| Anthony Holds. 3rd September, 2009 - 4:15 pm
 Preseason is hurtling toward a conclusion, and none too soon. While there are always interesting subplots to follow and players to watch in the exhibition portion of the NFL’s annual schedule… by the fourth week most of us are more than ready for some games that mean something. This year is no different.
Let’s take a look at what light the first three preseason games have shed on the questions with which the Colts entered camp a month ago today.
Finding a new third wideout: This issue, while not completely cleared up, has come into sharper focus over the last few weeks. It seems clear now that both Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon will see significant time at the inception of the regular season. But it also looks like the rookie from BYU has caught and passed Garcon in the pecking order. The Colts leading receiver (tied with Dallas Clark) in preseason with 8 receptions for 69 yards, Collie has shown great hands and a great work ethic… and seems to be quickly earning the respect of Peyton Manning. Garcon has had a couple of nice moments in the preseason, such as the 63-yard reception he made against the Lions, but also has had a couple drops that could be cause for concern going forward. As was stated in this column previously, their time in the offense will largely depend on the packages being run – Collie will play exclusively in the slot and Garcon on the outside. That would tend to favor Collie in terms of time on the field, in that his presence would keep both Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez on the field on the outside. One other rather predictable development that weighs heavily in all of this is that Dallas Clark’s workload will increase even more this year. He is likely to be the first Colts tight end to surpass 1,000 yards for a season (he had 848 last year with Marvin Harrison still in the fold) and will spend time in the slot in three-wide formations as well. One might even say that he’s the real third wide receiver on the team at this point.
Resurrecting the running game: There have been encouraging signs on this front throughout the preseason. Joseph Addai (11 carries, 46 yards) and rookie phenom Donald Brown (13 carries, 79 yards) have combined for a 5.2 yard-per-carry average against primarily opposing first team defenses. … a nice improvement over the 3.5 average that Addai and Dominic Rhodes combined for last year. The offense in general has not put up amazing rushing stats, but it is really the numbers of those two players in the first team offense, with the starting offensive line in place, that one needs to look at in order to get an idea of what we might be seeing come the regular season. The most interesting thing to see going forward will be how the carries will be separated between Addai and Brown. Addai seems to have gotten the message of the Colts’ choice to draft Brown, but no matter how well he plays Brown is simply too dynamic of a presence to be kept on the sideline very long. The degree to which offensive coordinator Tom Moore can find both players vital contributing roles as the season goes along will help determine just how potent this year’s offense can be. If he finds a successful mix that keeps opposing defenses from successfully loading up against the run, we could be looking forward to one of the best offensive shows this team has put up since the record-breaking 2004 season.
Shoring up the defense against the run: This is clearly very much a work in progress. It remains to be seen whether the more aggressive tweaks coordinator Larry Coyer has made will parlay themselves into better results. It’s been an up-and-down preseason… with the first team looking outstanding at one moment (Dwight Freeney’s sack/forced fumble-for-turnover in the Eagles game comes to mind) and pretty darn ordinary the next (allowing Daunte Culpepper and the Lions offense to move the ball far too effectively last week). Injuries remain the biggest key here, though. Marlin Jackson has finally returned at one cornerback, Kelvin Hayden expects to be back for the season opener at the other. Antoine Bethea is back in the mix at safety. The health of Bob Sanders, as it is every year, will be a key issue. The team has to decide before making their cuts on Saturday whether they should keep him on the PUP list. If they do, he will be ineligible to play before Week 6. Week 6 is the Colts’ bye week, so if he were then available going forward he would only miss 5 games. A healthy Sanders for the last 11 weeks of the season might be worth a cautious approach. One can only hope this doesn’t turn into a Ryan Lilja situation like last year, in which the veteran guard was placed on PUP and expected back, but ultimately missed the whole season. Melvin Bullitt has proved a surprisingly effective replacement for Sanders, but there is a big difference between a nice player and one who has the ability to dictate the entire defensive tone of a game from the safety position. If the team is to make a serious run at another Super Bowl championship, Sanders will almost definitely need to be on the field for it.
As for the beefed up Colts front-line, it seems that Ed Johnson has a stranglehold on the starting right defensive tackle slot. His combination of size and speed is the best the team has. Antonio Johnson, picked up as a veteran free agent a year ago, has played his way into the other starting spot for now. He is being pushed by Daniel Muir, another in-season free agent pickup from last season. The two of them, in fact, are likely to start the season opener against the Jaguars because Ed Johnson has to sit that one out and serve a league mandated one game suspension for the incident that got him released by the Colts last year. Eric Foster provides experienced depth, and while neither of the Colts rookie draft choices has shone in the preseason, it seems that Fili Moala shows enough motor and potential to be safe. Terrance Taylor, the 4th-rounder out of Michigan, may be in trouble, though. He has gotten increasingly limited playing time as Adrian Grady, a 6’1”, 298 pound undrafted free agent out of Louisville, has spent more time on the field. Against the Lions Grady had two solo tackles, including one for a loss. It will be interesting to see how those two, as well as Moala, fare tomorrow night against the Bengals.
All in all, with the rash of injuries the defense has suffered in the past month, there is more to feel good about right now on the offensive side of the ball. Manning looks as sharp as ever, having gone 23-31 (74.2%!) for 296 yards, 3 touchdowns, no picks, and a ridiculous 136 quarterback rating throughout the preseason. The running game looks improved, and the receiving corps seems to be coming together. Whether the defense will take a step forward in stopping the run and giving Manning and Co. improved time-of-possession numbers is a question that will only truly begin to be answered in a week-and-a-half. In any case, the Colts appear ready to contend once again… and the continuing successful resolution of these issues will play a dominant role in whether January and February will be happy months in Indianapolis next year. |
