When will Jeff Saturday return? Photo: Reuters

It's hard to get jazzed about an upcoming season when players are dropping like flies left and right. And it seems every year we get yet another article bemoaning the state of preseason. I personally take a different approach to preseason. I do think 4 games are fine. It's that 5th game (the Hall of Fame game) that's just not needed. But 4 are needed because, despite what fans think or know, coaches need those games to evaluate talent. And if a marquee player gets hurt in preseason, then oh well. He could have just as easily been hurt on the first play of the first regular season game. He could get hurt in a mid-season game at San Diego, damaging your chances to repeat as World Champions. He can get hurt anytime, anywhere, for any dumb ass reason imaginable.

Injuries happen. They suck, but they are part of the package deal. Next man up, and move on.

One of the reasons I don't like to focus too much on injuries is because if one does, they will go crazy. We could sit here right now and tear our hair out over losing T.J. Rushing for the season and possibly losing Jeff Saturday for an extended period of time. Or, we could just ease our minds with the fact that the Colts are a very deep, very talented team that is well coached. They are fine. And here's why:

• Indy has 3 or 4 players who can step in and play center if Saturday is gone for an extended period of time. Right now, Steve Justice is the back-up center, but rookies Mike Pollak and Jamey Richard also played center at college. In addition, Ryan Lilja has practiced some at center. Though Pollak likely won't play center for Indy this year, I did find some interesting info on him from an Arizona State fan. SB Nation started a new blog a month ago (and like a jackass, I forgot to welcome him when he started). House of Sparky is our new Arizona State Sun Devils blog, run by ASUBoyd. I asked ASYBoyd about Mike Pollak, who played his college ball at AZ State. This was AZBoyd's answer:

  It is interesting he has been moved to guard, because at 6’4, ~300 he seems like he would be a tad undersized against some of the AFC’s DTs (Jacksonville comes to mind…) You guys seem to run a zone blocking scheme if I remember though, and that would be something he could excel in. He is a very smart player and even graduated early. He also has impressive strength and a great first pop, and was always sound with his technique. He never gives up on blocks, but has difficulty sustaining them against quicker players. He played Center here, obviously, so he was never very adept at pulling or roaming to pick up a linebacker.

  Pollak was definitely the lone bright spot on a historically bad 2007 ASU offensive line. We gave up 55 sacks, and the only player who remained static along the line was Pollak.

  Overall, he is a very solid player and will definitely be missed on an extremely young ASU line this fall. Good pickup for the Colts!

  That's just a little reminder that the Colts has some very solid depth on the o-line, and that if some guys happen to go down, this area is as deep and talented as it has ever been.
• Dallas Clark is Dallas Clark, and Jacob Tamme has wowed some fans with some impressive preseason games catching the football. But it looks like second year man Gijon Robinson is now the #2 TE. Without question, he is the H-Back or FB the Colts use on their offense, but there is a very specific reason why Gijon is starting. From the ever-knowledgeable Rick Gosselin at the Dallas Morning News:

  The Indianapolis Colts love what TE Dallas Clark brings to the table in the passing game. They've been pleasantly surprised this summer by what former practice squad player Gijon Robinson has brought to the table in the running game. "He's is the best blocking tight end we've had the whole time I've been here," Colts coach Tony Dungy said.

  Straight from Dungy; Gijon can block like no other. We've also seen him make some nice grabs over the middle. TE depth this year is as deep as it has ever been. More the merrier.
• T.J. Rushing looked like he was poised for a breakout year, but a knee injury against the Bills last Sunday ended his 2008 season. However, the Colts have had a nice stable of KRs and PRs in camp and at practice. Guys like Courtney Roby (who some Colts folks at camp told me they were high on) and Pierre Garcon have both looked good in preseason returning kicks and punts. Though Garcon has shown an annoying tendency to muff punts, Dungy has said that it because Garcon gets too excited when he's returning kicks. He needs to just calm down, and he'll be fine. Dungy seems to rave about Garcon whenever he talks about the return game. This is good, because it was a reason Garcon was drafted in the first place.

So, as you can see, there is still a lot of depth on this team. Injuries happen and we deal, but the key is having someone who can step up and do the job. Don't let the bitterness of last season cloud your enthusiasm. Last year, Bill Polian did not do a good job shoring up depth at pass rusher for the Colts, and it cost them. I'm sorry, but any team that cannot rush the passer might as well not even dress for the game. It's that important.

This year, with Dwight Freeney healthy and rookies like Marcus Howard and Curtis Johnson in the mix, the Colts will be able to rush the passer. They also should be fine filling spots at other areas due to injury. I don't think this is like last year. Bill Polian rarely makes the same mistake twice.

Have a little faith, friends.

No other running back conjures up more horrible memories for the Colts than Michael Turner. Good God! Does this guy own the Colts defense or what? I mean, I damn near threw a goodbye party when Travis Henry smoked his way out of the NFL, because for years he tormented the Colts defense as well. But for some reason, I don't think Turner is as stupid as Travis "What's a condom?" Henry. Atlanta's new running back gained 113 yards on 4 carries. Two of those carries were runs of 52 and 63 yards. To Indy's credit, players like Marlin Jackson were able to run Turner down from behind and keep him, and Atlanta, out of the endzone. Consider also that Atlanta had 318 total yards of offense, with 1/3 of that on Turner's 4 carries.

Michael Turner: You haunt me.
Photo: AP: John Bazemor

I'm not ready to press any kind of panic button with the defense. This is pre-season. Guys are just coming back healthy. Anyone saying "OMG it's just like 2006" is just someone who enjoys worrying. This same group last year was very good against the run. Watching clips of the Turner runs tells me it is a communication thing (guys out of position, taking bad angles, attacking wrong gap, etc.). It is also impossible to judge this defense when it's two best players (Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney) have not played at all. So relax. Chill. It's only pre-season.

Here are more observations:

• Jim Sorgi was, once again, terrible. All this Sorgi post game love is just smoke and mirrors. I love how people are praising him for conducting a long drive, and that his quarterbacking left everyone with "a nice feeling." Cut the crap! Despite having arguably the most potent offensive weapons at his disposal in the entire NFL, Jim Sorgi failed to score a TD against a team that last year ranked 29th in scoring defense, giving up an average of 26 ppg. I'm sorry, but if Sorgi can't get this Colts team into the endzone under those conditions, HE CAN'T DO IT PERIOD! I'm not saying Quinn Gray or Jared Lorenzen have distinguished themselves much (because they haven't), but consider that those two guys have played a helluva lot better with the second and third string guys than Jim Sorgi ever did when he QBed the back-ups. Since Peyton is unlikely to return for next week's dress rehearsal game in The Lube, why not see what Quinn Gray can do throwing to Marvin Harrison? I'm tired of seeing Sorgi. He sucks, and if he makes this roster it is because he's got naked pictures of Chris Polian with a donkey, or something.
• OMFG! Kenton Keith caught a pass last night! I did not see the play, but the box score clearly shows he caught a pass.

  

  I'm also told that he got a first down with that catch. Bravo Kenton! Ah, but one problem: K2 was playing with the fourth stringers. That does not bode well for last year's primary back-up to Joseph Addai. PhilB noticed it as well:

  Based on the substitution patterns, Mike Hart looks like he's got a spot on this team as a running back. Same with Garcon as a receiver/returner. That doesn't bode well for running back Kenton Keith and wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, among others. Clifton Dawson even played before Keith.

  Bye-bye Kenton. We all have pretty much known for months that you are getting cut. You run like a demon, dude. But RBs in this league must catch the football. If they can't, they're garbage. Utter garbage.
• I'm going to do a lot of special teams praising in this recap. So please, bear with me. Writers like Colts Homer, the Zombie bros, and bamock have done great jobs recapping the offense and defense. So, I feel as though I'm just treading over what's already been said if I state that Mike Hart looked good again (which he did) or Marcus Howard was a 5th round steal (which he was).
• Pierre Garcon did some good things returning punts and kicks. His 27 yard kick return (his only one of the night) showed me something. Between Garcon and T.J. Rushing, who has been very impressive in camp and pre-season, the Colts might have a couple of  good returners for 2008. Those are potent weapons for a team that sports a scary offense. 
  
• Nice to see the defense generating turnovers. 5 turnovers, including 2 INTs for Brannon Condren and 1 INT for Kelvin Hayden, who returned it for the game's only TD. The play looked very similar to his Super Bowl 41 prance into the endzone. The defense also did not allow a TD, and was getting good pressure all night.
• Despite jumping offsides a lot, Curtis Johnson did some good things last night. Colts Homer was especially impressed. Johnson needs to make a name for himself rushing the passer though. Stopping the run is great, but guys like Josh Thomas are very good at stopping the run. Indy needs pass rushers.
• As bad as Indy's starting offense looked last night, at least it wasn't as bad as Jacksonville's or Tennessee's. Jacksonville's offense was shut out well into the third quarter in its pre-season game against Miami Saturday, with the passing game looking particularly dreadful. And Tennessee? Well, let's just say the natives are getting restless with Vince Young (aka they are booing him at home). Vince went 4-13 for 37 yards against the Raiders, and it could have been worse; the Raiders dropped a couple of gimme INTs. As bad as Sorgi has played, at least he hasn't been Vince Young bad. On the flip-side, Houston's offense looked impressive.
  
• More Adam Vinatieri love: The guy is destroying his kickoffs. His next one might make a sonic boom, or hit the Met Life blimp, or something. Adam had 4 of his 5 kickoffs go into the endzone, and one was a touchback. He also had a FG.
  
• For the third straight game, the Colts special teams coverage units looked damn good. I talked to MasterRWayne after the game, and he said it best. This kind of stuff is something you can walk away with in pre-season. If your special teams are good in pre-season, chances are they will be good in the regular season, because the same guys playing now will play when the games matter.
  
• Jacob Tamme = stud. I think he just passed Gijon Robinson on the depth chart.
• That was 5 WR look I saw in the game, with an empty backfield. Nice play design, Tom Moore!
• Good to see Indy using the reverse with Dallas Clark. I'd like to see them run it with Marvin or Gonzo. Heck, maybe even Matt Giordano could com in and run it.

All in all, the areas that were weaknesses last year (special teams, pass rush, depth at WR) have continued to look strong in pre-season. Next week we'll get a much better gauge when the Defensive Player of the Year and The Fright return from the PUP.

It's really not from a lack of hard work. Really, it isn't. Every training camp, the Colts dedicate about three entire afternoon practices a week just to special teams play. This means punt and kick coverage, field goals, on-side kicks, situational work (muffed punts, kicks), hook-and-laterals, you name it. They drill and drill and drill until it starts looking like the units actually know what they're doing.

Then the regular season hits, and it's one mistake after another.

We've long been proponents of the FIRE RUSS PURNELL NOW! club for the simple reason that despite a lot of talent on the roster the last view years, Indy's special teams coverage units have just plain sucked. Last year, the suckage spiled over into the kicking game, with money-man Adam Vinatieri getting kicks blocked and missing gimme FGs. The regular season game at San Diego was the culmination of a total special teams screw job.

1 punt returned for a TD against the Colts.

1 kickoff returned for a TD against the Colts.

1 missed gimme FG in the closing seconds that would have won the game despite giving up two returns for TDs.

It really is enough to make one vomit, especially when you know that without these special teams screw-ups, San Diego gets blown out at home and (possibly) doesn't make the playoffs. Part of the reason the Colts suffered so much last year on special teams was injuries, but I have always thought that a cheap excuse. This is not rocket science, folks.

Tackle. The. Friggin. Guy.

Ugh!

Photo via brian-oliver.com

Fortunately, this season, the Colts might finally have some veterans on special teams that can teach the young guys how to tackle. We all know and love Darrell Reid. He kind of sucks as a DT, but as a special teams gunner he is best described as Hurricane Darrell. I could post the video one more time of Darrell launching Chris Henry into orbit, but you've likely seen too much of it.

Oh, who am I kidding! Here it is you raskles:

Oh, how I love that play. This year, Reid is taking a more pro-active role as a leader on special teams. Maybe, just maybe, Darrell Reid might be the special teams ace the Colts have so desperately needed. In addition to Darrell, guys like Marcus Howard, Curtis Johnson, Dante Hughes, and Roy Hall will provide more speed and down-the-field ability than last year's group. Curtis Johnson's willingness to play special teams is a good sign that he will make the active roster as a situational pass rusher and a special teamer:

Johnson was on every special team unit in college at I-AA Clark, but concedes covering NFL kicks is more challenging.

"It's different having assignments instead of just running down and getting the ballcarrier," Johnson said.

...

Special teams coach Russ Purnell is encouraged by newcomers such as Johnson, an undrafted defensive end who cared enough about assignments that he asked for extra coaching after a recent practice.

"They're working hard and I hope they're learning; they seem to be," Purnell said. "Every day, they seem to get better at it."

Well, maybe this is a little harder than it seems, and it is encouraging to see players like Johnson working hard to get better at it. Based on what I saw in the Hall of Fame game, I am cautiously optimistic about the coverage units this year. They looked good in that game. If they impress against Carolina, I might start to soften on my FIRE RUSS PUNELL NOW! stance a little bit.

Since this Tuesday, the Colts have used several players in the role of kick and punt returner. T.J. Rushing is still the primary returner, but Tony Dungy is still searching for someone on the team that can make a difference as a returner.

The sixth-round draft pick Garcon had a strong showing lining up at wide receiver Sunday, and his return success could give the team an added boost as well. Rookie Defensive back Keiwan Ratliff, running back Clifton Dawson and wide receiver Devin Aromashodu also worked with the kickoff return teams Tuesday.

Coach Tony Dungy was pleased with the group of return men during Sunday’s game.

"I thought T.J. Rushing and Pierre each had an outstanding return," said Dungy. "That was good to see, our special teams get going the way they did."

In an interview on Colts.com, Dungy said Aromashodu will return more punts and kicks Saturday against Carolina. They also want to see Chad Simpson and Samuel Giguere return some kicks. All week, the Colts have worked these guys into the return game. I learned from last week not to judge too harshly when it comes to evaluating special teams in practice. Pierre Garcon was horrible in practice last week returning, but in the HoF game he looked very good.

One thing I'll give T.J. Rushing credit for: He isn't going to give up his job easily. Rushing has worked hard to improve his return game, even adopting some Manning-like qualities:

Rushing has done his homework to further improve his skills in the return game. While most fans picture Peyton Manning dissecting hours of film during the offseason, Rushing has done the same to improve.

"Look at a bunch of tape from last year, see where I made maybe one wrong cut, maybe should’ve went left and went right," Rushing said. "Try to make the game slow down. There’s just little intricate things you can do to make the game easier for everyone."

If T.J. manages to fight off Garcon and others to retain his job, that means T.J. has become an even more dangerous return threat. And if the Colts managed to gain such a threat, woe to the opponent. I will be focusing on this aspect of the game more closely as pre-season unfolds.

For the last few months, we all have made lists of questions we hoped would get answered by the time Kickoff Weekend rolls around. We looked for answers to these questions in the draft, mini-camps, free agency, and now training camp. After attending camp and getting "insider" info from people in the know within the team and fans still attending camp, I've got a pretty good idea of how this roster is shaping up. Mind you, I'm providing these insights with big, blue-tinted glasses. I could be dead wrong about everything, but in years past I've been pretty much on the money when it comes to evaluating talent. Just ask Bears fans. Also keep in mind that much of my opinion is formulated from information I trust, and I very much trust my own two eyes.

So, all that crap said, here's a few answers to some of your burning questions (this is a monster post, which I needed to place on the flip):

Continue reading this post »

You'll find that much of this recap borrows from bamock's excellent recap diary. Despite losing the game because the 3rd and 4th string defense made Colt Brennan look like Joe Montana, I actually turned off the tube feeling very, very good about the roster so far. Many things MasterRWayne and I saw at camp were implemented in this game, such as the onside kick to start. Like all pre-season games, you must take things with a grain of salt because, in the end, the games don't mean anything. What you can learn is how much do certain players want to succeed, and how deep is the talent pool. For the Colts, it seems this is a much deeper team than last year's squad, and there are some solid rookies who might unseat some established vets on this team. Here's what we saw:

• Let's get this out of the way: Jared Lorenzen sucked at camp and he sucked in the game. His "shot put" throwing motion causes the ball to come out late. He also seemed to deliberately trying to showcase himself rather than manage the game. Tom Moore was all over him after several throws. However, on the flipside...
  
• Quinn Gray looked impressive; more so than Jim Sorgi who went 7-10 on the opening drive. The difference between Sorgi and Gray is Gray can get the ball down the field and buy time with his feet. Sorgi's arm strength just isn't there, and while he was more accurate than I saw him in camp, he's not trying to drive the ball downfield. Most of his throws were dump offs or sideline throws. He did have one impressive 15-yarder to TE Gijon Robinson, who impressed.
• Most of you saw what I saw regarding the o-line. Remember year's past when back-up QBs would get hammered because the reserve o-linemen sucked hard. Last night, reserve linemen like Mike Pollak, Jamey Richard, Steve Justice, Michael Toudouze, and Dan Federkeil proved the Colts have a lot of excellent depth along the o-line. Polian wanted to boost up this area in the draft, and boy did he ever! Colts QBs had all day to throw, and the RBs can multiple holes to pick their way through.
• Mike Hart impressed me the most of any player. The kid ran like a man on fire. He lived up to his billing fighting for extra yardage AFTER someone ripped his helmet off. He displayed skill picking up the blitz, but what impressed the most was his burst. Hart took the hand-off, found his lane, and shot through like a bullet. He doesn't have breakaway speed, but he has a good burst through the line. He reminded me of Edgerrin James, especially since he is wearing #32. Hart is living up to his Michigan billing, and I can see why Dungy loves him.

It's still cool to watch Dom Rhodes run, even in pre-season

Photo: AP Photo, Mark Duncan

• Depth at WR is sick! Samuel Giguere didn't even play, yet I found myself worrying over who they will keep. Roy Hall, Devin Aromashodu, Onrea Jones, and Pierre Garcon all impressed. Garcon and Hall in particular made some excellent grabs.
  
• Though Washington QBs threw all over them, the defense in general played solid. Guys like starting MLB Victor Worsley won't make the practice squad. So, don't freak out by the gawdy Redskins QB numbers.
  
• Marcus Howard is a keeper. Dude is scary quick off the line with Freeney-like spin moves and a nose for the QB. He has 1.5 sacks in limited play. Same holds true for Curtis Johnson. Both are fast, fast, FAST speed rushers, and they are making me feel better about Indy's pass rushing depth.
• Special teams coverages looked solid all night. Other than the botched onside kick, I was pleased. Garcon's return looked good, especially since he looked so bad in camp this week.
• It was so cool to see Dom Rhodes out there. He spin move for extra yardage is still fun to watch.
• Jacob Tamme did some nice things, especially considering The Pillsbury Throwboy was launching the ball at him. Gijon Robinson has good hands, but is struggling to block. Dallas Clark is Dallas Clark: Arguably the best TE in football, along with Jason Witten.

I got the sense, reading comments from the open thread, that many of you had similar feelings about the game. This game, and much of what I've seen at camp, has helped me formulate answers to many of the questions you have about certain players (Is Roy Hall improved? Is Eric Foster legit? Do the Colts have depth at DE? Can they rush the passer? Etc.). I'm thinking that the answers to these and other questions are rounding out into good answers. This team seems very talented, and very deep. Offensively, it might get scary when Peyton gets back with the weapons they have. They might have given the best QB in football the best (and deepest) WR corps in football. Add to this the o-line depth and the emerging play of the RBs, and this offense looks primed to do some special things. With the injuries to the LBers on defense, it's hard to tell how that unit is rounding out. They key for them is still the health of Bob Sanders and Dwight Freeney. But, all in all, the defense looks deeper and faster than last year.

I'll blog more about this game later today and this week. As always, for fun Redskins banter, check out Hogs Haven for their recap. Colts still have a ton of work to do, but they seem to be on their way to forming a very formidable roster.