Stillers and Colts

November 24, 2005 by Still Trivia

For you stat fans out there, a comparison between the Stillers and Iggles

�� Here is a look at the Colts versus the Stillers by the numbers going into NFL week # 12.� Some readers don�t care for statistics; I for one find them interesting.� Statistically this game should be a win by Indy but stats don�t play football.� The Stillers have yet to find an identity which is scary going into week 12.� Much has to do with injuries, mainly at QB and RB.� Dick L. needs to chart out a game plan to stop one of the top two offenses in the NFL.� We already stopped one of them, the Bungles.

�� This match up, on Monday Night Football, should feature two of the premiere QBs in the league.� Big Ben is listed as probable and that is a good thing after watching the last couple of games without him.� Being a Stiller fan and a fan of football in general, I have much respect for Peyton Manning.� His play is superior and his work ethic, on and off-season is almost unmatched.� His peer in off season workouts and study is Roethlisberger.� Both have dedicated themselves to master their offense and opponent�s defenses.� Roth may not have the greatest stats in the NFL, but he wins, prepares and brings a team with relatively average players to a higher level.� This game promises to be a great match up of a great veteran QB and an up and coming great NFL QB.

CATEGORY	COLTS	STILLERS	REMARKS
Record	10-0	7-3	The Colts are working on a potential undefeated season.� The Stillers, by all rights, could or should be 9-1 or 8-2 losing twice in OT.
QB rating	Manning is #2 in the NFL at 104.6 behind Carson Palmer.� He is at 95.2 in his home dome while 110.2 on the road.	Roethlisberger hasn�t played since Halloween and he owned the #1 QB ranking at that time.� Big Ben is impressive on the road with a 116.3 rating which is second in the NFL.	See above comments on both QBs.
Interceptions	Manning has tossed seven picks in 10 games.	Ben has two interceptions in six games.	Maddox has four in two starts.
Getting sacked when passing	Peyton is rarely sacked.	Ben has hit the dirt 11 times in seven games.	Essex starting???� Ben is actually one of the best QBs when under pressure.�
Sacking	Dwight Freeney has seven sacks in 10 games.	Haggans has six and Joey P. is sitting at five.
% Pass Completion	Manning is at 68.7	Ben, while once #1 in the NFL is at 60.8% again due to injury.	Charlie Batch is at 62.9% & Maddox is impressive with a 47.9 completion percentage.
QB TDs	Manning and Palmer are tied for #1 in the NFL with 20 in 10 games.	Ben has 10 in six games.	Attempting to trade TDs against each other, is a recipe for disaster.
Gross punting average	Indy Punter, Hunter Smith averages 43.3 which is #13 in the NFL.	Gardocki is 41.5. For those that may not know this, Gardocki has never had a punt blocked.� Expect Madden or Michaels to announce this on Monday.	Interesting stat is out of 10 games, Smith has punted 28 times to Gardocki�s 39.� Early in the season, Gardocki rarely punted.
Kick Off average	Dave Rayner averages 62.3 yards per boot.	Reed averages 63.1	Reed has few kicks into the end zone but the kickoff coverage has been a Stiller weakness.
Fumbles Lost by a QB	Negligible	Negligible	Both teams have been fairly disciplined handling the ball.� I, of course am saying this without counting Maddox into this stat.� Brunell and Vinnie T. lead the NFL each with six.
Average yards per game, offense	379.9	305.2	The Colts are #2 in the NFL.
Penalties	Indy is the least penalized team in the NFL at 53.	PGH is not to far ahead with 58.	Much discussion unfolded this year about the officiating.� Monday will showcase two of the least penalized teams in the NFL.� The Raiders lead the league with 100 penalties.
Penalty yards	357, again the lowest in the NFL.	515	This shows, while the Stillers aren�t penalized all that often, when they do commit a foul, it is a good one for some yardage.
Time of possession average	30.10	29.59 is the same TOP when we played the Pats early this season.	This shows the lack of staying with a running game or being able to really establishing one.� The Stillers are traditionally strong when owning the clock but right now the Stillers are #18 in the NFL in this category.
Turnovers	Takeaways:� 19 Giveaways: 12	Takeaways: 23 Giveaways: 13	Very good statistic for the Steelers except for not capitalizing on the takeaways in many instances.
Field Goals	Mike Vanderjagt is at 91.7	Reed is at 81.8
Passing, average yards per game	250.5	175	The Stillers will not win if forced to pass all night.
Rushing, average yards per game	129.4	130.2	Very close between the two teams.� The Stillers have been searching for the running game identity and are not certain who the real starter is.� It is hard to complain if you are a Stilelr fan when you top three RBs are Willie, Bettis and Staley.
Average points per game	30.5 makes the Colts #1 in the NFL.	23.6	The Stillers just lost to the last team in the NFL, the Ravens, who average 11.6 points per game.
Defense, average yards per game	293.4	290.7	Again, both teams very close.� This will be a test for the Stiller secondary against the pass.
Third down conversion %-Defense	39.2%	42.9%	Third down and getting off the field has been the nemesis of the Stiller defense.� Far to many teams have converted on third down, several were big plays.

Series Notes:

Last Meeting:� October 21, 2002.� Colts: 10, Stillers: 28.

All time record:� Stillers have owned the series at 17-4

At home:� 12-1-0

Away:� 5-3-0

Neutral field:� 0-0-0

Projected Game Weather:

Not applicable due to the RCA Dome.

Some Other Comments/Facts:

While I am typically a proponent of a balanced offense, this game favors the Stillers if we can establish and maintain a running game.� Control of the clock is paramount and 10 other teams have tried and failed.� Cinci put on a valiant effort attempting to trade touchdowns.� They came up short and I doubt the Stillers can generate that much offense through the air to match Indy.� When the Stillers rush for more than 200 yards, we are 86-6 in the regular season and 7-0 in the playoffs.� Using the 200 yards rushing per game metric, the Stillers are 12-0 since 2000.
Heath Miller needs to put back in the offensive scheme.
The Stillers, after last weekend, are now 9-10-1 in OT on the road.
The Stillers are 33-20 on Monday Night Football.� The Back and Gold are, however; 13-15 on the road on MNF.� Coach Cowher has an impressive 18-6 record on Monday.
Tonight is the annual �Backyard Brawl� between #12 WVU and PITT on ESPN.� PITT has played 4-5 games on National TV this season and has laid eggs in all of them.� This coverage could have put PITT over the top in recruiting blue chips.� I was a fan of letting Walt Harris go, but Dave Wannstedt has done nothing.� He took a very good QB in Tyler Palko and turned him into a more polite, Ryan Leaf.� Consider the opposite out at South Bend when Charlie Weiss took an average QB in Brady Quinn and turned him into next year�s Heisman Trophy winner.
Over 175,000 pounds of Turkey Breast were shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan to feed the troops.
Not to kiss Indianapolis� ass but Indy is a true sports city and if you have the opportunity to visit, I�d recommend it.� I was there two years ago and in one weekend there was the Wrestling Olympic Trials (which is why I was there), a NBA Playoff game, Indy 500 time trials and a AAA baseball game.� Had a blast there.� Hopefully Trap and Ovie will get to go to the Monday Night match up.
I�m glad TO is done.� One guy with so much talent and his attitude befuddles me and hopefully those that have played a team sport feel the same way.� Props to the arbitrator that upheld the Iggles decision.� TO is a tremendous player, but a cancer. Even though I gave props to the arbitrator, Richard Bloch, it is interesting to note that he is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University and rumor has it is a Redskin�s season ticket holder.
Phantom and Mill will provide their weekly pre-game analysis in greater detail focusing on the Colts.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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