Colts 2010 Preseason: Recap Of 59-24 Loss To Packers
by Brad Wells on Aug 27, 2010 8:01 AM EDT
in 2010 Colts Game Recaps
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Joe, GoBigBlue88, and a few others pretty much hit all the major notes I wanted to address this morning. I think we can all agree that the new umpire rule does not work, and needs to be scrapped. If it isn't, Roger Goodell should expect to see fewer fans watching football games. The hurry-up offense is a staple of football, and this rule totally destroys it. It's like making a rule that eliminates the shotgun formation.
Put the umpire back were he was. If refs are worried about being hurt, the NFL league office could remind them that this is, you know, football and them's the risks.
Contact sport, refs. Accept it.
The rule aside, the main point I'd like to stress about this game is the score is meaningless. The Packers could start the season 0-3, and no one will remember how good their team looked against the Colts in preseason. During this time of year, the team that 'loses' a preseason game is the team who suffers more injuries, and right now the Colts very much lost their third preseason game. If they'd have gone into Green Bay and smacked the Pack around 45-0, but come away with the various injuries they had last night, I'd consider that a loss.
After the jump, we talk concerns...
Injuries
It sure would be nice to have a season where injuries were not the driving force behind how our team plays, but right now they are the #1 reason why the offense looks out of sync and the defense seemed lost. Losing Gary Brackett to a 'hand injury' was a big blow. Without him and his impressive coverage skills, the Packers attacked the middle of the field all night. Pat Angerer is a good kid, but he cannot cover like Gary. The Pack took advantage of that.
Also injured were Joseph Addai and Jacob Lacey. Both suffered concussions. The o-line, which is absolutely decimated, lost Tony Ugoh with a toe injury.
Right now, it's just to much. It serves no purpose to put Peyton Manning out there behind this group of linemen. Once again I ask, Why was Ryan Lilja cut back in March? Why wasn't Charles Brown drafted in April?
You think the Colts couldn't use them now?
Second Quarter Collapses
We saw this in the 49ers preseason game. At the time, we simply blamed Curtis Painter, and rightly so. Once is a coincidence. Twice is a trend, and this trend does not always involve Curtis Painter.
Turnovers, penalties, and inexcusably stupid play resulted in a 21 point second quarter for the Packers. They went on to score 31 unanswered points. Brandon James played himself off the team with that muffed punt. Just dumb. Dumb. Dumb. DUMB.
"I had preset and was ready to catch it, and it drifted back on me,'' James said after the Colts' 59-24 loss to the Packers. "Instead of letting it go, I tried to make the catch and it got away from me."You've just got to move on.''
Speaking of 'letting go,' look for Brandon to get let go in a few weeks. The muff happened after he signaled 'fair catch.' Inexcusable, bonehead play. After that muff, the team went into a shell and just seemed to want to get out of Green Bay as quickly as possible.
Oh, and speaking of trends, the Colts defense surrendered 75% of their third downs. An entire off-season of work to correct the main weakness of the defense, and in the 'dress rehearsal' game, they look worse than ever.
Far Too Many Mistakes
Overall, the Colts had four fumbles and two INTs on offense. That simply will not win football games on the road, even in preseason. They also had 12 penalties for 116 yards. I mean, come on! Why even play the game if you are going to surrender that sh*t?
Despite All This, The Positives...?
It's still preseason. The score means nothing. Everyone calm down.
If you want to get really concerned, look at the injury report. I'm not so concerned about the ump rule because the NFL will likely change it back. Roger Goodell said they wanted to see how it would work in preseason. Well, we saw, and it's a disaster.
Players like Pierre Garcon, Clint Session, Adam Vinatieri, Fili Moala, Dwight Freeney, and Bob Sanders looked very good last night. All of these guys are either returning from injury, or they are trying to prove that they are better and more-focused this year. Ole Bob played 45 plays last night.
I was also encouraged by Ray Fisher. His 58-yard return was a good spark. Ray needed to make a play in this game, and he did. He also had two tackles.
Colts interior defense held the Packers to 2.7 rushing yards per carry. However, teams are throwing the ball more on the Colts. Aaron Rodgers went 21-29. Yes, the Packers o-line held early and often. It wasn't called. Then again, the Colts offensive line (which is terrible right now) likely did the same. It's preseason. Refs just want the games over with. Flagging people left and right for holding calls is a waste.
The key right now for the Colts is just to heal up. Most of the guys who looked truly terrible last night will not be with the team after the fourth preseason game. The Colts just need to get all available horses back ASAP, which they will.
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+1
With Brackett out, any moron can now see that Wheeler isn’t very good and he looks even worse without a veteran playmaker next to him, covering his mistakes.
Hayden, along with the rest of the secondary (excluding Powers) needs to work on coverage. You can’t get away with bringing extra guys on a blitz but still playing off in coverage, it doesn’t work. Call it cushion, zone, whatever you want…the Colts need to put more pressure on the opposing QB to make a good throw into a tight spot instead of allowing those 8-15 yard throws at a 70% clip or else we will see another repeat of 2008.
One more thing. I like Bullitt a lot, but he is a safety and not a cornerback and his coverage skills are exposed against good passing teams like the Packers.
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
I think we might have been watching 2 different games
The Colts weren’t giving cushion and they were still getting abused. Our guys were getting run past. Finley was just bigger than Bullitt who was covering him and couldn’t stop him. Even when our guys were playing really good tight coverage Rodgers and his receivers made great plays to catch the ball.
In the modern NFL with the state of the rules, you cannot stop a receiver from catching the ball using single man coverage at the CB no matter how good the he is.
Look at the AFC championship last year. A good QB with time will figure it out. That is why the days of the big blitz are over. If you can’t get pressure with 3/4/5 guys a good QB is going to make mince meat of you.
DBs have to look at the ball too.
They had good coverage many times, but looked only at the receiver On a Rodgers TD, Lambert should have stepped in front of the receiver, similar with Lacey and Bullitt on a deep Finley catch.
Agree
When the receiver makes his move and turns his head, the DB should always turn his head also to try to locate the ball. The only Colts DB that knows how to do this is Powers.
Powers being on the field is crucial to this defense IMO because he can at least hold his own and takes pressure off of Bethea, Bullitt and Sanders to always help him in coverage.
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
by AceOfSpades on Aug 28, 2010 10:22 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah... and why are the other CBs NOT do that??
I saw tons of CBs jumping Peyton’s routes lately….. ever since SB.. but ours are just following the WRs and chasing them like in a running game….
geez!! Who is our CB coach??
If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!
by Manning4ever on Aug 29, 2010 2:22 AM EDT up reply actions
I beg to differ
In the modern NFL with the state of the rules, you cannot stop a receiver from catching the ball using single man coverage at the CB no matter how good the he is.
Revis and Asomugha can do this to any receiver, that’s why they’re so valuable.
by TrustInPolian on Aug 27, 2010 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions
On this board yesterday
There was a video of Peyton Manning taking Revis apart. I won’t comment on Asomugha as I haven’t watched him enough, but I still stand by my statement if there is only 1 CB in the league that can do this and he gets paid QB money.
Could we trade a WR for a OT?
I know we have the best in the NFL as Peyton is awesome at developing them. I don’t think we would be hurting too much if we traded…dont hate me, Reggie or Gonzo or even Collie. We would get a ton for Reggie and we dont want to give him a huge contract right now. Just a thought
which one?
Everyone that keeps suggesting that we trade for an OT, I have to ask which one? To be perfectly honest any OT that would be an upgrade over who we have teams are going to want more than we can give. I don’t think Reggie Wayne would get us a top flight OT. Once you have one you don’t give them up as they are too valuable.
No
But if you have one in mind, I’d be happy to hear it. Let’s put it this way, which WR would you have traded Tarik Glenn for?
most of the times I do not agree with you.... EXCepT on this one....
Top Flight OTs are REALLY hard to come by….. and honestly if we have Howard Mudd, we don’t need top flight OTs…..a good one is enough. The problem is we still don’t know what Pete M guy can do… coaching under one of the legends does not a legend made….. so I am worried about coaching more than the players themselves, to be honest.
Same with Clyde C…. co-incidentally they both have very hard to spell and type last names… darn!
If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!
by Manning4ever on Aug 28, 2010 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions
Why wasn’t Charles Brown drafted in April?
I think with Brackett’s injury last night, Angerer getting selected over Brown is even more important. We saw in 2009 that Peyton can handle a mediocre oline. With CJ and Saturday slated to be back for week 1 in Houston I think the patchwork oline will be fine.
by torontocoltsfan on Aug 27, 2010 8:39 AM EDT reply actions
not to mention
Brown isn’t any good. Noone else drafted him for a while either.
Lilja is another story though.
Cookie Cookie Cookie starts with C!
Does anybody watch KC's OL???
How is Lilja doing?? i miss the guys… he is a GOOD guy!
If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!
by Manning4ever on Aug 28, 2010 1:52 AM EDT up reply actions
Brackett
Any word on whether Brackett’s injury is a hand problem, or actually a broken forearm? I thought I saw a report on it being broken?
Addai
just became one of my favorite all-time Colts making that tackle last night. You think winning and football aren’t important to this guy? Timing of the play might not have been the smartest, but it showed how much the guy cares.
It's Preseason, Slow Down
The offense looked good for the most part. The line wasn’t as bad as you think considering their health.
The defense has been working on blitz packages to get their timing down. They’re evaluating and getting practice reps first and trying to win second. They won’t be blitzing this much in real life. Especially when 2 of your 3 best corners are out of the game. I like that the guys on defense were frustrated. Frustration makes players realize they need to get better and leads to improvement.
"If you don't pick me, I'm gonna kick your a## for 15 years." Peyton Manning to Polian, prior to 1998 draft.
I noticed that too.
They have done it all pre-season. I wouldn’t put any stock in the outcomes of these games. If it didn’t work, we won’t see it in the regular season.
by invisibulman on Aug 27, 2010 8:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Jeff Saturday
And don’t forget that Saturday is the most important player on the line and he should be ready for week 1 which will be a huge help.
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
by AceOfSpades on Aug 28, 2010 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions
Concerned about Hayden
Yes, the O-line was awful, but I’m not that upset because we expected them to be awful. They were awful last year and they will continue to be awful all season. The offense just has to work around that. Wheeler is an average to below average SAM. Again, not unexpected.
My concern (aside from Injuries) is Kelvin Hayden. Hayden was a very good (almost great) CB a couple years ago. He was terrible last year, but that could be put on injuries. Well, he’s healthy now… and still looks bad. Hopefully he turns it on when the games matter, but if we suddenly have a hole on the field opposite Jerraud Powers; this is a problem.
I'm very concerned with Hayden
He looks out of place now that cover 2 is no longer en vogue
I hear Polian has his eye on two O-Linemen to help out
I think their names are something like Saturson and Johnday. I’ll be concerned if those two don’t work out, but right now I’m not grippin.
+63 and +74
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
by AceOfSpades on Aug 28, 2010 10:26 AM EDT up reply actions
A few notes
Pat Angerer is a good kid, but he cannot cover like Gary. The Pack took advantage of that.
That’s not what I saw. What I saw was them taking advantage of Bullitt in coverage. I saw us dropping Freeney/Mathis into zone coverages and blitzing Angerer/Bethea and us getting abused. I for one do not like the new multi-look defense and assume they are just playing with stuff right now.
Why was Ryan Lilja cut back in March?
I assume because he didn’t pass his physical. Wasn’t that reported on this site? Isn’t Lilja a player with known injury issues who has taken a beating over his career? That seems to make more sense than assuming he got cut because the Colts don’t know anything about evaluating talent. Let this one go, the arm chair GMing on this topic is tired and without more info not getting us anywhere.
Why wasn’t Charles Brown drafted in April?
Because we needed a backup ILB and there happened to be a really good one when we were drafting? This game validated the decision to skip on Brown not the other way around. I though Angerer looked great. Is there a step down from our veteran team captain to our rookie? Yes, but not as much of one as compared to our other positions.
Another thing I didn’t see get much note and I stopped watching soon after wards was that McClendon was out there at guard and looked good doing it. I’d like to see more reps for him next game.
All good points
But as to your first point, I doubt if we’ll see much of that defense in the regular season. The Colts like to try out different D’s in the preseason and rarely show anything. The Texans aren’t going to learn anything watching that game tape.
but I hope they do.
If that’s the case they’ll end up on the wrong side of a beating. Walking in a daze they gruffly speak, “Where’s the blitz?” like granny in a Wendy’s.
Then the Texans will know when it’s real.
by ActionOxford on Aug 27, 2010 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
good stuff
Rec’d
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
by AceOfSpades on Aug 28, 2010 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
What I saw
1. You really can’t put too much on the defensive backs in this game because they were in man to man often with no help and there was so much holding going on down on the line that Rodgers had all day to throw. Of you give Rodgers all day to throw into man coverage with no help, he will make you look awful.
2. This has been stated ad nauseum but Pollak and Richard looked bad run blocking but what kind of suprised me was how ineffective they were pull blocking. I thought that since they were smaller and athletic type interior linemen that they could at least pull block.
3. Angerer did a really good job in repacement of Gary. I wonder if he plays well enough next game (I assume they won’t start Gary) that he could get a shot to supplant Wheeler.
Jason Heyward wins at baseball.
Angerer
I was thinking that too. Angerer is already better in coverage than Wheeler and can’t be any worse at tackling. He is a little undersized to take the SAM beating, but I wouldn’t be upset if Angerer had to step in for Wheeler at any point this season.
I don't always drink beer....but when I do, I prefer Dos Equis.
by AceOfSpades on Aug 28, 2010 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions
Great News from Joe (sorry if it's already been posted)
Running back Joseph Addai left the game in the third quarter with a concussion and linebacker Gary Brackett hurt his right hand. Addai said he “just got a little dizzy” but was fine after that.
“Really, they didn’t do any tests, they didn’t need to,” Addai said. “I was fine. If I needed to go back in, I could’ve.”
The irony being
you can’t necessarily rely on someone with a concussion to proclaim his own health. I’d rather not see him next week.
How can you not love a team that does this?
by LovinBlue on Aug 27, 2010 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
That explains why Terry Bradshaw continues to claim that he's sane
And OJ Simpson still proclaims his innocence.
But still, no tests? That’s pretty good news.
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
BobMan, you are too funny.... and RIGHT ON!!
If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!
by Manning4ever on Aug 28, 2010 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree, let him rest.
But in his post game interview, he did sound lucid. After that hit I figured he’d be walking around woundering where he was!
"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino
"As I grow older, the list of people who can kiss my ass grows longer"-Ancient Hoosier Proverb.
Ref Position
I know I saw the ref go back to his old position when the Packers’ offense was on the field in the first half (couldn’t watch the second half). Even Gruden or Jaws commented on the ref being back behind the linebackers. Anybody know what was going on there?
"A leader is a dealer in hope."
Oh, nevermind
Sorry, I wasn’t even thinking. The refs go back to the linebackers during the last 2 minutes of each half.
"A leader is a dealer in hope."
NFL wants to protect the Ref’s. But willing to go to a 18 game schedule which will not protect the players from getting hurt hmmmmmmmm
yeah... you are right... never thought about that....
I HATE the NFL COMMISH and the establishmet…. it is official!
If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!
by Manning4ever on Aug 28, 2010 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions
Beyond that...
“If refs are worried about being hurt, the NFL league office could remind them that this is, you know, football and them’s the risks.”
If the league is worried about refs being hit, put them in freakin’ pads and a helmet. Hockey refs have to wear headgear, baseball umpires wear the facemask. Put the damn ref in a helmet and some body gear too, and color what he wears some reserved shade that only refs can wear.
But for the love of God, get them the hell out of the way of the quarterback! This new experiment has got to end!
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
Interesting point about COLOR
There are plenty of teams with either white or black.
All chartreuse ref unis, anybody? Okay, maybe not. But if they were in blaze orange or something, and lightly padded and wearing a light lacrosse-style helmet, they should be pretty safe. Helmets would have to ba adapted for max visibility, but then again, anyhting is safer than what they have now—nothing.
I hate Joe Namath. That's how long I've been a Colts fan.
I heard that Goodell was at the game last night,
I’m betting the new Ref position rule will be changed.
"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino
"As I grow older, the list of people who can kiss my ass grows longer"-Ancient Hoosier Proverb.
Either change it -
Or allow Manning to snap is while the ref is leisurely sauntering back to their position behind the RB’s… Maybe the ref could help with some run blocking?
by buymymonkey on Aug 27, 2010 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
I wasn't aware of the new situation
And this was the first preseason game I’ve seen. It’s basically that you can’t snap the ball until the officials are in position, and due to the new placement of the umpire, it takes him a long time to get to his position, right?
And this is done because the old umpires position – behind the defensive line – was exposing them to injury risk, yes?
OK
Now that I have all the facts, I can offer my conclusive opinion.
The NFL are (run by) idiots.
That is all.
by eltharion_doa on Aug 27, 2010 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions
Rec'd.
Don’t fix what ain’t broke.Bad grammar I know, but I’m pissed off!
"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino
"As I grow older, the list of people who can kiss my ass grows longer"-Ancient Hoosier Proverb.
Re: Lilja and Brown
I think we need to move on. As Donald Rumsfeld said, “You go to war with the army you have.” Polian may have made decisions that in hindsight prevented the Colts from having the best army, but I’m sure he didn’t do so intentionally.
How can you not love a team that does this?
Great. Kuharsky got an email from the league about the umpire's postioning
I linked it in my fanpost: http://www.stampedeblue.com/2010/8/27/1653935/oh-great-umpire-move-definite#comments
Kuharsky’s blog post: http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/14389/nfl-umpire-move-definite
The league will implement this for the regular season. Those bastards.
------
"How can a pickup truck contain enough mass to unfold into a towering machine? I say if Ringling Brothers can get 15 clowns into a Volkswagen, anything is possible."
All i know is that if you switched the TV off right before the James muff for a TD
you would have probably left thinking that the Colts are the superior team. Now, I realize that it is a 60 minute game, but the Colts level on all three phases seemed to not only dip but also vanish after the muff. Before the muff, they had three scoring drives, Manning was getting big gains, Ugoh was having a solid game, Addai was running hard, and the defense was limiting Rodgers to all small gains (save for a couple to Finley right before the second TD). Everything was clicking. That’s the real Colts, imo.
Also, great news to hear that Brackett is not seriously injured, and the x-rays came back negative. Now I just hope that Joe Addai or Jacob Lacey doesn’t have a Justin Morneau-type concussion.
EVH+DLR=BFFs........ God I Hope So!!
Thanks for pointing some of the good. Makes me feel better!
"You can't defend the perfect throw, what can I say?" Peyton quoting Marino
"As I grow older, the list of people who can kiss my ass grows longer"-Ancient Hoosier Proverb.
good point
it turned into a shitshow, and they weren’t perfect even early, but you’re right. NFL real games are 60 minutes, but it’s much less troublesome when things go downhill after 20 minutes in the preseason. Especially when playcalling and gameplanning may be way more experimental and set in stone than in a real game.
Cookie Cookie Cookie starts with C!
dont forget one of the TD drive by Packers was aided by BS penalties that brought the Packers
to the red zone!! and that was Hayden… /i haz a sad… still remembered how he scored the INT pick 6 in the SB….
If you see my smilieys, think of E.M.H. - our COLTs King of Smileys!
by Manning4ever on Aug 28, 2010 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions
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