Former Colts Update: Week Four

The Indianapolis Colts rolled to a 41-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans.  We've already talked about how impressive Andrew Luck was yesterday and the season so far, and about how amazing Reggie Wayne was yesterday and how he reached a number of milestones.  While we will certainly continue to talk a lot about those guys and the many others who played well for the Colts on Sunday (and a few who didn't), let's now take a brief look at how some former Colts around the league fared this week.

This week's version of the former Colts update is a pretty short and simple one, as a number of the biggest contributors to this list in recent weeks (like Peyton Manning) were on bye weeks - but that doesn't mean there weren't some former Colts playing and producing this weekend.  Let's take a look.

Running Back:

Donald Brown, Chargers

Brown, the former Colts first round pick, didn't have a great performance on Sunday with the Chargers.  He carried the ball 10 times for just 19 yards (1.9 yards per carry), but caught 4 passes for 35 yards.  Still, there are people wondering whether Brown's great year last year was just due to it being a contract season, and in the last two games with the Chargers as their feature back, Brown hasn't done much at all to inspire confidence.

Wide Receiver:

Pierre Garcon, Redskins

Garcon and the Redskins played on Thursday night and got beat handily, and quarterback Kirk Cousins did not have a good night at all.  That impacts Garcon, obviously, and he caught just 2 passes for 28 yards despite being targeted 6 times.

Defense:

Jerry Hughes, Bills (DE)

Another former Colts first round pick, Hughes recorded 2 tackles and 2 quarterback hits on Sunday for the Bills in their loss to the Houston Texans.

Dwight Freeney, Chargers (OLB)

Yet another former Colts first round pick, Freeney did not record a tackle on Sunday and the only appearance on the stat sheet he made was with one quarterback hit, but he had some other pressures and his impact was greater than the stats would indicate.

Kavell Conner, Chargers (LB)

Conner, who was very underutilized by Chuck Pagano and his staff in Indy, continued to have a solid season with the Chargers by recording 6 tackles.  He's nothing great, but Conner has been a solid player for San Diego, and there's no shame in that.

Ricardo Matthews, Chargers (DL)

A former defensive lineman for the Colts, Ricardo Matthews had a good game for the Chargers on SUnday, recording 2 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in the Chargers' win.

Antoine Bethea, 49ers (S)

Bethea was the star of the week for the former Colts, as he was a big part of a dominating defensive performance by the 49ers in their win over the Eagles on Sunday.  Bethea led the team with 7 tackles, and recorded a pass deflection, a forced fumble, and an interception.  Furthermore, it was a milestone day for Bethea, as he started his 100th consecutive game in the NFL - a very impressive feat.  Bethea had a great day for the 49ers on Sunday.

Kelvin Sheppard, Dolphins (LB)

Sheppard, who was cut in the final roster cutdowns by the Colts this year, recorded 2 tackles for the Dolphins in London on Sunday.

Philip Wheeler, Dolphins (LB)

Wheeler, another former Colts linebacker currently playing for the Dolphins, recorded 5 tackles on Sunday in the big win for Miami.

Clifton Geathers, Redskins (DL)

Geathers, who appeared in 8 games for the Colts in 2012, played Thursday night with the Redskins and recorded 3 tackles.

Tim Jennings, Bears (CB)

The Bears' secondary had a rough day on Sunday against Aaron Rodgers.  Tim Jennings, however, recorded 5 tackles and a pass deflection in the game, at least.

Kicker:

Cody Parkey, Eagles

Cody Parkey didn't get the opportunity to do a lot on Sunday due to the Eagles' offensive struggles, and he didn't even attempt a single field goal (seriously, the Eagles offense stunk on Sunday).  Thanks to three defense or special teams scores, however, the former Colts camp leg hit three extra points.

Coach:

Jim Caldwell, Lions

Caldwel, the head coach of the Colts from 2009-11, led the Lions to a 24-17 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.  Caldwell has his team playing well, and it was another impressive outing from Matthew Stafford.  The Lions are quietly off to a great start at 3-1 this year, and Caldwell deserves a lot of credit for that.