Grades: Week 1 @ Bills

[Superman]

Ugly start.

 

 

Offense, C-: 68 plays, 304 yards, 23 first downs (16 passing, 5 rushing, 2 from penalty), 8/15 on third down, 1/2 on 4th down, 2/2 in the red zone, 3 turnovers, 14 points; sloppy QBing, poor play calling, and untimely penalties... we aren't good enough to play bad football and still beat talented teams

 

QB: Eerily reminiscent to the way he started last season, missing receivers and seeming half a beat too slow. He had the second lowest accuracy rating in the league (ahead of only Jameis Winston). High throws, low throws, late throws, underthrows, etc. And then there's this stuff about him checking out of run plays, which is cool when you're killing against the blitz, but he was 9/23 against the blitz. And yet, despite the overall poor play, there was some playmaking out there, a few 'that's the QB everyone's been raving about' throws, and when he settled down in the third quarter, the Bills couldn't touch him. Still not great and not super efficient, but if he had been just a little sharper, the game would have been different. D+, looked a lot like the Chiefs game in 2012

 

Backs / receivers / tight ends, B-:
Running game: Maybe the plan is to prevent people from saying the run game is bad by just not running the ball at all... smh. When they actually ran it, the backs had some good gains. Gore got stuffed a couple times, but had runs for 8 yards and 9 yards, and two other successful carries in short yardage. Robinson had a nice pop for 7. And then when the power stuff was used, it worked. Just not enough opportunities. More on that in coaching. B-, not great, but promising

 

Passing game: Let me start with Andre Johnson, as he's gotten some criticism for only catching two of ten targets. Most of his targets, including the two point conversion attempt (which he probably still could have caught), were off the mark. He and Luck aren't quite synced up yet, especially against aggressive corners, but it wasn't his poor play. Moncrief needs some polish with footwork (the sideline play that got reversed, he has to get both feet down when he's that close to the boundary), but the ability is obvious. I hope he figures out that no one can stop him if he uses his size and hands properly. Hilton was eating up the Bills, despite tough corner play and some uncalled PI, then he got hurt. Dorsett's work came against some off coverage, but he still shows good movement and ball skills (unless it's a punt). The TEs were a footnote, mostly, which is strange when we throw it 49 times. Although Allen did get 6 targets, and the one big gain was wiped out by a penalty, which kind of derailed what looked like a good start offensively. The backs got a few looks, but Gore's big screen opportunity didn't get converted because of an errant throw. Varga looks good in the open field. No drops all game. C+, hard to grade this when the QB didn't play well

OL / blocking: Not bad against a really good defensive front. The OL gave up 9 total pressures on 53 dropbacks, which is really good. Faced 23 blitzes, and only 14 total pressures. Gore missed one pass block, and Varga missed two. Allen and Doyle both missed a run block. Not a perfect game, and the interior did get pushed back, but the edges were solid almost every play. And this after everyone was melting down about Mewhort in the preseason. The Bills even went after Mewhort with Mario Williams the majority of the game, and it didn't matter. Locked down on the right side, and AC was pretty much perfect himself. Pass protection was more than adequate. We can counter some of that interior push with play calling, and that wasn't very good (more in coaching). The run blocking was adequate, there were some mistakes and missed blocks, but there was a lot of positive, and we have a stable of backs who can get through a small crease and gain positive yardage. Maybe we should give the line the chance to get something going, even against a tough defensive front. They looked capable on Sunday. B, mostly kept the QB clean and gave him a pocket, and there was room to run; docked half a grade for the early penalties

Defense, C-: 55 plays, 342 yards, 15 first downs (7 passing, 7 rushing, 1 from penalty), 5/13 on third down, 1/1 in the red zone, 0 turnovers, 27 points; pretty good early, and some critical stops late in the game, but lots in between was maddeningly bad

Defensive front: Another tough grade. Let me start with the off ball linebackers, who were pretty bad against the run. Jackson flat missed several tackles, seeming to be more excited by the prospect of diving at the ground near the ball carrier than actually trying to get in the way and make a play. Freeman was almost never where he was supposed to be. Nate Irving's one snap was the best ILB play of the day, where he singlehandedly almost kept the back out of the end zone on the goal line. Both Freeman and Jackson had some effective blitzes, but both played pretty poorly overall. The run fits from the DL and edge players were really good most of the game. These linemen got penetration and disrupted a lot of plays right up front, and that's a welcome change from last year. We just have to finish. Williams' TD and Taylor's scramble aside, and Taylor's kneels aside, they had 31 rushes for 94 yards. Shady was shut down all game. Trent Cole was mostly good, but had a couple plays where he lost the edge completely. I feel like the pass rush held back so as to contain the QB, and that worked 4 out of 5 times; the one big play for 31 yards ruined a pretty good effort. We actually pressured him on half of his dropbacks, but he was never really under any duress. C, not a lot of pass rush, and the tackling was poor on enough plays to allow them some big gains

Pass defense: Again I'll start with the ILBs, and they again were bad in coverage. The numbers don't quite show it, but both were zoned up across the middle and just failed to stay in good position. So technically, the catches and yards against aren't credited to them, but they should be. And Butler... started off blowing a switch with Davis, and then got smoked by Harvin (which happens, but still), and then gave up 15 more yards to Robert Woods. Save us, Toler and Smith, please. We struggled on swing passes, too, which Taylor was remarkably precise on, throwing them upfield instead of just in the flat, and then the backs could work the sidelines. Newsome got away with a face guard on one of them, maybe the only one we stopped all game. Vontae was great. Let's clone him, because nobody else could cover on Sunday. D, 10.3 yards/attempt for Tyrod Taylor

Special teams: Phillip Dorsett... You would think after he got away with the first muff, he'd be ready to secure everything else. Nope. Probably killed a comeback. And Moncrief, tripping over his own shadow. (Comic relief: http://wric.com/2015/09/14/viral-video-shows-toddler-scared-of-her-own-shadow/)Make Varga the kickoff returner, but give Dorsett another shot at the punt job. McAfee punted well, but I think he left some yards out there, if I'm nitpicking. AV's kick was tough, 52 yards, maybe influenced by the wind... oh well. Poor special teams play left the offense in terrible field position all game long. Werner with a nice stick on a punt.  D+

 

Coaching / playcalling / game management, D:

Will the real Offensive Coordinator please stand up? (We're gonna have a problem here.) Maybe we're getting into that old familiar territory where it's hard to tell who's really in charge of the offensive play calling. I'd like it if we didn't let that happen, especially on something as simple as pass:run ratio. Nineteen straight pass plays, starting on the first possession in a 0-0 game, with basically zero effectiveness. By the end of it, Luck had been sacked once, picked once, and the score was 10-0. The overall ratio is influenced by the score in the second half, but this started right away. And Gore's first two carries went for 8 yards, and then 3 yards on 2nd and 2. I don't really like the 4th year QB getting thrown under the bus for this, either, but regardless, you just cannot let this happen, especially in the first game of the season. I doubt it happens again. F

 

I have a couple beefs with the defensive coaching. First, let's get some clarity on who is supposed to cover the middle of the field, where offenses have the most success against us. Second, let's not telegraph our blitzes and show the young QB who the hot receiver should be. But really, the defensive failures were more execution than coaching. C

 

Game management gets away from you when it's 24-0 early in the third. And maybe that's because the tempo got away from you in the first. There were several missed rally moments in the first half, but again, most of the failures in this game were on the players. I'd like to see Pagano inject himself early and get some things straightened out before it's 24-0. Timeouts and 2 points and stuff were all run of the mill. C-

No game ball in a loss, but Honorable Mention to Vontae Davis for a great game. I dubbed Vontae "The Eraser" last year, and now he's going to shadow #1's all game??? Sorry, Sammy Watkins. Vontae says you don't eat.

 

Next up, home opener, MNF, against a Jets team that probably exceeded everyone's expectations (although it was the Browns...) Another primetime game after a poor Week 1 performance. Let's turn it around right away this time.

 

GO COLTS!!!

[SDakColts]

Glad that isn't my report card . Another great breakdown here, and I agree with almost everything.

[RockThatBlue]

Sio Moore and Irving need to get playing time next week. Even if Freeman and DQ have a better game next week I'll be disappointed if they don't get more than one single snap. Freeman and DQ were pitiful, can't imagine Moore and Irving would be worse.

[ColtRider]

What in the world are you doing as a forum moderator, Superman? If you're not Scout/Asst.Coach/Advisor material in some capacity in this franchise or the NFL, I'll eat my hat(s). That report was an excellent synopsis of exactly what happened/needs to happen. I've been a ColtsFan/NFLFan for over 50 years. I've seen quite a bit. This forum is extremely lucky to have you as moderator. Keep up the tireless and great work you perform for all of us! And thank you, many times over!

[crazycolt1]

What in the world are you doing as a forum moderator, Superman? If you're not Scout/Asst.Coach/Advisor material in some capacity in this franchise or the NFL, I'll eat my hat(s). That report was an excellent synopsis of exactly what happened/needs to happen. I've been a ColtsFan/NFLFan for over 50 years. I've seen quite a bit. This forum is extremely lucky to have you as moderator. Keep up the tireless and great work you perform for all of us! And thank you, many times over!

Superman is the one constant voice of reasoning in this forum. I wish I had the calm attitude he has.

[Bluefire4]

Sio Moore and Irving need to get playing time next week. Even if Freeman and DQ have a better game next week I'll be disappointed if they don't get more than one single snap. Freeman and DQ were pitiful, can't imagine Moore and Irving would be worse.

Well Irving's coming off of an injury and Moore just got in the system so they should get more playing time as the season rolls on.

[Superman]

Sio Moore and Irving need to get playing time next week. Even if Freeman and DQ have a better game next week I'll be disappointed if they don't get more than one single snap. Freeman and DQ were pitiful, can't imagine Moore and Irving would be worse.

 

I would have liked to see both of them get some run also. Irving got one snap, and was good, but I know they want to take it easy with him, coming off the ACL. Moore still hasn't been a Colt for two weeks, so I get why he's not out there, but yeah, figure out a package of 10 plays or so and give him some burn. I believe he's the most talented ILB on the roster.

[Superman]

What in the world are you doing as a forum moderator, Superman? If you're not Scout/Asst.Coach/Advisor material in some capacity in this franchise or the NFL, I'll eat my hat(s). That report was an excellent synopsis of exactly what happened/needs to happen. I've been a ColtsFan/NFLFan for over 50 years. I've seen quite a bit. This forum is extremely lucky to have you as moderator. Keep up the tireless and great work you perform for all of us! And thank you, many times over!

 

Ha, yeah I wish. I'm a wannabe. Thanks for the kind words though.

[Lawrence Owen]

Good calls, I generally agree with most of your assessment.  

Cannot wait to see this defense with these guys on the field at the same time:

Anderson Parry Langford

Walden Irving Moore Mathis

Toler Davis Adams Geathers

 

IDC if they start together, I just want to see a few snaps with that lineup.  Defensively, I think that would be our best.

-and  nothing against Lowery, I think he played well, But Geathers seems to have some special qualities i'd like to see.

[Virtuoso80]

Good calls, I generally agree with most of your assessment.  

Cannot wait to see this defense with these guys on the field at the same time:

Anderson Parry Langford

Walden Irving Moore Mathis

Toler Davis Adams Geathers

 

IDC if they start together, I just want to see a few snaps with that lineup.  Defensively, I think that would be our best.

-and  nothing against Lowery, I think he played well, But Geathers seems to have some special qualities i'd like to see.

did you forget davis?

[Virtuoso80]

nevermind, im the one that missed davis lol

[James]

Best posts on this board. Great as always.

I'm really afraid that the coaches continue to go with Freeman and Jackson despite their poor play. Them "knowing the system, being veterans, being leaders" etc. I hope I'm wrong, and that Irving and Moore are given the opportunity.

[MTC]

I'm waiting for the day that Freeman gets benched for Sio Moore because his pass coverage makes me cringe.

[BrentMc11]

The only thing I would downgrade from this analysis is the Tight Ends.  I would go a little lower due to Dwayne Allen's huge holding penalty.  After a great first quarter, why in the world did we not target tight ends over the middle?  WOW.

 

I am glad that you gave the OL a B.  All I keep hearing is how atrocious they were.  Lance Louis has become a major concern, yet they blocked well for Gore from the start, and forgot about him until early in the second half.

 

Thi as good of an analysis I have seen on here.  Very well done.  

[BrentMc11]

I'm waiting for the day that Freeman gets benched for Sio Moore because his pass coverage makes me cringe.

Freeman is now out of position too many times and he lunges at players instead of hitting and 'wrapping up' like he used to.

[krunk]

Freeman seems to get worse each year he's been a starter.

[ztboiler]

Its interesting that the 2 most glaring player issues that contributed to the loss have clear fixes in place...

 

First is obviously poor QB play.  We fixed that 4 years ago, and we know that he had one of those outings that happen.  Unfortunately his usual recovery from poor starts was unable to get traction due to solid play by the Bills and untimely contributions from his teammates.  These things just happen, and when you have an elite QB you just move on to the next week.

 

Second is the ILB play.  It's clear that the staff sees lack of impact from DQ and Freeman....or you don't acquire Irving and Moore.  Its just a matter of time before they are ready to contribute and we'll find a better fit.  

 

Also, I still really like Freeman as a WILL and nickel backer overall - I think he is above average in space and a good blitzer historically.  Let's see how he adjusts to having a different flow in the run game, where he doesn't have to read and react, than he has in the first 3 years.  We might find that he makes more plays at or behind the line in a 1 gap system, but it's not realistic to expect change instantly.

 

I thought we got some leadership bounce from DQ last year that made up for his physical deficiencies...but I think I'm ready for DQ to exhibit his leadership more from the sidelines if we can get Moore/Irving up to speed.

 

The coaches are gonna be here all year at a minimum....so I think we'll have to live with whatever plan they have, and then evaluate their body of work against the field once complete.

[21isSuperman]

Save us, Toler and Smith, please.

Toler, I can understand.  But I thought I read a lot of reports and stories saying Smith was having a terrible preseason.  Do you think he can step in and contribute?

[pgt_rob]

ETA on Toler? Will he be missing this game as well?

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

I only have 2 gripes. You said Johnson could have caught the 2pter because it was errant. I disagree, he SHOULD have caught it; the pass itself was completely fine if not a little hard.

And then this "Williams' TD and Taylor's scramble aside". You can't just push those aside. Thats not how it works, that's not how any of this works...

Other than my gripes, food job. We need more irving.

[ColtRider]

Ha, yeah I wish. I'm a wannabe. Thanks for the kind words though.

You are most deservedly welcome!

[OffensivelyPC]

I was waiting to see your assessment on the OL for this game.  It's tough to really get a good opinion on a single viewing (I still wish I had time to get the All-22 and sit down for a couple hours to watch tape, I just don't).  I didn't think they were atrocious, but it sounds better than I originally thought.  I still didn't think they were the worst aspect of our offense Sunday, and several of the Manic Monday threads make it obvious.  I wasn't concerned about Andre Johnson's not catching the ball.  The drop was bad (it was at least catchable), but I was more concerned that it seemed every time the ball was thrown to him, he never had any separation to warrant getting targeted.  Maybe Luck waited to long, made a bad decision, etc., but I really wished I could have seen more separation at the point of catch.  I'm not sure how much of that is attributable to their not being in tune with one another, it's impossible to say, but it was anything but encouraging.

 

Defense was just hard to watch and we seemed to pick up off right where we left the AFC CG last year.  There's few things more maddening than missing tackles, much less missing tackles at the second level.  Puke.  The offense should be able to sure up a lot of their issues, as we've proven to be a better passing team than we were Sunday.  But if we can't tackle...well le'ts just say I felt like they had Beeftank out there at times:

 

[Coffeedrinker]

Thanks Superman great write up as usual.  Many of the things were my impressions during the game, although I could never voice them so distinctly and so well.

 

The one I disagree with is Cole, I thought he played poorly but another poster mentioned holding the rush back to try and contain Tyrod and that makes sense.

 

Thanks for posting, gives us posters something to look forward to even if the Colts lose.

[CamMo]

I love these posts. They turn my "kdfhasdf !!!!! euywc?euhhdsfs wth ?!?" thoughts during the game into an eloquent synopsis. With an Eminem reference, no doubt. Thanks, Superman

[The Peytonator]

If there are any firings from the coaching/front office positions in the offseason, I nominate Superman to fill any and all vacancies.

[southwest1]

Freeman is now out of position too many times and he lunges at players instead of hitting and 'wrapping up' like he used to.

Excellent observation Brent. When Freeman 1st got here, he was bringing guys down & now...Well, you'd be better off having me out there as a LB & I'm no ProBowler by a long shot either. Sigh...

[ColtRider]

If there are any firings from the coaching/front office positions in the offseason, I nominate Superman to fill any and all vacancies.

Second that. The man clearly knows NFL football inside & out. Xs & Os included. Would make a fine protege anywhere.

Taking a little R & R for a couple weeks (like an old man needs one). Have a good one guys & gals! ... and as always ...

GO COLTS !

[BrentMc11]

Thanks Superman great write up as usual.  Many of the things were my impressions during the game, although I could never voice them so distinctly and so well.

 

The one I disagree with is Cole, I thought he played poorly but another poster mentioned holding the rush back to try and contain Tyrod and that makes sense.

 

Thanks for posting, gives us posters something to look forward to even if the Colts lose.

That's for sure......Hi buddy!!

 

[Coffeedrinker]

That's for sure......Hi buddy!!

 

Isn't it a rule or something that when someone is being self effacing other people can't pile on?

[Surge89]

So anyone have any idea why the TE game seemed non existent? I feel like Pep/Chud/Luck should know that we have a lot of talent in those 2 so why did we not play more 2 TE sets and throw more to them?  Chips and outlet underneath passes seemed very rare, and I think I might have seen the Offense in max protect maybe twice?

 

Do you think this is strictly a Luck issue and his reluctance to change?  Is this a poorly devised game plan by the OC?  

 

I'm flabbergasted how much Pep has moved away from the 2 TE run formation sets that he used to use when he first got here.  It's getting more and more pass happy like Bruce's offense. 

[southwest1]

Second that. The man clearly knows NFL football inside & out. Xs & Os included. Would make a fine protege anywhere.

Taking a little R & R for a couple weeks (like an old man needs one). Have a good one guys & gals! ... and as always ...

GO COLTS !

Are you trying to get a get out of jail free forum suspension card CS? Just kidding! Way to be next level bro. Yeah, Superman is good at what he does no question. We all have our talents no doubt. Enjoy your holiday CS. Be rowdy & live a little on vacation man. I expect pictures & a full report on your leisurely activities when you return BTW. Just messing around. Have a blast. 

[Superman]

Toler, I can understand.  But I thought I read a lot of reports and stories saying Smith was having a terrible preseason.  Do you think he can step in and contribute?

 

I think Smith was decent in preseason, not great. He'll be better in press and on the outside than Butler was on Sunday.

[Superman]

I only have 2 gripes. You said Johnson could have caught the 2pter because it was errant. I disagree, he SHOULD have caught it; the pass itself was completely fine if not a little hard.

And then this "Williams' TD and Taylor's scramble aside". You can't just push those aside. Thats not how it works, that's not how any of this works...

Other than my gripes, food job. We need more irving.

 

The pass was high, and hot. Very catchable, I'll agree to that.

 

I'm not pushing the two carries aside. I'm saying that the defense did a good job on the other 31 carries. That's context, and it matters. The primary takeaway is that, although the defense gave up 147 rushing yards, the defensive line didn't get pushed around, run over, or otherwise beat. The majority of that damage came because the backers failed to contain, and almost 40% of it came on 2 out of 33 plays. 

[Superman]

Thanks Superman great write up as usual.  Many of the things were my impressions during the game, although I could never voice them so distinctly and so well.

 

The one I disagree with is Cole, I thought he played poorly but another poster mentioned holding the rush back to try and contain Tyrod and that makes sense.

 

Thanks for posting, gives us posters something to look forward to even if the Colts lose.

 

Believe it or not, Trent Cole only pass rushed 15 times, in 46 total snaps. To me, part of the reason the pass rush didn't do anything is that they didn't call a lot of pass plays. Taylor only had 19 attempts, plus 4 scrambles. And ironically, we got more pressures on Taylor than the Bills got on Luck in about 30 fewer rush opportunities.

 

In his 15 pass rushes, I saw some stuff from Cole, but I didn't think they went full bore because they wanted to keep Taylor from getting the edge. He got killed on the edge in some run situations, including one by a TE. Not good.

[Superman]

ETA on Toler? Will he be missing this game as well?

 

Pagano called him week to week on Monday, so probably.

[Superman]

I was waiting to see your assessment on the OL for this game.  It's tough to really get a good opinion on a single viewing (I still wish I had time to get the All-22 and sit down for a couple hours to watch tape, I just don't).  I didn't think they were atrocious, but it sounds better than I originally thought.  I still didn't think they were the worst aspect of our offense Sunday, and several of the Manic Monday threads make it obvious.  I wasn't concerned about Andre Johnson's not catching the ball.  The drop was bad (it was at least catchable), but I was more concerned that it seemed every time the ball was thrown to him, he never had any separation to warrant getting targeted.  Maybe Luck waited to long, made a bad decision, etc., but I really wished I could have seen more separation at the point of catch.  I'm not sure how much of that is attributable to their not being in tune with one another, it's impossible to say, but it was anything but encouraging.

 

Defense was just hard to watch and we seemed to pick up off right where we left the AFC CG last year.  There's few things more maddening than missing tackles, much less missing tackles at the second level.  Puke.  The offense should be able to sure up a lot of their issues, as we've proven to be a better passing team than we were Sunday.  But if we can't tackle...well le'ts just say I felt like they had Beeftank out there at times:

 

A lot of poor timing between Luck and AJ, IMO. Luck threw wide on out routes, low on comebacks, etc. I don't think AJ is the kind of receiver that is going to get a lot of separation at this point in his career, but if you put the ball in the right place, he can move the chains and even convert some big plays at times. But the ball has to be in the right place. He beat Vontae last year on some really close plays, and the ball placement was critical (backside fades, corners, etc.) I want to see better throws before I worry about the receiver.

 

The defensive front was sloppy at times, especially with tackling. But it wasn't like getting run over by the Pats. Really, if not for two plays (and a third that got called back due to a holding penalty), the run defense was good. Fix those two plays before I start handing out gold stars, I didn't get callbacks to any of the Pats games.

 

This game sort of reminded me of the Cowboys game. Some plays early went against us due to poor execution, then the other team made some plays, and in the meantime, the gameplan never seemed to make sense. You look up and the first half is over, and you've been thoroughly outplayed and are down multiple scores. Their QB was super efficient, they didn't really run it great but had a lot of yards by the end of the game, there were too many turnovers, etc. It wasn't as bad as the Cowboys game, maybe because Taylor isn't as good as Romo, but it had some similarities.

[rockywoj]

From Gil Brant at NFL.com, a rather harsh assessment on Dorsett, though not necessarily unfounded ...

 

Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts

 

I expected more out of Dorsett than we saw in Week 1. (He finished with two catches on three targets for 45 yards against the Bills, plus two muffed punts, including one that led to a Buffalo field goal.) He's a pure speed player who has a hard time making quick moves to get open, and he did not look good running routes on Sunday. Dorsett's lack of size also showed, and he didn't appear to have great hands. He has a lot of work to do. Dorsett looks like a project to me, someone who isn't ready for the NFL at this time. GRADE: D

[Superman]

From Gil Brant at NFL.com, a rather harsh assessment on Dorsett, though not necessarily unfounded ...

 

Phillip Dorsett, WR, Indianapolis Colts

 

I expected more out of Dorsett than we saw in Week 1. (He finished with two catches on three targets for 45 yards against the Bills, plus two muffed punts, including one that led to a Buffalo field goal.) He's a pure speed player who has a hard time making quick moves to get open, and he did not look good running routes on Sunday. Dorsett's lack of size also showed, and he didn't appear to have great hands. He has a lot of work to do. Dorsett looks like a project to me, someone who isn't ready for the NFL at this time. GRADE: D

 

Almost entirely unfounded, actually. Dorsett muffed two punts, and that's all he did wrong. Nothing wrong with his routes, and as a matter of fact, most of his 15 pass plays were against off coverage. Unless Brandt thinks muffed punts = can't catch, the knock on Dorsett's hands is just dumb. 

[will426]

Almost entirely unfounded, actually. Dorsett muffed two punts, and that's all he did wrong. Nothing wrong with his routes, and as a matter of fact, most of his 15 pass plays were against off coverage. Unless Brandt thinks muffed punts = can't catch, the knock on Dorsett's hands is just dumb.

lol it said his hands suck but he caught 2/3 passes I believe that's eh good?

[Defjamz26]

Also Adams is a pure FS. Terrible in run support or when he has to make a tackle in space.