The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page C4

C4 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2012 2nd THE INDIANAPOLIS STAR INDYSTAR.COM nfl COLTS REWIND McAfee earns his keep Punter, coverage unit have contributed to victories it By Phil Richards phil.richardsindystar.com Fatigue is a foe for everyone by Week 14 of the NFL season, but Pat McAfee is determined to not slow down. He's putting in extra work at practice, lofting more punts than ever. McAfee doesn't want to hit a lull like he did last season. Instead he's hitting home runs. Over the three games since the Colts' punt coverage collapse at New England, he has averaged 51.1 yards on 17 punts with a long of at least 54 yards each week.

Given the good work of gunners Joe Le-feged, Sergio Brown and Teddy Williams, McAfee's net over that stretch is 46.6 yards. "Our coverage has been, so good it gives me the confidence and comfort to just hit it and know they're going to go get it," McAfee said. "That's awesome." McAfee contributed as much as anyone to the Colts' 27-23 victory Sunday. He averaged 53.3 yards on four punts with a net of 49.8 and killed two inside the 20 against the Tennessee Titans. He also launched the perfect punt.

"They always talk about visualization and all that stuff, like what golfers do," said McAfee, who along with Lefeged was elected special teams co-captain last week. "I don't really do that much, but I sat back there waiting for the snap and I thought, 'Hey, if I hit this out at the 1, it would be pretty "And it happened." McAfee's soaring spiral carried 52 yards and went out of bounds at the Titans 1-yard line. Colts cornerback Cassius Vaughn jumped the route on a Jake Locker pass the next play. Vaughn's 3-yard interception return provided the third-quarter touchdown that gave the Colts a 21-20 lead. It wasn't the only time McAfee has flirted with perfection recently.

He had a fourth-quarter punt of 54 yards against Buffalo on Nov. 25 nullified by penalties on both teams. Colts special teams coach Marwan Maalouf substituted Williams and Josh Colts grieve Jerry Brown The Dallas Cowboys weren't the only team grieving the death of Cowboys linebacker Jerry Brown over the weekend. Brown signed with the Colts in May as an undrafted free agent from Illinois and was with the club until October, when he was released from the practice squad and joined the Cowboys. Brown was killed early Saturday morning when the car in which he was a passenger crashed in Irving, Texas.

Cowboys nose tackle Josh Brent, the car's driver, has been charged with intoxication manslaughter. David Thornton, the Colts' director of player engagement, broke the news to the Colts. "We had our chaplain say a team prayer for him and his family," Arians said. "That's basically all we could do at that point in time. Some of our guys were very close to him, obviously.

We spent all summer and last spring together with him, a lot of our younger players. "We had chaplains there to talk if they needed it, and just tried to honor him in that way." Pagano in, looks well Colts coach Chuck Pagano attended the game Sunday but did not address his team. The coach has completed chemotherapy treatments and his leukemia is in remission. He hopes to rejoin the Colts later this month. "He was in this morning and picked up his film and got his iPad re-charged, loaded up," Arians said.

"He looked really good, really good." Triple whammy There was no update provided Monday on the status of linebacker Kavell Conner, and running backs Delone Carter (ankle) and Robert Hughes (knee), who were all hurt on the same third-quarter punt return Sunday. Call Star reporter Phil Richards at (317) 444-6408. PREDICTED SCORE The Star's Colts writers: Colts 26-1 6. Final score: Colts 27-23. GAME MVP Defensive back Cassius Vaughn had a team-high tying eight tackles and also produced the game's most dramatic play, a 3-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter.

LET IT OUT This team just amazes me with their gritty play. I am worried about the offensive line, but wild card here we come. Cardiac Colts pull it out again. Even with the ridiculous calls against them by the officials, the Colts made it happen. Can we send the referees from Sunday to Antarctica? They were horrible.

I was wishing we had the replacement refs back. Great kick by Pat McAfee, but the Colts were helped by a brutal non-call on the play when somebody on the line obviously jumped. Should have been kicked over, and the odds of being pinned again (and the resulting pick-six) would have been slim. You could say each team got a TD due to horrible calls; maybe it all evened out. They're OK.

Won't go far in the playoffs one and done but good year anyway. Colts have proven many wrong already. Never say never with this team. Keep in mind the Colts have played two teams with a winning record on the road. One was a 20-point loss and the other a 35-point loss.

Houston will be playing for the division title at home next week, so I do not think it will be overlooking the Colts. As remarkable as the season has been for Colts fans, until they prove they can beat a good team away from home, it will be one-and-done in the playoffs regardless of who they play. I think the Colts could play Baltimore in the wild card round and wouldn't be too overmatched by them. I hope they can soon get the respect they deserve from folks outside of Indianapolis. They better have a better protection plan for Sunday or J.J.

Watt is going to kill our quarterback. They have to build the line through the draft. The personnel isn't there yet. I would say breaking Peyton Manning's rookie season yardage record with three games to go is pretty stellar. But Andrew Luck's completion percentage is pretty low and the interception numbers are pretty high.

Another year or two of experience along with much needed improvement from the O-line, and he will be on his way to Manning-like numbers. I will be so bold to say that if he stays healthy, he will surpass Manning by the time his career is over. Who is this Manning fellow everyone is talking about? MATT DETRICH THE STAR Pat McAfee (left) confirms a made field goal by Adam Vinatieri. Gordy for his gassed gunners, Lefeged and Brown. McAfee protected the rest of his punt teammates by resorting to his ever-improving directional kicking.

His punt carried 48 yards and Bills return man Leodis McKelvin caught it as he stepped out of bounds. There was no return. There was no chance of return. At 48.8 yards, McAfee's season average ranks fifth in the NFL. His net average, 40.6, is 12th.

He is having, interim Colts coach Bruce Arians emphatically believes, a Pro Bowl season. "There's no doubt no doubt," Arians said. "He has improved in what we've been asking him to do and he's working at the directional stuff and just doing a great job of pinning some great returners on the sideline for us." offense and defense. In defeating Green Bay, the Titans (twice), Miami and Detroit, they have: Outscored the opposition in the second half 94-25. Seen their defense allow just two touchdowns and four field goals while forcing 16 punts on 29 possessions.

Seen Luck lead 32 drives that generated 10 touchdowns and six field goals with just nine punts. "It's a lot of fun to play on this team, just because guys play football," Luck said. "No matter what the score, they're out there playing football. If we put the defense in a bad position, they'll hold them to a field goal instead of a touchdown. "You see a great punt by Pat McAfee, and the next play, six points for us (Cassius Vaughn's interception returned for a touchdown).

We try and hold up our end of the bargain as well every now and then, but it's a real fun team to play on." Call Star reporter Mike Chappell at (317) 444-6830. Colts Continued from C1 sed to join them. Arians, 8-2 since taking over for the ailing Chuck Pagano on Oct. 1, didn't hesitate when asked to explain the 2012 Colts. He credited the foundation put in place by Pagano and general manager Ryan Grig-son.

He credited the players. "Guys bought in," he said. "They bought in right off the bat. And Ryan has done a great job of finding guys to keep filling holes." The Colts have used 66 players this season. Thirty-six players have started.

"Once a team bonds, they play for each other," Arians said. "Talent really doesn't matter. We've always said talent would never be the issue why we win or lose this year. "We have enough talent to win. It's just a matter of believing in each other and trusting each other." That cohesion has helped overcome deficiencies usually associated with teams that are 4-9, not 9-4.

The Colts rank No. 30 in the league in turnover differential (minus-16) and have been outscored 329-292. Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck ranks No. 31 with a 74.5 passer rating and is tied with New Orleans' Drew Brees with a league-high 18 interceptions. When addressing why so many 14-loss teams were unable to duplicate what the Colts are doing, Arians pointed to his quarterback.

"So many times," he said, "it's the quarterback position. I think that separates most teams." Luck has set a league rookie record by directing six fourth quarterovertime comebacks. His nine victories are the most by a quarterback drafted No. 1 overall. In five of the six comeback victories, including Sunday's, the Colts have trailed at halftime.

They've been resilient on game day i Incomplete performance Patriots show Texans who's boss Washington Redskins 31-28 in overtime. "We put 28 points up, so you're not going to say it's a reaction to a down offensive performance. It's not that. I think that's really important to point out," Harbaugh said. "It's what I believe is best going forward for our offense and for our football team." The move comes with the Ravens stuck in their first losing streak since they dropped three in a row in October 2009.

Yet Baltimore (9-4) needs only one win to sew up its fifth straight playoff appearance and holds a two-game lead in the AFC North over Cincinnati and Pittsburgh with three games to play. Caldwell, 57, was quarterbacks coach for Peyton Manning at Indianapolis before taking over as head coach. He will make his NFL debut as an offensive coordinator Sunday against Manning and the Denver Broncos (10-3). Griffin has knee sprain All the medical terms associated with Robert Griffin Ill's knee injury can be boiled down to one simple message: It's not too bad. Beyond that, there are still some very important unknowns.

The NFL's top-rated quarterback might play Sunday when the Redskins visit the Browns. Coach Mike Shanahan, knowing full well that it makes the other team work extra to prepare for two quarterbacks, will no doubt wait as long as possible to publicly commit to Griffin or fellow rookie Kirk Cousins. "Both of them will have a game plan," Shanahan said. HOW THE OPPOSING SIDE SAW IT When you check out how some of the NFL's young guns perform in the clutch including but not limited to Colts rookie Andrew Luck you have to wonder. Could it be that some guys have it and other guys don't? As a rookie, Luck makes those plays when the game is on the line.

As a second-year pro, Jake Locker often does not. Telling stat: Indianapolis is 8-1 this season in games decided by one touchdown or less. The Titans are 2-3. David Climer I Tennessean LOOKING AHEAD The Colts travel to Houston on Sunday for the first of two games against the division-leading Texans. The Texans, who lost 42-14 late Monday at New England, are vying for the AFC's No.

1 seed. INSIDE THE NUMBERS Rookie Vick Ballard, a fifth-round draftee, rushed for many more yards than his more illustrious counterpart Chris Johnson on Sunday: 94-44. Ballard averaged 4.9 yards per carry. His longest run was 14 yards. Johnson was limited to a 2.3 average, with a long of 8.

Ballard, whose dive into the corner of the end zone was the winner in overtime to clinch the first Colts-Titans game, amassed 149 total yards rushing in the two Titans games, 6 more than Johnson. Star news services Tom Brady passed for 296 yards and four touchdowns as the host New England Patriots blasted the Houston Texans 42-14 on Monday night. New England (10-3), the AFC East leader, marched for two first-quarter scores and took a 28-0 lead early in the third quarter. Aaron Hernandez scored on 7- and 4-yard receptions. Brandon Lloyd scored twice on a 37-yard catch and a fumble recovery after Houston's J.J.

Watt punched the ball away from a Patriots runner. Houston (11-2), the AFC South leader, hosts the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Ravens fire Cameron Cam Cameron was fired Monday as offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, who have lost two straight and are still striving for consistency in the running and passing game. Cameron, the former Indiana University football player and coach, ran the Baltimore offense since the start of the 2008 season for coach John Harbaugh. Since that time, the Ravens' attack has repeatedly taken a back seat to the team's defense, and this year the offense ranks 18th with 344.4 yards per game.

Jim Caldwell, who was hired as quarterbacks coach before the season, will assume Cameron's duties. Caldwell was head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11. Harbaugh didn't give a detailed explanation for the move, which came less than 24 hours after the Ravens lost to the The interior of Griffin's right knee was the subject of intense scrutiny during Shanahan's weekly news conference. The upshot: Griffin has a mild, or Grade 1, sprain of the lateral collateral ligament located on the outside of the knee, caused when he was hit by defensive tackle Haloti Ngata at the end of a 13-yard scramble late in regulation of the 31-28 overtime win over the Baltimore Ravens. Etc.

The 49ers suspended RB Brandon Jacobs for the final three games following a series of posts on social media sites addressing his lack of playing time, including one during the weekend saying he was "on this team rotting away." Titans TE Jared Cook has a torn right rotator cuff and coach Mike Munchak said Cook will be placed on injured reserve. Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey was released from a hospital after a brief stay that included tests. Mularkey showed up at the facility a day after his team's 17-10 loss to the Jets and started feeling ill. He went to a team trainer, who took him to a nearby hospital. The Cardinals claimed QB Brian Hoyer off waivers from the Steelers.

Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe will miss a game at Oakland with a rib injury. Bills RB Fred Jackson's season is in jeopardy after he sprained a ligament in his right knee. The NFL said that San Francisco's matchup with Seattle on Dec. 23 would be on NBC's "Sunday Night Football." The Chargers and Jets were originally in that slot, but both teams have losing records..