16-20 Don’t get me wrong Youth Malik Hooker Jersey , I didn’t expect the Colts to win coming into the game today. I expected that the Eagles would be just a little bit too talented and too experienced for the young transitioning Colts to pull of a win on the road. When the weather turned rainy, it didn’t make me feel any better as I acknowledged how stout the Eagles front seven is and how strong their run defense has been for over a year.That said, this team had me believing that it could win the game the entire way. Every time I was worried that the team would fall flat or start to fade, they didn’t. Specifically, the Colts defense is a highly underrated and under appreciated unit who has been significantly better through three weeks than almost anyone would have predicted during training camp and in the preseason. One week after earning AFC defensive player of the week honors, rookie linebacker Darius Leonard led the Colts with 13 tackles, including 9 solo, 2 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss, and a pass defensed. This is will put him right back into consideration for defensive player of the week. Defensive end Margus Hunt is doing his very best to embarrass anyone who doubted him (I’m guilty) by acting as a defensive force on the the defensive line, inside and outside. He finished the game with 4 tackles, a strip sack fumble recovery, and 4 tackles for a loss. This is against an offensive line recognized as perhaps the very best in the NFL just a season ago.If you would have told me before the game that the Colts defense would generate two turnovers, 5 total sacks, 9 tackles for a loss, and six passes defensed, I would have expected the score to reflect a stunning victory against the Eagles in Philadelphia. In a strange turn of events, the Colts offense has come out of the gate looking lost and has not yet found its way. The quick release passes, no huddle and hurry-up style, and use of numerous weapons looks impressive when it is working right. The group just isn’t hitting on all cylinders yet.Now, if fans can accept that this was a difficult game to win and a likely loss from the time it was first announced on the schedule http://www.coltsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-rigoberto-sanchez-jersey , there is something to feel confident about. This very young team just took the defending Champs to the wire on their own field only three weeks into the 2018 NFL season. Andrew Luck is still working his way into a new offensive scheme and back onto the field after not playing in a regular season game for nearly two years. Once the offense gets going and the schedule eases up a bit, this group could do some exciting things.Let’s revisit our five keys to the game.Keep Carson Wentz uncomfortableThe Colts were more disruptive in the Eagles backfield than they have been in a game for a very long time. For the day, Indianapolis tallied 5 sacks and 9 tackles for a loss. One of those sacks was a strip sack and fumble recovery for Margus Hunt. Carson Wentz’s stat line of 25/37 with a TD and an INT is still a respectable outing, but he took 7 total hits and threw from very small pockets or had to scramble to keep plays alive on numerous occasions.In all, the Colts defense has to consider this area of the game plan a win. Limit Zach ErtzZach Ertz led the Eagles in receiving yards with 5 receptions for 73 yards. He was targeted in the end zone but the pass was broken up by Clayton Geathers. Linebacker Anthony Walker also picked off a pass intended for him to give the ball back to Andrew Luck and allowed the offense to setup a second consecutive scoring drive to give the team the lead for the first time.This is a reasonable performance against one of the best tight ends in the NFL.However, rookie Dallas Goedert added 7 receptions for another 73 yards and a touchdown. This was the player at the tight end position who gave the Colts the most fits. If they could have held all other tight ends in check on the day, they likely come out with a win. Giving up 146 yards and touchdown to Philadelphia’s tight ends collectively is something opponents will rarely be able to survive.Win the turnover battlePerhaps the most frustrating facet of the game comes from the failure to capitalize here. The Colts did a great job of forcing two second half turnovers. Anthony Walker’s INT to stop an Eagles drive in the third quarter allowed Adam Vinatieri to give the Colts their first lead of the game. Margus Hunt’s strip sack and fumble recovery gave Andrew Luck and the Colts offense the chance to really turn up the pressure and put the Eagles in a difficult situation.Rewarded with two extra possession from these turnovers, the offense still only possessed the ball for 20 minutes. Philadelphia had twice the time of possession and they were able to capitalize on a couple of key long drives that turned the tables. This isn’t a knock on the Colts defense who held their own all day long against the defending Champs. This is a sign of real work to do on offense and potentially an indication of how much it hurts to not have players like Anthony Castonzo, Jack Doyle, Robert Turbin and Marlon Mack on the field.Stay balanced on offenseThis wasn’t even close. There were 40 passing attempts compared to only 12 rushing attempts — excluding Luck’s 33 yard scramble. This is a highly imbalanced offensive game plan and the weather certainly made it more difficult to win the game through the air. Give credit where it is due here, the Eagles front seven is formidable and the best rushing defense in the NFL — in 2017 and so far in 2018. Still, this offense must find a way to maintain balance or they will struggle to get anything going.Hit Field GoalsOnce again, playing in poor weather conditions makes special teams very important. Adam Vinatieri continued to be reliable and his 3/3 stat line would have played a very big role in a Colts victory if things turned out differently. Jake Elliott’s first half field goal miss would have also stuck out as a key moment in the game if the Eagles don’t punch the ball in on their devastatingly long game winning touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.Frank Reich’s offense: The assistant coaching years | Ken Whisenhunt and Doug Pederson Over the next few days I’m going to give you more intricate details on what I expect the 2018 Frank Reich led Indianapolis Colts offense to look like. I have arrived at this conclusion based on his history as a player and a coach. I will say, that while this is an educated theory (I subjected myself to all 16 San Diego Chargers contests of the 2014 season for this series, you’re welcome) it is at best a theory. We don’t know, beyond a shadow of a doubt what his offense is going to look like, but I feel I can get pretty close considering his influences and what the man himself has said. Tomorrow morning we will cover what I expect The 2018 Indianapolis Colts offense to look like. I hope you enjoy reading about the Colts new head coach as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing this piece.Ken WhisenhuntWhisenhunt’s ideology focuses largely around using five receiving options (do the math really quick, 5 is the max) and spreading the defense horizontally. He often looks to get guys open on short quick hitting passes in an effort to get yards after the catch. (see also: West Coast Offense). The first pass play from the 2017 Chargers vs. Dolphins matchup was the spot concept. It fits Whisenhunt’s ideology perfectly and when the 2018 Indianapolis Colts need three to five yards to pick up a first down, I expect to see this concept used. Spot This isn’t the play from that 2017 Chargers game, but it’s close. They did less crossing but I like the dynamics of this “play” more, so this is what I drew up. The idea of the play is to create a simple read for the quarterback and an almost guaranteed open man. As you might imagine this concept creates quite a bit of traffic for defensive backs to try to fight through and it isn’t uncommon to see a receiver run a route seemingly at a defender in an effort to get his teammate open. This concept almost always uses all five receiving options and it gets the ball out quickly. You can find this concept in all 32 teams playbooks but it’s very likely to be used often by Frank Reich. Whisenhunt’s Run GameGenerally speaking Matthias Farley Jersey , teams will have a mixture of gap blocking and zone blocking concepts on their play sheet, but every team leans one way or the other... every team but the one Whisenhunt is calling plays for. Whisenhunt is the rare offensive coordinator that uses a fullback in 2018, but I’ve seen him use a fullback on a called power play and he’s not afraid to use the same fullback on an outside zone. Granted he doesn’t always bring in a fullback, but he does mix zone and gap schemes at a near even rate, there is seemingly no preference. This is just a simple I-Formation power play. The backside guard pulls playside, the fullback blasts his way through and the running back will be taught where to aim based on what the coaches like. I’ve been taught to read power inside-out meaning that the hole is most likely to open inside, but I’ve seen a lot of power plays go through the b-gap as well. Again, Whisenhunt will use gap blocking schemes like power at the same rate he uses schemes like the outside zone. It’s an interesting schematic choice that has worked well for Whisenhunt during his long NFL career as a play caller. Doug PedersonNailing down what Doug Pederson’s offense should be called is difficult. I’ve seen other writers describe it as a marriage of the west coast and spread offensive systems, and that’s probably as good of a way to describe it as any. The ball gets out of the quarterbacks hand quick with high percentage throws, most of the time. He works in a lot of “spread” elements and has an answer for seemingly every possible situation. By now you’ve heard the term RPO which is short for run-pass option. During the Eagles Super Bowl run last season TV announcers were declaring every single play action pass a “RPO” and they were wrong a lot. With that said Pederson liked to work in RPO’s but he also liked to have a balanced attack, a big part of his game plan in the divisional round of the playoffs against the Falcons was to wear down their defense with a strong run game. Doug Pederson knows that running the football well doesn’t always lead to wins in the NFL, but the RPO gives his offense a tool to maximize the effectiveness of the run game and also gives his quarterback an easy, one read pass if a key defender is playing the run instead of the pass. I’ve noted above that the center, left guard, left tackle and tight end will all block for a zone run, the guard and tackle in a few of the RPO’s I saw the Eagles run, simply pass block. To this point I haven’t included any defenders in any of these plays because there are just so many variables, I didn’t align that linebacker anywhere specifically I just plopped him down in the general area you’ll normally find him and that’s the guy the quarterback has to key on. If that linebacker follows the running back, the quarterback should pull the ball out and throw the slant. If the linebacker falls into coverage the quarterback should hand the ball off. This creates a simple read that needs to be made quickly, but should result in positive yardage.Another thing to note, Pederson loves a good screen. He called screen passes early and often as a way to get the ball in the hands of play makers in space and allow them to make plays. Screens get the ball out of the quarterbacks hand quickly and Authentic Nate Hairston Jersey , if everyone does their job, can be effective — though there is no evidence of that watching the 2012-2017 Indianapolis Colts.Doug Pederson’s Run GamePederson is another weirdo who doesn’t seem to have a preference between zone and gap run concepts. With that said my gut tells me he uses more zone schemes, but that could just be due to how much I love the split zone plays the Eagles used so well last season. Split ZoneThe Split Zone works much the same way as a regular zone run, though it is normally run as an inside zone, the running back still has Bounce, Bang and Bend, the biggest difference comes on the backside of the play. Normally the backside defender, an outside linebacker or defensive end, is on the receiving end of a cut block from the backside tackle. The split zone allows the backside tackle to work to the second level easier than in a normal zone concept. The backside defender is then blocked by a fullback or tight end (highlighted above with the red box) who usually lines up playside at the snap of the ball. Once the ball is snapped the tight end flows to the backside of the play, much like a pulling guard except he’s “pulling” the opposite direction. This play does a couple things, if a linebacker keys on the tight end moving across the formation and follows him to the backside of the play, it will open a hole that will allow the back to take his “bang” read and run it up the gut. If no linebackers follow the flowing blocker it means that as long as that flowing blocker executes against the backside defender the “bend” read will create a huge hole on the backside of the play. Obviously this is all dependent on the defensive alignment and the offense executing. I’ve heard it said that all plays are designed to be perfect, it ultimately comes down to execution. It also comes down to a well timed play call, anticipating when a defense may give you a look that will allow your called play an opportunity to work. Frank Reich’s offense: An introductionFrank Reich’s offense: The Maryland yearsFrank Reich’s offense: The NFL yearsFrank Reich’s offense: The assistant coaching years, part 1Frank Reich’s offense: The 2018 Indianapolis Colts, part 1Frank Reich’s offense: The 2018 Indianapolis Colts, part 2