Colts v. Eagles Preseason Game Review: There is the yearly preseason win
by Colts Homer on Aug 21, 2009 12:17 AM EDT
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PrintExpect the Colts to lose the next two preseason games. Winning one preseason game is about the norm for the Colts. It was at home this year and we should be grateful for that. We got to see a good game by most of the Colts. It wasn't as ugly as the Vikings game and the team won't have to get as fake upset as they were last week. I saw a lot of positives and some growth by players but also some less-than-stellar performances. Here are some of my notes.
~Painter improved today, but he still had a couple of bad passes. He underthrew a lot of players and one resulted in a pick. He did show more poise and had some good passes under pressure. If he keeps on improving at this pace he will become an acceptable backup in this league.
~Don't look at the rushing yards per carry if you want an accurate depiction of how Lance Ball and the others played. Ball did the best possible with the backup offensive line blocking. There is no depth on the offensive line, and Ball getting more than 4 yards on any carries is amazing.
~Again, no one made any progress in the slot receiver battle. Garcon had 1 catch for 12 yards and Collie had 2 catches for 32 yards, but no one was that impressive. This is a battle that will come down to the wire.
~Out of all of the UDFA offensive players John Matthews has been the most impressive. 1 catch for 17 yards and some decent blocking. He seems destined for the practice squad.
~Charlie Johnson had an awful play that resulted in a Peyton Manning fumble. Mike Pollak also had a terrible missed block on that play. Ugoh should be the starting LT for the next game.
~Kyle DeVan and Tom Pestock are not going to be on this team, and they don't deserve to be on it. They were very bad tonight and couldn't run block to save their lives. The lack of depth at offensive line is disturbing.
~Marcus Howard got consistent pressure on the QB. He is the best backup pass rush defensive end on this team, and I still believe that he could make a HUGE impact on this team. He's got blazing speed.
~The linebackers are very good tacklers. The starters wrapped up well. The second teamers didn't miss tackles. The scrubs even got them down without a fight. I am very optimistic about this group of linebackers.
~The starting defensive backs were unimpressive today. However, these guys aren't the regular starters, so there is no need for concern as of this moment.
~This was a very weird game for Pat McAfee. His first punts were perfect, but then he had a 39 yard punt with no return and a very odd punt where there was a bad snap, he had an awkward kick and the ball took an Eagles bounce for about 15 to 20 yards. He is still much better than Hunter Smith no matter how unlucky the bounces are.
~Shane Andrus was money tonight, but his kicks weren't that pretty.
~T.J. Rushing had beautiful punt returns with one returned 45 yards. The kickoff returns sucked though. Giguere returned them and couldn't get anything going.
My top 5 players and a new roster prediction are up after the jump.
5. Tony Ugoh, OT: Ugoh may not have been the fifth best player out there, but compared to Charlie Johnson he is an All-Pro LT. Ugoh was fine in pass protection and did a good job run blocking. There is no reason to why he isn't starting. Johnson is a fine player, but he is not capable of being a permanent starting tackle in the NFL. Ugoh is. If Ugoh is not starting against Jackson for Week One, I will be concerned.
4. Jordan Senn, LB: Senn was everywhere. It was actually pretty creepy. It seemed like there were 3 Senns out there. On one drive he seemed to always be getting the tackles and pressuring the QB. This is what I want to see from Wheeler and Session. Tackle well, pressure the QB on blitzes and never be out of a play. I think Senn should be on the roster for his contribution on special teams. Anyone who flies to the ball like him should be covering kicks.
3. Jacob Tamme, TE: Tamme was the top receiver in this game. Manning targeted him. Painter targeted him. Tamme had some trouble route running, but he made up for it with his running after the catch and consistency catching. With Gijon Robinson missing time, Tamme could easily jump him on the depth chart.
2. Jacob Lacey, CB: Lacey has been the player of the preseason. He had good coverage in the Vikings game and almost made my top 5, but he went above and beyond tonight. He was phenomenal. His only mistake was a dropped interception, but he still kept the receiver from catching it. He is great in pass defense and should make the practice squad.
1. Ramon Humber, LB: Shutdown. That is the only way to describe Humber tonight. He was flying around the field throwing his body around like Bob Sanders and had Gary Brackett like pass defense. I enjoyed watching him play tonight. He didn't have a lot of tackles, but anyone who watched the game has to appreciate what he did tonight. It won't earn him a roster spot on the Colts but it can raise the eye of some other teams and the UFL though.
Roster Prediction
QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi
RB
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart
Lance Ball
H-B
Jacob Tamme
Gijon Robinson
WR
Reggie Wayne
Anthony Gonzalez
Austin Collie (KR)
Pierre Garcon
LT
Tony Ugoh
Charlie Johnson
RG
Mike Pollak
NT
Antonio Johnson
Daniel Muir
Terrance Taylor
UT
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster
RE
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock
Marcus Howard
SAM
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler
MIKE
Gary Brackett
Adam Seward
WILL
Clint Session
Jordan Senn
CB
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Dante Hughes
Jerraud Powers
Tim Jennings
T.J. Rushing (PR)
FS
Antoine Bethea
Matt Giordano
Jamie Silva
SS
Bob Sanders
Melvin Bullitt
P
Pat McAfee
Practice Squad
QB Curtis Painter
WR John Matthews
WR Sam Giguere
OL Jaimie Thomas
DL Curtis Johnson
DL Adrian Grady
LB Ramon Humber
DB Jacob Lacey
This was very tough. Curtis Johnson is still eligible for the practice squad, but I would believe that he would be signed by another team quickly. Besides that I believe all of the guys on the practice squad have strong potential. This was a tough roster to cut down to 53. We are going to see a very good team this year.
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CuJo looked very good as well
It's shocking what you can miss sometimes. The amazing color changing card trick.
Ummm...
When have the Colts EVER carried only 4 WRs on the roster? Won’t happen. And I don’t see us keeping 11 DBs. But who do you cut? That’s a tough question. I like that problem….
I also wish I had time and motivation to blog at Speed Blue Nation
They usually don’t but I could see it happening this year. There’s a big gap behind Garcon at #4 and they’re likely to use 2 tight ends a lot.
I would delete a DB and possibly a D Lineman in favor of at least one more O Lineman. They’ve always carried 9. Not that I think having another mediocre backup really solves the main problem. I don’t really see Federkeil getting cut.
Hard to say what D lineman would be the odd man out though, and Rushing is still the best return option, which sucks because he’s not useful as a DB and it’s not great to keep someone as just a return specialist.
A great 23-7 win. Well, it would have been if Dante Hughes hadn’t checked out early and been billed an additional 8 points for his trouble. Some highlights and lowlights:
Asante Samuel is schooled. Samuel hasn’t changed since his New England days. He cheats on nearly every route. He’d already tried to sneak in on a play earlier in the drive. On the play prior to the touchdown he cheated on the slant route, breaking up the pass to Gonzalez. I immediately thought Peyton would go back to Gonzalez, but I thought it would be a jab step inside and a quick break outside, trying to take advantage of Samuel’s natural over-zealousness. No, it was a straight fade route and a perfectly thrown ball to the corner. You would think the Eagles would have seen it coming, but instead Gonzo got into great position without much interference off the line.
You’re only as good as your blockers. So, Addai looked very good, because the first-string O-Line was very good. Brown and Hart got nowhere because they got no blocking. Both Addai and Brown had good receptions, Brown showing good balance and Addai catching the best throw #18 made all night. After Hart and Simpson went down, Ball was it, and as often as not he was met by two or three defenders at the line or even in the backfield. Still, I thought Ball was the best of the three vying for the third RB slot. I think Simpson gets cut in the first wave of cuts, unless Hart’s ankle is too bad, then Simpson’ll stick around only to be axed on September 5. Loved Eric Foster as the upback in the power I, by the way—hoped he’d get a carry (or, dare I dream it, a reception) at the end of the game.
A concern about Miami and Arizona. Bullitt being too slow to get over and Giordano getting passed by DeSean Jackson on the TD throw from McNabb concerns me, though I doubt Bethea gets run by like Giordano did. I guarantee the Colts will see that route, a very skinny post, almost a straight up route, by Ted Ginn, Jr. and/or Larry Fitzgerald, or maybe even Dennis Northcutt. Jackson is certainly fast, but he was assisted by getting a completely free release from the line. He just took off in a sprint and ran under the ball, and our safeties were left grasping at air.
The O-Line was better this week. The first-string O-Line was almost flawless—I think #18 was knocked down twice. Even on the fumble, although Charlie Johnson was de-pantsed by the Eagle defender, on the endzone camera replay you could see Saturday making a good secondary block to pick up a defender. Hopefully they’ll play about the same amount of time against the Lions next Saturday, play well, and take the final preseason game mostly off. The second-string O-Line protected Painter better than against Minnesota but did almost nothing to spring Ball on running plays. At halftime the Colts had rushed for a whole 24 yards. Whatever Ball got, he basically got on his own. I concur the lack of depth is concerning.
The D-Line got a lot more pressure. They were still swarming in the last minutes of the game. Part of that was Philly’s depleted O-Line (and no Brian Westbrook) but part of it is that the D-Line is deep, athletic and really, really relentless. The spin move Freeney used on his strip of McNabb ought to be shown on NFL Films as the textbook example of how you do that move.
Special Teams: Bi-polar. Sammy Guns was disappointingly average on his two kickoff returns. TJ Rushing is the punt returner, period. If Powers gets any more work returning punts, it’s just to get his feet wet as a backup. The job is TJ’s. On the bright side, this week, Powers let a punt inside the 10 go, rather than field it; on the bad side, Rocca got it out of bounds at the 4. On the Eagles’ series in the second quarter, after the Bullitt sack forced a punt, Nick Graham didn’t get a bump on the Eagles’ left side gunner, who was unmolested in bearing down on Rushing. He didn’t make the tackle, because the right side gunner—apparently not bumped, either—got Rushing first. Ugh. McAfee’s punts seemed higher—I’d be interested to hear the impressions of anyone who was at the game on that point. I’m shocked Ball had enough energy left after being tackled in the backfield the entire second half to field the onside kick.
Plus contributors:
Austin Collie—meet your new slot receiver. Apparently I’m a lot more impressed with him than Colts Homer.
Adam Seward—on the Eagles’ first series of the second half, he has a tackle for loss on the second down. As the Eagles moved down the field, on 2nd and 3, Seward stood the Philly back up a yard short. The whole front 7 stopped Echols on 3rd and 1. Then, they did it again to stop the Eagles on 4th and a foot.
Ramon Humber—he’s making this team. Like Keiaho and Sessions before him, he’ll be a backup LB excelling on special teams. At least two good special teams tackles, a near pick and a very fine pass defensed as Philly was knocking on the door. If it’s between him and Jordan Senn, Humber should make it.
Minus contributors:
Dante Hughes—yes, he caused a fumble and made a shoestring tackle on 3rd and 5 on Philly’s second possession of the second half to force a punt, but I counted at least two times when routes were run right in front of him and he didn’t respond. Then, there was the late touchdown. It reminded me of the brain cramp Tim Jennings had in the SD playoff game letting Chris Chambers make a big play. Dante Hughes, the new Tim Jennings. And that’s no compliment.
Curtis Painter—I thought he played well overall, actually, but son, in the NFL, you don’t throw into the endzone off your back foot, no matter how strong your arm is. The resulting underthrow was a pick when Tamme was behind the defender.
They called what seemed like 50 penalties (hell, there was even a tripping call against Philly), but is the horse-collar rule not effective in the preseason? Wasn’t the tackle of Pestroski inside the ten a horse collar Roy Williams special?
I close by marveling at how much better the national TV coverage was than the Colts’ local production. To quote Mark Twain, it was the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.
The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in the stars, but in ourselves.
+1 Humber
I agree that Humber makes the roster he will replace Hagler who just looks lost out there
Yep.
He was all over the place. I kept asking “who is this Rrramon?” (In my best Antonio Banderas accent)
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Aug 21, 2009 11:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Get off Ugoh's balls
This blog always makes him out to be some sort of pro bowl caliber LT while putting down CJ. Listen, I think both guys are good players. Ugoh has the talent but is an inconsistent bonehead and CJ has the heart and puts everything he has into it.
I also think you have to realize how BAD Ugoh played tonight. Did you watch the game? He was not good enough. Once again proves how inconsistent he is. He did well last week I felt. This week he takes another step back. I honestly feel the coaches (who know more then us) feel until Ugoh gains more consistency he could get Manning hurt.
CJ was not bad tonight at all. One breakdown in the o line in preseason when the starting o line is out there for the first time trying to gel is no reason to panic IMO for game 2.
I don’t believe the team has completely given up on Ugoh but I think CJ has outplayed him so far this preseason. He has. Ugoh has a lot of work to do and needs to show more solid consistency and desire or he wil be a backup all season.
Right now, the team trusts CJ more and thats fine with me. I also don’t care where anyone was picked in the draft. Put the best unit out there at the time. The starting o line was MUCH better then last weeks.
CJ got demolished on the Manning strip sack
heart is all well and good, but CJ is way over is head talent-wise at LT. You can only do so much with effort before you need to have elite physical tools.
An Ugoh lapse could get Peyton hurt, but CJ getting out-classed athletically can just as well and we’ve seen from the last two years which one happens more often.
http://www.stampedeblue.com/2009/2/6/751181/player-review-tony-ugoh
It's shocking what you can miss sometimes. The amazing color changing card trick.
by shake n bake on Aug 21, 2009 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions
They guy..
just got back from an injury!
by Colts Syndrome on Aug 21, 2009 8:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Fumble?
I thought that would have been a good play to challenge (if I was Caldwell). It looked like Manning’s knee was down before the ball came out.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
My dad said the same thing
He thought Caldwell should’ve challenged that call.
"Peyton Manning flow, I just go no huddle."
- Lil' Wayne, Put Some Keys on That
I gotta agree here...
But I thought neither played very well. Ugoh did not play well…I disagree with the OP!! To say he played better than CJ is crazy. I will make no bones about it…both need to step up…Ugoh more than CJ!! Also, I’m not sure where the pro bowl caliber stuff is coming from.
Agree
I think Ugoh should be the starter on opening day, but to say that he is playing better than CJ right now is a stretch. Ugoh looked average against backups, was not dominating at all like he should have been.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
And Ugoh......
Has shown us what this preseason?
Please. Sometimes it’s better not to overanalyze and let the coaches do what they feel is best.
CJ has outplayed Ugoh so far this preseason and he has the coaches trust. But since CJ is the new whipping boy this might be a waste to even talk about.
Ugoh gets way too much praise for not showing us enough in 2 seasons, especially growth. Until he starts to grow and become more consistent he won’t be the starter. If he does those things he may win the job back.
Right now CJ has the edge. And since the offense scored 14 points with him starting tonight I would think that will win him some points with the coaches as well.
CJ's outplayed him
how?
CJ was handed the starting job first day off the PUP. The coaches had been planning on giving Ugoh the kick in the pants since before either stepped on the field.
It's shocking what you can miss sometimes. The amazing color changing card trick.
by shake n bake on Aug 21, 2009 1:10 AM EDT up reply actions
I would like to see
a long drive with CJ and the rest of the starters, and the next drive with Ugoh and the rest of the starters so we can all compare apples to apples.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
Jacob Lacey has looked really good.
I just wish he played like that in college last year.
by Sanders_fan89 on Aug 21, 2009 1:22 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Ugoh
Has been quite bad in 2 preseason games so far. He needs to have a great final 2 preseason games to have a chance of winning his job back.
But, for some reason despite Ugoh’s suckiness so far in preseason all the writers here have been praising him. He actually looks worse to me then he did the last few seasons. He needs to start showing some solid improvement.
Let’s see what happens next week. If CJ starts and plays a solid game he will be starting week 1. No doubts in my mind.
If he falters and Ugoh shines things might get difficult again. Right now Ugoh is not helping his case with the penalities and looking like he could care less out there.
I expect more progress from him. A lot more. And so do the coaches.
You do realize you are telling this to a guy named Colts HOMER, right? lol
I don’t want to play devils advocate or anything but that’s just the way it is around here. If he wears a Colts uniform he’s always better than anyone else on any other team and they’re automatically a future HOFer. Not to mention every season the Colts are clearly the best team and have all but won the Lombardi trophy.
Homerism is fun and all but it gets real old real fast. When I used to write for SB I was generally the only guy outside of MRW to comment about a player who was underperforming and all it ever got me was insults in the comments and hatemail. =P
Go write about it on your blog
So we don’t have to read it. ZING
I would if I still worked for that network, but I don’t, because I left.
by KingRichard on Aug 21, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions
+3
I remember when the Colts drafted Ugoh that Tim Ryan on NFL radio did not like the pick because he thought the guy wasn’t mean enough, soft, whatever you want to call it. It seems he was right. Interesting thing is Ryan loved the Session pick.
I still think they’ll end up going with Ugoh. Charlie just doesn’t have the speed and agility to get it done. Charlie’s a guard.
I think CJ has more potential as a run blocker and that is what the coaches are going to emphasize this year. Also, did you all see the first play from scrimmage (quick pass to the left)? That takes away any negative impact of CJ’s ability to pass block.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
Okay last thing lol
I like Ugoh. I am rooting for him. But, God kid get your head out of your ass! I have no doubt he has the talent. But, it’s not coming through for some reason. He did play okay last week but tonight was a joke. He was lazy again. He gets lazy every other week. If he could show half the effort and heart of CJ he would be awesome. CJ is a coaches dream. He does what he is told and gives it 100%.
Ugoh totally half assed it out there tonight. What is his problem? He needs to fight for his job here.
I think the starting o line out there tonight showed promise for the first time together. They wont completely gel for a while but they all showed a lot to me.
At the very least, Ugoh is good depth. How many people have a high second rounder as their backup tackle? ;)
I also think the Colts might pick up a LT once cuts start happening.
On the brightside this is a very good team and with good depth in many areas. Not at tackle (lol) but in many areas.
Deja Vu?
I love how you just posted the same thing 3-4 times but with slightly different words!
But I agree with you for the most part.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
Words I never thought I'd say:
I agree with HelloKitty.
Just because CJ has looked God awful thus far, doesn’t mean we should be praising Ugoh by default – he’s looked bad, too.
by MileHighHoosier on Aug 21, 2009 2:42 AM EDT reply actions
All I am saying......
Is that the Ugoh praise should not be here. Both he and CJ have work to do.
Also keep in mind this is CJs first season preparing in the offseason at LT. The real battle is preseason game 3 when the starters play longer.
Yep
Johnson also hasn’t had as much work, given that he was hurt for a while.
I don’t really have any confidence in him at the LT spot, but over the next 2 weeks, he’s probably more likely to make strides forward than Ugoh is. At this point we all kind of know what we’ve got with Tony. Johnson might be more coachable and improve to be somewhat serviceable.
Boy, that makes me so pessimistic about the position this year. I have faith in Coach Mudd, though. He’ll get it sorted out and I trust that whoever plays will be the right choice.
Concern
My concern is with depth. Ugoh OR Johnson would provide good depth at tackle, but if Lilja was out for any period of time the line may look a lot like last year again.
I agree that the Colts may go shopping for O line help once cuts are made.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
Honestly
I dont love either one lol.
But, in Mudd I trust. He will make something work. Glad he came back.
our offense is going to be explosive no matter who the offensive line combo is going to be.
I keep reading the bashing of curtis painter and considering this is just his second preseason game and sorgi has played …what seems like for 20 years…he is so much better than sorgi its not even funny. how is sorgi still on this team?
I love our rbs. Im going to go out on a limb and say donald brown will be twice the player maurice jones drew is after 3 or 4 years. addai looked solid his couple of plays. our rbs can catch the ball better than some of our recievers
peyton is going to have a record setting season. I can smell it. bad offensive line or not
reggie wayne is going to have a HUGE YEAR
dallas clark. when people make fun of him or say hes not worth the money I laugh very hard
painter is better than sorgi
I didn’t see the first game, but watching, I think painter is already better than sorgi. He made rookie mistakes, but he got more done that I have really ever seen from Sorgi. I wouldn’t be surprised to see 3 QB’s on the roster — and if painter continues to improve I think sorgi could even be cut.
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing...
I hate to think of them carrying 3 QBs on the roster
BUT, after actually watching Painter last night…the kid has some great potential. His mobility is really something. And, like you said, he made some rookie mistakes but I think with his learning from Peyton he could be a pretty good QB.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Aug 21, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
True
I love Ugoh, and I think that he will be much better this year, but I think we need another RT no matter what. And some true Guards in the 3rd-5th rounds for better quality depth.
I also wish I had time and motivation to blog at Speed Blue Nation
Painter...
Wow, some guys here are really critical. His second preseason game…throwing off his back foot, shit some veterans do that still!! Give the kid a break…he looked darn good last night. Actually, all the criticisms I have read could have been said about another young rookie QB named Peyton Manning!! These things are all correctable. He has a live arm, very good mobility, and seems to already have learned the Manning head shake when a play does not work. I like this kid!!
I concur
I liked what I seen from Painter, more than anything I’ve ever seen from Sorgi. Painter can at least avoid a pass rush and he looks like he’s trying to make plays, even though he’s working with the second-string. Sorgi always just looks like he’s going through the motions. I would much rather keep Painter and lose Sorgi at this point. I’m sure that if something happened to Manning we could resign Sorgi, it’s not like anyone else is going to pick him up.
When they play...
Painter looks like he’s trying to make the team, trying to learn – Sorgi looks like he knows he’ll be stuck behind Peyton forever.
by Colts Syndrome on Aug 21, 2009 8:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Guarantee
If Manning went down, the Colts would sign a FA QB instead of promoting either Painter OR Sorgi.
That’s why I think Painter is the better option. It will free up money to sign a guy like Derrick Brooks if needed.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
+100
Painter looked very good out there, even with linemen blocking for him that might not even make the UFL. I’m sure with Peyton’s help, he’ll be an above average backup for years to come.
I also wish I had time and motivation to blog at Speed Blue Nation
Painter
I have more confidence with him out there than I do with a healthy Sorgi. He actually shows ability to get into the huddle, call a play, and execute the play more times than not.
For all everyone makes about how long Sorgi has been on the team and how he “knows the system” so well, why is it that when Sorgi comes into the game the offense always looks so vanilla? He can only run basic run plays or quick slants. I am yet to see him lead a drive against a solid defense that doesn’t result in a punt. I know he doesn’t play much either, but it seems like a waste of money if we can expect the same lackluster play out of a rookie as we can from a mutli-year vet making $2-3 million per year!
Painter has potential and I like what I see so far. Sorgi has reached his potential and it isn’t all that great, plus he is now injured and it seems like Painter is gaining ground on him with every snap.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
When we did that podcast after the draft I was very skeptical about Painter. He had a lot of issues (albeit correctable ones) that he needed to work on if he was going to make the team, but man, I have been totally impressed by him and progress. If he keeps his work ethic up and studies under Manning, this guy could be pretty good. Sorry Sorgimeister, but your days are numbered brother!
King..
I have not been around that much lately!! I see you are not here too much either!! We used to have some knock down drag outs didn’t we!! How is it going?
Up until the other day I hadn’t posted here, let alone read this site in a few weeks because of the lack interesting content and the annoyance of some of the stupid stuff that goes on around here. Decided to check it out again since preseason started and have been underwhelmed to say the least, aside from the updates about training camp that is which are good.
We did indeed have some doozies. It was all in good fun though even though you repeatedly called me names! =P
Everything’s good, can’t complain. Like I mentioned earlier I quit the blog network I was working for and am just preparing mentally preparing myself for this upcoming semester. I’ll be taking 4 night classes and working full-time, yay me.
by KingRichard on Aug 21, 2009 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I try not to name call anymore!!!
You still at UFL? Good luck with everyting and hope to see you around here!! We need some good people to keep everyones heads out of the clouds!!!
take care
Must have been watching a different game than I was.
I thought this game went a long way to explaining why Ugoh has been benched for Charlie Johnson. It is time to face some scary facts folks. CJ does not have the physical prowess to be an elite starting LT in this league. Top level DEs are going to feast on him. For all that though, on a play to play average, he is way more consistent.
Even with all of his physical gifts, Ugoh is worse. He was getting absolutely outclassed by the 4th and 5th string DLine for Philly. I’ve been rooting for the guy for a long time, mainly because I didn’t want to admit that CJ should be on the field as a LT, but right now CJ has to be the guy.
Other issues with our OLine include really inconsistent play from Saturday and very little depth. At this point it is way too early to freak out, but I do not see a championship caliber OLine, which leads me to think we don’t have a championship caliber team.
There were some bright spots though. Diem looked better than he has in a long time and Lilja is making me believe again.
Another major issue was our starting DLine. Of course Freeney is a monster, we knew that, but going into the preseason I was really excited about our interior. The first game was very disappointing, and this one was too. When a team is missing 4 of their 5 starters on the OLine, I want to see our starters dominate. They didn’t. Our 3s and 4s against their 4s and 5s looked great, but our 1s vs. their 2s looked only ok. When we went into the Vikes game down 2 starters, look how their D line went to work. That’s what I wanted to see from our line, and I didn’t.
Finally, there is no battle for the slot receiver position. The colts have been saying, and their actions bear this out, that Garcon is on the outside and Collie is at the slot. That is what we’ve seen in the games, and I think it could be a very effective strategy.
What game did you watch?
I don’t know what people expect in the 2nd preseason game. Ugoh definitely should not have had those two early penalties, but after that, he seemed to get his head on straight. Plus, we put up with Tarik Glenn getting a false start guaranteed every game – I think Ugoh is more focused than that normally. Ugoh handled the pass rush very well, and had few issues run blocking. The biggest issue had to be the guard play last night after the starters left. Justice, DeVan, etc. all sucked. They sucked a little in pass pro, and sucked majorly in run blocking. But remember this:
Both of Lance Ball and Chad Simpson’s sizable runs were to the outside left or between left tackle and guard. Someone show me some numbers that proved that Ugoh did anything but play well against a very deep Vikings D-line.
I also wish I had time and motivation to blog at Speed Blue Nation
Tarik Glenn
False starts were always his weakness.
by Sanders_fan89 on Aug 21, 2009 10:47 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
false starts
.. in preseason are meaningless.. Everyone is working out all the kinks and it is going to happen, and the chop block penalty was a bad call. From the angle I saw the guard just got in the way and the player wasn’t really even engaged when Ugoh went low.
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing...
Disagree with most of that
I agree with your assessment of the LT spot, but disagree with your comments about Saturday and the rest of the guys. The Steelers had an average at best line last year and they won it all. I think the Colts line will play very well this year as long as they stay healthy. I also think they will learn to overcome any poor play at LT quickly.
I thought the D line played very well. I was expecting a little more blitz pressure from the LBs, especially on 3rd and anything over 4, but I think Coyer will bring that with time as they learn how to compensate for the blitzing LB. The DTs held the line very well and it was a drastic improvement over what I am used to seeing, especially all of 2008.
You are right on with the Collie remarks. Garcon is too inconsistent and Collie is very dependable. That ends the debate for me.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
The Steelers had an absolutely outstanding defence though
So they could afford to be somewhat mediocre on offense.
I think our defense will be fine this season, but I don’t think it will be good enough to overcome really mediocre O-line play. Fortunately I don’t forsee that either.
by eltharion_doa on Aug 21, 2009 8:36 PM EDT up reply actions
True
But I will take Peyton over Roethlisberger any day, even with an average O line.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
+1
People were constantly talking about how bad the Steelers O-line was, but I think it has more to did with both the QB and O-line. Everyone knows that Big Ben has a tendency to hold on to the ball too long and would rather that a hit than to get rid of the ball. Sometimes, that works of the Steelers, but most of times it hurts them.
Do I believe in aliens?" Stephon Marbury asked. "I don't know, because I've never seen one. But I believe in Jesus because I saw him in the shower the other day."
Colts Linemen
I said it last week , they are one injury away from disaster. There are no quality backups. I don’t know who picks o linemen inthe drafts but a change needs to happen. This problem goes on year after year.
Ummm
Two years ago the Colts had a Top 3 line, and in the 2006, quite possibly the best. So it is actually a much more recent problem.
I also wish I had time and motivation to blog at Speed Blue Nation
Colts Linemen
I’ll give you one decent year but they were much better pass blocking than run. Glenn, Scott,Saturday,Lilja,Diem worked well together. Never top 3!!!!!!!!!!! Manning has always made them seem better than they were. I have been a Colts fan since 84 but would like to see better linemen.
Well
it’s very hard to find quality offensive linemen that can play both pass and run at the highest levels. This is a passing team, we have #18 and as long as he is back there they will most likely trade a few bad run blockers for solid pass protectors. That’s just how it is.
That said, the change to CJ at LT is a reversal of that philosophy so maybe the coaches are trying to become more run balanced offensively.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
No true
Sorry, but guys like Jamey Richard (OG, OC), Dan Federkeil (OG, OT), and Charlie Johnson (OG, OT) are excellent back-ups. Steve Justice has not played well at all in pre-season, but Kyle DeVan has practiced and played well at times. Last night, he wasn’t good.
I watched Ugoh on several plays last night, and I saw him perform much better than Charlie Johnson. One of his penalties was utter crap by the refs, but in general when he engaged rushers one-on-one, he swallowed them.
Charlie Johnson cannot physically play LT, unless in an emergency situation.
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He has
In a little game called the Super Bowl.
and what was Mannings comment after the game??
Oh yea, CJ played so well I didn’t even know he was in there.
Time to move him back?
He played there for parts of 2007
I can’t get the image out of my head of a replay from the Colts-Ravens game where they scored like 23 points in the first quarter where Johnson completely missed a Ravens linebacker and Peyton would have been killed if Jake Scott didn’t make an amazing block. I’ve been very nervous about playing CJ as a tackle since then.
"I saw a commercial on late night TV, it said,'Forget everything you know about slipcovers.' So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were."
-Mitch Hedberg
Colts Linemen
I thought Charlie did a decent job last year playing guard. I don"t think he can play L T more than a few plays.Richards and Federkeil get beat too many times.
It's interesting
i really wish I’d seen the game now, but there’s a lot more realism and criticism around here then in previous seasons. Which I think is more healthy than endless optimism.
IF
the Colts went 19-0 three seasons in a row, we wouldn’t have anything to be critical about.
To me, it’s just a little game of preseason back and forth for now. The regular season will bring more of it, but at least the wins will be meaningful.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
big concern here
Normally you don’t want to show off too much of your repertoire in the preseason. I feel like last night we gave away one of our best plays. That TD to Wayne? Remember the last time you saw that? Super Bowl against the Bears? All I’m saying is I feel like that’s a once a year play that we only use in big games so I’m a little disappointed to see it in preseason.
"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."
Um, what?
Wayne was open because Ellis hobbs busted his coverage.
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EXACTLY
Could it be we have more weapons than the last three years I remember when we had plays like that ever other game sometimes multiple times in a game. Remember MArvin burning Neon Deon twice and making him fall once in a game. Or the Denver game when Reggie had 200 plus yards, we could maybe get back to that point this year as long as we can block.
Actually, the coverage was pre-broken
There was only one deep safety, either Tamme or Wayne would’ve been wide open and single-covered.
umm, it was a joke
However, I do wish we had a magical play that led to wide open 70 yard TD’s
"If you don't [draft me], I promise you I'll come back and kick your ass for the next 15 years."
Sorry
Didn’t realize it was a joke.
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue. Please make an account and post a diary, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.
Hey guys...
were they pronouncing Tamme’s name correctly last night? Is it pronounced Tamm or Tammy?
Thanks
Tammy
As in “Tammy’s in love…”
SB Nation's Indianapolis Colts blogger at Stampede Blue. Please make an account and post a diary, add some comments, and make some noise. Accounts are free, and only require an email address.
And I'm in love with Tamme after last night.
He had a monster game for a guy who hasn’t had much game time in a while.
"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino
Or is it Tammi? Or Tammey? Or maybe Tami? Or Taamii?
All good choices.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
That is teams having to play us honostly
It has been two years since I have seen teams having to play us honoslty, when that happens we are at our best I am sorry to see Marvin go my favorite offensive player beside Edge. But Edge leaving ended up being a positve. So here is hoping that Marvin leaving is the same
Russel Okung
I want the Colts to pick up this LT from Oklahoma State but we’re hopefully not drafting in the top ten where he is likely to be picked up.
by Sanders_fan89 on Aug 21, 2009 10:48 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
So where was Mike Hart?
One run, one catch and neither very remarkable. I hope to see him more in the third game or it could spell bad things for Hart.
by the_iowa_hawkeye on Aug 21, 2009 11:05 AM EDT reply actions
hawkeye...
I’m going to watch Tn tonight looking for Mitch King!! The worm must have turned for me because I really want the titans to cut him so the Colts could potentially pick him up!!!
That being said…I really do hope he plays well!!!
With the rate that Polian is still signing
D linemen and considering that the Colts were after King right after the draft I’d say there is a real good chance of picking him up of he gets cut by the Titans. I hope he shines also so that even if he doesn’t stick with the Titans he lands here. I have no doubt that he’ll land on someone’s roster – I’d just as soon it was on the Colts.’
by the_iowa_hawkeye on Aug 21, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh, and Colts Homer
This was Colts vs. Eagles not v. Vikings. That was last week ;-)
/just looking out
I also wish I had time and motivation to blog at Speed Blue Nation
Wow
I apologize. That’s a little embarrassing. I’ll fix it.
"I saw a commercial on late night TV, it said,'Forget everything you know about slipcovers.' So I did. And it was a load off my mind. Then the commercial tried to sell me slipcovers, and I didn't know what the hell they were."
-Mitch Hedberg
wooooooooow what about adam seward
give him som props man he didi good he stop the eagles bak two strait times n stoped him from gettin a first down ADAM SEWARD future starter
"You only get intercepted when you don't know what your doing, I knew what I was Doing".
Johnny Unitas
by 805 on Aug 22, 2009 1:10 PM EDT reply actions
So much for that idea...
;-)
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Aug 22, 2009 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions
haha what a heartbreak
i feel da his gonna come bak i no it
"You only get intercepted when you don't know what your doing, I knew what I was Doing".
Johnny Unitas
by 805 on Aug 22, 2009 6:07 PM EDT up reply actions
He may.
Remember how many times they brought back Ratliff last year? I think 3.
"I throw, you catch. It's NOT that hard!"
Peyton Manning, SNL, 2007
by peytonsthebest on Aug 22, 2009 6:13 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope so
I am disappointed that they cut him. I thought he would be a solid backup and continue the vision of being more physical on defense. He had some great stuffing tackles and when he tackles the RB, he pushes the RB back – not the other way around.
"I'm looking for Ray Finkle....and a clean pair of shorts."
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