Donald Brown to Colts Fans: How do you like me now?

Colts fans are being shown this season how much difference the offensive line makes to the running game - if they care to notice.  The Colts have rededicated themselves to running the ball, mostly to their left side using finesse runs behind Charlie Johnson and Kyle DeVan.  Donald Brown had three really nice game changing runs. Longtime fan favorite Dominic Rhodes had a couple of nice plays as well.

Austin Collie was having a great game after coming back from a concussion, but unfortunately he suffered another one and I don't expect to see him again during the regular season.  It might be in his best interest to be shut down for the year regardless.

This was an exciting game in the end, after looking like a Colts runaway early in the game.  But it always goes this way with Jacksonville.

I expect us to have a very difficult time with Oakland next week.  We do not match up with them very well and a loss would not surprise me.

Notes from the Titans game, or How Pollak got his groove back

Upon further review of the Titans game, Mike Pollak looks much improved since his four game benching.  In this last game, he actually approaches average!  Of course just being close to average gives him better grades than the rest of the offensive line generally earns.  He does not seem to have gotten any stronger, but his run blocking technique is better and he actually got some movement on the guy he was blocking on several key runs Thursday night, something he rarely has accomplished before.  When protecting Manning, he was less hazardous to life and limb than Jeff Linkenbach - but that is not saying much.

Of course it would be quite unfair of me not to describe Linkenbach's good performance in the 2nd half at left tackle, replacing the injured Charlie Johnson.  Linkenbach was always intended to be a tackle for the Colts and the experiment of playing him at right guard was a miserable failure.  But at tackle he has looked good.

Daniel Muir had another good night against the run.  He has had a good year penetrating the offensive line and generally being a hard to control pest.

Pierre Garçon drew a lot of criticism for his performance earlier in the year.  It is true that he was not playing well, but being called "lazy" and "timid" was uncalled for.  When you see a player on the field not coming close to performing as well as you remember, your first thought should ALWAYS be that he is playing injured.

If he is not on the injury report and continues to play below his previous level, your second thought should ALWAYS be that he is playing injured.

Now that Garçon's secretly strained hamstrings have healed, he is looking a lot like he did in last year's breakout season.  Learning how to play through pain is a challenge for young players, and it affects some more than others.

That brings us to Donald Brown.  I think he came back still injured due to Addai and Hart being unable to play.  For several weeks he looked slow, tentative, and generally unlike the player we saw flashes from last year.  He has looked better each of the last three games and is starting to show us why the Colts spent a 1st round draft pick on him.

The Colts never intended him to be a every down move the chains type of back.  He was brought in to be a change-up to Addai's fastball.  To run draws and screen plays, to flex out to WR on occasion.  Both him and Addai have been almost continually hurt, so we have never really been able to see this dynamic.

Even though he seems to be healed up, our truly terrible offensive line is preventing him from really showing us what he can do.  But the flashes are there.  I think he will be ok.

Whither Donald Brown?

It seems that the fan base has turned on Donald Brown.  I am seeing criticism from both bloggers as well as fans.  Criticisms center on the perception that he is not running hard and that he is not doing a good job blocking for the pass.

There was some of this in last weeks podcast on Coltzilla.com.  While I enjoy the podcast and feel they are well done, I have to take issue with their disenchantment of Donald Brown.

They mention that Donald Brown is coming back from injury but that he should be fine because he has been practicing.

Well, I'm not sure that is true.  The Colts have not been having good practices due to all of the injuries.  Manning has mentioned this multiple times in the last couple of weeks.

And I think that Donald Brown is still hurt based on what I am seeing from him.  He was out with a hamstring pull, which would definitely affect the leg drive of a running back.  Also, we have no idea if he has some other undisclosed injury.

With Addai and Hart out, I think that the Colts have broken form and asked a player to "gut it out" because they need someone who actually knows the offense out there.

Also, if he was not hurt he would have been on the field for 90% of the snaps in the Philadelphia and Cincinnati games - instead of sharing time with off the street guys who only know a small part of the playbook.

You simply cannot judge a running back by how he plays injured - and we are doing a disservice to a player that I feel is sacrificing himself for the good of the team.

The otherwise excellent podcast on Coltzilla.com can be found here: Check it to Pancakes, Episode 14: Week 10 – Bengals at Colts