Behind Enemy Lines – Week 8 (Part 1)

I know that I said I was going to try to do this segment every week, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way so far this season. However, I got with Brooks Busch over at Colts Chatter to preview this upcoming AFC South showdown between The Texans and The Colts. Brooks is the Fanball correspondent for The Colts here at Fanball and I do have to say that this guy is certainly in his element and he knows his football. I’m happy to have him joining us here. So, let’s dive right in.

DMWT: Welcome to the site Brooks. Lot’s of people thought that this would be the year The Colts began to decline with all the changes in the coaching staff in the offseason. I believe personally, when you have #18 lining up behind center, you’re always going to have a chance. Are you at all surprised about how dominant of a start your boys in blue have gotten off to this season?

CC: Coming into the season there were a lot of questions surrounding this team. The loss of Tony Dungy and Marvin Harrison, the huge question mark at left tackle, and the overall ability of this defense to stop the running attack, all of these were concerns coming into the season for this football team. However, as you said when you have Peyton Manning behind center you are always going to be able to compete, and for the most part the Colts have managed to overcome all of their weaknesses. The offensive line has performed on an elite level this season, and although the defense has struggled stopping the run they have done an excellent job of stepping up in the clutch. Another key factor about the Colts fantastic start is the schedule, starting this Sunday with the Texans the Colts will begin their hardest stretch of the schedule. So while I am not surprised that they have jumped out to a 7-0 start, I would be surprised if they finished a perfect 16-0 on the season.

DMWT: Andre Johnson. Reggie Wayne. These two are leading the pack in Fantasy numbers at the WR spot this year. Both are battling being a little nicked up but still putting up huge numbers. Who do you think will have the bigger day this Sunday and why?

CC: Although I expect both receivers to have rather large days, I think Andre Johnson will come out on top statistically. The loss of Owen Daniels will hurt the Texans passing game and force Schaub to rely more heavily on his wide receivers. Thus, I expect the Texans to rely on Johnson more heavily than the Colts will rely on Wayne, but I expect this to be a shootout so both receivers should put up big numbers.

DMWT: Everyone knows about The Colts potent offense. But I think their defensive numbers have really raised some eyebrows so far this season. What is the biggest difference between this defensive unit and the one from last year?

CC: The main difference between the defense this year versus last year comes down to the man calling the schemes. Larry Coyer has been brought in this season after the departure of Ron Meeks, and he has brought a more aggressive defense that has been good at bending but not breaking. Unlike in the past, the Colts are sending various blitz packages and although they still play somewhat safe defensively they are not just sitting back and letting teams impose their will upon them. They still have problems at the defensive tackle positions, but have managed to hide their flaws, and with the return of Bob Sanders this defense is definitely coming into its own.

DMWT: The Colts have suffered some injuries lately with the loss of Anthony Gonzalez. Houston lost their Pro Bowl tight end in Owen Daniels for the remainder of the season last week. Do you still see this being an offensive shootout? Or have both defenses improved enough to keep the scoring lower than a usual game between these two?

CC: Although both teams have lost key players on the offensive side of the ball, I still expect this game to be fairly high scoring. Both quarterbacks have been playing great football this season, and each team has a talented group of wide receivers that give opposing defensive coordinators fits. However, I feel like both of these defenses have improved, but not to the point where either should be able to stop this from being a fairly high scoring game on both sides.

DMWT: Houston is clearly on its way up. The Colts are already there. Undefeated at the midway point is probably comforting (we wouldn’t know…). Do Colts fans see Houston as a legitimate threat in the AFC South in the next year or two? Or are they “The same old Texans” to the Indy faithful?

CC: To the people who truly follow football and follow the Colts faithfully and with intelligence, we clearly see that the Texans are a team on their way up. Many of us expected the Texans to pose a serious threat to the Colts this season and possibly make the playoffs, and as of now they look like they will be in serious contention for a playoff spot. However, the Colts fans that don’t keep up with the rest of the AFC South still look at the Texans as being the same old Texans. But for the most part I think that a lot of Colts fans view the Texans as a legitimate threat, and with all of the youth the Texans have they could be a major contender for years to come.

There you have it, fans. Check back later for the second segment in which I will answer some burning questions Brooks has for me about this big game.

Tags: Andre Johnson, Anthony Gonzalez, Bob Sanders, Indianapolis Colts, Larry Coyer, Marvin Harrison, Matt Schaub, Owen Daniels, Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Ron Meeks, Tony Dungy