Main Takeaways from the First Preseason Game
By Keenan Alban
The Colts opened up the preseason against the Lions on Sunday afternoon. While some weaknesses were obvious in their 24-10 loss, there were a few bright spots.
Key Takeaways:
Quarterback Play Was Not Pretty
Here's some high-level analysis you won't get anywhere else: The Colts need Andrew Luck back ASAP.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 13, 2017
All of the Colts’ quarterbacks struggled.
Scott Tolzien made one nice throw to Brandon Williams for a 20-yard gain, but was otherwise disappointing as he finished 2/5 for 24 yards.
Phillip Walker was inaccurate and made many bad decisions. There were multiple instances where he had open receivers and failed to see them.
Stephen Morris played the best out of the three, which isn’t saying much. He was 13/20 for 94 yards and led the Colts’ only touchdown drive. While he didn’t play great, Morris was certainly the best out of the three quarterbacks competing for the backup job.
Vontae Davis Made a Big Play in His Lone Series
Vontae Davis was only on the field for one series, but he still managed to make an impact.
Davis made a play on the ball and sent it flying into the air, which landed in the arms of John Simon for an interception. This was great to see from Vontae who continued his strong play from training camp.
If Davis can return to form after a down year, the Colts’ defense will surely improve.
I said last week I've never seen Vontae Davis have a better camp. Forced INT on first drive. Could be in for a career year.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 13, 2017
T.J. Green Had Some Flashes
T.J. Green showed improvement after a terrible rookie season.
He was making big hits, and flying downhill to make plays from the safety position. Green was especially strong in the run game today.
He’s a raw talent who is relatively new to the defensive side of the ball, so slow development was always expected. Hopefully he steps it up this year before he is added to the list of busts from the Ryan Grigson era.
Troymaine Pope Earned Some Leverage in the RB4 Position Battle
As I’ve mentioned before, the Colts fourth running back spot is up for grabs. The training camp battle has been pretty even, but Troymaine Pope gained some ground over Dalton Crossan and Josh Ferguson today.
Crossan played alright, but didn’t stand out. Ferguson didn’t play at all, but Colts fans remember his disappointing performance from last year.
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Troymaine Pope, however, was awesome and was arguably the MVP for the Colts today. He had 7 carries for 31 yards and a TD, and he also added a 25-yard reception.
These numbers don’t seem too impressive, but Pope also had a 70+ yard catch and run that was negated by a penalty that didn’t seem to affect the play. He showed flashes of talent today making defenders miss and catching passes out of the backfield.
This position battle will be a fun one to watch during the rest of the preseason, but Pope seems to have a leg up on the competition after today.
The Backup Offensive Linemen Struggled Significantly
The Colts second string linemen struggled all game long.
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Zach Banner couldn’t stop defenders from beating him outside showing that his feet are too slow. Banner wasn’t the only problem though, as the Colts surrendered 5 sacks.
Colts fans know the importance of a strong offensive line as they watched Andrew Luck patrol the sidelines with an injury.
Thankfully the starting linemen weren’t bad, but it seems that depth could be a problem along the O-line this year.