Colts stick it to the opposition

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Patriots fans have come to expect the unexpected with the team's offensive attack. Some weeks it is a receiver-laden spread formation with a focus on passing. Other weeks it is multiple tight ends and a power running approach. Sometimes the change is on a play-to-play basis.

In the recent tenure of coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have established themselves as an ever-changing offense.

Now meet a team at the opposite end of the spectrum, one that is preparing to play in Super Bowl XLI.

Indianapolis offensive coordinator Tom Moore doesn't disagree that the Colts have an extremely different philosophy than the Patriots. Simply put, the Colts do what they do. And then do it some more.

Essentially, what the Colts do is line up in the same formation for most of the game.

"Coach Moore, he's kind of old-fashioned, and we're going to do the same thing and be repetitious," tight end Dallas Clark said. "He feels that if everyone is on the same page and knows what they're doing, we can be more effective. That's what is great about this sport -- there are a million coaches with a million different philosophies. You just have to stick to what you believe, and hopefully it works."

What the Colts have stuck with of late is a passing formation that includes two outside receivers, one tight end in the slot, one tight end on the line of scrimmage, and a single runner in the backfield.

Unlike the Patriots -- who often break the huddle, set in one spot, then motion players to different areas to mentally tax a defense -- the Colts usually hold their positions until the ball is snapped.

Both approaches have been successful, with the Patriots keeping foes off balance as they wonder what's coming next, and the Colts proving that simplicity can also be a most dangerous weapon. After all, the Colts ranked second in the NFL in points (26.6 per game), converted more first downs than any other club (376), and were the league's best on third down with a whopping 56.1 percent conversion rate.

The AFC Championship victory over the Patriots was a good snapshot of how simple the Colts are: Of their 79 snaps (not including kneel-downs), 60 came with the same positional grouping.

Moore, a veteran of 29 NFL seasons, explained the approach by saying, "You do what you do and you establish an identification. When you think of the Colts, what do you think?"

Many NFL defensive coordinators think of quarterback Peyton Manning operating out of the three-wide formation. The Colts generally prefer to have three receivers on the field, but have since shifted to two tight ends -- with Clark in the slot -- since wideout Brandon Stokley was lost with a season-ending injury.

With Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne the outside receivers, and Manning pulling the trigger, it's an approach that challenges most defenses.

"Their spacing is tremendous, and the receivers have a great understanding of what part of the field they have to use in running their routes and where they have to be," explained Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who will be charged with the task of stopping the Colts Sunday. "One of the things we're trying to talk about this week is making sure we're comfortable in our feel for what receivers are in our areas, what receivers are coming into our areas."

Moore implemented the three-wide approach in the mid-1990s when he was offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions. It was a change from his time as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1983-89, when he favored a two-back, two-receiver approach.

Moore said the change in Detroit was dictated by the one ingredient that is key for any scheme to be successful: personnel. He wanted to run Barry Sanders out of one-back sets, and felt he was that much more dangerous with three players -- receivers Herman Moore, Johnnie Morton, and Brett Perriman -- split wide.

He brought that approach to Indianapolis in 1998, and with the Colts drafting Manning first overall that year and the dangerous Harrison already on the roster, there was no need to stray from the three-wide approach.

"The biggest thing is get your best 11 on the field," Moore said. "There are a thousand systems, but in the end, it's about the people. Our [personnel] kind of lends itself to that system."

Moore added that the keys to any offense are execution and consistency, and he believes that's best achieved by keeping the formations simple. Clark, the team's dangerous tight end who caught six passes for 137 yards against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, has seen the benefits of that approach.

"We don't put in a lot of new stuff. We'll have a few wrinkles here and there, but the overall core is the same," he said. "The idea is that when you get 11 guys playing fast, playing on the same page, you're going to be more efficient."

Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com.