Thoughts After Ravens-Colts Preseason Game 2

[Architects08]

Glanced through all the comments and I didn't see anyone mention the running game (or lack of). Am I missing something that I can't see in the stat sheet? 

[Happy2BeHere]

6 hours ago, IndyD4U said:

Ah, yet another offensive post from you. You're a peach @throwing BBZ. For the record, I'm 36 

 

Player, coach, and forum member for the past 12 years too

 

I have you beat...I don't know how exactly because I am also 36...but somewhere inside is a little voice that says I've got you beat.

 

EDIT: ahh hah!! I figured it out. I have 1 warning point on these forums and you don't have one currently. Told you I had you beat

 

[RockThatBlue]

7 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I thought Andrew looked Great, 8-8 for 71 Yards is solid. Dorsett looks healthy as well. I didn't like the penalties as they hurt us early. We could've been up 14-0, 10-0 at worse when Andrew was in. We need to cut out the penalties. Penalties killed a lot of our drives last season too. This is a huge concern.

Yup. Penalties were really my only true gripe from last night. We don't seem to be improved in that area. But theres still time to fix it thankfully, I'll worry more if we see a barrage of flags after about a month into the regular season 

[RockThatBlue]

One thing I'll add is that it appears age still hasn't caught up with DQ. Thought he played really well last night. Not sure how many tackles he had but he was on or around the ball carrier almost every time. I think he even broke up a pass which is rare for him lol. But it appears we will at least get 1 more good year out of him if last night is any indicator.

[JPFolks]

10 hours ago, Finch23 said:

Glanced through all the comments and I didn't see anyone mention the running game (or lack of). Am I missing something that I can't see in the stat sheet? 

I have no idea what we ended up with, but all I needed to hear was that we had passed game one's total when we only had about 32 yards and that was early in the game.   Our chances of having an above average run game seems nil but I would be thrilled to meet the middle of the pack this year.   Perhaps next year we'll find a real talent at RB in the draft to go along with what can only be a much better and experienced o-line.  For this year, let's hope Gore gets his 1000 and perhaps once knucklehead gets off suspension, he can add another 600+ yards.  With  Luck running smart I think we could live with that.  

[Jdubu]

15 hours ago, southwest1 said:

I get what you're saying about strengthening our defense Jdubu, but to state that you're "not so much into a very solid offensive guy who is broken too often" creates the impression that some Fleener fans wish Allen was in New Orleans right now instead of Coby. I think we traded the right TE & perhaps you do not. Sorry, but what's done is done. 

 

Yes, you are certainly entitled to your opinion & I respectfully disagree. Both #83 & our strength & conditioning coach Darrien Krien should be able to build up his stamina, flexibility, & endurance in my estimation.

 

 

I hope you are right about the strength and conditioning coach improving Allen's outlook of staying healthy because he would be my choice of the two. My issue isn't with his talent and I was never a Fleener fan and believe for the money he got and the production he gave over his years wasn't worth the risk. That's where I am with Allen, his risks of injury history make me concerned with his high money contract and I felt we could have focused it more on a defensive FA without injury history concerns. Don't mistake that reason as I'm hating on Allen, I just find it concerning that we time and time again (polian years included) pay top money at a position on a risky player like this. Allen isn't a once in a generation type player you are forced to risk paying for like a Luck or Adrain Peterson type guy so spending top tier money on a TE that's missed a lot of time concerns me. That's all. 

 

We we can look back at every deal made and second guess it and is suspect this contract will be one of them, good or bad. 

[dudeski]

22 hours ago, csmopar said:

Dwyane Allen is a concern. Again. I still don't get why people liked him over fleener

Because he is much better 

[PeterBowman]

regarding the O line--I thought they pass blocked VERY well as a whole (all strings) save for a couple plays and where Clark got totally blown up. Run blocking is still a work in progress but also need to take into consideration that they've played 2 traditionally VERY good run D's back to back. But what I have liked so far is they're 2 for 2 on 3rd and 1 the past 2 games. Where as in the past those plays got blown up more often than not.

 

That's very encouraging.

[dudeski]

15 hours ago, Coltfreak said:

Agree.  Wasn't calling you out   Just saying. Everyone that hated Bruce and thinks Chud is going to be the savior is in for a shock 

Not really 

[dudeski]

14 hours ago, aaron11 said:

i wouldnt have either.  a lot of people gave fleener a bunch of crap for dropped passes(maybe deserved) but allen's drop rate was actually higher

 

allen has had like 2 good, but not great years and two years full of injuries and play that was just average

That's not true

[Jason_]

19 hours ago, 21isSuperman said:

He's a far more complete TE than Fleener.  With Fleener, you essentially have a very large WR, but Allen can also block and even play FB if needed.  Allen's only concern is health, not talent or ability

 

come on now...that may have been true when Fleener first came into the league, but to deny that he vastly improved in his blocking during his time with the colts is just ignorant.

 

[Jason_]

2 minutes ago, dudeski said:

That's not true

 

pretty sure you should still be hibernating somewhere...elsewhere

[dudeski]

1 minute ago, Jason_S said:

 

pretty sure you should still be hibernating somewhere...elsewhere

What 2 years were full of injuries?

[Jason_]

1 minute ago, dudeski said:

What 2 years were full of injuries?

 

*derp* maybe you should ask the person that said it.  Huh?  You think that might be a good idea champ?

[dudeski]

6 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

 

*derp* maybe you should ask the person that said it.  Huh?  You think that might be a good idea champ?

Oh gotcha

 

you were just being cool

[Jason_]

1 minute ago, dudeski said:

Oh gotcha

 

you were just being cool

 

nope...just giving you the type of welcome back that you so deserve

[John Waylon]

Jesus. Some of you are acting like Allen just tossed the ball on the ground because he was tired of holding it. He was being tackled by Weddle (Who you should probably be aware is an elite safety) and McClellan made a good, heads up play and threw a perfect punch to knock it loose. As someone said once already he has fumbled only TWICE in his career, so let's reign it in and get back to reality. 

 

 

This game looked much better than against Buffalo. Luck had a really "even" performance, so maybe people will finally hush about the whole "Uneven training camp" crap. 

 

Offensive line looked better. Some pretty good run blocking, and some pretty poor run blocking. It's a work in progress for sure, but at least this week there was some proof of progress.

 

The defensive line looks ready to roll. The LB's played well.

 

Our secondary, specifically it's lack of depth, is a concern at this point. I don't see Glover-Wright or White being worth a roster spot. White was getting thrown at all night, and usually in a different zip code than the reciever. We know Butler is unreliable, and about all we've seen from Smith has been his name on the injury report, so that could end up being a real thorn in our side as the season goes along. 

 

Green was less active this week than he was against Buffalo, I thought, but not necessarily in a bad way. I still like where he's at. 

 

I am still shocked all to be damn on McAfee's miss. In that situation a million times over I never would have bet on him leaving it short. We've heard and seen about him putting them in from 60+ with ample room to spare for so long I thought for sure it would be wide, never short. I dunno if he just didn't get all of it or what, but that probably sealed his chances of ever getting a chance at a long one during a regular season game...

 

Injuries........ Jesus the injuries.... I've been saying it since 2007 now: Ditch the gatorade and put milk in the bucket instead. We rack up more injuries than any one hospital can stand. 

[Jason_]

2 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

 

 

I am still shocked all to be damn on McAfee's miss. In that situation a million times over I never would have bet on him leaving it short. We've heard and seen about him putting them in from 60+ with ample room to spare for so long I thought for sure it would be wide, never short. I dunno if he just didn't get all of it or what, but that probably sealed his chances of ever getting a chance at a long one during a regular season game...

 

I agree.  Had Pat missed that FG wide right or wide left, I wouldn't have thought anything of it.  But for it to come up short?  That was the last thing I expected. lol  

 

I can't say that I agree about it sealing his chances of ever getting a chance in a real game though.  I'd have been more inclined to agree had his kick not been so dead on right down the middle.  

[John Waylon]

2 minutes ago, Jason_S said:

I can't say that I agree about it sealing his chances of ever getting a chance in a real game though.  I'd have been more inclined to agree had his kick not been so dead on right down the middle.  

 

That could be the saving grace. I think it would have to be a really extreme situation for it though. 

[Jason_]

2 minutes ago, John Waylon said:

 

That could be the saving grace. I think it would have to be a really extreme situation for it though. 

 

oh yeah, I definitely agree on that part

[John Waylon]

Oh, and Tolzien had a much better game. If he had come out and % the bed again it probably would have been time to give Morris a run with the 2's, but to his credit he came out and looked much, much better. 

[OffensivelyPC]

23 hours ago, BOTT said:

What?  He didn't hold onto it forever.  And you can hold onto it forever if you have the time and don't take a hit.

I also noticed that when it started getting near that 3s count after the snap, he'd look to run instead of just hanging on and fake pump a million times (not to mention he's sliding more - hope that carries into the regular season).  That to me was the most encouraging thing I saw in addition to being more willing to check down faster than in previous seasons.

[krunk]

Still have 2 more games to be played, but from what I can see so far I think Okine and Maggitt will probably be the guys we see behind Cole and Mathis when the season starts.  Bates and Thompson I think will probably see the PS unless somebody makes the roster for special teams reasons only. Need to see a little bit more though because I felt the Ravens were getting rid of the ball quickly which kind of stymied the pass rush.

[aaron11]

1 hour ago, dudeski said:

That's not true

yes it is.  27 games missed in 4 years.  thats one full season and 11/16ths of another

 

heres the stats for drops

 

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/drops/2014/

[dudeski]

4 minutes ago, aaron11 said:

yes it is.  27 games missed in 4 years.  thats one full season and 11/16ths of another

 

heres the stats for drops

 

http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/drops/2014/

Your numbers are wrong 

[aaron11]

7 minutes ago, dudeski said:

Your numbers are wrong 

straight from espn, the numbers are right!  look them up yourself.  dont forget the playoff games too

 

http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/14901/dwayne-allen

 

allens drop rate really was higher than fleeners and actually pretty bad among guys with 20+ targets

[richard pallo]

8 minutes ago, krunk said:

Still have 2 more games to be played, but from what I can see so far I think Okine and Maggitt will probably be the guys we see behind Cole and Mathis when the season starts.  Bates and Thompson I think will probably see the PS unless somebody makes the roster for special teams reasons only. Need to see a little bit more though because I felt the Ravens were getting rid of the ball quickly which kind of stymied the pass rush.

It's a real battle so far.  I kind of like Bates because he's playing well on ST's.  Great competition. 

[BullsColtsFan1]

I didn't watch the game but I watched the Luck highlights.  8-8 and two rushes for 12 yards and he avoided taking any hits.  I think that alone is a good sign.  The 1st string offensive line did their job.  That was good to see!  On a side note, I would like to see Morris get the back up QB spot.  I think he's a better fit than Tolzien.

[WarGhost21]

Another great write up!! Made for an enjoyable read, and also let me concentrate on something other than the class I'm sitting through right now!! Hope to read more again next week!! Keep it up!

[krunk]

22 minutes ago, richard pallo said:

It's a real battle so far.  I kind of like Bates because he's playing well on ST's.  Great competition. 

I like Bates too. I feel like he's done small things well like Special Teams, fundamental tackling, sets the edge well on outside runs.  He's got the speed

to rush the passer, but he's really kind of raw at it. 

 

Needs some work on setting up pass rush moves to get around bigger offensive linemen instead of kind of getting engulfed.  I've seen numerous things I've liked overall though.

[Chucklez]

18 hours ago, COLTS449 said:

I am a little concerned with Dwayne Allen. Can he stay healthy, and can he produce. He needs to have a big year and give us at least 500 yards, and 5 TD's. Hopefully more.

As our featured TE and most likely seeing something like 75% of the snaps at TE, I would be expecting him to have something more like 750 yards and 6 TD's. Anything less (if he doesnt get injured) would be disappointing to me.

[BrentMc11]

24 minutes ago, krunk said:

I like Bates too. I feel like he's done small things well like Special Teams, fundamental tackling, sets the edge well on outside runs.  He's got the speed

to rush the passer, but he's really kind of raw at it

I was really impressed by Okine setting the edge.  He did not do well last week in that area.  Nobody was getting outside of him this week.

[krunk]

7 minutes ago, BrentMc11 said:

I was really impressed by Okine setting the edge.  He did not do well last week in that area.  Nobody was getting outside of him this week.

Okine can set a good edge.  I felt that way about him coming out of college. I agree he was kind of horrible at it last week against the Bills, but I attribute that to getting into the rules of his new position.  As he gets comfortable it will become more and more consistent with him I think.  I can't wait until he really learns how to use those long arms to control Offensive Linemen and set up his pass rush. I've seen glimpses here and there, but when he puts it all together I think he's going to be good.

[BrentMc11]

3 minutes ago, krunk said:

Okine can set a good edge.  I felt that way about him coming out of college. I agree he was kind of horrible at it last week against the Bills, but I attribute that to getting into the rules of his new position.  As he gets comfortable it will become more and more consistent with him I think.  I can't wait until he really learns how to use those long arms to control Offensive Linemen and set up his pass rush. I've seen glimpses here and there, but when he puts it all together I think he's going to be good.

I also love when he sets after the QB he wants them to fear him coming the next time.  I totally agree with you word for word.

[Coffeedrinker]

I think after last year, people that say Allen is a better blocking TE than Fleener do not really pay much attention to TE blocking.  Allen is an adequate blocker, Fleener took longer to develop but Fleener is an adequate to slightly above adequate blocker.

 

For the rest rookie, LB Morrison played poorly in the first preseason game, against Baltimore he played much better, less standing around waiting and more attacking and it paid dividends, he really plugged up some things.

 

Green is ready to start. 

 

Kelly was solid again, still needs to get better at workign with his guards, especially when it comes to passing them off so he can pick up a stunt or blitz.  BUt that is to be expected from a rookie.

 

As impressive as Clark was last week, he was that poor against the Ravens.  But Reitz struggled as well so maybe Balt is just stack on that side of the field.

 

I am pretty tough on Harrison and I still don't think he will be able to handle things when teams start to gameplan their stunts and bltizes but he's been solid, his snaps are on the money and they have a lot of zip getting back there.  Much faster than Kelly's shotgun snaps.

 

Haeg was impressive again

 

#37, that was not pass interference, when they showed the replay, he was right there but he didn't really run into or touch the receiver... it was a bad call.

 

Ridgeway played well, showed both the ability to plug holes and hold his ground and the ability to fire off the snap and disrupt things in the backfield.

[BrentMc11]

@Coffeedrinker:  good analysis.  Harrison did have one high snap.     Rick Venturi said a couple of times these past 2 weeks that Harrison would be a really good guard.  I agree with that.  Thoughts?

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, BrentMc11 said:

@Coffeedrinker:  good analysis.  Harrison did have one high snap.     Rick Venturi said a couple of times these past 2 weeks that Harrison would be a really good guard.  I agree with that.  Thoughts?

I actually think guard would be his best position.  I think he's battling Blyth for the backup center/guard spot.  If Blyth has a solid couple of preseason games to come I think he could win the spot.  Philbin drafted him so that really puts the pressure on Harrison and Thornton.  I could see them both being offered up for trade and or released.  Injuries on other teams could make them candidates for trade.  The next couple of weeks could provide a couple of surprise outcomes. 

[chad72]

Personally, signing a guy like Antonio Cromartie might at least give us some injury insurance, IMO, on the secondary front.

 

Also, our OL blocked better for pass blocking than run blocking but traditionally, fronts like the Patriots, Ravens, Steelers are tough to run against, we had to pass against those teams more often. I would not be opposed to running 2 WR / 1 TE formations with a fullback to give our opponents more to think of and prepare, we might want to think of getting a FB. Passing to RBs/FBs would be something I'd like to see more of. 

 

TY McGill and Ridgeway, I have high hopes for them with our DL.

 

 

[crazycolt1]

16 minutes ago, chad72 said:

Personally, signing a guy like Antonio Cromartie might at least give us some injury insurance, IMO, on the secondary front.

 

Also, our OL blocked better for pass blocking than run blocking but traditionally, fronts like the Patriots, Ravens, Steelers are tough to run against, we had to pass against those teams more often. I would not be opposed to running 2 WR / 1 TE formations with a fullback to give our opponents more to think of and prepare, we might want to think of getting a FB. Passing to RBs/FBs would be something I'd like to see more of. 

 

TY McGill and Ridgeway, I have high hopes for them with our DL.

 

 

IMO even signing Cromartie with his veteran minimum would be too much for a player who is just a shell of what he was once. His name is more popular than his play.

[Coffeedrinker]

1 hour ago, BrentMc11 said:

@Coffeedrinker:  good analysis.  Harrison did have one high snap.     Rick Venturi said a couple of times these past 2 weeks that Harrison would be a really good guard.  I agree with that.  Thoughts?

Who I am to disagree with coach but I do not agree.  I agree that Having less information to process would be good for Harirson but, IMO he is too slow footed and plodding to be a good guard.  If the opposing team would be nice enough to line a DT directly over Harrison every time then I think he would dominate but that won't happen, they will force him to take angles to block someone and he is just not good at that.