When Saints cornerback Tracy Porter said after the Super Bowl that his game-clinching interception, which caused a collective gasp in the press box, resulted from film study, Porter essentially was saying that the Colts have become too predictable on offense.
And so we wholeheartedly agree with something I heard Pat Kirwan of NFL.com tell Sporting News Radio’s The Two Live Stews on Monday -- Colts coach Jim Caldwell needs to get more involved in tweaking an offense that apparently has become too predictable.
Much of the blame is landing on receiver Reggie Wayne for running a bad route, and it’s regarded as a sacrilege to suggest that the man who threw the ball might be responsible in any way for the outcome. But the reality is that, of anyone in the organization, quarterback Peyton Manning should know whether the Colts have developed a “tell.”
And indeed they have.
So with seven months to go until the next game that counts, the Colts need to focus not only on 2009 film from the defenses of the 13 teams they’ll face next season, but also on their own offensive game tapes in search of any trends or habits that need to be changed come 2010.
As the 2010 season unfolds, they also need to be careful to avoid developing similar habits.
Otherwise, there will be some key evidence floating around for the next Tracy Porter to find.
And it can happen in a key regular season contest, in a playoff game, or in the Super Bowl.