I apologize for not posting much recently. I have been busy preparing for a cross-country move, which I still haven't finished yet, but am almost there. I'm moving from Redskin country to Broncos Country.
I didn't get a chance to actually watch the game against the Panthers, but did listen to most of the first half thanks to Sirius Satellite Radio. I've missed the voices of Bob Lamey and Will Wolford, and it was great to hear them again. Here's some of the things I noticed:
- The first two drives were disasters, and it was tough to tell on the radio whether it was Sorgi's fault or the Offensive Line's fault. Again, I haven't seen any of these plays, and the radio guys said they thought it was the fact the Panthers D-Line was stunting and blitzing (which BBS brought up as well), and the O-Line just wasn't ready for it. Sorgi did lead a nice drive, finding Harrison 3 times, and running a screen against all the blitzing to Clark. He couldn't find the end zone, however.
- The radio guys mentioned that the Panthers starting offensive line consisted of a center, and 4 tackles. I think that explains why they were so successful running the football against a Colts D-Line, which, as BBS said, didn't really prepare for this game. I wouldn't worry too much about this fact. Our D-Line is much improved, and Carolina may lead the league in rushing this season.
- Another thought on the Panther's rushing attack: They have 3 backs that could get 8+ carries a game, as I see them running the ball 35 times a game. One, they obviously bolstered their O-Line, and second, Jake Delhomme is coming off Tommy John surgery, which is a reconstruction of his throwing elbow. I think they want to ease him back to the mix, so they will be running a lot. Throw in Steve Smith being suspended for the first 2 games, and running the ball a lot makes sense.
- Jared Lorenzen ran for 25 yards on a scramble?!? I need to see this video to believe it. He did lead 2 TD drives, one of which in a semi-hurry up offense. It's good Dungy and the coaching staff are giving each of the QBs time in the first half to see how they do.
- Jacob Tamme looks to be a great Red Zone target, especially against teams with smaller LBs. Just another weapon teams will have to contend with.
- The defense, I think, played pretty well. Obviously the Panthers put up lots of rushing yards, but needed nearly 50 carries to do so. 14 points by the Panthers were from off turnovers deep in Colts territory, so you really can't blame the defense for that. They then held the Panthers scoreless for 2 and a half quarters. The Colts have some depth, and it showed.
What I'd like to see against the Falcons:
- Let Quinn Gray start with the first team. He's looked good with the second and third teams, even with the turnovers. Let him throw to the big weapons, and see what happens.
- Pressure "Captain Intangibles" and force at least 1 turnover from Ryan.
- Stop the run game. Both the Redskins and Panthers seemed to run all over the Colts defense. I think this will be a trend this season (opposing teams running alot), and the Colts should start preparing now.