Colts Notes: Monday, November 25, 2013

Taking a look at what Chuck Pagano said in his press conference today...

INJURY UPDATE:

• Cornerback Vontae Davis left the game with a groin injury but it looks like he will be ok, per Pagano.  The same is true of wide receiver LaVon Brazill, who has a low back contusion but will also be ok. MY TAKE: As bad as the Colts were on Sunday, perhaps the biggest positive is that they escaped pretty much injury free, as Davis and Brazill both are ok, according to Pagano.  The last thing the Colts need right now are more injuries, so it's good that both of these players are fine.
• Cornerback Greg Toler is "trending in the right direction" and is day-to-day.  Pagano is hopeful that he will get some work in on Wednesday with the trainers and then see how he does.  MY TAKE: "Trending" and day-to-day with the Colts don't really mean much.  If you're looking for much information from that, you won't find much.  Basically, we'll have a much better idea where he's at on Wednesday.
• Fullback Stanley Havili and linebacker Kavell Conner are both day-to-day as well.  MY TAKE: Again, see above - day-to-day doesn't really mean much.  But it leaves open the chance they'll play Sunday, so we'll just need to wait and see.

OTHER NOTES:

• Pagano repeatedly talked about what the Colts need to do to fix things.  Said Pagano: "The things that we knew we had to do we just didn't execute well and get them taken care of. We'll go back to work. We got to put it behind us. As we know, we got a huge game coming up at home at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, so we got to put it behind us and we'll go back to work Wednesday in preparation for Tennessee."  Another quote: "I think we just got to get back to playing football and playing better fundamentals and techniques and doing the things that we did early in the season, doing the things that we did to beat the football teams that we beat early in the season, the teams like Denver and Seattle and San Fran and those type of things."  One more: "I think it'd be really easy, you come in after a huge win and everything's hunky dory, your issues are still there but we know winning cures all, and we can sweep whatever we want to sweep under the rug. So whether we win or whether we lose, it doesn't matter. We stay right here, we stay steady and we stay the course and we stick to the process. We're up front about everything. We point out the good. We point out the bad. We point out the mistakes. We just tell it like it is, man-to-man. Come in and try to rule with an iron fist after a loss, they're sitting there waiting, expecting to see who's going to show up. We certainly want to show up as the same people after a win as you do a loss. A whole different vibe in feeling, but again, point out the mistakes, where we got to get better and then we move on."  MY TAKE: Pagano seemed rattled and shocked after the game on Sunday in his press conference and didn't seem to have many answers for what is going wrong.  He at least seemed more confident today and seemed like he knows how to fix things, and he says it's just doing what they have been doing because that worked early on.  He said it's all about execution.  Perhaps that's it, but whatever it is, Pagano needs to figure it out.  And fast.
• Pagano mentioned how there were actually positives from the game and mentioned the special teams - namely Sergio Brown - as playing very well.  MY TAKE: He's absolutely right.  The special teams blocked a field goal, did a good job in coverage, and Sergio Brown was indeed great yet again.  Pagano is right on this one - the special teams played well.
• Pagano talked about how the coaches are putting in a ton of time - more than what is normal - right now trying to right the ship.  Pagano: "They're working overtime. We start meetings at 8 o'clock, special teams, and those young guys are in here at 7 o'clock with their position coaches. They're staying after practice. Those guys are putting in hours that normally you don't put in with guys, but they understand the circumstances we're under right now. And so between the players and the coaches, they're doing everything, they're exhausting all resources, to get them up to speed as fast as they can."  MY TAKE: What are they doing during that whole time?  Because it hasn't shown on the field or in the game plan in almost a month.  I trust that this staff is working hard, but their game plans aren't working right now and the team looks bad.
• A quote from Pagano that is sure to draw many groans from Colts nation, as the head coach talked about - wait for it - how the team needs to establish a run game:  "we've got to be able to, regardless of who we're playing, we've got to be able to establish a run game. Defensively, we've got to be able to get off the field, and we can't get behind 14, 17, 21, 24 points and not be able to stick with a game plan. And so we've got to be able to get our runners going. Again, we get behind like that and you end up having to throw every down. You get a playmaker like Donald Brown, who's been playing at such a high level for us in previous weeks and he only has three touches in the ball game. That's certainly not Donald's fault. That's our fault for putting ourselves in the hole that we put ourselves in."  MY TAKE: First off, the run game isn't working.  It's smart not to give up on it, but it's dumb to keep trying to make that a focal point.  It's not working.  And secondly, Pagano is absolutely right - not playing Donald Brown much at all is their fault and was a terrible move that needs to change.
• There's a huge game this Sunday in Indianapolis against the Titans, and Pagano can't wait for that game to get here: "No, it's huge. It can't get here, obviously, quick enough. This team is very resilient. You know how this team has responded to adversity. They've been always able to bounce back in these certain situations, and so we fully expect as a staff, and as a team and our players, to have a great week of preparation. We know what's at stake, but we're going to stick to the process and do what we have to do Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday in order to give ourselves a chance to redeem ourselves, get this taste out of our mouth and take a stranglehold on the division."  MY TAKE: Pagano and Andrew Luck have yet to lose back to back football games with the Colts.  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they'll be ready, but there is certainly plenty of doubting going on right about now.  I can understand why Pagano wants the game to get here fast.

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