The Reggie Wayne Show

Leave it up to Dom Capers and his Swiss Cheese D to turn aging wide reciever and rookie QB Andrew Luck into an unstoppable combination at Lucas Oil Field in Indianapolis Sunday. All the verteran wide receiver did was grab 13 balls for 212 yards, spiking the last one on the goal line with 39 seconds left, putting the final nail into the coffin of the Slackers inexplicalble 30-27 loss at the hands of the coachless, injury riddled Colts.

It’s one thing ot blow a 21-3 on the road to the likes of say, the 49ers, or maybe the Falcons this season, but to exit Indiana with another “L” against a rookie QB and a decimated secondary playing for a substiute head coach, that’s another.

There are plenty of targets to point fingers at, most notbaly the other number 12, Aaron Rodgers, who seemed disinterested at best, and growing quite weary of the regularity of drops from the likes of Finley, Driver and Nelson. His careless interception early in the second half got the ball rolling for the hapless Colts, and soon the Divine Intervention of Momentum took over.

That, coupled with Mr. Capers inabilty to keep the ball away from number 87, Reggie Wayne, spelled doom for the Slack. Charles Woodson continues to show why this may indeed be his last year in the NFL, drawing penalties, arriving late, and getting turned into a pretzel again and again by Wayne.

Tramon Williams and Sam Shields added to the ineptitude, dropping Luck’s would be interceptions like Finley and Driver dropped key big play passes from Rodgers. It all added up to a nightmarish second half, with Rodgers getting sacked five times as McCarthy’s play calling once again abandoned the running game, despite flashes of competency from Alex Green, filling in for Cedric Benson, carted away earlier int the game with a left foot injury.

It all boils down ultimately to the same old, same old, inabilty of the Dumb Capers D to force a three and out when they absoutely need it. When Rodgers found Jones in the end zone for a 27-22 lead with 4:27 remaining, it was apparent the Slack had scored way too early. The Colts started their final drive on their own 20 yard line, and 13 plays and 80 yards later, with Luck escaping time and time again and finding Wayne for big play after big play, the result was all too familiar.

Don’t hang this one on Mason Crosby, although by missing two kicks over 50 yards he certainly did his part to aid the cause, but ultimately it comes down to a lack of pass rush, poor secondatry play, and the overall ineffectiveness of a defense that has now yielded over 800 yards passing in the last two games.

At 2-3 and trailing both the 4-1 Vikings and the Bears in the division, and a full three games behind the likes of the Falcons at 5-0, the Slack might as well have to run the table in order to have a shot at a post season berth. Given the fact that they can’t even run the ball, or stop the opposition when the game is on the line, that’s not likely going to happen.

Too bad we all can’t be in the film room Monday again for the rerun of the Reggie Wayne Show. I’d make sure Mr. Capers had plenty of popcorn for that matinee.

And For What