not seem to be a problem
for The Colts as many have feared and predicted.
The Colts' Defense may be undersized, but it's quick.
Really quick. When you can hold Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush to a
combined 76 yards on 22 carries that is impressive. The Colts' line
rarely got pushed around, and the defense overall allowed few running gaps.
If it wasn't middle linebacker Gary Brackett or
strongside 'backer Rob Morris denying New Orleans big gains, it was
safety Bob Sanders.
Those three players combined for 20 unassisted tackles.
Colts looked even stronger in the secondary with
Kelvin Hayden and Marlin Jackson starting on the corners as they
proved their desire and hunger in the 2006
AFC Championships Game and in Super
Bowl XLI and certainly showed their presence in tonight's game.
Freddy Keiaho, the second-year player out of San Diego
State as The Colts new full-time starter weak-side linebacker mading
his first start in place of the departed Cato June was an
overwhelming success with nasty hits, open-field tackles.
In the second quarter, he drove through a blocker,
carrying him into Bush and dropping the runner for a 5-yard loss.
In the third quarter, he picked off a Drew Brees pass
. . .
Photographer unknown
. . . that in turn led to a 33-yard field goal by
Vinatieri that made it 27-10 in the first minute of the final quarter.
Keiaho appeared in 18 games as a reserve as a rookie
but became the starter after leading tackler Cato June signed as a
free agent with Tampa Bay in the offseason.
He and safety Antoine Bethea helped set a defensive
tone in the first quarter with a pancake hit on Saints tight end Eric
Johnson. Keiaho added a third-down stop on the Saints' Reggie Bush.
Lots of open field on the short pass play, but Keiaho closed quickly.
To top matters off. Keiaho played through the game hurt.
"It was hard for me to settle down because I
lost the use of my right arm in the first series," he said
of an injury. "I didn't play the way I wanted to because I
was just working with one arm."
The severity of Keiaho's arm injury is uncertain, but
he sounds like a tackler who is determined to keep playing.
"You have to learn how to play hurt and play
with pain," he said. "If I have to play 15 more
games with one arm, that's how it will have to be. I'll just have to
learn how to tackle with one arm."
|
UPDATE
September 10, 2007
Colts starting weakside linebacker Freddy Keiaho hopes
to play in Sunday's game at Tennessee after suffering a dislocated
right elbow.
Keiaho injured the elbow in the first quarter
Thursday's 41-10 season-opening win over the New Orleans Saints.
Keiaho, who played most of the game with the injury, had his elbow in
a brace and sat out the team's brief practice Monday afternoon.
Keiaho had hopes of getting clearance to play in
Sunday's AFC South road matchup with the Titans. His availability
likely won't be determined until Friday or Saturday. |
The Colts have also found themselves a solid new left
tackle. Tarik Glenn had protected Manning's blind side for all but
four games of the quarterback's career before he retired unexpectedly
just before training camp.
A second-round draft pick from Arkansas who was thrust
into the starting lineup because of the vacancy left by Glenn, Ugoh
held up well in his first NFL game. He kept Saints Pro Bowl defensive
end Will Smith from getting a sack nor was he credited with a tackle.
Photo by A. J. Macht
Ugoh showed a lot of athleticism for a 6-5,
301-pound lineman. Ugoh pancaked a New Orleans linebacker and looked
quick in pulling to the outside on several running plays.
It would also appear as Ugoh has picked up a couple of
ol' traits of Tarik Glenn when he had a false start penalty and a
holding penalty.
Need we discuss the menace Sanders, Freeney, Mathis
and Rob Morris presented to the game?
We will in the Play by Play below.
After intermission and shaking off a sluggish first
half, the Indianapolis Colts opened their regular season looking
better than ever as they mauled a highly-respected New Orleans Saints
team in the second half to register a 41-10 victory in front of a
national audience Thursday night to secure their third straight win
in a season opener.
The New Orleans Saints hardly knew what hit them,
except that it was excruciating.
In the process, the defending World Champions put the
rest of the league on notice that they shouldn't expect to see a
post-Super Bowl slump from this team.
Along with Colts Defense, The Colts offense hit it's
stride also in the second half.
The Saints followed the prescribed strategy for
playing the Colts:
Give them the run. Drop into coverage and take away
the deep pass, take away the big play.
But every time they made an exception, took a chance,
went with a blitz,
quarterback Peyton Manning read it and exploited it.
INDIANAPOLIS - SEPTEMBER 06: Quarterback Peyton
Manning #18 of the Indianapolis Colts calls an audible against the
New Orleans Saints in the first NFL game of the season at the RCA
Dome on September 6, 2007 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Do I really have to say anything more about the
Offense when you consider were talking about Peyton Manning, Marvin
Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Joseph Addai?
Well, we will as we . . .
START
THE SHOW
Colts Ball
The defending champions won
the flip as The Colts elect to receive.
FIRST QUARTER
New Orleans Kicker, Olindo
Mare kicks it 60 yards to The Colts 10 as Luke Lawton runs it back to
The Colts 32 for 22 yards before being hit and putting the ball in
Manning's hands.
On the first play from
scrimmage much of the sellout crowd gasped at the sight of
second-year running back Joseph Addai going down when Saints
cornerback Mike McKenzie slammed into his midsection, breaking up a
potential pass reception. Having the wind knocked out of him, Addai
stayed flat on his back for quite some time. A team of medical
personnel rushed to Addai's side and a collective hush fell over the
sellout crowd.
"I just got the wind
knocked out of me," Addai said. "He hit me with his
helmet or something in the stomach. You all saw him. I didn't see
him. I wanted to go to sleep on the field after that."
Reserve running back Kenton
Keith entered and on the next play made his first NFL carry
productive, gaining 7 yards.
On 3rd on 3, Tarik
Glenn's replacement, Tony Ugoh mimicked Tarik as he was penalized 5
yards for a false start making it 3rd and 8.
With that, Manning threw
incomplete to Marvin Harrison on the next play as Hunter Smith came
out on 4th and 8 and booted it 48 yards to Saints 18 as Reggie Bush
brought it back for a whole 2 yards as Matt Giordano brought him down.
Saints Ball
at 13:37
Saints at their own 20;
Running Back Deuce McAllister TRIED to go through the left tackle as
Colt's, Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson stopped him for a mere gain of
3 yards.
Saints second play and
McAllister TRIED to go up the middle when Colt's, Robert Mathis and
Raheem Brock stopped him for a mere gain of 2 yards.
On 3rd and 5, Drew Brees
throws a short pass over the middle to Wide Receiver Marques
Colston for a gain of 10 yards before he was nailed by Marlin Jackson.
1st and 10 and Brees hit
Tight End Eric Johnson on the right for a gain of 6 before Kelvin
Hayden and Marlin Jackson bring him down.
Running Back Reggie Bush took
a short pass from Brees for a gain of 3 yards before Kelvin Hayden
made the hit.
3rd and 1, Brees faked it to
Deuce McAllister up the middle, handed the ball off to an in-motion
Reggie Bush as Reggie ran around right end for 9 yards before he is
met by the menacing Safety, Bob Sanders.
1st and 10; Saints on Colts
47 and Colt's Left Linebacker Rob Morris denies McAllister from
making anymore than 1 yard.
2nd and 9 and Drew Brees
connects with Wide Receiver Devery Henderson on a short pass over the
middle for a gain of 6 before Rob Morris makes presence again.
3rd and 3 and McAllister ran
for 5 yards before he was swallowed up by Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders.
Just when The Saints thought
they were actually getting somewhere sitting on The Colts 35 yard
line and a 1st and 10, Drew Brees throws incomplete to Reggie Bush as
Freeney puts a stop on the play.
2nd and 10 and 2nd year,
Freddy Keiaho puts a stop to McAllister for a gain of 4 yards.
3rd and 6, Saints on The
Colts 31 yard line until Raheem Brock nails Reggie Bush behind the
line of scrimmage for a loss of 3 yards.
Saints bring out Olindo Mare
to kick a 52 yard field goal that sailed wide left, no good!
Score 0
- 0
Colts Ball
at 6:08
The Saints had the ball for
12 plays and used up 7 1/2 minutes.
But Peyton quickly proved, as
is his custom, he didn't need much time to do damage.
After the scare on the Colts
first play of Addai getting hurt, he returned to the game on the
Colts' ensuing series and showed no effects from the big hit as he
pounded up the middle for a gain of 4 yards on the Colts first play.
Although Manning connected
with Wide Receiver, Reggie Wayne on a short left pass on the next
play, Wayne gained no yardage from the play.
On 3rd and 6 Peyton Manning
found Tight End, Dallas Clark for a gain of 9 yards putting them in
New Orleans territory.
Running Back, Joseph Addai
ran it for 1 yard before Manning connected with Wide Receiver, Marvin
Harrison on the right for a gain of 8 yards.
3rd and 1 and Addai plows
through the Saints Defensive line for a first down and some as he
picked up 5 yards on the play.
1st and 10 and again Addai
pound through the middle for another gain of 4 yards before Manning
and Harrison do what they do best and score touchdowns.
Harrison,
uncharacteristically lined up on the left side of the field, cut
inside, left the former Colts cornerback Jason David in his wake as
Peyton thows deep, finding Marvin in the end zone for 27 yards as
Harrison tapped one foot in bounds and dragged the other making sure
he was not out bounds.
It was the 107th touchdown
between Manning and Harrison, but might have been the first,
according to Manning, with Harrison spread wide left.
Adam Vinatieri's extra point
is good as always.
Vinatieri
Overlooked
Colts -
7 Saints - 0
Vinny then kicks it off down
to The Saints 4 yard line as Lance Moore returns it for 17 yards
before being hit by Tyjuan Hagler.
Saints Ball
at 1:36
Drew Brees went 3 and out as
Saints ended up punting the ball away to Colts 18 yard line as T. J.
Rushing ran out of bounds for no gain.
Colts Ball
at 0:24
Colts ran one play with Addai
running the ball for 7 yards to end the first quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
Colts Ball
continued
at 15:00
Colts used a balanced mix of
Joseph Addai runs and Manning passes to keep the Saints guessing as
Joseph Addai started off the 2nd quarter pounding through the Saints
Defense with a gain of 10 on his first drive and gains of 8 yards on
both of his next 2 carries when the Colts decided to let Kenton Keith
take a shot at it. Keith ran for 3 on the left end and then for 4 on
the next play on the right.
Colts have moved the chains
twice and are now at The Saints 42 on 3rd and 3. Colts seem to have
their groove going until Peyton looked for Wide Receiver Reggie Wayne
on a quick short left pass and connected for a 1 yard reception
before Former Colt Jason David stripped the ball from Reggie, David
recovered the ball and ran 55 yards back to the end zone to tie the
score at . . .
Colts -
7 Saints - 7
Colts Ball
at 11:32
The Colts went 3 and out on
this next series as Hunter Smith punts it downfield for 59 yards to
The Saints 18 yard line as Saint's, Lance Moore ran it back for 30
yards before Rob Morris dropped him.
Saints Ball
at 10:21
With The Saints set up near
midfield they proceeded to move on down the field with McAllister
running for 6 yards on their first play, yet Brees threw incomplete
to Wide Receiver Marques Colston on the next as Bob Sanders broke it up.
Running Back, Aaron Stecker
ran for 13 yards on the next play for the 1st down.
Brees threw a short 3
yard completion to Colston and Bush ran it for 7 for another first down.
Saints are at Colts 23 yard
line and Brees hits Wide Receiver Devery Henderson for a short 5
yarder and McAllister ran it for a whopping 2 yards before he was
nailed by Rob Morris.
Again, just when The Saints
thought they were actually getting somewhere sitting on The Colts 16
yard line this time and it's 3rd and ONLY 3 yards for a First Down.
Drew Brees throws to Reggie Bush, however Reggie can not hold on to
the ball and drops the pass.
Saints have to settle for a
Mare 34 yard field goal which he makes good on.
Colts -
7 Saints - 10
Mare in turn kicks it off 70
yards into the end zone for a touchback.
Colts Ball
at 6:26
Colts first 2 plays, Joseph
Addai ran it for 5 yards and Reggie Wayne caught a 7 yard completion
from Manning in while covered by Jason David for a First Down.
Addai ran it for 2 on the
next play yet Manning threw incomplete to Wayne on the next.
Colts
call their 1st Timeout
3rd and 8 and Lilja was
called for a false start and 5 yards was enforced.
It's now 3rd and 13 as
Manning threw to Reggie Wayne deep yet was broken up by Safety, Roman Harper.
Colts ended up punting as
Hunter boots it a short 40 yards (short for Hunter) out of bounds.
Saints Ball
at 4:31
On Saints first play Full
Back, Mike Karney was called for a false start; 5 yards enforced.
1st and 15 and Reggie Bush
gets a mere 3 yards before he is met up with Rob Morris.
On 2nd and 12, Brees hits
Tight End, Eric Johnson for 9 yards when he is slammed by Marlin
Jackson to produce a fumble, yet miraculously Jackson rolls over on
to the fumble and recovers it.
On 3rd and 5 at the Colts 45,
a swing pass got running back Reggie Bush out in space, where he is
most dangerous, and more so with a blocker. Colts linebacker Freddy
Keiaho roared in and took down both 6-5, 315-pound tackle Jon
Stinchcomb and Bush for a loss of 5 yards dropping them 5 yards
behind the line of scrimmage.
Saints are forced to punt as
Steven Weatherford punts it 45 yards and T. J. Rushing call for a
fair catch at the Colts 15.
Colts Ball
at 2:24
Peyton Manning and The Colts
proceeded to move the ball down the field with Peyton hitting Addai
who turns it up for 14 yards before the . . .
Two-Minute Warning
On their next play Manning
fell short hitting Dallas Clark, yet made up for it on the next play
as he hit Clark deep for 39 yards.
Matt Kryger / The Indianapolis Star
Saints
call their
1st Timeout
at 01:33
1st and 10 and The Colts are
on The Saints 32 until Addai ran it to The Saints 20 on the next play
with a gain of 12 yards.
1:12 left in the first half
and Peyton fell short of Dallas Clark again.
2nd and 10 and Addai runs up
the middle for a gain of 5 yards when . . .
Saints
call their
2nd Timeout
at 00:52
3rd and 5 and Manning was
unable to connect with Marvin Harrison as Adam Vinatieri is brought
out to make good on a 33 yard field goal.
Tied Ball Game
Colts - 10
Saints - 10
Saints Ball
at 0:38
Brees connects with Colston
for 13 yards and
Saints
call their
3rd Timeout
at 00:29
1st and 10 at their own 44
yard line. As the ball was snapped, Brees panicked and basically
threw the ball at the first Saints player he could find as Freeney
had him dead to rights.
Drew Brees ended up
throwing the ball to Saints Guard, Jamar Nesbit, who in turn caught
the ball and was penalized for Illegal Touch Pass. 5 yards enforced.
24 seconds left in The First
Half as Reggie Bush runs it for 3 yards before he is brought down by
Keyunta Dawson and Marlin Jackson to end the First Half at . . .
Tied Ball Game
Colts - 10
Saints - 10
SECOND
HALF
The
Horse Whoopin' Begins
THIRD QUARTER
Vinatieri kicks it off for 45
yards to The Saints 25 as Josh Cooper returns it for 8 yards to their
own 33 before he is hit by Keyunta Dawson.
Saints Ball
at 14:58
McAllister is able to pull
off 6 yards before he is met by Gary Brackett and Bob Sanders, and
then he picks up a whole 1 yard before he is tangled up with Brackett
again along with Freddy Keiaho.
3rd and 3 and Brees fails to
connect with Tight End, Billy Miller as Josh Thomas breaks up the play.
Saints are forced to punt as
Weatherford punts it 31 yards out of bounds at Colts 29.
Colts Ball
at 13:52
Here we go . . .
Joseph Addai was the most
exciting young running back on the field Thursday night at the RCA
Dome, which is no small feat when you're sharing the turf with Saints
superstar-in-the-making Reggie Bush. However. as the so called
infamous Reggie Bush rushed for 27 yards in the 1st half and
McAllister rushed for 21 - a total of 48 yards between the 2 of
them, Colts 2nd year NFL Running Back, Joseph Addai has already put
up 76 yards simply in rushing and another 23 yards off of receiving.
Sam Riche / The Indianapolis Star
And it doesn't stop there as
Addai ran for 1 yard on their 1st play and another 9 on the next for
a First Down.
As The Saints ran several
reverse run plays, Colts decided to run one themselfs with Dallas
Clark taking off to the left side for a gain of 14 yards . . .
First Down
Addai took a short dump from
Manning for 2 yards on the next play and then ran for 1 on the next.
On 3rd and 7, from the
shotgun, Manning evaded a cornerback blitz and throws deep to
Marvin Harrison for 42 yards to The Saints 2 yard line.
After Manning failed on a
pass to Clark on the next play, Addai plowed through The New Orleans
Defense on the next play into the end zone . . .
Photo by A. J. Macht
. . . making the score
Colts - 17
Saints - 10
Vinatieri kicks off, sailing
it 70 yards to The Saints end zone for a Touchback.
Saints Ball
at 9:45
Brees tries to go deep and
hit Henderson as Hughes denied that from happening.
2nd and 10, The Great Reggie
Bush ran A LOSS OF 2 YARDS as Johnson put him down.
3rd and 12 and Brown is
called for a False Start, 5 yards enforced.
On 3rd and 17, why would you
try to run the ball up the middle? That's what The Saints and Reggie
Bush did, for a gain of 8 yards. 9 yards short of a First Down.
Weatherford punts it 61 yards
to Colts 18 as T. J. Rushing ran it for 13 yards to Colts 31.
Colts Ball
at 8:05
On Colts first play, Manning
found Ben Utecht for 19 yards.
Matt Kryger / The Indianapolis Star
First Down
Joseph Addai ran for 7 yards
on the next play and then for 15 yards on the next.
First Down
Colts are on The Saints 28
yard line. Twenty eight yards away from the end zone, which is where
Peyton found Reggie Wayne who blew by Former Colts player, Jason
David on a slant route for the Touch Down.
Matt Detrich / The Indianapolis Star
Colts - 24
Saints - 10
Saints Ball
at 6:06
Saints first play and Brees
tries to pass to Bush, where Freeney put a stop to that; pass incomplete.
Hey, McAllister actually made
yardage on their next play as he ran for 12 yards before Bob Sanders
put a hurtin' on him.
Saints actually moved down
the field and into Colts territory with a bunch of Brees short dumps
here and there.
Their drive kind of started
going down hill as McAllister was dropped by Rob Morris for a loss of
2 yards.
After that, Stinchcomb was
called for a false start; 5 yards enforced.
It's now 3rd and 14 as Robert
Mathis forced Brees into a bad pass and fires the ball to Colston,
nope, that's Freddy Keiaho for the interception as Keiaho returns it
for 11 yards to The Saints 47 yard line with 30 seconds left in the 3
rd Quarter.
Colts Ball
at 0:30
The Colts end the 3rd Quarter
with Peyton Hitting Reggie Wayne for 31 yards.
END OF QUARTER
FOURTH QUARTER
Colts Ball
continued
at 15:00
Colts had problems getting a
rhythm going as Addai ran only for 1 yard on their first play. 2
incomplete passes followed that and a Offensive Holding was called
on Ugoh, with The Saints declining the penalty to make it Colts
4th and 9 at Saints 15 yard line. It's pretty obvious as to what
happened next.
Vinatieri makes good on a 33
yard Field Goal.
Colts - 27
Saints - 10
Vinatieri kicks another one
into Saints end zone for a Touchback on the kickoff.
Saints Ball
at 14:12
It only gets worse for Brees
and The Saints as they were only able to move the ball 9 yards
on their first 3 plays to end up having Weatherford punt it 53 yards
to Colts 18 and T. J. ran it back for 16 yards.
Colts Ball
at 12:50
AS The Saints had problems
moving the ball down field, The Colts made it look easy as Addai ran
for 3 and then 5 more more on their first 2 downs.
On 3rd and 2, Peyton threw
over Jason David to connect with Reggie Wayne for 7 more yards . . .
FIRST DOWN
Addai on the next play ran it
up the middle of the Saints Defense for 6 yards as Manning found
Reggie Wayne in the end zone on a 45 yard pass while being covered by
Jason David on the next play putting the game well out of reach!
AP Photo/Tom Strattman
Colts - 34
Saints - 10
On Vinatieri's kickoff, he
again kicked it 70 yards for another touchback.
Saints Ball
at 10:05
The Saints seemed to actually
find a rhythm as they proceeded down The field with Brees failing to
connect on their first drive, yet connected with Stecker for 11 yards
on The next.
Prior to that play was a
penalty for Offsides on Darryl Reed as The Saints declined The penalty.
Brees then found E. Johnson
who picked up 7 yards before being brought down by Marlin Jackson and
Dwight Freeney.
The Saints picked up another
First Down as Brees connected with Johnson twice for 8 yards and then
9 more.
A Neutral Zone Infraction was
called on Colt's K. Dawson with 5 yards enforced.
The Saints were moving The
ball downfield and now sitting on The Colts 40 yard line and it's 1st
and 10; however, as Colts left defensive end Robert Mathis gave
Saints right tackle Jon Stinchcomb fits in pass protection all night;
Mathis beat Stinchcomb again in pass protection and was able to knock
the ball loose from Brees as he moved up in the pocket to avoid the
rush. Mathis is recorded with a - 4 yard sack as Mathis fell on
the fumble at the Colts' 45-yard line.
Sam Riche Photo
New Orleans challenged The
fumble ruling, and The play was Upheld.
Saints
Timeout #1
at 08:05
Colts Ball
at 8:05
Joseph Addai ran it for 3
yards before The Saints took their 2nd timeout
Timeout
#2 by Saints
at 07:59
Kenton Keith made an
appearance and a sweet gain of 13 yards.
While, believe it or not,
Peyton was penalized for Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced.
1st and 15 and The Colts
moved The ball Back and forth as Keith ran for 5 yards, yet a loss of
2 on The next. A short dump to Harrison for 6 over The middle did not
gain them enough yards for a First Down.
On Colts Punt formation
another Delay of Game was called on Hunter Smith and 5 yards were
enforced. Smiths punts it a short 28 yards to Saints 12 as Moore
signals for a fair catch.
Saints Ball
at 4:26
The Saints again seemed to
find rhythm as they marched down The field with a 5 yard pass to
Colston and a 2 yard reception by Bush. But The mighty Bush is not so
great at running The ball against The Colts Defense as he brought
down by Raheem Brock for a loss of 2 yards on The next play.
As Brees connected with
Johnson for a gain of 8 yards, Mathis was caught offside as Saints
declined The penalty.
With a little over 3 minutes
left in The game, Saints are on their own 25 and Brees connects with
Colston for 10 yards and Bush actually found a way pass The Colts
Defense for 9 yards on The next play before he was brought down by
Gary Brackett.
Brees threw incomplete to
Henderson on their next play and Bush ran for 2 yards before he meets
up with Brackett again.
Colt Gary Brackett celebrates in the
fourth quarter during Thursday nights NFL season opener between the
Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints at the RCA Dome on
Thursday, September 6, 2007.
Photo by Sam Riche / The Indianapolis Star
Two-Minute Warning
1st and 10, Saints are on
their 46 as they move into Colts territory on a 7 yard pass to Reggie
Bush before he is brought down by Marlin Jackson.
Brees connected with Patten
for 13 yards on The next play, yet threw incomplete on The next.
2nd and 10, Saints on The
Colts 34 yard line and a little over 1 minute left in The game. Brees
from The shotgun throws deep to Patten and Matt Giordano was there to
make The interception and run it Back 83 yards for a touchdown!
Robert Scheer/The Indianapolis Star
Colts - 41
Saints - 10
Saints Ball
at 0:55
Fifty five seconds left in
The game . . .
it's over!
Colts defeat The New Orleans
Saint in The 2007 NFL Opening Game 41 - 10.
NOTES
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts had 452 yards of
offense compared with 293 for the Saints, who were ranked first in
that category last season and had no offensive touchdowns Thursday.
The victory was the Colts'
10th consecutive at the RCA Dome, dating to a 21-18 loss to
Pittsburgh in the 2005 AFC playoffs.
NFL Commissioner Roger
Goodell also was in attendance and visited the press box about an
hour before kickoff.
Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning
opened his 10th year in the NFL by throwing for touchdowns of 27, 28
and 46 yards against the team for whom his father, Archie, played.
The win was the 100th of
Manning's career, including the playoffs.
Manning is 8-2 in season
openers in his career and the Colts are an NFL-best 15-2 in September
under Dungy, the best early record in the NFL since 2002
Marvin Harrison had
four receptions for 83 yards and one touchdown.
Harrison's 83 yards gave him
13,780 for his career, moving him past Henry Ellard for fifth place
in NFL career yardage
Reggie Wayne finished
with seven catches for 115 yards.
Last year, the Colts didn't
sweat losing Edgerrin James. This year, they're not missing Rhodes.
Joseph Addai was the
most exciting young running back on the field Thursday night at the
RCA Dome, which is no small feat when you're sharing the turf with
Saints superstar-in-the-making Reggie Bush.
Reggie Bush?
He finished with 12
low-impact carries for 38 yards (3.2 average) and caught just
four passes for seven yards. His long gain on the evening was a
nine-yard rush. In short, no contest.
Addai ran 23 times for 118
yards (5.1 average), third career 100-yard game against the
Saints and caught three passes for 25 yards. He scored Indy's second
touchdown on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, giving the Colts a
lead (17-10) they would never relinquish. And he did all of that
after being knocked out of the game on the Colts' first play from scrimmage
Bob Sanders was all
over the field, generally making a nuisance of himself on nearly
every defensive play. He deflected one pass, and finished second on
the team with nine total tackles.
The human missile's
only problem in his career has been his general inability to stay on
the field. As has been well documented, Sanders has missed 24 games
in his brief, three-year career - or nearly half of all the games the
Colts have played (including postseason) over that period.
Over the past two seasons:
The Colts defense surrenders
16.12 PPG when Sanders plays.
The Colts defense surrenders
22.57 PPG when Sanders does not play.
That's a good 40 percent
difference in the points Indy allows with Sanders in the lineup and without.
New Orleans Saints
The last time the Saints were
held without an offensive touchdown, they lost 13-12 to Detroit.
Then- kicker John Carney hit four field goals in that contest.
The Saints scored as few as
10 points only once last season, in a 16-10 loss in Washington on
Dec. 17
Drew Brees
completed 28 of 41 passes for 192 yards with two interceptions
Newly acquired tight end Eric
Johnson led the Saints' receivers with 57 yards on eight catches
Deuce McAllister had
only 38 yards rushing on 10 carries.
McAllister had 38 or fewer
yards only twice last season despite alternating at running back with Bush.
McAllister and Reggie Bush
combined for 76 yards
Both finished with just 38 yards,
Bush on 12 carries and
McAllister on 10.
Key Stats
Passing
(Colts) Peyton Manning
18-30-288 yards-0 INT-3 TD
(Saints) Drew Brees
28-41-192 yards-2 INT-0 TD
Rushing
(Saints) Deuce
McAllister 10-38
(Saints) Reggie Bush 12-38
(Colts) Joseph Addai
23-118-1 TD
Receiving
(Saints) Eric Johnson 8-57
(Colts) Reggie Wayne
7-115-2 TD
Tackle Leaders
(Saints) Scott Fujita
9 tackles
(Colts) Marlin Jackson
12 tackles
Total Yards
Saints 293
Colts 452
Rushing Yards
Saints 106
Colts 164
Third Down Eff.
Saints 6-15-40%
Colts 4-11-36%
Turnovers
Saints 3
Colts 1
SERIES HISTORY
10th meeting. Saints lead
series, 5-4. The last time the two franchises met in a regular-season
game was Sept. 28, 2003 as the Colts posted a 55-21 win at the
Louisiana Superdome. Indianapolis' win in that game snapped a
five-game Saints winning streak in the series.
Quarterback Peyton Manning
completed 20-of-25 passes for 314 yards and six touchdowns in the
rout, breaking the franchise record for touchdown passes in a game.
Manning played little more than three quarters in the game.
Wide receiver Marvin Harrison
caught six passes for 158 yards and three touchdowns against the
Saints, scoring on passes of 14, 79 and 32 yards. Defensive end
Dwight Freeney also scored on a 19-yard fumble return for the Colts.
The last time that New
Orleans played at the RCA Dome (Sept. 27, 1998), the Saints pulled
out a 19-13 come-from-behind win as quarterback Danny Wuerffel hit
tight end Cam Cleeland on a 33-yard touchdown pass 6:10 into overtime
to key the victory.
New Orleans has won five of
the last six meetings in the series. Indianapolis has never defeated
the Saints in the RCA Dome, with the last home series win coming on
Sept. 30, 1973 (14-10) when the franchise was still in Baltimore.
The Colts will travel to
Tennessee to take on the Titans, one of their four consecutive AFC
South titles,.
1 p.m., Sept. 16
WISH-8 |
VS 
