Wednesday Evening Practice observations

by VermVerm on Aug 11, 2011 7:18 PM EDT

As mgrex03 said earlier the weather was so great and the crowd was even better. The place couldn't have ever been this full. The Colts fans had an excitement for just a glimpse of the Colts. I was positioned in end zone on the home side NW side of the complex along the fence.

I focused on the DB's and QB's.

Players that stood out to me that will interest you would be

1. Kevin Thomas- Hearing him on the way up to the stadium on 1070 he sounded cocky and confident. I was anxious to see why. In person you realize that he is a different body type than the Corners. He is taller and longer. My group picked out right away the long arms that would be a huge advantage for him. His back pedal was above average and his jumping abilities were right in line with the others. Overall we were impressed with this athleticism and I will be watching him on Saturday night.

2. Chip Vaugh- AS BBS had reported he spent the off season working out in FLA with Chad Johnson and Plax. He appeared healthy coming off his shoulder surgery. He appeared extremely athletic compared to the other DB's. He defended well during the 7 v7 and had a very sneaky sack as mgrex03 reported.

3. Patty Mac

-great tweeter and huge leg- At least 3 kickoffs from the new kickoff spot went through the uprights. The crazy thing to me is that nobody gasped- I guess people didn't do the math on how freakin far that is. He and #4 looked accurate and healthy in all aspects of the game.

4 Nate Davis- Sorry folks he didn't look like a Pro QB. His ball was sloppy, not crisp at all. He seemed really rusty and will not be making the team.

5 Delone Carter- Loved the head down power runner in the backfield. He ran like the (pre injury) Mike Hart that we all loved , but with the size necessary to make it through a season as a RB in the league. He will move piles this year.

6 Anthony Castonzo- Don't freak out peeps but he is a long way off....from being able to handle Dwight Freeney-but so is the rest of the LT's in the league. But he is green as green can be. Which means he will not be ready for Houston. He simply looked outclassed and hesitant in his play. Based on what I saw he needs these preseason games like no other player. But all the tools look like they are there. (Linkenbach looked better than I remembered so that is good)

7 Curtis Painter- Here is where I lose you and all credibility. He looked like a pro QB. Sharp zip on the ball. I only saw one bad ball- an overthrow by 5 yards on a 35 yard toss. Other than that one he completed everything and his delivery is much improved. I'm not a fan of his like most of you and even anticipated a little friendly jeering for him. But he was the best QB on the field(in pads). I think you all might be a bit surprised by him if he looks like he did last night.

8 Receiving Corp. 85 and 87 are game ready and looked like all pros. 44 burned just about every defender(s) he lined up against and he looked like he should. Quick and smart. Collie was elusive and Gonzo was a little rusty but will be ready for the season. I also noticed Taj Smith looking out of it a bit.

I'd be happy to answer any questions.

VermVerm aka @IndyVerm

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.

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Thanks for the write-up

Any Colts news is good news at this point in the season (except injuries ::knocksonwood::)

I think you meant Gonzalez at the end (?), not Rodriguez. Also, it’s TaJ Smith (not Taz).

But thanks for the info! Are you gonna be at any more practices?

by kmbryant09 on Aug 11, 2011 7:27 PM EDT reply actions

Ha, Thanks @KMBRYANT09

No more practices for me. I live in Greenwood and that made for a rather late evening.

@IndyVerm

by VermVerm on Aug 11, 2011 9:00 PM EDT reply actions

Also, It's Nate Davis. Not Nate Brown

But, I would be interest to know if Fili Moala and Donald Brown have done anything to stand out. So far no one has really reported on their progress, that’s either good or really bad.

NeXt Man Up

by Dann Giszewski on Aug 11, 2011 9:33 PM EDT reply actions

Alright, alright! My wife was rushing me!

The guy that I went to High School with was Nate Brown and was also a QB-But not as good as Nate Davis.
I didn’t see Fili at all. Donald Brown didn’t look any different to me than he did last year. Nothing too special but serviceable. D Carter was impressive.

@IndyVerm

by VermVerm on Aug 11, 2011 10:00 PM EDT reply actions

Thanks for the update. Can’t wait for Saturday for the first bit of action.

NeXt Man Up

by Dann Giszewski on Aug 11, 2011 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

this was a quality piece of writing

Many of your observations were quite original, and even if your impressions were dead wrong, I like how you couched your points. You display a great sense of audience.
And there’s a reason folks don’t do the math on those kickoffs. Lets see, the pythagorean theorem just gives me the straight line distance to the crossbar, but this is parabolic flight, so I’m gonna have to break out the quadratic formula … . Um, yeah, the kid’s got a big leg.
Now quit whining and get back to Anderson to give us another update.

Being in politics is like being a football coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game and dumb enough to think it's important. -- Eugene J. McCarthy

by zherebyonki on Aug 12, 2011 12:00 AM EDT reply actions

I think everyone expects McAfee

to kick the crap out of the ball; last Wednesday night he hammered a punt from the 25 that hit in the opposite endzone and rolled to the track – it went easily 80 yards in the air and then rolled another 40 – a kick of 120 yards!!

We were timing his punts – most in the 4.5 – 4.8 range, but then he hit one that was 5.1 seconds – and travelled an easy 60 yards downfield!

The ‘regulars’ who were watching said “Yeah, that’s Pat (yawn).” What a talent!

by Cincicougar on Aug 12, 2011 10:03 AM EDT reply actions

He's a frickin' punter!

He shouldn’t get on the field!

"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West

by ISN on Aug 12, 2011 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Go Painter!

I hope he proves everyone wrong this preseason. The kid played well at Purdue and there’s a reason it’s called the “Cradle of Quarterbacks.” I’m glad they brought in competition and that he’s smoking them.

by GoHorse88 on Aug 12, 2011 10:47 AM EDT reply actions