Colts-Browns Preview

[Andy]

Quick little preview...

 

The Indianapolis Colts are 1-1 thus far in the preseason and are now going against a stiff test in the Cleveland Browns. Although they look different in the regular season, the Browns look very good this preseason. This should be a great test.

 

 

 

 

Last week's performance is what is needed from Andrew Luck week in and week out. He was stellar and almost all of his throws were on the money. With the exceptions of a couple of drops by the receivers and a blessing from avove, Luck was perfect. Yes, perfect! His footwork looked solid, he scrambled well and he always seemed to find the right guy. He's making the right reads and progressions. That was last week however, this week he has a new test, a tougher test. The Browns have a top 12 defense, and they have some real playmakers that can cause trouble. Joe Haden is a top 5 cornerback and a ballhawk. Luck cannot afford to be overly aggressive and take too many chances. He must take his time and be patient. If he does that, he will be fine. This game will be the one where he sees the field the most. He is going to get at least the first half as well as 1-2 series into the 3rd quarter. This is his last real warmup game before the season as next week he'll barely see the field. With Luck getting a lot of time, that means that Matt Hasselbeck will get the rest of the 3rd quarter as well as the early part of the 4th quarter, and Chandler Harnish finishing off the game. This is a big game for Harnish (as well as next week) because he's running out of time to prove that he's worth the roster spot.

 

The running game needs to take some relief off the quarterbacks. The coaches found balance last week and it seemed to work relatively well. None of the running backs had big (or even good) games, but just giving them the ball alone kept the GIants D on their heals. They have to keep doing that. Ahmad Bradshaw will not play in this game. As the season creeps closer, it's important that he gets at least some playing time, but that won't happen this week. That means that Vick Ballard will get a lot of snaps in the first half with Donald Brown occasionally rotating in. With Delone Carter gone, it means that Kerwynn Williams will be seeing a bigger load. He must prove he's worth that.

 

For the receivers, the starters have to show up. TY Hilton and Reggie Wayne have been very above average this offseason with Darrius Heyward Bey showing flashes out there. He needs to be more consistent and TY and Reggie need to keep up their great play. The backups will be fun to watch. There are some new faces and all the backup jobs are on the line and with the exception of Griff Whalen, there aren't front-runners. Somebody needs to step up. Tight end is a bit of an issue. With Fleener and Allen not expected to play, it means that Justice Cunningham and Dominique Jones will be getting almost the full load. Jones is a better receiver whereas Cunningham is a better tight end. It will be fun to watch that battle.

 

Finally on offense, the offensive line. They must be huge. THe offensive line was adequate last week and they did a relatively good job. The tackles were solid and the interior did their job. The backups were decent, but lacked consistent. So, what's the plan for this game? The starters have to stop blitzes as the Browns like to blitz and have to watch out for Paul Kruger who can be a very good pass rusher at times. The interior of the line is what scares me. The Browns' interior defensive line is much better than the Colts' interior offensive line. They may need some extra help their, because keeping Luck upright is all that matters.

 

The offensive philosophy should be to have a balanced offense and have short quick passes and/or plays that don't take a lot of time to develop. That strategy works as it means they won't be aggressive and Luck should avoid being hit most of the time, even if the O-line poops the bed.

 

Then there's the defense...

 

The Browns like to run the ball between the tackles which means that the defensive line will have to come on strong, especially early on if they want to stop the run. The Colts were decent last week against the run, but the Giants were able to get some big runs. The Colts start slow on defense, so having a good start is important. They need to provide some pressure too. We saw last week that Drake Nevis and Ricky Jean Francois got good pressure on the quarterback and it worked out well for the whole defense.

 

As for the linebackers, they're going to have to do a few things. The first most important thing is stuff the run. As mentioned earlier the Browns like to run the ball on the inside and because of that, the inside linebackers should worry about filling the gaps up the middle. They need to stop the inside run. Freeman and Conner have to show up. For the outside linebackers, they need to provide pressure on Weeden. The biggest thing the Browns' opponents have not done is pass rush well. The Colts need to apply pressure on them so they can slow down the vertical passing game of the Browns. They must also play contain, something they had trouble doing last week, to avoid those occasional outside runs. Expect to see more of Bjoern Werner because this is his 2nd game now.

 

Then, the last position group is the secondary. The Colts, like last week are going to have to be wary of the opponents receiving core. They're going to have to play off and not let them get too far down the field. Vontae Davis should go against Josh Gordon. Vontae is great against deep balls and Gordon is a deep threat. The secondary played well the last game, and they need to keep it up this game too. The Colts should try and use Laron Landry, who is expected to make his Colts debut, in the box. He's a hard hitter and could be great against the run. Get Antoine Bethea to play more in coverage because he has talent there.

 

The defensive philosphy should be to stop the run and take away the deep ball. It worked last week and for a run heavy team, that will most likely work this week, if executed properly.

 

They have some talented players on the Browns and they have to contain. For a half and a little bit we'll be seeing the starters, so there should be some NFL excitement for a good portion of the game.

[PrincetonTiger]

nice read

[Smonroe]

You forgot to mention the Browns "speedy" receivers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/redskins/browns-wide-receivers-greg-little-josh-gordon-cited-for-speeding-other-traffic-offenses/2013/08/21/15ee53a4-0abf-11e3-89fe-abb4a5067014_story.html

[southwest1]

 

Quick little preview...

 

The Indianapolis Colts are 1-1 thus far in the preseason and are now going against a stiff test in the Cleveland Browns. Although they look different in the regular season, the Browns look very good this preseason. This should be a great test.

 

 

 

 

Last week's performance is what is needed from Andrew Luck week in and week out. He was stellar and almost all of his throws were on the money. With the exceptions of a couple of drops by the receivers and a blessing from avove, Luck was perfect. Yes, perfect! His footwork looked solid, he scrambled well and he always seemed to find the right guy. He's making the right reads and progressions. That was last week however, this week he has a new test, a tougher test. The Browns have a top 12 defense, and they have some real playmakers that can cause trouble. Joe Haden is a top 5 cornerback and a ballhawk. Luck cannot afford to be overly aggressive and take too many chances. He must take his time and be patient. If he does that, he will be fine. This game will be the one where he sees the field the most. He is going to get at least the first half as well as 1-2 series into the 3rd quarter. This is his last real warmup game before the season as next week he'll barely see the field. With Luck getting a lot of time, that means that Matt Hasselbeck will get the rest of the 3rd quarter as well as the early part of the 4th quarter, and Chandler Harnish finishing off the game. This is a big game for Harnish (as well as next week) because he's running out of time to prove that he's worth the roster spot.

 

The running game needs to take some relief off the quarterbacks. The coaches found balance last week and it seemed to work relatively well. None of the running backs had big (or even good) games, but just giving them the ball alone kept the GIants D on their heals. They have to keep doing that. Ahmad Bradshaw will not play in this game. As the season creeps closer, it's important that he gets at least some playing time, but that won't happen this week. That means that Vick Ballard will get a lot of snaps in the first half with Donald Brown occasionally rotating in. With Delone Carter gone, it means that Kerwynn Williams will be seeing a bigger load. He must prove he's worth that.

 

For the receivers, the starters have to show up. TY Hilton and Reggie Wayne have been very above average this offseason with Darrius Heyward Bey showing flashes out there. He needs to be more consistent and TY and Reggie need to keep up their great play. The backups will be fun to watch. There are some new faces and all the backup jobs are on the line and with the exception of Griff Whalen, there aren't front-runners. Somebody needs to step up. Tight end is a bit of an issue. With Fleener and Allen not expected to play, it means that Justice Cunningham and Dominique Jones will be getting almost the full load. Jones is a better receiver whereas Cunningham is a better tight end. It will be fun to watch that battle.

 

Finally on offense, the offensive line. They must be huge. THe offensive line was adequate last week and they did a relatively good job. The tackles were solid and the interior did their job. The backups were decent, but lacked consistent. So, what's the plan for this game? The starters have to stop blitzes as the Browns like to blitz and have to watch out for Paul Kruger who can be a very good pass rusher at times. The interior of the line is what scares me. The Browns' interior defensive line is much better than the Colts' interior offensive line. They may need some extra help their, because keeping Luck upright is all that matters.

 

The offensive philosophy should be to have a balanced offense and have short quick passes and/or plays that don't take a lot of time to develop. That strategy works as it means they won't be aggressive and Luck should avoid being hit most of the time, even if the O-line poops the bed.

 

Then there's the defense...

 

The Browns like to run the ball between the tackles which means that the defensive line will have to come on strong, especially early on if they want to stop the run. The Colts were decent last week against the run, but the Giants were able to get some big runs. The Colts start slow on defense, so having a good start is important. They need to provide some pressure too. We saw last week that Drake Nevis and Ricky Jean Francois got good pressure on the quarterback and it worked out well for the whole defense.

 

As for the linebackers, they're going to have to do a few things. The first most important thing is stuff the run. As mentioned earlier the Browns like to run the ball on the inside and because of that, the inside linebackers should worry about filling the gaps up the middle. They need to stop the inside run. Freeman and Conner have to show up. For the outside linebackers, they need to provide pressure on Weeden. The biggest thing the Browns' opponents have not done is pass rush well. The Colts need to apply pressure on them so they can slow down the vertical passing game of the Browns. They must also play contain, something they had trouble doing last week, to avoid those occasional outside runs. Expect to see more of Bjoern Werner because this is his 2nd game now.

 

Then, the last position group is the secondary. The Colts, like last week are going to have to be wary of the opponents receiving core. They're going to have to play off and not let them get too far down the field. Vontae Davis should go against Josh Gordon. Vontae is great against deep balls and Gordon is a deep threat. The secondary played well the last game, and they need to keep it up this game too. The Colts should try and use Laron Landry, who is expected to make his Colts debut, in the box. He's a hard hitter and could be great against the run. Get Antoine Bethea to play more in coverage because he has talent there.

 

The defensive philosphy should be to stop the run and take away the deep ball. It worked last week and for a run heavy team, that will most likely work this week, if executed properly.

 

They have some talented players on the Browns and they have to contain. For a half and a little bit we'll be seeing the starters, so there should be some NFL excitement for a good portion of the game.

 

Like PT said, a nice evaluation here Andy.   1 Question though: Why in the world is Bradshaw not getting any playing time tonight? Put him in there. The only way to prepare for the NFL season is to take some licks & a few love taps. Bradshaw can sit out the entire 4th & final game. Pagano is making a mistake here. Unless INDY's medical staff has not cleared him for some reason. 

 

A really dumb move to have Bradshaw remain on the sidelines all Preseason IMO. I wanna see how he looks with the 1st stringers blocking & if his foot issues subside or not & the only way to test that is through contact & LIVE game action that's as close to september as a running back gets IMO. 

[Andy]

Like PT said, a nice evaluation here Andy.   1 Question though: Why in the world is Bradshaw not getting any playing time tonight? Put him in there. The only way to prepare for the NFL season is to take some licks & a few love taps. Bradshaw can sit out the entire 4th & final game. Pagano is making a mistake here. Unless INDY's medical staff has not cleared him for some reason. 

 

A really dumb move to have Bradshaw remain on the sidelines all Preseason IMO. I wanna see how he looks with the 1st stringers blocking & if his foot issues subside or not & the only way to test that is through contact & LIVE game action that's as close to september as a running back gets IMO. 

I don't know why exactly they have him out, but if he's ready to go and 100% (like he said last week) then they shouldn't rest him. He needs some reps.

 

At the same time though, he needs to be healthy during the season and putting him in a preseason game could jeopardize his health. He's not a rookie, and knows what an NFL game is like.

 

Those are the two thoughts running through my head, and as you can see, they are the exact opposite. Don't know what to think about him.