The Quote Machine: Preseason, 49ers 37-Colts 17

Colts quarterback Curtis Painter (8/15/2010)

On how critical this preseason is for him:

I think just for experience it’s going to be good for me. Hopefully, I’ll get the reps and just continue to try and get better. Hopefully, we can do that going forward.

On how he needs to sustain long drives on offense to build his confidence:

I think that certainly helps, when you get into a rhythm and you get things going. It always good to get drives going and it gets everybody fired up. That’s certainly what you try to do and get some things going early that will help you do that.

On not feeling bad about the game because it is the preseason and now is the time for these mistakes to happen:

I wouldn’t say that I don’t feel bad about. It’s never fun, number one, losing and it’s never fun making the mistakes. But you just have to look at it as an opportunity to correct those and get better and hopefully not make the same mistakes again.

Colts head coach Jim Caldwell (8/15/2010)

On his overall impressions:

I think at the offset that obviously we played pretty well to start offensively. Moved the ball pretty well and got a field goal the first time around. And it took a pretty good distance to put it in the second time around on the second drive. Defensively, I thought we were opportunistic. Then obviously things started going the other way. We weren’t playing nearly as well as we should have. The biggest thing was the turnovers. We had four turnovers. Obviously that’s how you get a lop-sided score. I think they got 17 points off our turnovers and we only had 10 or so off their turnovers. But we have a lot of work to do, so we will keep working.

On Curtis Painter:

It was tough. I think obviously he didn’t play as well as he’d like to. Overall he needs a little help too. I think there were a couple of situations where often times you look at a quarterback and see their production and the things that are hidden, like dropped passes, opportunities to extend drives… It’s a tough league. It’s not easy. So you need everyone operating at their best.

On how some younger guys played:

It’s difficult to see. I think you can name a few names and see some guys do some pretty good things, Brandon James found a little crack here and there. Brody Eldridge, I think did a pretty good job. There are a number of guys I could name off the top of my head. Until I look at the film and do a real solid assessment, I certainly hate to say. Because often times the things that you didn’t notice are crucial and I’ll be able to track them better.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning (8/15/2010)

On the offensive line missing starters:

I think anytime you have new guys in there playing I think you want to put them in the most comfortable positions they can be to succeed. I don’t think you want to go out there and test them saying I’m going to hold the ball forever on this play gust to see if you can do your job or not. You want to help them. You want to get rid of the ball a little quicker, give them some quick passes. Give them some screens. Give them the full sort of arsenal of plays to put that defensive player in a bind, if you will. That is what Clyde (Christensen) tried to do. Clyde knew we had a couple new guys in there. You have Jamey (Richard) in there playing center for the first time in awhile. You have Jaimie Thomas playing his first NFL game at left guard. Obviously (Ryan) Diem is kind of the leader of that group and Diem is going to keep them together. I think you certainly do alter some things to give them the best chance to succeed.

On playing for the first time without Tom Moore calling the plays:

It is certainly different. The first time somebody different calling the plays in. Clyde is calling the plays in. Tom is still there on the sidelines. Tom is at practice everyday. He knows what we are doing. He knows what plays we are calling. He and I still talk during the course of practice. We talked after the touchdown. He told me that was a good decision to run the ball left, making that cornerback make the play on Addai’s touchdown run. I thought Clyde did a good job. He was very decisive in his play calls to me. That is something we will continue to grow with.

On the (lack of) running game:

I think the games are still your best evaluation because you truly are going full speed. In practice we are not going 100%. We don’t tackle full speed. We don’t cut block. I think the game tape is the best way to evaluate what kind of strides you’ve made. You certainly would like to have your starting five offensive lineman in there, but that is the way it is. We don’t sit and complain about it and whine about it. We just go to work. Whoever is in there throughout the years here it is their job to go in there and do the job.