I turned on local news this morning in Indy because I have no Internet connection, and I have to go down to Netheads in Broadripple (great place) to check email and the blog. Anyway, local news was saying last night how the Colts defense looked shaky; that they gave up far too many yards and points.
Question: Did these idiots watch the same game I did, and did they forget it's just a dumb preseason game? Whatever they saw will likely conflict with my game observations:
- The Colts started a rookie, Ed Johnson, at DT last night in place of Anthony McFarland, who is now done for the season (tip to MarkV037). And guess what? Ed Johnson looked terrific! He penetrated the Dallas o-line every series he was in there, and was solid in his tackling. When Brad Johnson fumbled the high snap in the second quarter, it was because Johnson was going to sack him. Impressive night for the rookie, and a reason for hope.
- Freddie Keiaho, Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, and Antoine Bethea all stood out and played excellent football. The starting and most of the second string defense played excellent. Despite no Bob Sanders, no Freeney for most of the game, no Mathis, and a new DT, guys were flying to the ball, making hits, making tackling, and punishing the ballcarrier.
- Colts were hitting Cowboys players so hard they kept losing their helmets. On one drive, Cowboys players lost five helmets.
- Tony Ugoh played very well for his first time out. The Cowboys are now a blitzing machine, and despite blitzing like crazy, Colts QBs had time to throw. He wasn't perfect, but for a rookie going up against Demarcus Ware, I was impressed.
- Jim Sorgi and Josh Betts stink. I mean, they really, really stink. Receivers like Gonzo and Roy Hall were open all night, and Sorgi especially had trouble getting them the ball.
- DeDe Dorsey, despite a solid camp, did not look impressive. He kept slipping on the turf.
- Special teams looked outstanding. Coverage units were making hits, and TJ Rushing is now the starter at returner. I don't want ot see anyone else. He has an extra gear, and he has the vision to hit the lanes and gain big yardage. His DB play was also solid as well. Rushing has come a long way.
So, for a preseason game that was no game planned by the Colts, I was impressed. The final score in contests like this is meaningless. The main question marks for this team (Ugoh, DTs, Special Teams, etc.) looked good. This team still has a long way to go this preseason, but last night was very encouraging.
For a recap on from a Cowboys fan's perspective, head over to BTB. Yes folks, football is back! Go Colts!