With the success of Peyton Hillis, Austin Collie, Danny Amendola and Danny Woodhead thus far, this season has provided us all with some real bright spots. However, the Caste System will not go down easily, and several curious things appear to be happening around the league.
-The Colts immediately installed the ultimate mediocre, hands of stone WR, Pierre Garcon, back as a starter last game. Austin Collie had set the league on fire while playing "out of position" on the outside, but his very convenient "injury" (which didn't appear to affect him on the field) provided a perfect excuse to reinstall Garcon and move Collie back to the slot.
-Not stopping there, the Colts completely changed their offensive game plan, usually only keeping Garcon and Wayne as receivers (even Dallas Clark was kept inside to block), and Manning peppered them with targets, when he wasn't handing off to his awful RB Joseph Addai. The passing attack, which had featured huge contributions from Collie, Clark and even Blair White, was seemingly grounded on purpose. There was a blatant attempt to force the ball to Garcon, who, as usual, dropped or simply wasn't open on many of his numerous targets.
-Finally, we now learn that the Colts put in a waiver claim for Redskins' bust WR Devin Thomas. Uh...why? Blair White has already shown more potential with very limited opportunities. And then you have former #1 draft pick Anthony Gonzalez. How are they ever going to fit him into their plans? The reality, of course, is that Garcon is less talented than Collie, White or Gonzalez, but continues to start over them because the coaches obviously don't play their best players.
-Now the Patriots. Just when it seemed that their offense was going to be one for the ages; with the trade of Moss, Edelman would move to the slot, and Woodhead would almost certainly have more opportunities, they trade a #4 draft pick for an old, never was, perpetually injured Deion Branch. Again, why would any team do that, other than to hold back the likes of Edelman? I thought Belicheck was such a genius- but if he actually gave up ANY draft pick for this overpriced derelict receiver, let alone a fourth rounder, he is either an idiot (don't think so), or he was ordered to do so by the league. You mean to tell me that the Patriots think that Randy Moss is only worth one round higher of a draft pick than Deion Branch?
-Peyton Hillis, just when he has seemingly won over the jock sniffers and the DWFs, develops a thigh injury. Hmmm. That always seems to happen, doesn't it? Just like last time, when he'd won over the Denver fans, he just happened to suffer a devastating injury. I don't believe in that many coincidences. Sorry, it just happens too often, especially given how infrequently white RBs and WRs are allowed to dominate. What are the odds that the two biggest cinderella stories this season- Austin Collie and Peyton Hillis- would both happen to get injured at the same time? And injury is the ONLY thing that could have taken Collie's job away, or threaten Hillis' number of touches and his quest for a huge, 1000 yard + season.
The next several weeks will be crucial, in terms of how this season actually pans out; will this be the beginning of the dismantling of the Caste System, or will a series of "coincidences" and predictable reactions by Castean enforcers put Collie, Hillis, Woodhead and co. back in their proper places? Edited by: bigunreal
-The Colts immediately installed the ultimate mediocre, hands of stone WR, Pierre Garcon, back as a starter last game. Austin Collie had set the league on fire while playing "out of position" on the outside, but his very convenient "injury" (which didn't appear to affect him on the field) provided a perfect excuse to reinstall Garcon and move Collie back to the slot.
-Not stopping there, the Colts completely changed their offensive game plan, usually only keeping Garcon and Wayne as receivers (even Dallas Clark was kept inside to block), and Manning peppered them with targets, when he wasn't handing off to his awful RB Joseph Addai. The passing attack, which had featured huge contributions from Collie, Clark and even Blair White, was seemingly grounded on purpose. There was a blatant attempt to force the ball to Garcon, who, as usual, dropped or simply wasn't open on many of his numerous targets.
-Finally, we now learn that the Colts put in a waiver claim for Redskins' bust WR Devin Thomas. Uh...why? Blair White has already shown more potential with very limited opportunities. And then you have former #1 draft pick Anthony Gonzalez. How are they ever going to fit him into their plans? The reality, of course, is that Garcon is less talented than Collie, White or Gonzalez, but continues to start over them because the coaches obviously don't play their best players.
-Now the Patriots. Just when it seemed that their offense was going to be one for the ages; with the trade of Moss, Edelman would move to the slot, and Woodhead would almost certainly have more opportunities, they trade a #4 draft pick for an old, never was, perpetually injured Deion Branch. Again, why would any team do that, other than to hold back the likes of Edelman? I thought Belicheck was such a genius- but if he actually gave up ANY draft pick for this overpriced derelict receiver, let alone a fourth rounder, he is either an idiot (don't think so), or he was ordered to do so by the league. You mean to tell me that the Patriots think that Randy Moss is only worth one round higher of a draft pick than Deion Branch?
-Peyton Hillis, just when he has seemingly won over the jock sniffers and the DWFs, develops a thigh injury. Hmmm. That always seems to happen, doesn't it? Just like last time, when he'd won over the Denver fans, he just happened to suffer a devastating injury. I don't believe in that many coincidences. Sorry, it just happens too often, especially given how infrequently white RBs and WRs are allowed to dominate. What are the odds that the two biggest cinderella stories this season- Austin Collie and Peyton Hillis- would both happen to get injured at the same time? And injury is the ONLY thing that could have taken Collie's job away, or threaten Hillis' number of touches and his quest for a huge, 1000 yard + season.
The next several weeks will be crucial, in terms of how this season actually pans out; will this be the beginning of the dismantling of the Caste System, or will a series of "coincidences" and predictable reactions by Castean enforcers put Collie, Hillis, Woodhead and co. back in their proper places? Edited by: bigunreal