Breaking Down the Colts Part 1: Quarterbacks – Peyton Manning, Jim Sorgi, and Nate Davis?

The Colts had a great season last year. Not just great, it was amazing. They started out the season with a painful loss to the Chicago Bears, 29-13. That was the first time they lost their first game of the season since 2004, when they lost to the Patriots.

The Colts ended up starting out with a 3-4 record that year. That is just not how the Colts usually being a season. After that, however, the Colts shined. Bating the Patriots 18-15 was the start of their nine-game win streak. They improved to a 12-4 record and made the playoffs.

One of the anchors on CBS said that the Colts were the hottest team coming into the playoffs. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like it. They lost to the Chargers, 23-17 in overtime, when the Colts didn’t even have a chance to touch the ball in the extra session.

After that painful loss, Tony Dungy said that it was over for him in football (with the Colts at least) and he retired from the Colts and wrote a book called Uncommon. Fortunately, Colts had Jim Caldwell waiting in the wings, a man who has been with the staff for quite some time.

What can Caldwell do? Is he the man for the job? Can the Colts show the world they have a running game and they can be Super Bowl contenders? Let’s see what happens in 2009 and beyond.

I am going to break down the Colts. Every single player. Today, I start with the quarterbacks. Next time, I’ll go straight towards the running backs and fullbacks. Then, the time after that, it’s wide receivers. So you get the trend.

Let’s get started!

Indianapolis Colts Quarterbacks

Peyton Manning

2008 stats: 27 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 4,002 passing yards, and a 95.3 quarterback rating.

Peyton Manning started out horrible last year. After skipping training camp and missing the pre-season, Manning started out his first game of the season with a 81.8 rating. Even though he had no interceptions, the Bears dominated as Manning only completed 30-of-49 passes.

His next two games went worse. He had one touchdowns and two interceptions in both of those games. In the second game of the season, Manning had a 72.6 rating against the Vikings, with one touchdown and two picks. Manning had almost the same exact stats the next game against the Jaguars and had a 59.0 quarterback rating.

So, in his first three games of the season, Manning had three touchdowns and four interceptions with a 71.1 quarterback rating. After that horrible start, Manning improved to two touchdowns and only one interception against the Texans, including a 101.0 rating.

The next game, Manning proved himself once more against the Ravens with three touchdowns and, finally, no picks! He finished with an amazing 134.7 rating. Manning improved deeply and was becoming his usual superstar self again. The Colts kept winning and winning.

Manning’s best game came against the Jaguars. He had three touchdowns and no picks with a dominant 140.7 quarterback rating. The 364 passing yards showed the pass game was on, while the running game wasn’t. It was a 31-24 win, as Keiwan Ratliff picked off David Garrard for a touchdown.

Manning ended the regular season with a 23-0 win over the Titans. Manning had a 158.3 rating as he went seven-for-seven and one touchdown with no picks. The 95 passing yards all went in the first quarter, and Jim Sorgi took it from there.

Manning ended the season with the stats shown above. Manning also won the NFL MVP award. Though Manning and the Colts lost to the Chargers, he put up some pretty decent numbers. He had 310 passing yards, along with a touchdown and no picks. The 90.4 rating came when Manning went 25-42 on his passes.

Peyton Manning looks to guide the Colts to a playoff spot next year. He needs to. He has to.

Let’s hope Manning wins another MVP and guides himself and the Colts to their fourth Super Bowl and wins it. Manning looks to earn his second Super Bowl ring while Tom Brady is worrying that Manning is only one ring behind. Can Manning do it?

Of course. He’s strong. He’s never missed a game. He only missed one play in his entire career while starting. He’s smart. Well, of course. Why else did he have 49 touchdowns in 2004? Good luck, Peyton Manning.

Jim Sorgi is probably one of my favorite backup quarterbacks. He has six touchdowns and one interception in his career. That is actually pretty good for a backup. He has a career 89.9 quarterback rating.

Sorgi disappointed the Colts in the 2007 regular season, when the Colts lost to the Titans, 17-14. It ended on a fourth down pass, when Sorgi threw to Devin Aromashodu, who is now on the Bears, who failed to make the catch because of the swarming defenders.

Sorgi has been a great player with the Colts as far as filling his role as a confidant to Peyton Manning and not taking up too much salary cap space. Even though he was horrible in the pre-season when he had no touchdowns and one interception, he is better in the regular season.

Right now, however, it looks like Sorgi might lose his job. According to Bryan Brackney at The Colts Corner, he said that the Colts were the only scouts to look at Nate Davis’s Pro Day.

What does that mean? The Colts are looking for a new backup and they also checked out Mark Sanchez, according to the Bryan Brackney article. I still think Jim Sorgi will still stay, as he can help mentor a young quarterback that the Colts bring in.

He was mostly the star of the 23-0 win against the Titans this year. He completed 73 percent of his passses, 22-for-30, and threw for 178 yards. His average passing yards a play was almost six (5.9). He also had a 87.9 quarterback rating. Still, while Sorgi can be a good backup for the Colts (since he rarely, if ever, will have to take a meaningful snap because of Manning’s durability), he is kind of horrible. Just saying: In Madden 2006, Jim Sorgi had a 65 overall rating along with some guy named Travis Brown.

Can Jim Sorgi be a potential starter with some team? At 28 years old, he does not have much of a ceiling despite good overall knowoedge of the game. I would love for him to stay with the Colts, just getting payed to do nothing while Manning is at work. Heck, that would be a good life.

So now you know them Colts’ quarterbacks. One is consistent, one is not as much. This is a good one-two punch of quarterbacks. What is going to happen? Will the Colts get Nate Davis? Yeah, probably. No chance they get Sanchez. Davis looks like he could be a great backup for the Colts.

We’ll see sometime soon. So this wraps up part one. Stay tuned for part two of running backs and fullbacks. This is Breaking Down the Colts. Thank you for reading and you have a nice day.

An Open Letter to Nate Davis: Leave Ball State Early for the NFL Draft

Nate,

Over the last few years I have grown quite fond of you. I, being a BSU alumni, appreciate all you have done for our program and will never forget this last season. So thank you for your time here and thanks for giving us our first positive national exposure (Letterman not withstanding).

After all you have done for us (The alumni and student body of BSU) I think it is only fair that I shoot straight with you. It’s time for you to move on. People like BSU President Jo Ann M. Gora and A.D. Tom Collins are probably telling you otherwise. Coach Parrish may even be in your ear asking for another season, but let’s face it: that is not in your best interest.

With 20 seniors leaving after this year there is little to no chance next season is going to go as well as this one went. Brady Hoke is gone, there isn’t another Dante Love on his way into the program, and the football schedule isn’t going to improve. You get better by playing better opponents, and there are no better opponents coming up at BSU. All of those things point to one logical conclusion. In order for you to get better and move on to the next level, you need to go ahead and enter the NFL draft.

Yes, it is true your last two BSU games have cost you millions of potential dollars, but there are still millions to be made. Also, what does living in Muncie do for you? With people like the Muncie Stars’ Greg Fallon waiting to call you things like “immature and unintelligent” the only thing sticking around could do is continue to bring you down.

Fallon starts his piece by saying, “Forget what the NFL advisory committee says, what ESPN’s Todd McShay or Mel Kiper Jr. says.” Ok, fine don’t listen to them. How about you listen to a real sports writer, a national writer; how about one who happens to be a BSU alumni… say Jason Whitlock. Earlier in the season he said you were the most pro-ready QB in Indiana and a top NCAA QB. You have a NFL future and you should jump on it now.

One last thing Nate. What has BSU done for you? Over the years the administration has made it pretty clear they don’t care about athletics. Everything from the previously shady basketball program to the early 2000’s longest losing streak in the nation points to a lack of caring. Those two things are just circumstantial though; the real damning evidence is the pushing out of Brady Hoke and the unceremonious way they handled it. Why would you risk injury and millions to play for a school which is uncommitted to you?

Nate, I wish you luck and hope you make the right decision. I am sure you will.

Plough

Imperfection: Ball State Loses MAC Championship Game to Buffalo

The Ball State Cardinals have been dominant during the 2008 college football season.

Entering Friday night’s MAC Championship game against Buffalo, Ball State had won every game it had played this season — including two over Big Ten opponents — and came in at 12-0. Led by QB Nate Davis and RB MiQuale Lewis, the Cardinals were an offensive juggernaut that many people were clamoring to see in the BCS.

I did not watch the game, but I just glanced at the box score, and it was clear to see that the Cardinals continued their dominant ways on Friday night. Nate Davis was 31-48 for 351 yards and a touchdown. MiQuale Lewis ran the ball 30 times for 131 yards and scored two touchdowns.

Just look at the team statistics and you will see how much Ball State dominated an overmatched Buffalo team that few people game much of a chance to win the game:

First Downs: Ball State – 30 | Buffalo – 18

Total Yards: Ball State – 503 | Buffalo – 301

Passing Yards: Ball State – 351 | Buffalo – 206

Rushing Yards: Ball State – 152 | Buffalo – 95

Time of Posession: Ball State – 34:18 | Buffalo 25:42

Final Score: Ball State – 24 | Buffalo – 42

Wait — what? Ball State lost? Say it ‘aint so!

Oh…it be so, sadly for fans of the Cardinals, for David Letterman, and for fans of football in the state of Indiana in general.

The most important stat of the Ball State-Buffalo game was the one that often determines the outcome of football games: turnovers. Ball State turned the ball over five times, while Buffalo only turned it over twice. Compounding the problem was that Buffalo scored off of all five Ball State turnovers.

According to the ESPN recap, Buffalo returned fumbles 92 and 74 yards on consecutive drives in the third quarter. Ouch. And superstar Nate Davis was involved in all four fumbles. The other turnover was a Davis interception.

After the MAC Championship debacle was over for Ball State, Nate Davis said that is coming back to school for his senior season. That is probably a good move. A putrid game like that on a big stage, when you are already fighting an uphill battle by not coming from one of the “big schools”, cannot be good for the draft stock.

On the bright side, only 12,871 fans were in attendance at Ford Field in Detroit to watch the game. My conjecture would be that this total exceeds the cumulative total of fans who have watched all Lions home games this year, but I have not been able to confirm that.

With the victory and MAC Championship, Buffalo and new head coach Turner Gill will be playing in the International Bowl, located in Toronto. Coincidentally, the Buffalo Bills are playing the Miami Dolphins in a “home” game in Toronto this weekend. And soon, if you are mailing letters to friends who live in Buffalo, you will just be able to address them to Toronto.

Ball State may end up back near the 8 Mile if they end up in the Motor City Bowl, which is played in Detroit. If the Motor City Bowl does not work out, they could always go on David Letterman and participate in his skit where people drop things off the roof and watch them splatter.

If they do, they might want to grab a watermelon and write “OUR UNDEFEATED SEASON” in big letters on it. Then they can drop that and watch it splatter all over the place…just like their chances for an undefeated season splattered tonight.

I am not sure why, but I have ended each of the last four paragraphs with really lame one liners. I think it is because I am tired, and aggitated, and can no longer write the post I had been planning about Ball State ducking a potential matchup of the under-appreciated unbeatens against Boise State.

I guess it’s a moot point now. But I was looking forward to saying that Ball State should change its name to “Tate University” — because they had no balls.

Now, of course, that joke just seems lame and sophomoric. So let’s just say that Ball State should change its name to “Drop the Ball State University”, because that is definitely what they did tonight; and it’s not a ball joke.

Who thinks ball jokes are funny anyway?

Damn you Ball State. I’m a Browns fan, a Tennessee Volunteers fan, and an Indiana grad. Combined, I’m not sure those three teams would have enough wins to be bowl eligible. I was clinging to Ball State and hopping on the bandwagon in hopes that they could give me something to cheer for. If you are a MAC team and you aren’t shooting for an undefeated season, you’re just another team with a good record that played a poor schedule.

And I’m just a tired, lonely blogger writing about MAC football and ball jokes on a Friday night.

It’s time for bed. Both for me, and for all the talk of Ball State in the BCS.

Nate Davis and Ball State Remain Undefeated With Two Games Left

How many of the top 25 (both AP and BCS) college football teams are undefeated? The answer is 4. One of these teams is Muncie, Indiana’s own Ball State University.

Ball State is a college waiting for it’s chance to become a big time sports program. While that sounds like most colleges, Ball State is actually on the verge of making it happen.

With the Cards sitting at 15 in both the AP and BCS polls, they are starting to catch a few peoples’ eyes. While I was in Texas watching BSU’s victory over Central Michigan in a bar I had people keep coming up to me and asking who Ball State was, where they were, and why no one had heard about them earlier. I answered by saying it was in Indiana, that it was the state’s number one party school (you know I am right), and that they actually had heard about its football program years ago.

Back in 2000 David Letterman started campaigning to have the stadium named after him, and covering the school’s longest active losing streak in NCAA Division 1. The next question was usually “How are you so good now?” and my answer was along the lines of “We sent our coach (Bill Lynch) to I.U. and found the most NFL-ready QB in college football”. Since the people were watching the game with me, they couldn’t argue that Nate Davis could be the best QB in the NCAA not named Tebow.

Ball State is currently riding a wave, or gaining a bandwagon. It seems late in the season (only 2 games left, the 25th against Western Michigan then the M.A.C. Championship) but many are just starting to realize how special this team is. They lost their top WR (Dante Love) to a terrible spinal injury that has ended his career early in the season and yet Nate Davis is still seemingly able to throw a TD on any given play. Their starting running back, MiQuale Lews, is listed at 5-6 and 186 lbs, but I’ve stood next to him and I’d be surprised if he was 175 lbs and 5-4. To make matters worse, they’re in Muncie Indiana, the same Muncie which played host to the defunct reality series “Armed and Famous”.

This team had only a few supporters going into this season (Jason Whitlock, a fellow Ball State University alumni, did predict an undefested season, so I can’t say no supporters). I don’t think many of the school’s students knew how to get to the stadium from the tailgate lot, and they have been nationally known as losers, yet they keep winning.

This team is giving all of us BSU alumnis something we can point to (other then Letterman) and say “Hey that’s us!”. Most importently of all, they are giving Ball State University the national recognition it deserves. I’m not going to make any predictions, I saw what happened to the Patriots after Simmons did that, but I will say that there is no school more deserving of a winner then Ball State.

MAC Showdown: Ball State vs Central Michigan Preview and Prediction

Tonight, one of the ten biggest games in the history of the Mid-American Conference will be played on ESPN2 in Mount Pleasant, MI. The undefeated and 14th ranked Ball State Cardinals (10-0, 6-0) will take on the Central Michigan Chippewas (8-2, 6-0). The winner of tonight’s game controls its own fate in the MAC West. ]

Ball State still has to play Western Michigan (9-2, 6-1) next weekend, so they aren’t guaranteed of anything if they win tonight. Still, tonight’s game represents one more giant hurdle on Ball State’s improbable journey to BCS consideration. A serious discussion of their chances is grossly premature, what with the two toughest conference games on their schedule still in the front of Cardinals, as well as a potential conference title game. But getting a little excited about it seems just fine by me.

Standing in the way of the mighty Ball State Lettermans tonight is Central Michigan and defending MAC Player of the Year Dan LeFevour. The starting quarterback leads Central Michigan in both passing and rushing. Last season, LeFevour treated the Ball State defense like it was warm butter. He knifed through the Cardinals for 506 yards of total offense (including a career-high 146 on the ground) and six total touchdowns. The Chippewas won that game 58-38.

So I don’t think anyone has to worry about Ball State overlooking Central Michigan or taking LeFevour lightly. He has proven himself to be the most talented and accomplished individual player in the conference (no offense to Nate Davis). Containing LeFevour will be imperative tonight if Brady Hoke and Ball State are to keep their magical undefeated season alive.

For Ball State, they are hoping to play the solid, disciplined football that has gotten them to this stage in the season without a blemish on their record. The Cardinals are currently the least penalized team in the nation and have not committed a penalty in three games. For the season, Ball State is averaging 2.6 penalties per game. Penn State is second in the national at 3.2 penalties per game. Pretty impressive.

In addition to being disciplined, Ball State’s stars will have to play like stars. Quarterback Nate Davis and running back MiQuale Lewis have had oustanding seasons thus far. They have racked up stats and highlights, while leading the Cardinals to a combined 40 touchdowns. Dan LeFevour is going to lead Central Michigan up and down the field. For Ball State to win on the road, Nate Davis will have to match him.

And after saying that, I look at the stats and realize that Ball State is 15th in nation in scoring offense, while Central Michigan is only 44th. The biggest difference is the ground game. Ball State averages 194.2 yards per game on the ground while Central Michigan averages only 131.3. In big games, the team that controls the ball and clock with a solid running game is usually at a significant advantage. The team with fewer penalties also usually has an advantage.

However, the team with the best player and the home field has a couple of significant advantages in its favor too. So by now means is it a foregone conclusion that Ball State will waltz into Central Michigan and win just because they are ranked in the top 20.

In fact, remember: Central Michigan has won the last four meetings. And they spanked the holy hoke out of Ball State last year in Muncie. According to MiQuale Lewis, that result has stuck with the Cardinals players. “What they did to us last year in our stadium — everybody’s got that in the back of their heads,” running back MiQuale Lewis said. As long as they can channel that revenge in the right way, it could be a tipping point that puts the game in Ball State’s favor.

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My gut tells me that Central Michigan will win this game. LeFevour and the home field advantage and the four straight wins are tough to overcome. However, I am rooting for Ball State. And Monday night, I picked the Browns to beat the Bills even though my gut said pick the Bills. I’ll stick with what’s working.

The gut says Central Michigan, but the fingers are typing Ball State.

Prediction: Ball State 42 | Central Michigan 38

[tags]ball state cardinals, central michigan, MAC, college football[/tags]

Nate Davis Leads Ball State to 10-0 With Win Over Miami

What a season for the Ball State Cardinals. This is officially their first mention here at Midwest Sports Fans, but how could we possibly ignore them any longer?

With their 31-16 victory over Miami (Ohio) last night on ESPN, the Ball State Cardinals moved to 10-0 on the season with a huge showdown looming next week against Central Michigan.

(Editor’s note: To see a hilarious Top 10 Reasons Why Ball State Should be in the BCS, head over to The World of Isaac.  Funny stuff.  Any post that includes a pic of Ron Jeremy and the “Boom Goes the Dynamite” video is worth reading.)

As usual, the key for Ball State was quarterback Nate Davis. No, not that Nate Davis, this one:

This guy is really, really good and is not getting nearly enough attention around the country for his weekly exploits. For the season, Nate Davis has thrown 20 TD passes against 6 INTs and has a passer rating of 168.00. He has also run for 3 TDs and has only been sacked 8 times. I’m not to here to say that Nate Davis is anywhere near the level of Michael Crabtree, Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, Tim Tebow, or even Mullet All-Star Albert Jergens; but Nate Davis is certainly having a season worthy of some national attention.

Ball State is also getting outstanding play from MiQuale Lewis, who has rushed for nearly 1,300 yards through ten games and has scored 17 TDs. It is hard to find a 1-2 offensive combination anywhere else in the country that has been as profilic as Davis-Lewis have been this season.

Currently, the Cardinals sit at #14 in the AP Poll and #16 in the Coaches Poll. They are #14 in the latest BCS Standings, behind two-loss heroes Ohio State, Georgia, Oklahoma State, and Missouri. Who knows what would happen if Ball State ended up playing against one of the big boys in a BCS game — but I’d definitely like to see it happen. The Cardinals were able to go on the road and win in the Big Ten earlier this year, beating Indiana 42-20. I realize it’s just Indiana, but it’s still a 22-point win on the road in the Big Ten. Nothing to sneeze at. (Never mind, it was Indiana, what am I saying?)

Next week, Ball State takes on Central Michigan in what has to be one of the 5-10 biggest games in the history of the MAC. Central Michigan also has a Big Ten road victory this season, taking out Indiana in Bloomington as well a few weeks ago. The Chippewas almost took down Purdue earlier in the season too. Led by quarterback Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan is currently undefeated in the MAC at 5-0 and 7-2 overall. They play 5-4 Northern Illinois tonight, and if the Chippewas can take care of business it will set up next week’s matchup for all the marbles in the MAC West, as both Central Michigan and Ball State will enter the game 6-0. That game will be played at Central Michigan.

As a fan of Midwest sports, I will be rooting for Ball State. I would love to see the Cardinals crack the BCS and get a shot to take down a major program. I remember how exciting the Boise State-Oklahoma game was a few years ago and Ball State has the kind of dynamic offensive talent that could make things difficult on a major program.

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One thing is for sure: Ball State has an outstanding quarterback in Nate Davis to go along with a solid ground game. The Cardinals haven’t gotten too much national attention, but if they can beat Central Michigan next week and take care of business the rest of the way, America will have no choice but to pay attention to the team from Muncie, Indiana. And finally, people will something to say about Ball State other than the fact that it is David Letterman’s alma mater. (And that they have hats that say “Ball U” on them. I’ve considered becoming a fan for that reason alone.)

Congrats on a great season so far Ball State — now finish the job, and give Midwest sports fans like me who root for crappy teams (Indiana, Tennessee) someone to root for come January.

[tags]college football, ball state, central michigan, Mid-American Conference[/tags]