For our Colts and the the rest of the NFL, the Labor Day weekend was the end of preseason and the final cut down to the 53 man regular season roster. In the last preseason game the Bengals laid a serious spanking on the Horseshoe. Of course, the third and fourth team players were on the field for the majority of the time and were playing for roster spots. Most of them failed in that endeavor with a very disappointing showing. Many found themselves looking for work after the Saturday afternoon final roster cuts were announced.
Preseason did show us several things. One, for the second year in a row the Colts’ rookie draft has been very ordinary with no rookie jumping out by showing outstanding ability. Two, Trent Richardson isn’t the answer at running back. Richardson showed no indication of improvement over his dismal 2013 performance. If Pep Hamilton’s offense is to work, then the Colts have to find somebody who can tote the rock. Right now they haven’t got that somebody. Three, Chandler Harnish doesn’t display basic NFL level quarterbacking skills. Harnish made the Colts’ practice squad for the last two years. Most of it was due to his close friendship with Andrew Luck. After his woefully inept 2014 preseason performance, there was no way the Colts could justify a third year on the practice squad for him. Sorry Chandler! Four, the Colts have not found an adequate replacement for Antoine Bethea and this could really be their Achilles heel and cost them a playoff spot. Free agent safety Mike Adams may not have enough left in the tank for a full season and Delano Howell is on the injured reserve. Quite frankly Howell wasn’t all that effective when he was healthy. Five, while the Colts seen to have some talented defensive starters on the roster, the lack of quality depth is very troubling. As the season progresses, injuries are inevitable and as it stands now the defense really does not have a reliable reserve to fill any gaps that may develop. Six, the same questions about the offensive line from last season still haven’t been answered. The interior offense line is still up in the air and fans could see the same kind of problems emerge this season that the offense had to deal with last season. Seven, special teams are going to be a real problem again. Both the return game and kick coverage are woeful. If Pat McAfee is having to make the tackles, it’s time to push the panic button.
On the bright side, free agent pickups wide out Hakeem Nicks and left insider linebacker D’Qwell Jackson look to be solid additions to the team and will make plays for the Big Blue. Rookie wide receiver Donte Moncrief looks like he could develop into something special and eventually replace Reggie Wayne. The wide receiver group is the strongest it has been since Luck’s arrival. Tight end Dwayne Allen seems to be fully recovered from last season’s hip injury. That’s great news for the Colts offense. Last year’s number one draft pick Bjoern Werner seems to be much improved at the right outside linebacker spot. He has worked on his coverage and play reading skills and will adequately replace Robert Mathis during the latter’s four week suspension. Andrew Luck is progressing to the top rung of NFL quarterbacks. The Colts will go as far as Luck can take them.
So my predictions for the 2014 Indianapolis Colts are that they once again go 11-5, well maybe 12-4, and that they again are the AFC South champions. I further predict that they will go 1-1 in the post-season as hey did last season. A pretty wild guess, wouldn’t you say?
Indy Cars
Congratulations to Will Power and Team Penske for winning the 2014 Indy Car Championship. Power’s ninth place finish at the Fontana CA 500 over the weekend assured him of the championship trophy. Power has been the runner up the previous three years so finally winning the No. 1 meant a great deal to the Australian racer. Penske teammate Helio Castroneves has been chasing Power all season and came close to winning the championship, but his 14th place finish wouldn’t allow him to catch Power. It was a victory for the Chevy engine over the Honda.
Tony Kanaan became the 11th driver to win a race this season. It was Kanaan’s first victory since his 2013 Indy 500 win. Scott Dixon finished second, and Ed Carpenter was third. Russian rookie Mikhail Aleshin was seriously injured in a horrifying-looking three car accident during a practice session. Aleshin went low and collided with Marco Andretti then spun up on the track and hit Charley Kimball. He flew over the top of Kimball and tangled with the retaining fence. Aleshin suffered fractured ribs, a broken right clavicle, and chest injuries. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Mikhail Aleshin.
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