Five Questions About the Indianapolis Colts vs Oakland Raiders
The Indianapolis Colts will face-off against the Oakland Raiders on NFL kickoff Sunday, at Lucas Oil Stadium. To get more information from the silver and black side of things, I got in contact with Shane Schilperoort, co-editor of JustBlogBaby.com.
Naptown’s Finest – Who do you think should be the starting quarterback for the Raiders?
Just Blog Baby – I’m going to admit some fault here. I was a supporter of Matt Flynn initially. The biggest reason I supported Flynn over Terrelle Pryor was due to maturity level more than anything. Some people would ask what I mean by ‘maturity.’ A mature thinking quarterback doesn’t make the stupid mistakes that cost a team the game. Such as, throwing the football across your body where defenders are sitting, or staring down one receiver the whole way before you throw it, or not throwing the ball away when there is nowhere to go with it. These are just some examples of an immature thinking quarterback.
What I witnessed in training camp and the pre-season was a young quarterback growing up. I also learned of Terrelle Pryor’s hard work that he put in this off-season. It is beginning to pay off. I believe that Pryor should be the starter for two reasons: One, he is the most athletic quarterback on the roster and he gives the Oakland Raiders the best chance to score on offense. Two, he works very hard to improve himself at his position and he is humble. He doesn’t just bank on his athletic ability, he understands that he must study and be in the film room a lot.
NF – What are you most excited about for the Raiders in 2013?
JBB – With all the negative press that the Raiders have been receiving in the off-season, I am most excited for the Raiders to shut the critics up. How will this happen you ask? Easy, win, just win, just win baby! The defense has been gutted in the off-season, but the players that were brought in are much more improved from last year’s team. Defense will give opposing offenses some fits.
Furthermore, WR-Rod Streater is going to be very exciting to watch this year. He added a lot of muscle to his physique in the off-season, and he worked very hard with Terrelle Pryor. He’s poised for 1000 yards of receiving this year. Bold predictions? Well, he keeps improving, and he had 584 yards of receiving in 2012 with only 39 receptions. Granted, he was targeted 74 times, and he had a bunch of drops, but he was a rookie last year. It’ll be exciting to see his growth as the #1 receiver for the Raiders.
NF – What are you most concerned about for the Raiders in 2013?
JBB – The offensive line. Injuries can plague any team. One year it could be defensive, offensive, or a mixture of both. So far, the offensive line of the Oakland Raiders has been hit the hardest. Losing LT-Jared Veldheer was the first and largest hit. Now Veldheer’s replacement Menelik Watson is down with a knee injury. His status is questionable at best for the first game of the season. This means the offensive line must be shuffled around once again. This movement can cause an offensive line to lose its cohesiveness. This can translate into a lot of problems. Pryor may end up being one of the top rushers in the league, because he may be running for his life.
NF -What are you expecting to see from the Indianapolis Colts?
JBB – I expect that quarterback Andrew Luck is going to challenge the Oakland Raiders secondary on a regular basis. Between WR-Reggie Wayne, WR-Darius Heyward-Bey, and WR-T.Y. Hilton, Luck will keep the Raiders guessing. The defensive line is going to have to find a way to get to Luck before he is able to pick the Raiders apart.
NF – What is your prediction for the Raiders in 2013?
JBB – I’ve been an optimist this entire year. Look, the Raiders have a ton of young and hungry players mixed with veterans that have a lot to prove. This can be a very good situation, if the coaches can bring this team together. Therein lies the challenge. The coaches have to make this team believe that they can win. The Raiders can’t buy into all the negativity. They must take each game week to week. If this happens, I believe that the Raiders will be better than all the pundits try to make the world believe. A season with a record of 9-7 is not out of question. The Raiders will have many opportunities to improve upon that record (i.e., close games). If the Raiders can play to their own strengths and beat the teams in their own division, they could contend. They have a lot of work to do though.
I would like to thank Shane for his time and input. You can read more from our discussion at JustBlogBaby.com.