Colts Observations, Week 1 vs. Raiders

"The Mayor" runs for office. The Colts signed Ahmad Bradshaw in the offseason to bolster the running game, but second-year 'back Vick Ballard emerged as the starter. He was effective, running 13 times for 63 yards--very close to the Colts' desired average of 5.0 yards per carry (Ballard was at 4.8 YPC). I loved Ballard last year, and the 2013-2014 campaign looks promising.

Little bit of Bradshaw. We really didn't see much from Ahmad Bradshaw. He had seven carries, got dropped for a loss on his first carry and also got stuffed on a third-and-short. His most memorable run was a 10-yarder in which he leveled a couple Raiders defenders before going down. I think the Colts are starting him off slowly, given that he's coming off an injury.

Spectacular start. Early on, this looked like a mismatch as Andrew Luck and the offense carved up the Raiders. Two drives produced back-to-back touchdowns, jolting the Colts off to a 14-0 lead. Luck's first touchdown pass to Ageless Reggie Wayne was a thing of beauty; his second TD pass involved a great move from Dwayne Allen. They were running the ball well, protecting Luck, and controlling the tempo. At first.

And then... The wheels fell off. On four straight drives, the Colts produced zero points, three punts, and a turnover on downs. All the while, the Raiders hit their stride, taking a shocking 17-14 lead. Luck was continually sacked (the Raiders dropped him four times), the Colts couldn't get anything going, and at one point faced a third and 31 thanks to a penalty and a sack. Not to the mention that the revamped defense struggled mightily.

The Big Miss. I can't understate how big Sebastian Janikowski's miss just before halftime was. Had he connected on that kick, the Raiders would've been able to kick a field goal at the end of the game. Instead, they needed a touchdown.

Take the free 20 yards, kid. I love Greg Toler. He's a guy who always seems to have his nose on the ball. After intercepting Terrelle Pryor, he decided to take the ball out of the endzone. The result? Vontae Davis got flagged for a low block, and the Colts were backed up at the 11. A touchback hurts no one.

He didn't have a carry, but he's still special. Donald Brown didn't run the ball or catch a pass, but he did make a nice tackle on special teams. When a guy like that--a former first-round pick--is willing to buy in for that, you've gotta like it.

Third drive's a charm. For the first two drives, the Raiders showed some flashes, but it was the third drive that signaled the Colts were in for a long afternoon. Pryor had runs of 9, 29, and 13 yards on the drive. The Raiders were so efficient--or the Colts defense so inept--that Oakland never even faced a third down on the scoring drive. At the end, after Darren McFadden squeezed his way into the endzone, it was apparent that we had a ballgame.

Not quite as #Boomstick as usual. The usually solid Pat McAfee had a pretty mediocre day by his standards. Three punts averaged 39 yards, including a 33-yard stinker that was his first boot of the day.

The end of the half was brutal. Just check out my notes on the Colts' and Raiders' final drives of the first half:

Fourth Colts drive

Reggie Wayne with a one-handed catch for two yards. Luck sacked on next play. Third and long forthcoming. Luck pass to right eludes leaping Darrius Heyward-Bey. First incompletion of the day for Luck. Back-to-back three and outs.

Fifth Raiders drive

Drive starts with poor tackling from Colts and a first down catch by tight end for 19 yards. Read option goes nowhere. Loss of three. Pryor misfires on second and long. Third and 13 now. Eight-yard pass brings out Janikowski for 48-yard attempt. Shanked it.

Sure they had four sacks, but they should've had five. In the Colts' first drive of the second half, Luck faced heavy pressure and should've been sacked. Instead, he somehow powered his way out of a sure tackle and got free for a 9-yard run that netted a first down. Think of the run as a preview of coming attractions.

Reggie Wayne. 8 catches, 96 yards, touchdown. That is all.

No Pryor restraint. The Indiana Hoosiers (basketball) had no idea Syracuse would use that 2-3 matchup zone last year. The Indiana Hoosiers (football) were surprised that Navy ran the option yesterday. The Indianapolis Colts appeared equally befuddled by Terrelle Pryor's ability to run. That's all the guy has. Seriously...did you see some of his attempts to throw downfield? The Colts seemed ill-prepared to face a running QB, something that doesn't bode well for future showdowns against Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick. Pryor ran 13 times for 112 yards.

Fourth and done. The Colts decided to go for a fourth and short just past midfield, a fantastic idea considering Ahmad Bradshaw got stuffed for no gain on third and short. The play call was some kind of rollout pass with Luck, but the Raiders were all over it and Luck got sacked for a 13-yard loss. The Raiders capitalized on the good field position by scoring a touchdown on the next drive. It was awesome.

Catching a break. Kind of. But not really. When Darren McFadden caught a long pass for a touchdown, Colts fans collectively slapped their foreheads. Then, they collectively screamed that McFadden didn't make the catch. A replay proved them right, but it didn't matter because the Colts defense failed to capitalize on the second chance and surrendered a touchdown later in the drive. Again, it was awesome.

"Pryor runs into old man, doesn’t get first down." My note on Terrelle Pryor's five-yard run on third and six, in which he ran over a game official while falling just short of the first down. The drive resulted in a Janikowski field goal.

Our quarterback can run, too! With the Colts trailing 17-14, Andrew Luck drove the team down the field. Facing third and 4 at the Raiders 19, he saw the middle of the field open up and sprinted 19 yards to the endzone. I breathed a sigh of relief.

He was BUTT OPEN. My brother often used this phrase to describe a receiver who was unbelievably uncovered. So, tight end Jerud Mastrud was butt open when he caught a 41-yard pass on the Raiders' final drive. Fortunately, Mastrud has cement in his feet and was tackled before he could go all the way.

Finally, some pressure. Robert Mathis finally got to Terrelle Pryor at a most opportune time, sacking him for a 16-yard loss and turning first and goal at the 8 to second and goal at the 24. Of all the good things Pryor did, it's mistakes like these that killed him. Similar situations included interceptions, some delay of game penalties and other instances of poor game management/awareness.

As it began, so it ended. Terrelle Pryor's first drive of the game ended with an interception. His last drive of the game ended with an interception. That's symmetry, baby.

And they're back!

New season, new round of Colts Observations.

But...there's nothing to observe yet. So perhaps this is more appropriate:



1. True tight ends? The Colts plan to capitalize on the talents of Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen. The two tight end set is supposed to be a mainstay of the passing game, yet we haven't seen Allen and Fleener on the field together. Both ended up getting hurt. And Fleener...well...Fleener was Fleener in the preseason--flashes of brilliance punctuated by embarrassment and fragility. If these two can stay healthy, the Colts will indeed have a formidable, explosive tandem. If.

2. Andrew Luck: regression or progression? The answer here will certainly be the latter. Luck will throw fewer interceptions and get hit fewer times this season. The Colts will utilize a rhythm passing attack that will get the ball out fast, capitalizing on Luck's quick release and decision-making ability. The game will slow down for him in year two.

3. What about the running game? Time and time again, the Colts said they'd utilize a power running game. They seem serious about this--fullback Stanley Havili is on the roster. They signed punishing running back Ahmad Bradshaw, who provides a great one-two combo with Vick Ballard. Donald Brown remains with the team as the explosive back with home-run capability. It really all comes down to winning the battle at the line of scrimmage and being patient enough to eke out three or four yards until the defense wears down.

4. Will the rebuilt offensive line perform? The Colts invested in free agents Gosder Cherilus and Donald Thomas to bring more experience and stability to the offensive line. Even then, there are so many questions. Will the health of the line hold up (Anthony Castonzo is already dinged up)? Did the team do the right thing by retaining Samson Satele and shipping off A.Q. Shipley? Will the line have enough cohesion to get the push in the running game and protect the Franchise? It seemed like Luck did a lot of running in the preseason and we haven't seen Bradshaw run a play yet, so this one's up in the air.

5. Where will the pass rush come from? I know, I know. Robert Mathis. Of course. But #98 needs complementary players. The team seems to be slowly integrating first-round pick Bjoern Werner ("I bring in da good stuff, coach!") into the mix. He showed some flashes in the preseason, but the jury's out. The Colts gave a hefty contract to Erik Walden, a move that garnered its share of criticism in the unproven free agent. The fact that Indy traded for Cam Johnson tells me they're not 100% sold on the outside linebackers just yet. This could end up being a dynamic, deep unit if everything works out.

6. Will Darrius Heyward-Bey really catch on? Reports from training camp told a terrifying tale: DHB keeps dropping passes. It was disheartening because that was the knock on him in Oakland (although the Raiders didn't have a QB capable of getting him the ball...). However, DHB seemed to shake it off in the preseason, becoming a reliable target for Luck. He's got good size and great speed, and his presence could really set things up nicely for the offense. He'll have a little extra incentive this week against his former team.

7. Is the secondary really as solid as it looks? I'll tell you what, I'm excited about the Colts secondary--something I don't know I've ever said in the history of my Colts fandom. The safeties are terrific--Antoine Bethea is solid and LaRon Landry looks like a stud. Vontae Davis is a fantastic corner and Greg Toler has a nose for turnovers--probably the best corner duo the Colts have had since "Big Play" Ray Buchanan and Ashley Ambrose. They've even got depth in Cassius Vaughn, Darius Butler, Josh Gordy and Joe Lefeged. I think Landry is the key to the whole thing--if he can provide run support and adequate coverage in the secondary, this will be a top-tier unit.

8. What about the inside linebackers? I like the unit overall, but Kavell Conner is already hurt, Pat Angerer is a beast muzzled by injuries, and I don't know what we'll get out of Mario Harvey. Jerrell Freeman is the only proven commodity here, and he'll have to prove that last year wasn't a fluke (and I don't think it was). Indy looks a little thin here. Good thing they made that trade for Kelvin Sheppard.

9. Did they let go of the right guys? I thought Drake Nevis did enough in the preseason to warrant a roster spot, but I'm not calling the shots. Likewise, I loved Caesar Rayford. Regardless of what I thought, the Colts jettisoned both of them, cutting Nevis and trading Rayford. Nevis was immediately snapped up, and the Colts finagled a draft pick out of Rayford. His stock was never going to be higher, so I understand the move, but I did want to see what Rayford could do with significant playing time against topflight talent.

10. Will the Colts survive the brutal first half of the schedule? If the Colts want to get back to the playoffs, they'll have to make it through a tough schedule. The Raiders aren't supposed to be very good and neither are the Dolphins. Those are both winnable home games to start the season. After that, though, things get much tougher. They travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers and then swing out to Florida to play the Jags. Then, it's home against the Seattle Seahawks, another west coast trip to San Diego on Monday Night Football, and home on Sunday night against Peyton Manning and the Broncos, a game I'm already sick of hearing about. After the bye week, the Colts travel to Houston for another Sunday night game on which the entire season could hinge.

Making good progress

I am continuing to make good progress on my current work-in-progress.

Since Saturday, August 24, I've added approximately 17,800 words to the manuscript, which now stands at more than 70,000 words. I skipped a day of writing last Friday because I was sick and didn't write on Labor Day because I decided to take the day off. Other than that, I've written every day, with my low total coming in at 1,100 words and my highest coming in at 3,600 words.

For the most part, I've been able to write around 2,000 words a day. This is a big deal because my writing progress has been stagnant for about five weeks.

I want to get a first draft finished before I dive into promotion for II Crimsonstreak and work on revisions for III Crimsonstreak, which I hope to submit to my publisher by mid-October.