Can we pull an upset at Colts on Monday Night Football?

[KRL]

This game will be judged on a "surface, fantasy level" where most people will look at the
two QB's and obviously pick Luck.  But QB's never face off against each other, Luck will face
our defense and Fitzpatrick will face IND defense.  And we are better in the trenches in both
matchups.  Should IND be favored?  Yes, they're at home and they were the superior team last
year.  But I can easily see us controlling the clock by hammering them with Ivory and feeding
Marshall and Decker a ton of intermediate passes, chew the clock up and keep Luck on the
sideline.  It will be a very interesting early test

[KRL]

On a side note, IND has really done a poor job building around Luck.  With the way the
CBA is now Luck is making no $$$, yet he's playing on a franchise QB level.  They should've
beefed up the OLine and defense before they had to pay Luck 20+ million but that time
is running out 

[drdetroit]

On a side note, IND has really done a poor job building around Luck.  With the way the
CBA is now Luck is making no $$$, yet he's playing on a franchise QB level.  They should've
beefed up the OLine and defense before they had to pay Luck 20+ million but that time
is running out 

Colts are a victim of their own success.  Pagans is not a good coach but they are forced to keep him because they make the playoffs every year.

[predator_05]

I'm missing what makes the Colts a great terror. I'd rather face Luck than Brady and we had good games against Brady last year, even with a miserable secondary and no offense. Here's how the Colts looked against the Bills:

Luck threw 49 times against the Bills with 26 completions for 243 yards (an unimpressive 53%), while they ran it 17 times for 62 yards (Average: 3.8 per play). Luck was picked off twice and Dorsett lost one of two fumbles. Hilton was their main receiver at 88 yards on 7 receptions, which was double the next receiver, Moncrief.  The Colts put up an anemic 4.5 yards per offensive play overall. The defense gave up 195 yards (4.1 yards per play) on the ground and produced zero sacks. The team had only five penalties (Buffalo had 11), so pretty clean on that front. These are not good numbers overall. The defense got pounded on the ground and the offense was anemic.

If HIlton is out, saying Dorsett will just step in for him if ridiculous. Dorsett is a rookie who hasn't shown anything yet, other than an ability to fumble.

There are many similarities between the Bills and Jets in style and strength. The Colts have never been able to stop the run and they've been beaten over and over again by teams that ran down their throats. I think the Jets should be favored in this one, all things considered.

 

 

Well, if its that big a mismatch, you should consider taking the +7 on the Jets.

 

Dorsett is a first round pick with elite speed. Sure, he had a fumble on a punt return but he has the same skill set. In any case, there is a good chance Hilton plays; from what i hear, his knee is a bit swollen, nothing major.

 

[Long Island Leprechaun]

Well, if its that big a mismatch, you should consider taking the +7 on the Jets.

 

Dorsett is a first round pick with elite speed. Sure, he had a fumble on a punt return but he has the same skill set. In any case, there is a good chance Hilton plays; from what i hear, his knee is a bit swollen, nothing major.

 

Dorsett has to prove he can play to his potential. Hilton has exceeded all his expectations in the NFL, so no argument about his ability. Never said it was a mismatch, just that I think the Jets are the overall better team -- better on both sides of the ball in the trenches, better running game (in part due to superior OL, better defensively across the board -- Colts have deeper receiver/TE and Luck. I give the Jets a good shot at winning by at least 10, assuming the usual wildcard of turnovers is more or less equal.

[Flushing Roots]

Jets are currently 9.5 dogs vs the Colts.

Seems like at the very least taking the Jets and the points is a good bet.

[shuler82]

The Jets had trouble stopping the Cleveland 'play makers'.  You guys really think the  Indy WR/TEs wont have a field day? Our only hope is to win in the trenches, dominate the clock (kinky!) and win the turnover battle. A steady diet of Ivory/Powell, with quick strikes to Marshall and Decker all night long. On defense, they're going to give up yards and points, but need a big turnover or two. A helicopter hit on Luck probably wouldn't hurt either.

[GenoandtheJets]

I definitely believe the Jets can win the game in Indianapolis next Monday Night because besides Andrew Luck they aren't that good. The Jets defense is better then the colt defense. Fitzpatrick is a reliable smart temporary quarterback that will manage the Jet offense down the field. The running attack the Jets have will be good once again this game the O-Line will create the holes. I think the score will be 33-27 Jets because the defense will get to Luck and hopefully forces a lot of turnovers just like in week 1. I'm confident the Jets will find a way to win. If Rex Ryans Buffalo Defense can humiliate the Colts then the Jets have an even better chance to do the same or even better.

[Lot K Tailgaters]

me

I'm having a debate do I wear my jersey that you saw me wear this past Sunday, my Mangold jersey, or wear the tshirt I wore to the game in Miami last year.

[JoeC36]

@Lot K Tailgaters

I left it up to my office to decide between my Revis, Wilkerson, Mangold and Abdul Salaam and they chose Salaam, so that's what I'll be sporting. 

[Long Island Leprechaun]

The Jets had trouble stopping the Cleveland 'play makers'.  You guys really think the  Indy WR/TEs wont have a field day? Our only hope is to win in the trenches, dominate the clock (kinky!) and win the turnover battle. A steady diet of Ivory/Powell, with quick strikes to Marshall and Decker all night long. On defense, they're going to give up yards and points, but need a big turnover or two. A helicopter hit on Luck probably wouldn't hurt either.

You're correct that the first drive of the first half was painful. After that the defense gradually buckled down and then shut out Cleveland in the second half. Slow starts are risky but perception depends on whether you're looking at the entire game or basically the first quarter. I do think your strategy for the Colts is on point. I don't think the Colts are going to be shut out. They'll score 20 points. The Jets have the capability to score more.

[southparkcpa]

@Lot K Tailgaters

I left it up to my office to decide between my Revis, Wilkerson, Mangold and Abdul Salaam and they chose Salaam, so that's what I'll be sporting. 

of all the jerseys that I've seen... Not sure I've seen a Salaam.    that's awesome.   

 

[JoeC36]

of all the jerseys that I've seen... Not sure I've seen a Salaam.    that's awesome.   

 

I get a lot of compliments on it because many people havent seen it. They were selling it on JetsShop.com two or three years ago for $40 so i had to jump on it. 

[fltflo]

I think a major key for our defense in this game will be containing Luck in the pocket. We saw Sunday that many of the Browns drives were kept going by there QB's scrambling out of the pocket. Also, we just missed quite a few sacks by mere fingertips. So if we can put a spy on Luck especially on third down, and get the defense off the field and keep them fresh, we may have a shot. The Colts will come to play and

certainly don't want to start the season 0-2. So this is not going to be a cake walk by any means. Yet, it will be a very good test of the team as its assembled now, against one of the better QB in the whole league.

[Lot K Tailgaters]

@Lot K Tailgaters

I left it up to my office to decide between my Revis, Wilkerson, Mangold and Abdul Salaam and they chose Salaam, so that's what I'll be sporting. 

That's impressive.  I was gonna vote whatever you wore on Sunday to keep the good luck going.

[ARosa1024]

Who will be at the game??

i'll be there

[win4ever]

On a side note, IND has really done a poor job building around Luck.  With the way the
CBA is now Luck is making no $$$, yet he's playing on a franchise QB level.  They should've
beefed up the OLine and defense before they had to pay Luck 20+ million but that time
is running out 

Indy has done some of the worst drafting around Luck of any team out there.  Infact, they were pretty horrible at drafting even when Peyton was there.  They started off the Peyton era with a bunch of good picks in WRs, DEs, but after that just fell apart draft wise.  They are horrible at stopping the run, yet never seem to put enough resources in the defense to make an impact.  

On the game, I think the Jets have a good shot, but I also think Luck is bound to do better against our defense than Buffalo's because we still have trouble covering TEs.  Unless we go more in the terms of replacing LBs with in the box safeties, I think the TE group will take them down the field.  Even last week, Manziel and McGown had decent success going down the field against us.  A lot of their drives were killed by turnovers that I don't think a QB like Luck will make.  To me, Eric Decker needs to step up this week while Davis focuses in on Marshall.  If Decker/Owusu/Smith start to get open and make plays, then we'll have an excellent shot.  But I do think the Colts are going to put up some points on us, because our defense doesn't look as vaunted as the names suggest.  Maybe it's Mo's rust, Richardson not being there, and Cro not being good, but I expected better against the hapless Browns.  

[Jetster]

Indy has done some of the worst drafting around Luck of any team out there.  Infact, they were pretty horrible at drafting even when Peyton was there.  They started off the Peyton era with a bunch of good picks in WRs, DEs, but after that just fell apart draft wise.  They are horrible at stopping the run, yet never seem to put enough resources in the defense to make an impact.  

On the game, I think the Jets have a good shot, but I also think Luck is bound to do better against our defense than Buffalo's because we still have trouble covering TEs.  Unless we go more in the terms of replacing LBs with in the box safeties, I think the TE group will take them down the field.  Even last week, Manziel and McGown had decent success going down the field against us.  A lot of their drives were killed by turnovers that I don't think a QB like Luck will make.  To me, Eric Decker needs to step up this week while Davis focuses in on Marshall.  If Decker/Owusu/Smith start to get open and make plays, then we'll have an excellent shot.  But I do think the Colts are going to put up some points on us, because our defense doesn't look as vaunted as the names suggest.  Maybe it's Mo's rust, Richardson not being there, and Cro not being good, but I expected better against the hapless Browns.  

It's all about matchups. The Brownies Oline is much tougher than the Colts Oline. I'd love to see a ranking of Olines if someone has it, I was impressed with the Browns. They have some studs & Alex Mack is tough SOB at center.

Our Dlines assignment this week is not as daunting but the QB is much better.

[UnitedWhofans]

Let's be honest, going into the season, this is a game that we thought the Jets would have little chance in anyway. I think they keep it close, but the will of Andrew Luck at home will nab the Colts the victory

[Long Island Leprechaun]

Let's be honest, going into the season, this is a game that we thought the Jets would have little chance in anyway. I think they keep it close, but the will of Andrew Luck at home will nab the Colts the victory

If the Jets continue to show discipline and the offense continues to put up points, there's no reason to believe that the Colts are any sort of lock. Home field helps, as does a quality QB, but I'm banking that the Jets can shut down the run and limit the passing game. And I think we can run on them all day. What will be interesting is to see how well we do in passing against a suspect secondary. Probably more balanced attack this time. Marshall and Decker are the real deal.

[kelly]

Ten things to know about the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Jets' opponent on Monday night  :

1. For a change, the drama surrounds the opponent, not the Jets. The Colts, a trendy Super Bowl pick at the start of the season, got roughed up in Week 1 by the new bully in Buffalo, Rex Ryan. Now there's talk of a rift between coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson, prompting owner Jim Irsay to issue an emphatic denial. Nevertheless, something smells fishy in Indy. Despite three straight 11-5 seasons and improvement in the playoffs each year, Pagano is a lame-duck coach. He reportedly turned down a contract extension last offseason because it was a low-ball offer. With one year left on his deal, it could be Super Bowl-or-bust. An 0-2 start would be deemed a crisis for a team that has had only one losing season over the last 13 years. Then again, they're no strangers to 0-1. The Colts have dropped five of their last six openers.

2. The Colts will be good as long as they have Andrew Luck, who has a chance to plaster his name all over the record books. He passed for more yards in his first three seasons (12,957) than any quarterback in history. He can do everything on the field, and his TV commercials aren't half-bad, either. One thing about Luck, though: He's not immune to interceptions. He's had 18 interceptions in his last 17 starts, three more than Geno Smith -- a frightening thought for Colts' fans.

3. Did Ryan find Luck's Kryptonite last Sunday? The Bills went after Luck with an array of blitzes, sending extra pressure on 49 percent of his dropbacks -- the third-highest ratio in his career. Andrew the Great didn't handle it particularly well, finishing 10-for-24 with two sacks. He had to make quick decisions and couldn't get the ball to his third and fourth reads. You think Todd Bowles will go to school on that game tape? Absolutely.

4. Luck is ... uh, lucky this game isn't in New Jersey. He'd hear it from the fans who haven't forgotten about a disparaging comment he may or may not have made about the Jets a few months ago. A Page Six item in the New York Post reported that Luck was hanging out on Long Island's East End in June with former Stanford teammate Jonathan Martin. A local approached and said to Luck, "I wish you were the quarterback of the Jets." According to the paper, Luck replied, "F--- that, man." Clever Jets' fans probably could've made a derisive chant out of that.

5. One of the big storylines in Indianapolis will be the health of wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, Luck's favorite target. He's listed as day-to-day with a bruised knee after getting hurt in the third quarter of the opener. After the game, Irsay said Hilton could "miss some time." If there's no Hilton to worry about on the perimeter, defenses can take an aggressive approach with Luck. Donte Moncrief would start for Hilton, with rookie Phillip Dorsett moving up to No. 3. Dorsett had a rough day in his debut, fumbling two punts.

6. Demonstrating a win-now mentality, the Colts signed a couple of University of Miami geezers, wide receiver Andre Johnson (34) and running back Frank Gore (32). They looked old in Week 1, combining for only 57 yards from scrimmage.

7. The Colts don't have a lot of playmakers on defense, but they have cornerback Vontae Davis, who held Sammy Watkins to no catches last week. You have to figure Davis will cover Brandon Marshall. The Colts' secondary also includes ex-Jets safety Dwight Lowery, who never clicked with Ryan and was traded away.

8. Their most accomplished defender is pass-rusher Robert Mathis, but he's still a question mark because of a surgically repaired Achilles' tendon. After posting a league-high 19.5 sacks in 2013, he blew out his Achilles' and missed the 2014 season. His goal was to make the opener, reportedly undergoing 10 surgical procedures to prevent infection and help the healing process. Mathis didn't reach his goal, as he was declared inactive last week. If he plays Monday night, it'll be a huge emotional lift for his teammates and the crowd.

9. Everybody knows the Jets' issues with tight ends; last season, they allowed a league-high 13 touchdown passes. The Colts have two good ones, Dwayne Allen and Coby Fleener. This will be a good test for safeties Calvin Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist.

10. The Jets better hope it doesn't come down to a field goal. Adam Vinatieri's career mark against them -- 41 of 44. Wow.

>   http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york-jets/post/_/id/54191/jets-will-face-desperate-and-some-say-dysfunctional-colts

[The Crusher]

Indy has done some of the worst drafting around Luck of any team out there.  Infact, they were pretty horrible at drafting even when Peyton was there.  They started off the Peyton era with a bunch of good picks in WRs, DEs, but after that just fell apart draft wise.  They are horrible at stopping the run, yet never seem to put enough resources in the defense to make an impact.  

On the game, I think the Jets have a good shot, but I also think Luck is bound to do better against our defense than Buffalo's because we still have trouble covering TEs.  Unless we go more in the terms of replacing LBs with in the box safeties, I think the TE group will take them down the field.  Even last week, Manziel and McGown had decent success going down the field against us.  A lot of their drives were killed by turnovers that I don't think a QB like Luck will make.  To me, Eric Decker needs to step up this week while Davis focuses in on Marshall.  If Decker/Owusu/Smith start to get open and make plays, then we'll have an excellent shot.  But I do think the Colts are going to put up some points on us, because our defense doesn't look as vaunted as the names suggest.  Maybe it's Mo's rust, Richardson not being there, and Cro not being good, but I expected better against the hapless Browns.  

Agree with this but we came out slow and got better as the game went on.  A good sign.  We improved as the game went on with good adjustments and the desire of the team to win.  The key to this game is to NOT come out flat.  We do not want to play catch up against this team.  We need to control the line of scrimmage and the game clock.  I really see no reason to think the Colts are the only ones to be "hungry" this game, everything I heard from Bowles was very similar to your post.  This team won while playing well below it's potential.  I think Bowles has these guys ready for this one and we give the Colts a helluva a scare, if not their second loss of the season. 

[kelly]

– It’s up to 41 games and counting when it comes to the Indianapolis Colts not having a 100-yard rusher in a game.Make no mistake about it, the Colts will always be a pass-first team with quarterback Andrew Luck, but they spent the offseason talking about how the addition of running back Frank Gore would help ease some of the load off of their passing game.

The Colts threw the ball 49 times and rushed for a grand total of 64 yards on 17 attempts in their 13-point loss to the Buffalo Bills last week.“We had more runs called, but they were low in blocks,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said after the game. “They had a bunch of guys in there. We’ve got to be able to run the football and try to stay more balanced.”

The coach wasn’t done talking about the desire to run the day after the game.“We need to have the ability to be able to just run it,” Pagano said Monday. "[Gore] popped some good gains, first play of the game. I think he averaged 3.9 on the few carries that he had, so we’ve got to be better there.”

Gore’s first run as a Colt went for eight yards. He rushed two more times in the first series before vanishing in the running game.Gore didn’t touch the ball again until there was less than eight minutes remaining in the first half because the Colts attempted 18 straight passes.

Let this soak in for a minute: Gore, who has rushed for at least 1,000 yards in eight of his 10 seasons, went more than 19 minutes without taking a handoff.“I know as a quarterback, it’s awesome when your run game is rolling,” Luck said. “It makes things simple. It really does. I know it helps the O-line against pass rush. I think it helps everybody. So I do think balance is important, but as you know in a football game, things happen that dictate what you can and cannot call. We’ve been in games before where we haven’t been able to run, but we’ve found a way to pull a victory out. Really at the end of the day it’s about getting a win. I do think balance can help you, but you can’t foresee the future in every game.”

The Bills loaded the box with eight defenders, causing Luck to change plays at the line of scrimmage. But facing loaded boxes is nothing new for Gore. That’s what he faced a lot of times during his career with the San Francisco 49ers. Gore has rushed for 2,092 yards and 35 touchdowns on 558 attempts in his career when facing at least eight defenders in the box.“It’s B.Y.O.B. when they put the eighth guy in there, if you can’t get them blocked, then (that will) be your own blocker,” Pagano said. “Run through them, run them over, run around them and make them miss. He’s done that for a long, long time, so we’ve got to give him and the other runners that opportunity.”

Gore added, “Whatever coach calls, I’m willing to do whatever they call. If we’re going to run, we’re going to run. If we’ve got to throw the ball, we’re going to throw the ball. We’ve got players for both.”

>    http://espn.go.com/blog/indianapolis-colts/post/_/id/13697/the-colts-have-gone-41-straight-games-without-a-100-yard-rusher

[Jet in PA]

@NickMensio: Eric Decker also looks good. Ran most slot routes for #Jets Week 1. #Colts slot CB Darius Butler gave up 6-119-1 on 6 targets Week 1.

It's on.

[jdeacon]

@NickMensio: Eric Decker also looks good. Ran most slot routes for #Jets Week 1. #Colts slot CB Darius Butler gave up 6-119-1 on 6 targets Week 1.

 

It's on.

Decker and Ivory are offensive keys to winning this week. We should be able to move the chains regularly and keep luck off the field with a ball control offense. The key to winning the game is we have to score on every possession, and have to come away with a few td's. I feel pretty good about our chances monday. For once our offense will be the ones winning the game for us.

[roscoeword]

of all the jerseys that I've seen... Not sure I've seen a Salaam.    that's awesome.   

 

Abdul Salaam, #74, the original Larry Faulk.

[Jetsfan80]

This game will be judged on a "surface, fantasy level" where most people will look at the
two QB's and obviously pick Luck.  But QB's never face off against each other, Luck will face
our defense and Fitzpatrick will face IND defense.  And we are better in the trenches in both
matchups.  Should IND be favored?  Yes, they're at home and they were the superior team last
year.  But I can easily see us controlling the clock by hammering them with Ivory and feeding
Marshall and Decker a ton of intermediate passes, chew the clock up and keep Luck on the
sideline.  It will be a very interesting early test

If Indy loses this one Pagano instantly goes on the hot seat, and unfairly so.  That ownership/front office team is completely clueless. 

[Super Bowles]

Of course we can, the Bills just beat them, and they have a clown coach named Rex.

[JustInFudge]

This game will be judged on a "surface, fantasy level" where most people will look at the
two QB's and obviously pick Luck.  But QB's never face off against each other, Luck will face
our defense and Fitzpatrick will face IND defense.  And we are better in the trenches in both
matchups.  Should IND be favored?  Yes, they're at home and they were the superior team last
year.  But I can easily see us controlling the clock by hammering them with Ivory and feeding
Marshall and Decker a ton of intermediate passes, chew the clock up and keep Luck on the
sideline.  It will be a very interesting early test

This is definitely the formula.  Run the ball down their throats till they're begging for mercy.  The Jets definitely have the advantage at the LOS, on both sides of the ball.  

The only advantage and its a big one is the QB position.  And in a league driven by QB's, that's what makes me nervous.  Is Luck going to have back to back stinkers?  Is he going to lay an egg on Monday night at his home opener?  I doubt it.  But it's possible.  Rex has that dudes #.  Never lost to him.  In fact, he's beaten the sh*t out of him each time he's played him.  So that's a factor.  And it was week 1 and nobody knows anything about anyone yet. 

I dont see the Jets winning this game but they certainly can.

 

 

 

 

[kelly]

Q&A with Joe Namath : Hall of Famer talks Andrew Luck, Colts' Super Bowl aspirations

Ahead of the Colts' home opener against the New York Jets on Monday night, Hall of Fame Jets quarterback Joe Namath, who currently sells the Joe Namath Rapid Cooker, spoke with The Star about Andrew Luck, Indy's Super Bowl aspirations and of course, Luck's fur coat and Fu Manchu mustache homage to Namath in a recent commercial.

Luck shares many similarities with Namath through the first three years of his pro career. Both were historically prolific over that span: In 1967, Namath became the first pro quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season, and Luck set an NFL record for most passing yards in a quarterback's first three seasons (12,957) from 2012-14.

In his fourth season, Namath led the Jets to an upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. In his fourth season, many see Luck and the Colts as primed for a Super Bowl run.

Question: What are your impressions of Andrew Luck?

Answer: It's been nothing but good. Of course, I watched him at Stanford, too. I remember his father, (former NFL backup quarterback) Oliver Luck, and I've kind of been a fan of those guys throughout the years. I'm just thrilled for him; his demeanor, his character – we all have something that's not perfect or just right, but he appears to really be well-balanced and just a joyful person from what I've seen.

Q: There are a lot of similarities between your career through the first three years, and Luck's. What do you think is his ceiling? When it's all said and done, what will we be saying about Andrew Luck?

A: Well let's hope that's a good distance in the future. Right now, I'd be more concerned with Andrew about how he's approaching this season rather than look back at his first three seasons. Those three seasons are behind him. I don't think Andrew is anywhere near fulfilled with what he's done; he wants to win a championship to start with, and maybe more than that. So until he accomplishes that, I don't think he's going to be satisfied with the accolades and the statistics. I believe he's a man that's driven to win a championship.

Q: You won a championship in your fourth year. There were a lot of expectations in Indianapolis and around the country coming into this season, that the Colts would be legitimate Super Bowl contenders. How do you deal with that type of pressure as a young quarterback?

A: I really believe we've got to keep ourselves aware of what's happening around us, certainly aware of the situation. But it's almost like tunnel vision of what the goal is. It's almost like not hearing a lot of talk out there. It's one at a time. It's a team game. We've gotta stress that, too. There have been some other wonderful quarterbacks and some other wonderful players that haven't been on a championship team.So I don't know that there's pressure other than self-imposed pressure on Andrew. I don't know if it's reality that it's on his shoulders. Hey, those other guys have got to step up too, defensively and offensively. The fans know and the football people know that Andrew Luck is a champion. But it's a team sport and it's going to take the rest of the pieces to own up.

Q: There are some concerns about the Colts following their Week 1 loss in Buffalo. What's your assessment of the Colts this season?

A: Well I did see some of the game against Buffalo, certainly. They didn't have a good day, obviously. Sometimes you don't play up to your capabilities and you can't get out of your own way. I know that the Colts had an off day and it seemed like the motors were running high in Buffalo with anticipation and the urgency that they had kind of helped out their scheme. And it is just one game. I don't know of any team that felt like they played their best football last week throughout the league, even the winners.It's a game of mistakes and I go back to what my college coach (Bear Bryant at Alabama) told us when we were freshmen. The first meeting in the room, our college coach told us: "Look, I'm gonna keep you from beating yourselves." Beating yourselves? I was wondering, "What the heck is he talking about?" I had come from a championship team in Pennsylvania and then I hear Coach Bryant in Alabama talking about beating yourselves. I thought it was almost like playing scared or something.But you can keep from beating yourselves by not making mental errors, by not dropping balls, by not getting into the wrong position to do things. And I'll just bet you, I've gotta believe the Colts know they didn't play well enough because they did make too many mistakes that beat themselves.

Q: How do you think Andrew Luck would fare in a market like New York?

A: Well you see how the folks in Indianapolis and the Midwest look at Andrew; I don't think the folks in New York would look at him any differently. He's a fine man, he comes from a fine family, he does great charitable work. He's just an all-around respectful gentleman as well as a great athlete. If Andrew walks the streets of New York, I tell you what, New York's an intelligent sports group of people there and they know who's what. If they see Andrew, man, they'd be saying, "Hey, Mr. Luck! How you doin', buddy?" He's got the respect of the sports fan around the country right now.

The similarities between Namath and Luck aren't limited to their success on the field. In 1969, just after Namath had made good on a guarantee that the heavy underdog Jets would beat the powerhouse Colts in the Super Bowl, he appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show." Namath was asked about his plans for the offseason and said he would be going on a USO trip to Guam, Okinawa, Tokyo and the Philippines. Luck and some of his Colts teammates also went on a USO tour this past offseason.

Another parallel between the two quarterbacks is how their rise to stardom led to endorsement and other commercial opportunities. Sullivan asked Namath how he was handling the crush of commercial opportunities following the Super Bowl victory, to which Namath replied: "There have been a lot of opportunities that have come up recently since our victory in the Super Bowl. But my advisers have gotten together with these people and we just decided to wait and more or less pick the right opportunity and take our time."

Luck recently said something similar about his situation:

"I didn't want to overextend myself, and make sure I could focus on football. That was the plan. I managed to do well on the field, and certain opportunities come out of that. The more you do, the more you feel comfortable with how things operate."

Q: How does a young, rising star in the NFL handle the avalanche of commercial opportunities that comes his way while not losing focus on the field?

A: It starts at home, first of all. It's important that we have the leadership at home, the environment at home. Surrounding yourself with the right team (is critical) because one man can't handle the requests and the possible opportunities that come with that. But between he and his father and his mother, boy they sound like they're so well planted, they're so reasonable and intelligent and sincere people. I don't think he's going to have any problem at all.It's going to depend – and there's a fine line – you've got to take care of yourself, too. No one really knows what's in Andrew's mind. Maybe he shared it with his family and all. But we all change, too. There comes a time when your passion may want for one particular thing that you've been driven at for a good while, and you want to do something else, you want to expand into another area, not continuing necessarily to do what you've done your entire life in that one particular area. There's no telling where Andrew is going to decide to go; I don't know if he's decided that yet. I think he's probably still working on that championship, not getting caught up with too far down the road. He's already got that team around him and I bet it's a good one.

Q: Have you seen Luck's recent commercial in which he channeled his inner Joe Namath by wearing a fur coat and Fu Manchu mustache?

A: I haven't seen it but I'm gonna sure be looking for it! (Laughing) I think that's a wonderful idea. That's fun. And I'm glad he's game. He's got a sense of humor and he's game and sometimes you even have to trust those folks that are asking you to represent their company. I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Q: You had to leap over some hurdles that proved difficult on your journey to the Super Bowl, namely the defending AFL champion Oakland Raiders. For the past couple of seasons, the Patriots have been the Colts' main obstacle on that road. How does a team finally break through?

A: I don't believe that anything I say Andrew already doesn't know in a sense. The year we won the championship, we lost three games and two of them were to the last place team in the league. And the third one was the "Heidi Game" out in Oakland when things went a little bit squirrely.Of course in the games we lost I played poorly; I ended up throwing five interceptions in those two games and for the whole season I had 17. So I took that squarely – I blew those games. It's just: OK, learn from the last one and let's move on and be determined to play better. Because again, every week, man, these guys are pros and they can play.Lou Holtz once told us when we were getting ready for a team, he said, "Hey, listen: That team over there is gonna be ready. They didn't go to school just to eat their lunch." Every one of those teams out there are going to be fighting like heck, so whether it's one loss, four losses, five losses, you don't give up until you're eliminated and you keep looking to get better and better.

Q: Are the Colts good enough to reach the Super Bowl this season?

A: I don't know them well enough, but I've gotta believe they've got the players that can do it. I don't know. I really don't know. And right now, they don't know. They've got to play the way they're expected to play and last week they didn't play up to their own expectations.

Q: With your greatest moment on a football field coming against the Colts, does that franchise hold a special place in your mind?

A: Only because of the history, yes. Having a hometown guy from Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania playing tight end for the Colts – Jim Mutscheller – and I found Johnny Unitas and I got mesmerized with the way he played and I tried to emulate Johnny.The history of the Colts, yeah. I remember when they made the transition (to Indianapolis) and how difficult it was for the fans of Baltimore. But I know they were accepted in a beautiful way out there in Indianapolis. And the Colts, when I see that helmet especially, I get flashes, no doubt about it.

>    http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2015/09/15/q-joe-namath-hall-famer-talks-andrew-luck-colts-super-bowl-aspirations/72312394/

[Jettington]

From what I'm reading it sounds like TY Hilton will likely miss Monday's game which is great news for us. What worries me most about this game is Luck's scrambling ability, I think it will be very hard for us to get off the field on 3rd down. We did not do well on 3rd down defense last game and don't expect it to get any easier this week. 

[kelly]

Rich Cimini ESPN Staff Writer 

Jets CB Antonio Cromartie (sprained knee) was on the practice field, but he was limited to only stretching during the media period. That he made an appearance, though, is an encouraging sign. In his 10th year, Cromartie never has missed a game due to injury. Not surprisingly, LB Lorenzo Mauldin (concussion) wasn't at practice.

> http://espn.go.com/nfl/team/_/name/nyj/new-york-jets

[BroadwayJoe12]

Just something that I found both sad and funny at the same time: prior to Sunday, in Ivory's two seasons with the jets, he only had 20 or more carries in a game three times. He had 100 yards in each game. I know they talked about game flow, being behind and getting Chris Johnson touches - yikes - but it never made any sense. Something I think I'm going to like about Ivory, he goes with what's working, no trickery.  If you're running the ball down their throat, keep on running the ball down their throat.  

 

[Jet in PA]

Just something that I found both sad and funny at the same time: prior to Sunday, in Ivory's two seasons with the jets, he only had 20 or more carries in a game three times. He had 100 yards in each game. I know they talked about game flow, being behind and getting Chris Johnson touches - yikes - but it never made any sense. Something I think I'm going to like about Ivory, he goes with what's working, no trickery.  If you're running the ball down their throat, keep on running the ball down their throat.  

 

It seemed like last year especially he would have a drive where he was doing great and then we never saw him again. Martyball hindered us for multiple drives per game not to mention every trip to the redzone

[Bleedingreen20]

I think that the only way the Jets win this game against Indy is if they play aggressively like they did in the 2nd half of the Browns game.  Also, I'm hoping they play tighter coverage when they blitz this time.  Maybe even designating a spy for Luck which would also protect for the over pursuit.