Post game thoughts (Colts @ Broncos)

[BProland85]

 I definitely think pass rush and running the ball our the 2 biggest weaknesses on the Colts right now. Next offseason we need to address this by bringing in some help at OLB and maybe DE since Werner doesn't seem to be a game wrecker as Pagano likes to put it in regards to pass rushing.

 

OL looks decent in pass blocking but maybe with some better offensive play calling we can generate more of a running game.

 

Luck and the weapons he has should be fine though. Just some lack of communication and dropped passes at times.

[21isSuperman]

 I definitely think pass rush and running the ball our the 2 biggest weaknesses on the Colts right now. Next offseason we need to address this by bringing in the some help at OLB and maybe DE since Werner doesn't seem to be a game wrecker as Pagano likes to put it in regards to pass rushing.

 

OL looks decent in pass blocking but maybe with some better offensive play calling we can generate more of a running game.

 

Luck and the weapons he has should be fine though. Just some lack of communication and dropped passes at times.

Never take Pagano's word on his players as truth.  He will never talk bad about anyone.  If everyone played the way he describes them, we would be 16-0 every year

[TKnight24]

Disagree, running game was vastly improved

Richardson 2.3 is no more folks!

[GoColts8818]

Was Newsome active tonight? If he was did we give him a shot at going after the QB he did a good job in the pre-season. Granted it was the pre-season and not against starters but I would think they would give him a chance with the lack of pass rush right now.

[GoColts8818]

Never take Pagano's word on his players as truth.  He will never talk bad about anyone.  If everyone played the way he describes them, we would be 16-0 every year

hes the coach, he's not going to talk bad about individual players.

[twfish]

Disagree, running game was vastly improved

Richardson 2.3 is no more folks!

Whatd it end up being?

[Bravo]

Offense was really off at first....

O Line- awful first half. Seemed to mold together a little more in 2nd half!

WR/TE- missed a couple balls and yards but overall okay. For sure could be better.

RB- Trent played hard, Bradshaw played like a monster.

QB: Luck played well. Not best game but not awful. The INT could have been avoided.

Defense.. Was in field way to much in 1st half.

D-Line- Let some holes open up in first half,little pass rush. Stepped up in 4th quarter.

LB- Could not cover J.Thomas, missed some big tackles in first half! Played a little better in 2nd half.

CB- Couldn't keep their hands off Denver WR's. Gave up a bunch of penalty yards. Played okay in 4th quarter.

S- Adams played average the whole game, Landry was very up and down.

Overall a good showing in the 2nd half! Showed we could hang with the big boys in the AFC if things are going our way!

[TKnight24]

Whatd it end up being?

6Rush 20yards 3.3 YPC

Not bad given the fact we spotted 24 so you can't run when down 24 points

If we can learn how to play 4QTRS of football..... Bradshaw & Richardson will be a nice 1-2 punch IMO

[twfish]

6Rush 20yards 3.3 YPC

Not bad given the fact we spotted 24 so you can't run when down 24 points

If we can learn how to play 4QTRS of football..... Bradshaw & Richardson will be a nice 1-2 punch IMO

Lol now what was it if you take the one tackled behind the line play out? I think he is going to be alot better this year

[corgi]

6Rush 20yards 3.3 YPC

Not bad given the fact we spotted 24 so you can't run when down 24 points

If we can learn how to play 4QTRS of football..... Bradshaw & Richardson will be a nice 1-2 punch IMO

Both he and Bradshaw were very solid in catching the ball as well. I think we could have something special if the line gets its act together.

[grimluck72]

Landy is a turd. One of the worst safeties in the league IMO.

[TKnight24]

Lol now what was it if you take the one tackled behind the line play out? I think he is going to be alot better this year

Loss of one yard on the bad run

So looking at 5rushes for 19 yards

19 ÷ 5= 3.8YPC

[TKnight24]

Both he and Bradshaw were very solid in catching the ball as well. I think we could have something special if the line gets its act together.

Yep. Dropping Bernard Pierce after his -0.60 fantasy performance today. Putting Bradshaw in my lineup. They have to get him more reps after what he showed tonight

[Poster X]

 I definitely think pass rush and running the ball our the 2 biggest weaknesses on the Colts right now. Next offseason we need to address this by bringing in some help at OLB and maybe DE since Werner doesn't seem to be a game wrecker as Pagano likes to put it in regards to pass rushing.

 

OL looks decent in pass blocking but maybe with some better offensive play calling we can generate more of a running game.

 

Luck and the weapons he has should be fine though. Just some lack of communication and dropped passes at times.

How could you tell the run game was bad because when Richardson had the ball he looked good, but they were behind so there was a lot of passing to the backs. Richardson had 30 yards, and Bradshaw 70.

[Poster X]

Landy is a turd. One of the worst safeties in the league IMO.

Adams was worse. Landry had a pretty good run at Peyton early on.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Was Newsome active tonight? If he was did we give him a shot at going after the QB he did a good job in the pre-season. Granted it was the pre-season and not against starters but I would think they would give him a chance with the lack of pass rush right now.

 

Newsome was active, just didn't get much time on D.

 

 I definitely think pass rush and running the ball our the 2 biggest weaknesses on the Colts right now. Next offseason we need to address this by bringing in some help at OLB and maybe DE since Werner doesn't seem to be a game wrecker as Pagano likes to put it in regards to pass rushing.

 

OL looks decent in pass blocking but maybe with some better offensive play calling we can generate more of a running game.

 

Luck and the weapons he has should be fine though. Just some lack of communication and dropped passes at times.

 

Our run game didn't look bad to me -- unfortunately, you cannot expect to have an effective run game when you are playing from 3 scores behind.  Werner will be fine, I don't think he is built to be a pure pass-rusher, but I think he can be a very solid all-around football player and linebacker.  He would be best off, IMO, as the strong-side or non-rush LB, who has some pass rush skill but isn't depended on as the primary pass rusher.

 

 

Never take Pagano's word on his players as truth.  He will never talk bad about anyone.  If everyone played the way he describes them, we would be 16-0 every year

Why would Pagano, or any coach, say anything bad about their players to the public? It is unprofessional and it is not good to keep your locker room and players' respect.

 

 

***My take -- Fleener played very poorly as a receiver -- he wasn't coming back to anything and looked lost when the ball was coming his way -- that 2nd INT would have been a tough catch, but it was catchable, he should have at least kept that ball in front of him.  Several other plays where I saw Luck target him he just looked aloof.

 

Richardson ran hard and looked good, but as I stated earlier, we can't expect to develop a strong run game when we're playing from that far behind.

Bradshaw also looked good -- if he is healthy all year, we have a very strong 1-2 punch.

 

Wayne is a stud -- I am glad to see Luck hasn't lost any confidence in him.  He'll have 75+ receptions for ~1,000 yards and cement himself as a HOFer after this year.

 

TY had some drops in preseason that worried me but not too much -- after tonight, I am a little worried about him, he has to hold on to balls that are well thrown and catchable.  We need to do a better job play calling to get him mismatches and 'take the top off' the defense.

 

Pagano was right -- the key to winning this game was getting off to a fast start -- we started fast and then stalled and allowed Denver to score on their first possession.  No reason to panic, it is Denver and it is very hard to stop them, so it was good we held them to 3 on their first possession, but if we are going to shine and ever develop a run game/balanced-offense, we can't allow ourselves to get in a hole right off the bat.

 

Many positives and negatives from this game -- our OL seemed to play better as a unit as the game went on which is good.  We still haven't lost consecutive regular season games in the Luck/Pagano/Grigs era -- I don't expect us to do that next week -- our D made adjustments at half and stopped the most prolific offense in the NFL (for the most part) -- we should be able to beat Philly next week.  If we can learn from our mistakes of today's game and keep in mind that this is probably the best team we'll face all regular season, we will be just fine.

 

PS -- Purifoy made some noise on STs, as I was expecting, and was very happy to see.  I am also glad we have Patty Mac for the long haul, he punted well, kicked off well, and his onside kick was perfect.

[corgi]

Adams was worse. Landry had a pretty good run at Peyton early on.

Yeah I'd be fine adding Clemmons. I thinks he is going to sign with Miami though. Landry knocked the poop out of Peyton.

[Dark_Indy]

Disagree, running game was vastly improved

Richardson 2.3 is no more folks!

 

 

From 2.9 to 3.3 YPC

 

Still leaves you 0.1 yards short of the first down.

 

He's getting there. If by the bye week he hasn't had a 100 total yard game, I think we can be worried.

[TKnight24]

From 2.9 to 3.3 YPC

Still leaves you 0.1 yards short of the first down.

He's getting there. If by the bye week he hasn't had a 100 total yard game, I think we can be worried.

Like I said, you're down 24 points...... Running the ball isn't an option anymore

Give him a real game to see how he does. Not a catch up game, a game where we're battling or leading

[chad hugo]

We need a switch at returner asap, Whalen is not the answer, i repeat, Whalen is not the answer! 

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Adams was worse. Landry had a pretty good run at Peyton early on.

 

 

Newsome was active, just didn't get much time on D.

 

 

Our run game didn't look bad to me -- unfortunately, you cannot expect to have an effective run game when you are playing from 3 scores behind.  Werner will be fine, I don't think he is built to be a pure pass-rusher, but I think he can be a very solid all-around football player and linebacker.  He would be best off, IMO, as the strong-side or non-rush LB, who has some pass rush skill but isn't depended on as the primary pass rusher.

 

 

Why would Pagano, or any coach, say anything bad about their players to the public? It is unprofessional and it is not good to keep your locker room and players' respect.

 

 

***My take -- Fleener played very poorly as a receiver -- he wasn't coming back to anything and looked lost when the ball was coming his way -- that 2nd INT would have been a tough catch, but it was catchable, he should have at least kept that ball in front of him.  Several other plays where I saw Luck target him he just looked aloof.

 

Richardson ran hard and looked good, but as I stated earlier, we can't expect to develop a strong run game when we're playing from that far behind.

Bradshaw also looked good -- if he is healthy all year, we have a very strong 1-2 punch.

 

Wayne is a stud -- I am glad to see Luck hasn't lost any confidence in him.  He'll have 75+ receptions for ~1,000 yards and cement himself as a HOFer after this year.

 

TY had some drops in preseason that worried me but not too much -- after tonight, I am a little worried about him, he has to hold on to balls that are well thrown and catchable.  We need to do a better job play calling to get him mismatches and 'take the top off' the defense.

 

Pagano was right -- the key to winning this game was getting off to a fast start -- we started fast and then stalled and allowed Denver to score on their first possession.  No reason to panic, it is Denver and it is very hard to stop them, so it was good we held them to 3 on their first possession, but if we are going to shine and ever develop a run game/balanced-offense, we can't allow ourselves to get in a hole right off the bat.

 

Many positives and negatives from this game -- our OL seemed to play better as a unit as the game went on which is good.  We still haven't lost consecutive regular season games in the Luck/Pagano/Grigs era -- I don't expect us to do that next week -- our D made adjustments at half and stopped the most prolific offense in the NFL (for the most part) -- we should be able to beat Philly next week.  If we can learn from our mistakes of today's game and keep in mind that this is probably the best team we'll face all regular season, we will be just fine.

 

PS -- Purifoy made some noise on STs, as I was expecting, and was very happy to see.  I am also glad we have Patty Mac for the long haul, he punted well, kicked off well, and his onside kick was perfect.

 

To add on to my list of takeaways --

 

Landry played awful, I think -- yea, he had one pressure on Manning, but he looked terrible in coverage and he is a 'reactive' rather than 'proactive' player, IMO -- meaning he doesn't read plays and make the right call to stop a play from happening, but he allows plays to happen and reacts and occasionally his athleticism makes it look like he made a tremendous play or a big tackle -- I would much rather a safety that makes the right reads and covers solidly and just quietly prevents plays from happening.  I thought Adams played solid -- he didn't do anything spectacular, but I didn't see him do anything wrong, either.

 

D'Qwell looked good when runs came up the middle right at him, but he looked slow (like he did in preseason) when he had to go out in coverage or make plays laterally.  I like his leadership and think he'll be a good locker room presence for now -- but as the season goes on, I expect McNary to take more and more time away from D. Jackson -- I will be shocked if he plays out all 4 years in Indy -- we need to get younger/faster at that spot.

 

McNary had a few pressures and I thought he should have been given 0.5 sack on the Walden sack -- it will be good to have that type of presence when Mathis returns.

 

I hope noone forgets that this is the best O in the NFL that we just played -- when we get Mathis back and have a few more games to gel, our D should be pretty solid.  I hope Landry starts making better reads and can become a proactive player rather than just using his speed/athleticism to react to plays after they've already developed -- I think he can, especially if we improve our pass rush.

[ColtsLegacy]

***My take -- Fleener played very poorly as a receiver -- he wasn't coming back to anything and looked lost when the ball was coming his way -- that 2nd INT would have been a tough catch, but it was catchable, he should have at least kept that ball in front of him.  Several other plays where I saw Luck target him he just looked aloof.

 

Good post and I very much agree on Fleener. Aloof is a good word to describe him out there, I'd add goofy and awkward. I'm sick of seeing him on the field in crucial situations with Dwayne Allen on the sideline. It's ridiculous.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

We need a switch at returner asap, Whalen is not the answer, i repeat, Whalen is not the answer! 

Whalen is sure-handed back there -- so it will be good to keep him -- but I agree, I'd rather see Purifoy back there as I think he has more play-making capability.  There are situations where Whalen is perfect as a PR, though -- mostly if we just need to make sure the ball will be caught and a mistake won't be made, but I agree with you -- we aren't going to see any game-breaking plays with Whalen back there most likely.

[coltsfanatic24]

Observations from the game

 

1. I was very impressed with the o-line, they gave Luck enough time to step up in the pocket and throw. Luck held on to the ball too long and there were times he could have ran and picked up a couple 1st downs.

 

2. Vontae and Butler played great which I expected. I still wan't to see Vontae get more INT's, he dropped one in the end zone.

 

3. D-line looked good as well vs the run, just wasn't much pass rush without Mathis.

 

4. Manusky has to switch up his defense every once in a while, playing Toler 10 yards back in the 1st half really hurt the team.

 

5. It was a great comeback but we still need 2 coverage safeties, pass rusher, and a ILB to beat a team like the Broncos or Patriots in the playoffs. Grigson should be fielding calls trying to trade Fleener, he's our best asset that won't hurt us if we lose him.

[GoColts8818]

Observations from the game

1. I was very impressed with the o-line, they gave Luck enough time to step up in the pocket and throw. Luck held on to the ball too long and there were times he could have ran and picked up a couple 1st downs.

2. Vontae and Butler played great which I expected. I still wan't to see Vontae get more INT's, he dropped one in the end zone.

3. D-line looked good as well vs the run, just wasn't much pass rush without Mathis.

4. Manusky has to switch up his defense every once in a while, playing Toler 10 yards back in the 1st half really hurt the team.

5. It was a great comeback but we still need 2 coverage safeties, pass rusher, and a ILB to beat a team like the Broncos or Patriots in the playoffs. Grigson should be fielding calls trying to trade Fleener, he's our best asset that won't hurt us if we lose him.

i think we need to give more credit to Denver's secondary. There is reason Luck held the ball at times. No one was open.

Also I think the defense was switched up they were a completely different team in the second half on defense. They gave up one drive on a short field after they got three straight stops for the offense who got them three points. They also held Denver to 1 of 6 on third down in the second half whatever adjustments were made at halftime clearly worked on defense.

[Dark Superman]

Props to Richardson for playing hard.

Reggie looked solid.

The defense as a pass rushing unit is almost non existent without 98. This was an area we really need to address, as well as the safety position.

The offensive line looked promising. If they can stay healthy and continue to grow (Holmes too) maybe by the end of the season they might actually have a strong line

[GoColts8818]

Props to Richardson for playing hard.

Reggie looked solid.

The defense as a pass rushing unit is almost non existent without 98. This was an area we really need to address, as well as the safety position.

The offensive line looked promising. If they can stay healthy and continue to grow (Holmes too) maybe by the end of the season they might actually have a strong line

id like to see Newsome get some reps at OLBer rather than just depending on Werner to be the guy to get there.

If nothing else on clear passing downs it should be Werner and Newsome because we know Whalden isn't a pass rusher.

[Poster X]

Yeah I'd be fine adding Clemmons. I thinks he is going to sign with Miami though. Landry knocked the poop out of Peyton.

I don't know if having Sergio would have hel;ped, but it couldn't have hurt. I'm a supporter of moving on from Landry in the off season.

[Buck Showalter]

i think we need to give more credit to Denver's secondary. There is reason Luck held the ball at times. No one was open.

Also I think the defense was switched up they were a completely different team in the second half on defense. They gave up one drive on a short field after they got three straight stops for the offense who got them three points. They also held Denver to 1 of 6 on third down in the second half whatever adjustments were made at halftime clearly worked on defense.

Word

Denver's secondary made for a tough night

[GoColts8818]

Word

Denver's secondary made for a tough night

yep they are the reason Denver won IMO

[coltsfanatic24]

i think we need to give more credit to Denver's secondary. There is reason Luck held the ball at times. No one was open.

Also I think the defense was switched up they were a completely different team in the second half on defense. They gave up one drive on a short field after they got three straight stops for the offense who got them three points. They also held Denver to 1 of 6 on third down in the second half whatever adjustments were made at halftime clearly worked on defense.

Denver secondary played good at times but Nicks was open a few times and he didn't give him the ball. In the end zone Nicks was wide open but Luck was trying to give T.Y more catches and he didn't see him, that was their game plan and it worked. He has to do a better job next week of seeing the entire field and not locking on 1 or 2 guys if were going  to beat the Eagles.

[Buck Showalter]

id like to see Newsome get some reps at OLBer rather than just depending on Werner to be the guy to get there.

If nothing else on clear passing downs it should be Werner and Newsome because we know Whalden isn't a pass rusher.

Walden did get credit for the sack tonight...

[GoColts8818]

Denver secondary played good at times but Nicks was open a few times and he didn't give him the ball. In the end zone Nicks was wide open but Luck was trying to give T.Y more catches and he didn't see him, that was their game plan and it worked. He has to do a better job next week of seeing the entire field and not locking on 1 or 2 guys if were going  to beat the Eagles.

i don't think Luck was "trying to get TY more catches" as much as he either didn't see Nicks or thought he had TY.

[GoColts8818]

Walden did get credit for the sack tonight...

yes he did that doesn't change the fact Whalden isn't known for his pass rushing. Manning also ran for a first down (granted called back) it doesn't make him a mobile QB though.

[Buck Showalter]

yes he did that doesn't change the fact Whalden isn't known for his pass rushing. Manning also ran for a first down (granted called back) it doesn't make him a mobile QB though.

Good analogy about Peytons "almost" first down scramble, which was hilarious,

But I feel since Mathis is really the only respected playmaker on defense in regards to pass rush, other players don't get credit, I guess I felt that while pass rush isn't Waldens calling card and he hasn't really racked up huge sack numbers, I guess I still feel like he comes up with some pressure here & there, especially when needed most, sorta like tonight's sack

[GoColts8818]

Good analogy about Peytons "almost" first down scramble, which was hilarious,

But I feel since Mathis is really the only respected playmaker on defense in regards to pass rush, other players don't get credit, I guess I felt that while pass rush isn't Waldens calling card and he hasn't really racked up huge sack numbers, I guess I still feel like he comes up with some pressure here & there, especially when needed most, sorta like tonight's sack

right and Whalden made a nice play there without question and not calling for him to be benched or anything I am just saying in clear passing downs put your pass rushers out there. That's what Newsome was drafted to be. If he get manhandled then sure go back to Whalden but without Mathis I think you need to use every pass rusher you can to try to get heat on the QB.

[coltsfanatic24]

There aren't many teams that needs a coverage safety more then we do, we have to find a way to get one this season.

[Defjamz26]

yes he did that doesn't change the fact Whalden isn't known for his pass rushing. Manning also ran for a first down (granted called back) it doesn't make him a mobile QB though.

 

Speaking of which, the Defense deserves more flak for that. It was un-excusable to let a QB as un-athletic and slow as Manning run for that 1st down. And if you watch the highlights and see how the guys chasing him couldn't catch up to him, it's embarrassing.

[GoColts8818]

Speaking of which, the Defense deserves more flak for that. It was un-excusable to let a QB as un-athletic and slow as Manning run for that 1st down. And if you watch the highlights and see how the guys chasing him couldn't catch up to him, it's embarrassing.

well the fact that Denver was called for holding on a play that other wise would have been a sack had something to do with that.

[funktacious2]

 I definitely think pass rush and running the ball our the 2 biggest weaknesses on the Colts right now. Next offseason we need to address this by bringing in some help at OLB and maybe DE since Werner doesn't seem to be a game wrecker as Pagano likes to put it in regards to pass rushing.

 

OL looks decent in pass blocking but maybe with some better offensive play calling we can generate more of a running game.

 

Luck and the weapons he has should be fine though. Just some lack of communication and dropped passes at times.

If fairness to Werner he is still a second year player who went up against arguably the best left tackle in the league. He at the very least seems to have made some progress from last season, especially in run defense.