Colts Starters Expected to Play a Little Over a Half Against Eagles
Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said that heâs planning on his starters playing a little over a half in the teamâs 3rd âplayedâ preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday evening:
"Aug 13, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY SportsâWeâd like to get a good half of football in,â said Pagano on Monday. âTry to come out, go through a halftime procedure. Make the appropriate adjustments on both sides of the ball on special teams and then open the 3rd quarter. Thatâs what you put down on paper for this preseason game, and then you see how that first half goes.ââIf we reach a number, snap count-wise that we feel good about, that may or may not happen depending on what happens in the first half. Youâd really like them to âblow out their lungsâ and play a significant amount of time.â"
It makes sense too, as the 3rd preseason game (assuming a team is not playing in the Hall of Fame Game) is typically the actual âdress rehearsalâ for the regular season opener, as starters typically do not much play muchâif at all in the preseason finale.
Itâs worth noting that last preseason, neither starting quarterback Andrew Luck nor any of the teamâs other offensive or defensive starters played against the Bengals in the Colts final preseason gameâyet played a significant amount of snaps just a game prior.
For the Colts, Saturday could be the lone preseason appearance of veteran pass rusher Robert Mathis, who was held out of last weekendâs preseason game due to rest. It would be shocking to see either Mathis or Frank Gore for that matter play extensive snaps however. Both veteran players would be better served saving their legs for the regular season.
Nevertheless, the Colts starters should see quite a bit of action on Saturday night, which means this is really the preseason game to watch.