INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts coach Tony Dungy tried to get his starters out of Sunday's blowout in the fourth quarter. Houston didn't give him a chance.\nActually, the Colts defense didn't give him a chance.\nMany people outside the organization wondered why players like two-time MVP Peyton Manning and seven-time Pro Bowl receiver Marvin Harrison were still in the game until the end, so Dungy offered an explanation Monday.\n"The problem we had is that we were up 30-3 so that was about four scores, and we substituted on defense, and you'd like to hold them," he said. "But they went right down the field and scored, and then we're three scores up. So we told our guys one more drive."\nThe offense responded with another touchdown drive to make it 37-10, and Dungy again sent out many of his defensive backups -- hoping to pull his offensive starters.\nAgain, though, Houston scored.\n"The defense does the same thing, so the offense went back out there," Dungy said. "We'd like to have stopped them a couple of times, then gotten our substitutes out there on offense."\nManning again responded with a touchdown drive to make it 43-17.\nClearly, though, Dungy was not pleased with how the defense finished the game.\nAfter allowing only three points and 110 yards to Houston in the first three quarters, the Texans had 189 yards in offense and scored three TDs in the last 15 minutes.\nEven with backups playing prominent roles during that span, Dungy expected more.\n"We really lost everything, and that doesn't let you come away with a good feeling," he said. "But we played pretty well to start."
MONDAY NIGHT BLUES
Jacksonville will have a short week to prepare for the Colts after hosting the Steelers on Monday night, but the Jaguars aren't the only ones who will be affected.\nDungy acknowledged Monday that it also makes things rough for Colts coaches.\n"In a way, it helps you, but in a way it sets you back," he said. "You can't really do all your planning. We'll look at their first game against Dallas and get a lot of things on the board and kind of look at some things we want to do. Then we'll have to watch the game to see if it holds up."\nDungy's advice: Get used to it.\n"When you're a good team, you're going to play on Monday night a lot."
POSSIBLE PROBLEM
One issue that concerns Dungy is the NFL's policy of letting plays continue through the whistle in case there is a review.\nWithout criticizing the officials or the league, Dungy cited one example of what can happen from Sunday's game. When Joseph Addai was stood up at the goal line and fought to score, guard Dylan Gandy ran into him and jarred the ball loose.\nDungy said tight end Bryan Fletcher was near the ball and might have recovered it, but he stopped because a referee signaled touchdown and blew the whistle. The call was reversed on replay.\n"You can't worry about the touchdown signal; you've just got to hold onto the ball," Dungy said. "You just have to keep on playing. I'm just waiting for the time that a guy gets a personal foul penalty, and the guy says 'Well, the ball was loose,' and then you see that it was."
QUICK KICKS
Manning's seventh 400-yard game tied him for second all-time with Joe Montana and Warren Moon. Dan Marino (13) is the all-time leader. Manning's three TD passes gave him 248 for his career. He needs eight more to pass Sonny Jurgensen and crack the top 10. Harrison needs nine catches to pass Buffalo's Andre Reed (951) for fourth on the all-time receptions list. Game balls were awarded to Manning on offense, Robert Mathis on defense and Adam Vinatieri on special teams.
