What will you be looking for this Thursday vrs. the Seahawks?

[IndyD4U]

Literally every single thing. With the new staff, new scheme, and roster turnover, I'm excited to get a small sliver of what we can expect 

[DougDew]

Offensive scheme change and its effect on QB sacks and accuracy.  I expect a big difference, despite who happens to be playing OL or WR.

[Aluckiswolverine]

Oline... with the starting left tackle out I feel like the football gods hate Andrew Luck. I just want him to survive no injuries. 

 

I dint expect to be impressed just no injuries would excite me. 

[markabrown96]

5 hours ago, krunk said:

Want to get a closer look at Adams and Zaire Franklin. Haven't heard a whole lot on either one.

Been curious myself, heard Franklin was running with the 2nd team.

[GwinnettColt]

The O-line (especially without Castonzo).  Can they protect the QB and improve the run game, too?

The pass rush.  Will the DE's get to the quarterback?

 

Will the front seven on D be able to stop the run? 

[IinD]

For me I'll be looking at what numbers everyone is wearing. I hate not knowing who's who when I watch certain years. 

I usually watch game one of preseason with a roster in my hand.. Lol

[braveheartcolt]

17 hours ago, Lawrence Owen said:

This.  This is the most unique and possibly best answer to my question I've read.  Everyone has already dubbed Ballard and Reich the second coming of the messiah.  But facts are, we are basically in the exact situation we were in 6 year ago when Grigson and Pagano was hired.  Coming off horrible season with a bad overall team. And neither has ever done their jobs before.   Though i do believe in what they both preach, It is sometimes easy to forget, they may be bad at their jobs...

I can assure you that not "everybody' has already dubbed Ballard and Reich as the messiah etc. Jared's take was a fair one, but your dramatic response devalued it. It added nothing to what most fans already know....

[lollygagger8]

To see Reich on the sidelines instead of that other clown. 

 

Thank you Jesus! 

[Chrisaaron1023]

I just want to see the horseshoe in a game! it's gonna be so much fun!

[richard pallo]

When I wake up Friday morning to read about the results I want to see that Andrew survived his first outing to fight another day.  My nightmare scenario is that he was hurt when some defensive lineman hit him after they bull rushed past Haag or Clarke.

[chad72]

Other than Andrew's health and the ability of the OL (to protect him) which go hand-in-hand for however little he is on the field, my second focus is on the pass defense (pass rush, LB and DB coverages).  Most of all, no injuries.

[chad72]

On 8/4/2018 at 3:12 PM, Four2itus said:

Minimal to zero injuries. That is all. All will come in time. 

 

This has to be #1.

 

New turf, new coaches, new schemes, lots of new faces on the roster, there are enough new things going on, the only old thing that we don't want to rehash primarily is injuries.

[Myles]

I'm not really looking for much other than no injuries.    The RB position may be the most important at this point.   

Also, some attitude on defense.   That seems to grow through the team more than through the players.   If we can create that "chip on our shoulder" during preseason, perhaps it will carry through.  

[HtownColt]

All of the young guys on defense and they're are a lot of them. Tyquan Lewis, Kemoko Turay, Tarell Basham, Grover Stewart, Skai Moore, Darius Leonard, Zaire Franklin, Matthew Adams, Quincy Wilson, Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, TJ Green

[Smash Mouth]

1 hour ago, Myles said:

I'm not really looking for much other than no injuries.    The RB position may be the most important at this point.   

Also, some attitude on defense.   That seems to grow through the team more than through the players.   If we can create that "chip on our shoulder" during preseason, perhaps it will carry through.  

I agree.  I want to see attitude adjustments - discipline and toughness. There's not game planning on offense so its minimalistic.  I want to see #12 get that ball out of his hands quickly and avoid hits.  I want to see the defense tackle some people. We haven't seen them tackle in years

[legend300]

6 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

To see Reich on the sidelines instead of that other clown. 

 

Thank you Jesus! 

Not seeing Reich clap all the time when something bad happens.  Like previous coach did. 

[pgt_rob]

Definitely looking for players to leave without injuries. Looking to see how Luck does in the 1st quarter. Hopefully he looks like the same Andrew. Looking at our running back crew, especially the newbies, Mack included. Definitely wondering about how our WR core is looking with Grant, KJ, Chester, Deon Cain, etc. See some good defensive pressure during the 1st quarter. 

[Boiler_Colt]

1 hour ago, HtownColt said:

All of the young guys on defense and they're are a lot of them. Tyquan Lewis, Kemoko Turay, Tarell Basham, Grover Stewart, Skai Moore, Darius Leonard, Zaire Franklin, Matthew Adams, Quincy Wilson, Nate Hairston, Kenny Moore, TJ Green 

Pretty much the same. However, Turay was already ruled out I believe and I doubt Lewis plays since he had a boot on today.

[Deadpool]

I'll be looking at how the linebacker group plays, and the secondary. and at how well the fill in at LT will be at protecting Luck's blind side. BUT most importantly, I will be more interested in the coaching aspect of the game. the adjustments they need to make, what plays they run, and defensively, if they are going to blitz a lot or, just play back and let the DLine do the pressuring. whole new coaching group, makes it interesting on what exactly they will do. 

[chrisfarley]

Keep an eye on when starters are removed from either team, that's when phase I analysis ends. Offense: How did we do as far as QB prowess, running lanes, pass protection, who emerges at WR, LT, & RB.  Defense: What schemes were employed, what did the LBers look like, how did traditional mike, ike, & sam look from a spacing standpoint (were we cheating spacing due to lack of athleticism), how did we hold the edge? Corners -- I will squint my eyes and watch.  I'd say then we look at Phase II, very closely to see what combination of starters are kept in to play with some of the rookies, and vets trying to make the roster,, how did they grade out?  That combo will then give way to no perceived starters left out there (Phase III) and then its Katy, bar the door. What is glaring good or bad. There should be some players hopefully jumping off the page a bit for all the right reasons taking their stand to make the team... I like that part of the game, albeit uglier, I think this year's team should have some nice prospects doing some damage.

[indyagent17]

1. Leonard and Basham as pass rushers

2. Cain and Fountain 

3. The right side of the offensive line and how it performs

4. Moore in pass coverage 

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

Can't wait for some Colts football even if its preseason .

 

I will be paying close attention  to each & every aspect of the game especially the coaching' the offensive & defensive & special teams coaches every bit as much as the players . 

 

An offensive minded Coach as HC  & former QB as well IMO will pay off big time in Andrew Lucks development I felt from day 1 Andrew Luck was every bit as special as Peyton Manning & I have been disgusted with the way the front office has squandered his Colts career to this point & hope this is his year to shine ,

 

This season I am hopeful & grateful to Ballard for bringing in a team of coaches that are ready & able to bring the City of Indianapolis back to the top of the AFC South & beyond every journey begins with 1 step we struggled early on with 18 now we have gone thru the ringer again this I hope is the beginning of something special , 

 

As a Colts Homer I believe in the Blue it started with the Cardiac Colts & Jim Harbaugh And then Peyton Manning  I'm ready to watch Andrew Luck lead his Colts to a winning season we'v been the underdogs many times it will be fun to watch the Colts come back from obscurity ...

[P'Son]

On 8/4/2018 at 3:06 PM, Lawrence Owen said:

5 days until our first preseason game!  I'm sure all of you are just as excited as i am.  Winning is meaningless (it's not regular season), but I will be looking at a LOT of things in this game.

 

1: How will Luck be AFTER he gets drilled for the first time? Will he just shake it off and say 'nice hit' like normal? Will his shoulder hold up?  Will it shake him? 

 

2: O-line.....Please let me see this monster hit the field like i have seen in my head over and over. I want to see if running lanes are more apparent than in recent years.  And no more run-away trucks barreling up the middle at our defenseless QB.

 

3: D-line...Gimme penetration like has been preached.  Not necessarily on every play, by everyone. But i'd like to see opposing QBs with less than an entire commercial break to decide whom to play catch with.  And I want to see a big body in the backfield occasionally when the RB gets handed the ball.

4:DB's  ....  Do we even have any on our team?  The consensus in training camp is that Luck AND Brisset have torched our secondary.  Now this could mean the our O is just that good..But i am afraid it may not be that.  I want to see our secondary hold their own against Wilson and their 1st team.

 

There are other things obviously. but those are my big 4.  What's your interest in the upcoming match-up?  What are you most hoping to see?

 

5: Coaching ....  Do they know what the hell they are doing?

[Superman]

Offense: How Luck looks, how the TEs play, what the backs do, and especially how the interior OL plays

 

Defense: Tackling, contested passes, tackling, is there any pass rush (interior and edge), tackling

 

Coaching: I don't think there's much to be learned from how they handle this game, or preseason in general. There's a recent report that the coaches will call the games very vanilla in the preseason, and I'm sure they'll be super conservative with injured players (as they should)

[rockywoj]

Looking at the starting OL, obviously, but without Castonzo, one can take heart that this is likely not the starting OL lineup that we will be seeing.  Still though, looking for solid pass protection.

 

Also, looking at the LB and DB play, as these two positions are the team's biggest question marks.

 

As a generality, I can honestly say I cannot remember ever looking so forward to an initial preseason game.  Looking really forward to seeing what the Colts put on the field!

[stitches]

Didn't Frank Reich say that he will show nothing tactically in pre-season from what we will be doing in the regular season? If that's the case I guess we should be looking more for individual players' performances and more of holistic view of the team and how they do in the general areas of football(tackling, contesting catches, pass-rush, ability to separate on offense), rather than specific execution of schemes. 

 

I want to see how Leonard and Skai Moore do purely athletically and see if Wilson will choose to challenge them with his feet.... also how are their instincts and ball-skills in coverage. I want to see how the O-line does with passing off stunts and blitzes. I want to see the interior move people in the running game, and I will be paying special attention to the A-gap on the left between Kelly and Nelson. I want to see highways. 

 

I want to see what the coaches are seeing in Grant that made them put him closer to TY Hilton than to the rest of the receivers. At least Reich said so "TY and Grant are separating themselves as WR1 and WR2". 

 

I want to see where Kenny Moore factors in - is it at the slot or on the boundary and if it's on the boundary does he start ahead of Wilson? 

[jbaron04]

Oline 

[Statiik82]

Found the game tomorrow, so I won't have to wait until Friday anymore!! Whoop Whoop!!

[NannyMcafee]

Stuck between wanting to see luck hold up well to contact and wanting to see our oline protect him... can’t have both... well I guess we can

[Superman]

27 minutes ago, NannyMcafee said:

Stuck between wanting to see luck hold up well to contact and wanting to see our oline protect him... can’t have both... well I guess we can

 

I'd rather see the line keep Luck completely clean than see him hold up to contact. 

[NannyMcafee]

1 minute ago, Superman said:

 

I'd rather see the line keep Luck completely clean than see him hold up to contact. 

 

I will always be down to see a line never give up a sack all season long. 

[Cynjin]

 

LOL.

[ColtsBlueFL]

In. Addition to much of the above, who (with) and how we both cover and run back kickoffs.

 

(All new rules for kickoffs, likely different personnel use din it)

[NewColtsFan]

All the bases have been covered in this thread...    good job, all!

 

I don’t care who wins, I just don’t want to see serious injuries and I’d like to see improved play from all the usual suspects.....

 

If we can wake up Friday with all the right boxes checked, then a Thursday night pre-season game will have been well worth it.

[Nadine]

I'd like to see Andrew Luck through a football if possible

[Rackeen305]

I would like to see the Colts contain QB Wilson outside the pocket. We had a LB Freeman who was great at that.

 

Offensvely:

I want to see how OG Nelson play against NFL Dlinemen. 

I want to see if the Oline can open up wholes instead of the RB getting smacked 3 yrds behind the line

I want to see if Luck has time (2hrs)  in the pocket like Tom B (wont spell it)

I want to see if the WR/TE can get open (unlike last year. Hopefully Reggie helped with this)

 

Defensively:

I want to see if the Colts can stop the run.

I want to see how Basham develops as a pass rush LB and Sheard as a down Dlinemen

I want to know if Malik Hooker plays.

I want to see how the CB play in this new scheme (I was told more zone than man).

 

Coaching:

I want to see the play calling and if its predictable.

 

Overall:

I want to leave this pre-season and season with as few injuries as possible. Luck/Hooker/Geathers/Nelson/Kelly playing all 16+ games because these are the best players/Most important on our team. Like it or hate it! its just a fact! If these 4 dont play all season long, smh it will look ugly out there.

[Crunked]

I will be looking for:

Intensity

Talent

and Consistency

Taking those three criteria and measuring them against everything from Luck's rust, to any number of unknown starters on defense, to O-line play.