This was the regular Colts preseason game. In the stat sheet and scoreline, it looked very one-sided and like a game that would be hard to take positives from, but I noticed at the game a lot of positives, but of course a few negatives.
~Curtis Painter played horrible. It was a shame to see him come out and throw 17 passes, almost all of which were bad.
~The stretch play looked great with both Addai and Brown running it, and the running game was good overall.
~Brett McDermott made some nice grabs, and I think Austin Collie should move into the 3rd receiver position after a good game and an embarrassing Garcon drop.
~The "bend but don't break" defense was still in effect even with Coyer, and it worked pretty well after the first drive.
~The fact that no one turned the ball over was good for the offense but not good for the defense.
~It was very funny when the big screen showed the Rosenchoppa highlight. The Vikings QB situation sucks. All 3 of their QBs are pathetic.
~Philip Wheeler and a safety were the two positions that blitzed the most.
~Charlie Johnson did not play, so Ugoh played left tackle at the beginning and some right tackle and guard throughout the rest of the game.
~I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that the video board misspelled "Peyton". Embarrassing for whomever was running it.
~Daniel Muir played defensive end. That was pretty weird.
~The Colts have the most dreadlocked players in the league. Marcus Howard, Philip Wheeler, and Rudolph Hardie are sporting some long dreads while players like Addai have the short dreads. I'm looking forward to seeing Peyton Manning, Austin Collie and Justin Snow get their dreads.
~Pat McAfee punted full time for the first time in his career (he punted and kicked in college), and he averaged 50 yards net while punting on seven kicks. That's both outstanding kicking and outstanding coverage. --BBS
After the jump will be my top 5 Colts and an updated roster prediction.
5. Tony Ugoh, OT/OG: I know that we made a big deal about his demotion, and I think he took it personal because he played great. The first drive was pretty bad for everyone on the line, but the rest of the game Ugoh was near perfect. As a guard he opened up huge holes and created the running game. The pass protection from him was beautiful compared to Corey Hilliard's. This only reaffirms me that Ugoh will be a starter by Week One.
4. Adrian Grady, DT: It seemed like for a stretch in the third quarter, Grady was getting every tackle. He smashed running backs who dared to run up the middle. The defensive tackles were really unimpressive in this game, but Grady was the exception. He was a sure tackler which is what the defense needs right now, and he dominated the right guard for the Vikings.
3. Marcus Howard, DE: If you didn't watch the game and just looked at the stats sheet, Howard would seem like a weird pick for the third best Colt, but he was the best pass rusher in the game on both sides. Howard got consistent pressure on Jackson and tortured him. If the Colts were playing the Jaguars with slow David Garrard instead of the mobile Tarvaris Jackson, Howard would have had three sacks at least. I expect Howard to get a lot of playing time this season.
2. Matt Giordano, S: I now have no doubt that the Colts have the best defensive backs in the league. Even without the corners they are the best. A Melvin Bullitt and Matt Giordano starting safety duo would be top 10 in the league. Matt Giordano is the most sure tackler I've seen play for the Colts. While players like Philip Wheeler and Ed Johnson missed some tackles, Giordano shut down anyone who got near him. There are too many good safeties on the team. Silva played well too. I'm hoping all five make the roster.
1. Donald Brown, RB: Wow. That's all I can say. Brown was unbelievable. His long run was a thing of beauty, and he was consistent in his small amount of playing time. If he can be that explosive in the regular season, I have no doubt that he will be a ROY candidate and carry the rushing game to top 16 in the league. Compared to Addai, Brown took off like a rocket when he got the ball. Polian and Co. made a great pick taking Brown. This guy is going to be very special.
So here is my roster prediction. Can they give the Colts a 63 player roster because there are too many good players to cut.
QB
Peyton Manning
Jim Sorgi
RB
Joseph Addai
Donald Brown
Mike Hart
H-B
Gijon Robinson
Tom Santi
WR
Reggie Wayne
Anthony Gonzalez
Austin Collie
Pierre Garcon
TE
Dallas Clark
Jacob Tamme
LT
Tony Ugoh
LG
Ryan Lilja
Jamey Richard
C
Jeff Saturday
Steve Justice
RG
Mike Pollak
Dan Federkeil
RT
Ryan Diem
Charlie Johnson
LE
Robert Mathis
Marcus Howard
Keyunta Dawson
UT
Ed Johnson
Fili Moala
Eric Foster
Adrian Grady
NT
Antonio Johnson
Daniel Muir
Terrance Taylor
RE
Dwight Freeney
Raheem Brock
SAM
Philip Wheeler
Tyjuan Hagler
MIKE
Gary Brackett
Adam Seward
WILL
Clint Session
Freddy Keiaho
CB
Kelvin Hayden
Marlin Jackson
Dante Hughes
Tim Jennings
Jerraud Powers
FS
Antoine Bethea
Matt Giordano
Jamie Silva
SS
Bob Sanders
Melvin Bullitt
K
Adam Vinatieri
P
Pat McAfee
LS
Justin Snow
Practice Squad
QB Curtis Painter
RB Lance Ball
WR John Matthews
WR Taj Smith
OL Jaimie Thomas
DL Rudolph Hardie
LB Ramon Humber
DB Jacob Lacey