Jan. 30, 2007
By John Jewell
Football's most prolific quarterback, Peyton Manning, put on a show for the ages against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. This Sunday, he'll have one more challege to lead the Colts to a Super Bowl victory.
For the Colts to win, Indianapolis must stick to their game plan and exploit the matchups against the Chicago Bears.
Colts Keys to Victory
No turnovers: Bears defense caused five turnovers from the New Orleans Saints offense in NFC championship.
Keep Away: The Bears have a huge advantage in special teams with return man Devin Hester and the Colts need to play the field position game.
Establish a Running Game: If the Colts can effectively run the ball, then the passing game will open up for them
Roll in the Red Zone: The Bears defense is their main strength. The Colts must capitalize on every chance they get.
Key Players
Joseph Addai - Can throw Bears defense off balance while they try to stop Peyton Manning
Reggie Wayne - Marvin Harrison will draw many double teams; Reggie Wayne must be ready to step up
Dwight Freeney - Pressuring Rex Grossman will cause him to make mistakes
Bob Sanders - Ever since he returned from his injury, the Colts have not given up over 100 yards rushing in a game
Adam Vinateri - His ability to keep the ball away from Devin Hester on kickoffs and Super Bowl experience will play a big factor in the game
X's and O's
The Colts Offense
Run mostly shotgun formations which allow Peyton Manning to read defenses and make adjustments.
Many offensive weapons which throw defenses off balance.
Players like Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne allow for mismatches due to attention given to Marvin Harrison.
Running backs Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes cause defenses to respect Colt running game which then allows Peyton Manning to audible to passing plays.
Attacking the Colts Offense
Give Peyton Manning false looks such as showing blitz and then not blitzing.
Audible when Peyton Manning does. Manning often changes the play at the line of scrimmage and the Bears can defend this by changing their play at the line of scrimmage.
Pressure Manning. The New England Patriots were so successful against the Colts in previous years because they successfully put pressure on the Colts quarterback.
The Bears must shut down running game to force the Colts into a one dimensional attack.
The Colts Defense
Throughout the season teams ran upon them very easily. However, opponents in the playoffs they have averaged less than 100 yards a game.
Run a standard 4-3 defense with quick linebackers
Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis can pressure Rex Grossman causing him to make throws on the run and poor passing decisions
Bob Sanders dictates defense since he is so effective against the pass and the run
Attack Colts Defense
The Bears have an All-Pro in Olin Kruetz at center and should come out running the ball right at the heart of the Colts Defense
If Bears can run on the Colts defense like teams did during the season, then Rex Grossman should be able to pass the ball effectively
If the Bears put up 28 points, they will win the game because they can win the time of possession battle and keep the Colts offense off the field.
