2011 NFL Preseason Final: The Colts Are So Bad In Preseason, They Choke Away Easy Wins

How ’bout now?

Vaughn, more than anyone else was responsible for the loss, but it’s preseason so I won’t get too wrapped up in it. I thought Hughes was getting decent pressure early on, when he wasn’t being held like crazy. He did get his ass beat on a failed spin move though.

D line looked really good. The starting O line pocket looked pretty good too. Link had a terrible night though

Jim Caldwell is an idiot, and if the Colts even loose 1 surprise onside kick this season I am going to be PISSED

Caldwell can coach. If he couldn’t, all the praise you gave the team would not have been possible. That’s all a coach does, manage the game?

No.

Stupid. Lets all try and win a meaningless game with 35 secs left. SMH

you read my mind.

5 things

1. that is exactly what i commented on last night…last year they were easily overmatched, and that 59 points scored against them was an omen ….but not this year…and thats with mostly all their starters playing MINUS, ONE…PEYTON MANNING and many of his weapons ALONG with mathis being out almost the entire game

2. yet another thing i noticed…this was the packers starters and they got stuffed on almost every play. that is just huge. that WAS the downfall of the defense. this bodes well for playing teams like tennessee and the gags! neither of these two teams have any passing game. if indy can somehow get that opening game with or without manning…its look very bright for the colts down the road in their division race.

3. also….delone carter and addai are going to be a great combo. no more of this…3rd and 1 and getting stuffed idiocy over and over again. .thats going to be looked upon as a great draft pick. and if the colts can add a run game to this explosive offense.

4. and i also agree…those pickups were HUGE…tommie harris, ernie sims, anderson and freeney looks like hes on a mission. he could have had 4 sackss. he was just bull rushing the packs best O line guy.

5. the return game…could we? do we? have a returner?

i hated the choke but i thought that was very cheap of mccarthy going for two. chip vaughn needs to be gone but….. its almost karma… i was actually thinking…OMG we are going to win a preseason game. our best seasons are when we are 0-4 so the choke at the end didnt really bother me.

maybe it actually was meant to be…HELLO caldwell…everybody is going to do an onside kick against us. maybe even the opening kick…this is a big wakeup caldwell

besides the choke im not sure i have been more pleasantly surprised at the play (other than the secondary and their giant gaps between recievers) and was expecting another romp like last year.

this team is going to be tough when peyton is back at full strength. (i really think the media is underestimating this team) the media touting the gags d as top ten. i think our d line is better than theres EASILY (they have a player is nearly done in kampman, a side of beef who cant get up when he hit and any day could eat his way off the practice field, and the most hyped player who actually is never noticed during the game but yet is always getting acolades of how great he is going to be in awhoey awhoey. 0 sacks in the preseason and the colts get 4 or 5 in one game. against the superbowl champions.

if we could ever cover a reciever this team could….

the tackling was much improved

those announcers made me sick with their kissing up to rodgers and the rest of the team and acting like the colts were buffalo. simms is a jacka$$

I rarely visit this site anymore due to the constant negativity and avoidance of posting anything positive, but this is a solid write up I happen to agree with.

The bad:
-Caldwell is simply put, a terrible NFL coach, something we all have known since the SB. I was actually hoping to fire him and hire one of Jim Harbaugh or Lovie Smith, but know Polian is too stubborn too quit on his mistakes. Expect more awful, cowardly coaching decisions this year.

-I don’t get the Curtis Painter praise. He hit a WIDE open Reggie Wayne on the easiest pass of his career. The big play to Garçon was a great catch on a badly underthrown ball. It would have been a TD had the throw been on target. Other than that, he made his typical terrible off target throws. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy the guy had a reason to smile, but let’s not make this something it’s not.

-Jerry Hughes made a few okay plays, but is weak rushing the pass and does not look anything like a 1st rd pick should. He doesn’t even look like a 4th rd pick. If he wants to shed the growing “bust” label that is becoming synonymous with him, he has to show more, and soon.

-I’ll add Donald Brown to the list of guys whose roster spot should be questioned. Yes, he made some nice blitz pickups, and his line is partly to blame, but the guy is clearly being bested by Delone Carter, and it’s not really close. Javarris James is playing about as well as Donald, too. DB is on thin ice.

-Secondary still looks blah for the most part and the Tim Jennings cushion is still alive and well in Indy. Their tackling ability was also laughably horrendous last night.

-Another freaking hamstring injury to an impact player. Get better soon, Mathis.

-Chip Vaughn. Just…wow. You’re an undrafted rookie, son. You are getting the opportunity of a lifetime, and for you to take it for granted like that is one of the most appalling things I can think of. Do you know how many people who would kill to be in your spot? For all the criticism thrown at guys like Painter and Hughes, at least they respect the game. Vaughn does not and I hope he never gets the opportunity to wear an NFL jersey again. Pathetic.

The good
-The DL looked very, very impressive. Tommie Harris shows he can still be a factor, with a strong sack and a nice tipped pass. Drake Nevis is simply put, an absolute monster. Ollie Ogbu also continued to show he can be a steal. Hell, even freaking Moala looked decent. If they play like this, we may surprise many people with a standout run D.

-Ernie Sims is good. Like, really good. He is easily the starter and looks like he will be damn fine in that role.

-Along with Harris and Sims, Anderson also made some good plays. All three should make an impact. Good signings, all three.

-Peter Waiter still makes circus catches and Reggie is still badass.

-Delone Carter, Delone Carter, Delone Carter. He’s good.

-Joe Lefeged and David Gilreath were excellent on returns.

-Castonzo just keeps getting better. Very impressed by him again and have confidence in him this season. He can be all-pro by his second or third year. We may finally have a franchise LT, gents.

-Freeney is still premier pass rusher in league. Don’t believe me? Ask Chad Clifton, a strong pass protector, who D-Free abused last night. And I mean ABUSED.

-Peyton smiling. Nice.

A week ago I wasn’t sure if this team could go .500 this year even with PM. Last night, against the defending champs, they made me think otherwise. While still many ?s remaining, this team can be great. If Peyton is healthy along with the other injured guys (Gonzo, Collie, Bethea), this team can be great. Last night didn’t remove all doubt, but it was encouraging, and that’s a start.