It was a preseason game of course, but for the Horseshoe to get spanked 44-20 by the Buffalo Bills, of all teams, was a real disappointment to all of us Colts fans. With the exception of two big plays, there just was not a whole lot for the fans in the stands to get excited about.
Several key Colts players, most notably second year tight end Dwayne Allen, were kept out of action due to injuries, and generally the performances by those Big Blue players who were on the field trying to make the team roster were fairly lackluster. The first team offense led by Golden Boy Quarterback, Andrew Luck played only the opening two offensive series. Even so, the offensive line gave a big sack of number 12 in the second series. I wonder if that was why Coach Pagano pulled him. Luck did take the team down the field for a field goal to give the Colts a 3-0 lead. Relief man Matt Hasselbeck came in for the next two offensive series and connected with wide receiver T.Y. Hilton for a 45 yard touchdown catch that was a thing of beauty. This play showed two very positive things. One, Matt Hasselbeck is one of the best pickups the team made in the off season — he is by far the best backup quarterback the team has had in a very long time and he will be an excellent mentor for Andrew Luck. Two, second year wide receiver T.Y. Hilton is poised for a breakthrough season this year — he had a fine rookie season last year and made the NFL’s 2012 All-Rookie team, but this year he looks ready to become a major force for the Colts offense. He was definitely one of the bright spots for the Colts during the game.
Second year quarterback Chandler Harnish took the reins of the Colts offense and his play demonstrated why he is listed third in the Big Blue quarterback depth chart. Hornish has a big arm, but his throwing mechanics and his ability to recognize opponent defenses is in need of a lot of work. He was unable to put any points on the scoreboard in the second half and had one of his passes intercepted and returned for a seventeen yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. In fairness to Chandler, he didn’t get a lot of support from the rest of the offense in the second half of the game. Missed blocks, dropped passes, and mistakes leading to penalties occurred on most of the plays. Second year tight end and favorite Luck target, Colby Fleener has had an impressive training camp and made a pair of nice grabs during the game. However, after making a great leaping reception and a really nice open field run to get the ball down field for a twenty three yard gain, he fumbled away the ball when he was tackled because he was holding the ball one handed in front of him rather then tucking it away under his arm. This enabled the defensive back to slap the ball out of his hand as he was going down and he lost it. The Colts recovered two plays later to save a score, but Fleener is going to have to quickly rid himself of these bad habits or his Colts career will be a short one.
The Colts only ran the ball fourteen times. Vic Ballard popped a thirteen yard gain in the first offensive series. That was the Colts’ longest run of the day. After the first series Number 33 was done for the day. All the Colts running backs got their hands on the ball at least once. Rookie Kerwynn Willams, a seventh round pick out of Utah State, showed some skill. He actually led the team in rushing with 21 yards gained in 4 carries. He added 2 receptions for 5 yards, 5 kickoff returns for 89 yards, and a punt return for 11 yards. He looks like a keeper. Oh, by the way, he is listed as 5‘8” and 198 pounds. Kind of a bowling ball. That maybe why he was still available in the last round of the draft.
That longtime bugaboo of the Big Blue, special teams, is apparently still a problem, particularly kick coverage. Buffalo rookie Marquise Goodwin took a Colts kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown with nary a glove laid on him. That would be a stadium record in regular season. He returned another kickoff 53 yards earlier in the half. Goodwin is either headed for the Pro Bowl as a return man or the Colts need to push the panic button on their kick coverage. Maybe a bit of both.
The good news is that Colt kicker Adam Vinatieri is still among the league’s best, even at the age of 40. Punter Pat McAfee, in addition to being a very popular local celebrity, is among the league’s most effective punters. We need to uncover some tacklers on special teams, however.
The Colts defense didn’t play as badly as the score would indicate. Actually the first unit was fairly effective. They were pretty much pulled after the first quarter. The reserve units had to contend with offensive errors and special teams mistakes. Colts rookie free agent cornerback, Daxton Swenson’s (a wonderful football name) return of a fumble 72 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was the highlight of the Horseshoe’s second half. Generally, however, the Colts defense had difficulty shutting down the Bills offense.
Okay it was a disappointing loss, but remember, it was a PRESEASON game. The purpose of these preseason games is to evaluate talent, see how certain plays will work, and locate and fix any problems the players have in executing their assignments and the general performance of the team. It could be said that the Buffalo’s third and fourth stringers outplayed the Indianapolis third and fourth stringers. Buffalo did keep its first unit offense and defense on field the whole first half, long after the Colts had started substituting players. The Colts have never played to win in preseason games. Even in the Super Year they only won two preseason games. Many of the players that were on field last Sunday won’t be with the teams once the regular season begins. But there are some players in a Colts uniform right now, including some veterans, who had better start playing with a fire inside them rather than a panicked desperation or they will find themselves playing with the TV remote rather than in the NFL when the season starts.
snicewanger@yahoo.com