INDIANAPOLIS -- Despite widespread criticism of his team's porous run defense, Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy is backing defensive coordinator Ron Meeks.
On Wednesday, Dungy told the Indianapolis Star that he still has confidence in Meeks, who has been on the Colts' staff since 2002.
"Last year we were No. 2 in scoring defense and doing a lot of good things. What's different? Nothing's different other than last year we lost two [games] and this we've lost four," Dungy told the Star.
Colts players also defended Meeks.
"We all know everyone's going to point fingers," defensive tackle Raheem Brock told the newspaper. "We're not even thinking about that. [Meeks] calls the plays, but we have to go out there and execute. It's always on us."
The Colts (11-4) are in danger of losing a first-round bye after starting the season 9-0, and the team's worst-in-the-league run defense has been a major factor in that decline. The Colts are allowing 174.5 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per rushing attempt -- both last in the NFL -- and gave up a career-high 153 yards and two touchdowns to former Heisman Trophy winner Ron
Dayne in Houston's first-ever win over Indy.
"Right now the chemistry on defense isn't there," cornerback
Nick Harper said. "This week, we need to go out and do things so
we can get some consistency back."
Dungy says the blame must be shared.
"When you win, everything's great,'' Dungy told the Star. "Everything you do is good. There are no problems. When you lose, nothing's good. There's problems everywhere. That's what losing brings."
Losing also brings frustration. Three days after his postgame comments were widely interpreted as criticism of the Colts' defense, Peyton Manning focused on what the offense could do better.
"If I sit here and be silent, do y'all use that on film?" Manning asked reporters on Wednesday after a long pause. "It's our job [on offense]
to do what we need to do to win the game."
For Manning, it has already been a difficult week -- and that's
before he faces Miami, one of the league's top defenses, on Sunday.
In the second half of last week's loss at Houston, television
cameras captured Manning pleading with the defense to make a stop.
Then in his postgame news conference, Manning acknowledged the NFL
wasn't basketball, where players go both ways, a comment construed
by some as being critical of the defense.
In the locker room Wednesday, defensive players said they were
not offended even though Manning tried to avoid the topic
altogether.
"It always starts with trying to evaluate good play and seeing
what you can do better," he said. "I get asked a lot of questions
that I really shouldn't answer, that should probably be addressed
by a coach. I try to answer what I can, but I think you always
start with yourself and I try to do what I can to help the team
win."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.