Positives from Week One

[MikeCurtis]

I have to say Hines looked better than I though he would

[Flash7]

1 minute ago, MikeCurtis said:

I have to say Hines looked better than I though he would

Completely agree. I was one in the group who was critical of him and he had a good game. Shut me up.

[PeterBowman]

I think Nelson will have a little easier matchup next week......and he did very well against Adkins.

[Vexed]

I for one am drinking the kool aid. For a team with so many new and young faces, not to mention the coaches/ scheme changes, I saw a team ready to play and a bunch of kids not afraid of the challenge. I think Chris’ drafting of high character leader types really showed out. I’m loving this voyage with this new group of Colts and think sooner rather than later most of us will be rubbing it in the noses of all the negative Nancy’s.

[Coltscrazy]

On offense, loved Grant and Wilkins.  Haeg did great.  Who played RT?  Luck looked great and Ebron lookes like a good signing.

 

On defense, Hunt, holy cow.  On 1070 the fan, they said he was looking explosive in practice too.  Woods is an animal and Leonard is a boss.  I also wantd to give some love to Kenny Moore and Nate Hairston.  Moore stuck to people well, and Hairston is one of my favorite players to watch.  Hairston reads things quickly, and hits hard for a corner.  I might get a jersey.

Weird game.  Played well and lost.  Fun with pieces for future, and finally a good coach.

 

 

 

[deedub75]

1 hour ago, krunk said:

I did. The Bengals had a total of 3 points before that flakey PI call gbefore the half. We were comfortably moving the football and being disciplined. The score was like 16 to 3. If we stay playing that way it's a decisive win. Instead we did the opposite. Cincy did not cause Turay to horse collar, and they didn't cause Geathers to PI amongst other things we did to kill ourselves. Cincy never really stopped the short passes. We did many things to kill the things we did well.

 

The Bengals had plenty of penalties as well.  You can't blame penalties for this Colts loss.  Maybe the Bengals had something to do with the way you say the Colts changed the way they played.  The Bengals made adjustments and outplayed the Colts down the stretch.  

[ColtsAC]

I liked the lb speed. Ebron showed well. Nelson played well. Luck gave his usual "we can win this vibe". Pass rush flushed the Cinci QB more than I thought it might. 3rd down convetsion rate. The game held my attention. Lots to like.

P.s. Wilson got jobbed on the bad PI call.

[Lawrence Owen]

With our starters back on the o-line I think we'll run the ball better.  We have receivers. Defense was flying around.

I know this is supposed to be a 'positive' thread, but I need to get this off my shoulders. The entire ride home, I was *.  Not a Doyle's fumble, or Luck's pick.  But at Geathers. He was Awful today.  He got behind the line and instead of take the right route to get the runner at or just behind the line as he was running toward the edge, he dove trying to make a big play way behind the line and whiffed.  HUGE run.  He dove at another receiver at another bad angle...7 extra yards.  He basically climbed all over the back of a receiver, got tangle up..they both fall down,..and he had the nerve to be mad at the PI call.  If anyone cost us the game today, it was him.  He made bad decisions the entire game. (I hope this is an anomaly, because i like Geathers...just not today,...now expecting the backlash of my observations on him....

[richard pallo]

2 minutes ago, Lawrence Owen said:

With our starters back on the o-line I think we'll run the ball better.  We have receivers. Defense was flying around.

I know this is supposed to be a 'positive' thread, but I need to get this off my shoulders. The entire ride home, I was *.  Not a Doyle's fumble, or Luck's pick.  But at Geathers. He was Awful today.  He got behind the line and instead of take the right route to get the runner at or just behind the line as he was running toward the edge, he dove trying to make a big play way behind the line and whiffed.  HUGE run.  He dove at another receiver at another bad angle...7 extra yards.  He basically climbed all over the back of a receiver, got tangle up..they both fall down,..and he had the nerve to be mad at the PI call.  If anyone cost us the game today, it was him.  He made bad decisions the entire game. (I hope this is an anomaly, because i like Geathers...just not today,...now expecting the backlash of my observations on him....

I think you're right on this one.  I thought Farley played well when he was out there.  

[IinD]

Reich impressed me with how he liked to stretch the O out at times and constantly shifting players to put pressure on the opposing teams LB's to move constantly prior to the snap. Not lining up and hoping a play works (ie: last few years).

 

Just from this one game you can see he understands matchups, trying to create throwing lanes/zones for recievers. Creates a running game by throwing if it isn't there traditionally with screen passes and dumpoffs. The nice drive to get points before the half instead of sitting on it, which we seemed to do in the Pagano years.

 

Sure we've got problems at many spots, but our coaching seemed better already. 

 

Hard to overcome mistakes when they're bad ones...Geathers screwed up badly once, Hooker got flat out beat on the TD, Luck threw one terrible INT, Doyle's dagger. 

 

There was a lot of good, but the few bad were killers today.

[ojsglove]

Plenty of blame for this loss on both sides of the ball, but also a lot of positives to take away from this game.  Always disappointed in a loss, but for the first game of the season, I can live with this one.

[King Colt]

We are not Buffalo and we are not New Orleans.

[Goatface Killah]

I think we are in a very good place. But then again, Im not an emotional trainwreck that over reacts to everything.

 

Andrew is back. People can whine all they want about the pick he threw early, but he bounced back in a big way, like he always does. He was really, really good after that. And he didnt look rusty at all in his final 50 pass attempts. I am perfectly willing to live with his chance taking, because if we can build a team around him, it wont matter much. He is just that good. That was a really good defense he carved up, after not being around for how long? Ridiculous.

 

We are gonna have 4 really good backs. When Turbin gets back, he could have a hard time getting many touches. Wilkins looked better than his stats indicate to me, and Hines finally showed why we really drafted him. He looked quick and pretty physical for a guy his size. I cant wait to see Mack, Hines and Hilton on the field together. Thats some speed that can provide some chunk plays. I think this group is gonna be key for us moving the chains and sustaining drives as the year goes on.

 

Quenton Nelson was very good, and against a 6x Pro Bowler.  You can already see how easy it is for Andrew to step up in the pocket, which he did many times during the game.  And it is just going to get better.

 

I think once Castonzo gets back we will start to run the ball much better, that is where he is actually very good and people over look that. He is a big upgrade over Joe Haeg. 

 

Ebron looked really good. Not sure why he didnt get in much time in the 2nd half. Out TEs are definitely a strength for us, as suspected. 

 

I also want the coaching staff to start realizing Margus Hunt needs to be in there more on 3rd down. He is not a 2 down player, but it seems they treat him as one. The guy is really coming into his own and we need that size and athleticism on the field as much as possible.

 

There are a couple of other things I am very concerned about. In particular, Skai Moore at MLB. I know he is good at getting down the seam in zone coverage, and all that. But, he is just soft as butter against the run. He only had 2 tackles today, and as a MLB that is not gonna cut it. Hopefully Anthony Walker can take his spot, because Joe Mixon tore us up. Najee Goode also was not goode at all.

 

I STILL dont understand cutting John Simon. Whether he fits the scheme or not, he was easily one of our better defensive players and his hustle was an asset. He would've made a play or two in this game. We didnt need the money. Just boggles my mind.

 

This team is gonna be really good by the end of the season. Give these young guys some time.

[Goatface Killah]

1 hour ago, Lawrence Owen said:

With our starters back on the o-line I think we'll run the ball better.  We have receivers. Defense was flying around.

I know this is supposed to be a 'positive' thread, but I need to get this off my shoulders. The entire ride home, I was *.  Not a Doyle's fumble, or Luck's pick.  But at Geathers. He was Awful today.  He got behind the line and instead of take the right route to get the runner at or just behind the line as he was running toward the edge, he dove trying to make a big play way behind the line and whiffed.  HUGE run.  He dove at another receiver at another bad angle...7 extra yards.  He basically climbed all over the back of a receiver, got tangle up..they both fall down,..and he had the nerve to be mad at the PI call.  If anyone cost us the game today, it was him.  He made bad decisions the entire game. (I hope this is an anomaly, because i like Geathers...just not today,...now expecting the backlash of my observations on him....

Man I agree with you, and I like Geathers a lot. There is no excuse for that penalty he got late in the game. Its one thing to get beat. But to hold a guy 10 yards from the marker on 3rd down is just not gonna fly. Farley is good enough to take his job, so he better get better. That touchdown to Green was on him too, he shouldve been there. He did force a fumble late, which is why I like him so much, but other than that he wasnt good at all. He misses a lot of tackles diving at peoples feet too. Hooker was invisible today also. Hopefully they play better because we all thought they would be a strength. They werent today.

[jet1968]

I thought the play calling was a positive on both offense and defense. 

[Jackie Daytona]

7 hours ago, colts8718 said:

I had to keep reminding myself that Pagano was not coaching the 2nd half sure felt like it. But we still have some young exciting players to look forward to

 

no, it really didn't......  those failed screens?  never called a year ago....... the motion plays?  didn't work, but also, hardly ever called.....  the runs on 1st and 2nd, familiar, but all the Nyheim Hines plays for positive yardage?  NONE of those would have ever been called last year, or Ferguson would probably still be on the team........

[needanoline63]

14 hours ago, ColtsBlitz said:

Nelson held up very well against Geno Atkins. He held him once, but it was a hard block to make on a spin move Atkins made. 

Was he the one who gave up a sack to Geno?

[needanoline63]

Our pass rush still isn’t there. Bengals offensive line isn’t that good. Was it Nelson who gave up the sack to Geno?

[lollygagger8]

What a breath of fresh air to see Luck not having to force feed TY and Doyle.

[smittywerb]

- Our Oline looked ok but I think it was more of the offensive gameplan.  Luck was getting the ball out of there.

- Grant, after a disappointing preseason, looked good.  Disappointed in TY, 11 targets with 5 catches.

- Our rookies on defense looked despite a couple plays.  

- Luck looked great.  Seems like after the int, the rust was shaken off.

- Nelson is as advertised.

[Tony ToneFusion Allen]

• Nelson looked great
• Only 1 sack
• Only 1 negative run
• Luck took some hits and kept on going
• Grant surprised me as a possession receiver
•  

1.  

[Coffeedrinker]

People are complaining about the run D and it was by no means good.  But I think they may have been somewhat by design.  The Colts played a lot of 4-2-5 and when they were in that formation they dropped the SAM so they didn't have anyone to set the edge.

 

And the run defense, or lack there of, was not the reason the Colts lost.  It was the 3rd down pass defense in the 2nd half.

 

The loss sucks but after watching the game (and a lot of people will say various bad things about me, my beverage of choice or other things) but this team looks like a 9-7 or 10-6 team this year.  They did so many things well and the things that cost them the game, PI late in the game, fumble returned for a TD those won't happen every game.

[Semicolt]

Positives on offense.

 

Play calling

Luck is back

Oline improved especially up the middle

Grant is a good possession receiver 

Ebron runs like a wide receiver

Hines and Wilkens played good .

 

Positives on Defense

 

Leonard has all -pro potential

Hunt played great

Turay looks explosive off the snap

 

 

 

 

[Myles]

9 hours ago, GoatBeard said:

 

There are a couple of other things I am very concerned about. In particular, Skai Moore at MLB. I know he is good at getting down the seam in zone coverage, and all that. But, he is just soft as butter against the run. He only had 2 tackles today, and as a MLB that is not gonna cut it. Hopefully Anthony Walker can take his spot, because Joe Mixon tore us up. Najee Goode also was not goode at all.

 

 

I'm not really worried Skai.   I think he'll be just fine.   He is a ball hawk and it'll show as the season progresses.  

[Barry Sears]

I agree with the comments here and even with a loss, this loss felt different to me.  Last year we did a lot of dumb things to lose games.  Bad break on Doyle's fumble, because I believe we would have scored a TD and come away with a win.

 

Lots of positive things from our rookies, who will only get better.  OL held up well and Luck was great.

 

Little concerned about Rogers' decision making on whether or not to call a fair catch.  I understand wanting to make something happen, but there could have been a couple of disasters there that a fair catch would have been the better decision.

 

Looking forward to watching this team develop and really liked our coaching.

[PeterBowman]

another positive.

 

Even with Luck holding the ball a little bit longer than usual, he was only hit on about 9 of nearly 60 drop backs. And a couple of those could've been called for being late too. And this was without Castonzo and with Braden Smith completely whiffing on Dunlap on a sack.

[krunk]

31 minutes ago, Myles said:

I'm not really worried Skai.   I think he'll be just fine.   He is a ball hawk and it'll show as the season progresses.  

I don't think it will in the run game.  He's never had it in that area.

I think he will progress defending the pass. That's his strong suit.

[Architects08]

How was Ryan Kelly? I was so focused on the tackles or Nelson that I forgot to watch the guy. 

[John Waylon]

I was glad to see Ryan Grant get involved and actually produce. After the preseason I wondered if he was just like all those Grigson WR whiffs. 

 

I enjoyed seeing us spread the ball around the way we did as a whole. 

[richard pallo]

9 minutes ago, SanDiegoColt8 said:

How was Ryan Kelly? I was so focused on the tackles or Nelson that I forgot to watch the guy. 

My guess pretty good.  There was really no pressure up the middle.  All from the outside and Luck stepped up into a pocket for the most part. 

[throwing BBZ]

9 minutes ago, SanDiegoColt8 said:

How was Ryan Kelly? I was so focused on the tackles or Nelson that I forgot to watch the guy. 

 

 Not sure what his grade will be, but i think he was solid.
 We got some good pulls from him because we now have NFL quality guards.
 He has very good speed and athleticism to be a great puller. Mack is gonna have some great holes to run through off tackle.

[dodsworth]

A complete rebuild on offense, defense and an overhaul

of all of the coaching staff. Couple that with the youth 

trying to figure out the NFL game and we have absolutely 

nothing to cry about in this game.

 

Ok ok penalties and turnovers will always be a fan favorite

to complain about. Other than that, a lot to be excited about

even in a loss.

[ColtsBlitz]

11 hours ago, needanoline63 said:

Was he the one who gave up a sack to Geno?

That was Smith. For some reason they put him at tackle. 

[Coffeedrinker]

I disagree with a lot of people about Geathers having a bad game.  I thought he looked pretty good out there.  Coverage has never been his strong suit and I don't think that is his primary role in this D.  But there were several runs that would have gone for a lot more yards if he didn't come flying in there to make the stop.