Colts Franchise-Madden NFL 2003 (MIDSEASON REPORT)

Hello, welcome to my Madden 2003 Colts franchise. It is mostly the default Colts roster with some trades and signings to make it better. Here are the settings:

Quarter Length: 5 min.
Level: All Pro (second best)
Game Mode: Classic
Injuries: On
Fatigue: On
Random Weather: On
Accelerated Clock: Off
Penalties: On
Offsides: Off

Default sliders as I never, ever, ever touch them.

Roster
Offense
Backs
Quarterback: Peyton Manning- 92 overall
Halfback: Dominic Rhodes- 78 ovr.
Fullback: Sam Gash- 83 ovr.

Front line
Center: Jeff Saturday- 73 ovr.
Left Guard: Brown- 85 ovr.
Right Guard: Ryan Diem- 67 ovr.
Left Tackle: Tarik Glenn- 91 ovr.
Right Tackle: Adam Meadows- 90 ovr.

Receivers
Tight End: Marcus Pollard- 87 ovr.
Wideouts: Marvin Harrison- 97 ovr., Reggie Wayne- 76 ovr.
Slot Receiver: Ashley Lelie- 73 ovr.

Defense
Front Line
Right End: Dwight Freeney- 76 ovr.
Defensive Tackles: Johnson- 69 ovr, Johnson- 64 ovr.
Left End: Bratzke- 69 ovr.

Linebackers
Right Outside Linebacker: Mike Peterson- 80 ovr.
Middle Linebacker: Rob Morris- 75 ovr.
Left Outside Linebacker: Marcus Washington- 68 ovr.

Defensive Backs
Cornerbacks: Champ Bailey- 96 ovr., Fred Smoot- 79 ovr. (Nickleback: Lito Sheppard- 69 ovr.)
Free Safety: Idrees Bashir: 71 ovr.
Strong Safety: Victor Green- 84 ovr.

Special Teams
Kicker: Mike Vanderjagt- 90 ovr.
Punter: Hunter Smith: 81 ovr.

Updates every few days and Sundays for sure.

Last edited by JT_55 on Fri Aug 17, 2007 9:30 am, edited 9 times in total.

How did you get Champ Bailey?

Anways, I like your team even though your offensive line kind of sucks and you aren't very strong at the safety position.

I think he traded Sanders and someone else to get Bailey.

Thanks for the replies, KIG1 and Anthony15.

I traded Edgerin James for Bailey (still had him back then).

Yeah, my linemen arn't as good as I'd like them to be but, I have Manning and Harrison. As someone else from this forum said:

he and Peyton could play catch in the dark.

That pretty much sums it up.

Adam Meadows 90 overall, the same Adam Meadows who was a back up to George Foster last year?

Yep. You got it the same Adam Meadows. Apparently he was very good back in 2002-2003, but that's just maybe Manning's too good for the O-line to concede sacks.

Preseason!!! Yay!

I sound so excited, don't I? Well, I'm not. I hate the preseason in the first year because there are no rookies to train.

Preseason Week 1
Why bother with the recaps? It's preseason.

Indianapolis 14, Seattle 21


Dissapointing loss. Completely fell apart in the second half. Maybe it has something to do with Manning and Harrison not playing the second half.

Stats(Only posting the best one for each category; I'll post them all in the regular season)

Passing
Sauter: 155.4 passer rating, 59 yds, 4-5(80%), TD, 0 INT

Rushing
Rhodes: 26 yds, 9 carries, 2.9 yds/carry, TD

Receiving(sp?)
Harrison: 3 catches, 46 yds

Preseason Week 2

Cincinnati 21, Indianapolis 7


Another bad game. In two games, I scored 14-7 in the time with Manning, and 7-28 without. Boy, I hate the preseason. There was a bright spot, though. Manning hooks up with Ashley Lelie on a 16 yard TD pass to put the Colts on top (temporarily) 7-0.


Passing
Manning: 43.9 passer rating, 112 yds, 2-8(25%), TD, 2 INT

Rushing
Rhodes: 55 yds, 8 carries, 6.88 yds/carry

Receiving(sp?)
Anthony: 2 catches, 28 yds

End of Preseason coming on Sunday.

Aww, close loss in Week 1, Bengals beat your ass badly though. My first Madden I played, loved the online mode, with the drills and stuff GL in week 3 and 4.

Preseason Week 3
Well, I should have lost, this game, but when trailing 9-3 late in the fourth, I decided to gamble and put Manning and Harrison in. And it worked. The drive started at my own 33 yard line with just under 30 seconds to go. I called a Hail Mary and Manning threw a long ball into double coverage for Marvin. He caught it, but the officials say it was out of bounds. The played would be reviewed by the booth, and overturned. It was a 48 yard reception for Harrison, and brought the ball down inside the Bills' red zone. Manning again called for a Hail Mary threw the ball in Harrison's direction...

...and he catched it for a TOUCHDOWN! 10-9 Colts with just 0:14 left in the game. My defense holds up to get me my first ever win on All Pro level.

Buffalo 9, Indianapoils 10


Forgot the stats. Screw that. I did the recap already.

Preseason Week 4
Indianapolis 10, New Orleans 27


Again, did well with Manning on the field but lost it in the second half. I drew first blood in this game, as Champ Bailey did what he does best: pick the ball.

Not just that, but he returns the ball 21 yards for a defensive touchdown.

Stats

Passing
Huard: 45.7 passer rating, 56 yds, 4-13(30%), 0 INT

Rushing
Rhodes: 19 yds, 8 carries, 2.3 yds/carry

Receiving(sp?)
Lelie: 3 catches, 101 yds

Darn, I forgot the player progression. I'll post it as soon as I get it.

Last edited by JT_55 on Tue Jul 17, 2007 10:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Not a very good pre-season for your team. I'm sure you will do a lot better in the regular season though. Good luck.

Hmm...thats kind of weak for such an offensive powerhouse to go 1-3, barely pulling out a win against the shit-Bills. Just maybe lower sliders a bit to get somewhat close scores vs Saints and Bengals

I'll wait for another while before I touch sliders. It's my first time playing at All Pro level, and in the regular season, I get to play Manning for the whole game, not just for a half and let the sucky Brock Huard take over.

Just done the progression.

Here it is:


Week 1 coming soon (maybe tomorrow, maybe not).

can i just say i hate the colts and everyone who plays with them? i also hate the nfl for feeling manning had to get a ring so they could market him even more and instead of seeing his face 23525 times during the season now we get to see it 2346124123843 times 2?

Fine. Go ahead. I'm not offended. But I'm not sure a mod would take it that way if one comes around...especially Indy.

Wait...you're a Celtics fan, so I assume you like the Pats. No wonder .

Sauru, I hate the Colts too, but I don't tell him that in his dynasty thread, btw I hate the Pats also

You want me to change my team then? It's still early, so tell me what team you want and I'll start a dual (or triple) dynasty.

Wow, 4692248247686 times. In a season (around 5 months), that would be 938449649537 times a month, 31281654984 times a day, 1303402294 times an hour, 21723371 times a minute, and 362056 times a second. Boy, I feel sorry for you.

lol i was just playing around, sorry if it came off as being so serious.


edit: i am interested in this story, if i was not i would never even bothered posting in the first place . so please keep it up, the biggest problem now is most people dont keep them going long enough.

It's really hard to spot sarcasm or jokes in forums...

I'll try my best to keep it up. But I got my Astros thing going too so I have to split time between these two.

That still doesn't solve the problem, as Anthony15 still hates the Colts...

Week 1
I was done Week 1, but my comp froze at the end of the game ...it was a good one, too. I won 35-31. Now I'll have to start over...

I'll just post the preview for now...week 1 will have to wait one more day.

Week 1 Preview
Colts at the Jacksonville Jaguars to in the season opener. Here is the matchups:


What a cheap computer (cheap as in both not expensive and not fair). When I win the game, it hangs and I can't save it. When the computer wins, it doesn't hang. At this rate, I'm gonna end up 0-16. Anyway, Week 1, here it is:

Game Recap

First Half
This is a game dominated by high octane offences and an almost inexistent defence. But in the first quarter, the only scoring was Vanderjagt's 26 yard FG attempt. In the second quarter, things started to heat up. After one of many horrible punts by Hunter Smith, Brunell conducued a drive that went down to the Colts 9 yard line. I have been playing for the run the whole game long, and with the other team in the red zone, I stacked my line up with the big guys. But they didn't run. Brunell threw a risky pass to Shaw and it paid off. A 9 yard TD pass. The score 7-3 Jaguars. On the ensuing possesion, I get it right back. Right after the kick return. Manning's pass finds Marvin Harrison around midfield. He breaks a tackle and goes all the way for a touchdown! 10-7 Colts.


The score goes back and forth after that, with two touchdown throws by Brunell and the Colts with two TD's from Manning's pass to Ashley Lelie and Rhodes' 0 yard run into the endzone. 24-21 Colts at the half.

Second Half
The Colts get the ball to start the second half, but a three-and-out gave the ball right back to the Jaguars. Holmes barely gets a 38 yard FG attempt through the uprights and the game is tied at 24. Another Colts punt, and the ball goes back to the Jaguars. This time, a 51 yard FG attempt, but Holmes wasn't so lucky. His kick was worthy of Vanderjagt's playoff miss against the Steelers, as it goes wide right. In the forth quarter now, the Colts have great field position, but they still can't capitalize, and another punt leads to Taylor's 3 yard run for a touchdown. I think I play best when I'm behind, as Manning connects again with Harrison on the next play for a 80 yard TD. Game tied at 31.

With a good mix of runs andd passes, the Jaguars get down inside the Colts red zone with less than a minute remaining and I have only one timeout. In this situation, most people would run down the clock and get a last second field goal, but I took andvantage of the game's horrible clock-managing AI. I gave up the touchdown on purpose to get the ball back and try to get another miracle going. I get the ball at my own 32 yard line with one timeout and trailing 38-31. I call a Hail Mary, and Manning connects with Harrison yet again, but this time, he was stopped. I use the timeout, and with 12 seconds remaining, I figured I would get another 2 shots at the endzone, and did, but both of them were knocked down by the opponent's corner. Game over and f*** this computer.

Game Result
Indianapolis 31, Jacksonville 38


Stats
Passing
Brunell: 144 passer rating, 245 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 16-23 (69 %)
Manning: 130.4 passer rating, 342 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 25-44 (57 %)

Rushing
Taylor: 27 carries, 98 yards, 3.3 avg, 2 TD
Rhodes: 8 carries, 27 yards, 3.3 avg, TD

Receiving
Harrison: 5 catches, 201 yards, 2 TD
Lelie: 3 catches, 95 yards, TD

Defense
Bailey: 8 tackles
Green: 6 tackles
Morris: 5 tackles
Freeney: 4 tackles, 1 sack

Week 2 tomorrow!

next game you might wanna try to establish the run a bit more. manning had a good game but with a little bit better balance in the offense you can be sure to get the W

I guess I have been passing too much, but I guess it's because in the easier levels, passing can really exploit the defense. Thanks for the advice, though. I ran a whole lot more these two games and have a couple of W's to show for it.

Week 2

Week 2 Preview
Miami at the RCA Dome to face the Colts.


Game Recap

First Half
This game was more of a showdown of defenses in the first half. There were no points scored other than Manning's 17 yard strike to Lelie. The Colts shut down the Dolphins' offense, allowing just 38 yards of total offense. But the Dolphins' denfense ddin't do too poorly, either. The Colts were held to 110 yards of offense, but had possesion of a 7-0 lead going into halftime.

Second Half
The Colts struck quickly in the second half, with Rhode's 1 yard run for a touchdown. 14-0 Colts.


Going into the fourth, the Colts had a fairly large lead, but they added a 31 yard FG by Vanderjagt for some insurance. Play starts to be little more sloppy, as poor tackling by the Colts led to a 74 yard catch and run by Gadsen for a Dolphins touchdown. 17-7 Colts. Manning give them a bit more breathing space with a 0 yard pass to Wayne in the endzone. This Colts domination overshadowed RE Jason Taylor's performance: 5 sacks, all of Tarik Glenn. But on one of the sacks Manning fumbled the ball and Taylor picked it up himself and ran for a 41 yard defensive TD. The score still wasn't close as time was running out by then, but my merciless self had to add another field goal to be satisfied. That would be the end of the game. Colts win 27-14.

Game Result
Miami 14, Indianapolis 27


Stats
Passing
Manning: 115.3 passer rating, 261 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 17-28 (60 %)
Feidler: 70.2 passer rating, 118 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 9-17 (52 %)

Rushing
Rhodes: 19 carries, 53 yards, 2.7 avg
Williams: 15 carries, 49 yards, 3.2 avg

Receiving
Lelie: 5 catches, 119 yards, TD
Harrison: 4 catches, 93 yards
Wayne: 4 catches, 20 yards, TD

Defense
Bailey: 4 tackles, 1 interception

*Taylor: 6 tackles, 5 sacks

Week 3

Week 3 Preview
Colts at the Texans. Further proof the Texans suck. Look at the matchup; total and complete domination.


Game Recap

First Half
Colts came out gunning. In the first drive of the game, the Colts had a very effective ground game, averaging over 4.25 yards a carry, and that enabled them to reach the endzone to cap off a 15-play, 61 yard drive that took over 3 minutes (over 10 minutes in a real game). The Colts' normal passing attack wasn't as prominent, but the running game more than made up for that. Not only that, but the defense was excellent, or should I rather say, Carr was horrible. Marcus Washington picked him off and was off to the races. He only had Carr to beat. And beat him he did. A nicely timed stiff arm shook off the last man back and Washington returned a interception for 75 yards and a touchdown. 14-0 Colts.


The Texans just can't get anything going. Every time they get the ball, it was either punt, or get picked. Once, the Texans got the ball into the Colts red zone, but a failed fake field goal try turned the ball over once again. The corners took full advantage of the horrible offense. Smoot had two INTs in the second quarter and he returned one 31 yards for another touchdown. 21-0 Colts going into the half.

Second Half
With the game pretty much over already, I decided to have a little fun and put Bailey in at slot receiver and Harrison at corner. Harrison didn't do anythig special, but Bailey did. With the ball on the Colts 26, I ran a out route with Bailey and the defense left him open. Manning threw a bullet pass into Bailey's hands, he turned around, slipped past one defender and out ran the rest. A 74 yard catch-and-run and the Colts take a 28-0 lead.

In the fourth, Vanderjagt added a 22 yard field goal, and Bailey added another pick returned for a TD. Things were starting to get out of hand. Is there a mercy rule in football? Not done yet. Manning with a 1 yard TD pass to Wayne and the score 45-0 Colts. The shutout couldn't last, however. Carr's 26 yard pass to Bradford got the home team on the board. But that's all they would get.

Game Result
Indianapolis 45, Houston 7


Stats

A note from the statistician:
The stats aren't as lopsided as the score would suggest. The Texans only gained one less yard of total offense than the Colts. Their downfall was turnovers and third down conversions. All but one Texan turnover led to a immediate touchdown, and both Colt turnovers led to another three-and-out. The Texans were horrible on third down, going 0-for-8. They didn't do too well of fourth down either, going 0-for-2. The Colts were 6-for10 on third down, and 1-for-1 on fourth (yes, I'm a risky guy).

Passing
Carr: 51.0 passer rating, 261 yards, TD, 4 INT, 18-33 (54 %)
Manning: 81.9 passer rating, 179 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 12-25 (48 %)

Rushing
Wells: 6 carries, 22 yards, 3.6 avg
Rhodes: 23 carries, 110 yards, 4.2 avg

Receiving
Bailey: 4 catches, 107 yards, TD
Wayne: 3 catches, 19 yards, TD

Defense
Washington: 7 tackles, 1 INT, TD
Green: 5 tackles
Bailey: 4 tackles, 1 interception, TD, 3 passes deflected
Smoot: 3 tackles: 2 INT, TD

WOW What a blow out, Texans do suck, and now they will even more with Schaub who, imo, is worse then Carr.

Carr was only bad cause the Texans didn't give him enough protection. Schaub is gonna get sacked for a million times.

Week 4
It's the bye week. Nothing to say.

Week 5

Week 5 Preview

Bengals coming to town to face the Colts. The matchups aren't as dominating for the Colts as last week but it's still clear they have quite an advantage.


Game Recap

First Half
After stopping the Bengals around midfield on their first drive, the Colts get an efficient drive going that ends with Manning calling a deep attack play that sends Harrison on a go route...

Touchdown! Colts jump out at the lead. 7-0 home team.

In the second quarter, Manning finds tight end Pollard just outside the end zone and hits him with his second TD pass of the night. 14-0 Colts. The Bengals finally find some rhythm in the closing stages of the half, with backup QB Akili Smith finding Dugans in the endzone. 14-7 Colts at the half.

Second Half
Rhodes extends the lead with a pair of touchdown runs in the third, 6 and 14 yards, respectively. But the Bengals respond. The game looked to be another blowout with the score 28-7, but a 99 yard kick return by Warrick sparked a comeback. It was mostly my fault, trying to strip instead of plain tackling, and that lead to the long return. Rhodes fumbled the ball in the next possesion and Thompson picked it up and ran 46 yards for the touchdown. The Bengals are now within one score, 28-21. Their defense steps up, too. The Colts get the ball back after the fumble return, and the defense sacks Manning three straight times to force a punt. Can't blame it on Smith, but I punt really bad.

The Bengals get great field position to start the final after Smith punt only reaches midfield. They capitalize as third-string QB Kitna sneaks into the endzone to tie the game at 28. The Colts still can't get anything going the next possesion, and is forced to punt again with under 2 minutes to go in the game. Now the Colts are in trouble. The Bengals have the ball with under a minute and a half to go, and they are poised to win the game on a last second field goal. To add insult to injury (or the other way around), Freeney gets injured and that leaves the Colts without their star defensive end.

Injury Report: Dwight Freeney (abdominal tear) out for three weeks. Replaced by Chuckie Nworkie.

Have no fear, Champ Bailey is here! With the computer not as smart as the Bronco's opposing coaches, they still throw in Bailey direction. And when you throw in Bailey direction...you're going to get picked more often than not. He takes this one back all the way for a touchdown. Colts lead 35-28. Work is still not done as the Bengals get a chance to tie the game with a decent amount of time remaining. This time, it's not Bailey that comes though, it's that guy on the other side of the field, Smoot. He picks of Smith and the Colts get the ball back. Not feeling any sympathy for the other team, I decide to jack up the score. Manning connects with Wayne for a 0 yard touchdown pass to cap off the scoring.

Game Result
Cincinnati 28, Indianapolis 42


Stats

A note from the statistician:
The Bengals actually gained 10 more yards than the Colts, but the turnovers cost them. Colts continue their phenominal third down success, going 8 for 12 (66 %). The Bengals get a respectable 33 %.

Passing
Manning: 118.7 passer rating, 168 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 16-26 (61 %)
Smith: 55.2 passer rating, 163 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 9-19 (47 %)

Rushing
Rhodes: 19 carries, 93 yards, 4.8 avg
Dillon: 17 carries, 72 yards, 4.2 avg

Receiving
Harrison: 6 catches, 76 yards, TD
Wayne: 4 catches, 33 yards, TD

Defense
Green: 5 tackles
Bailey: 5 tackles, 1 interception, TD, 2 passes deflected
Morris: 4 tackles

Spikes: 7 tackles, 1 sack