Indianapolis Colts: What We've Learned Through Week 2 of Preseason
It's difficult to learn new things about a team through the preseason.
With little game planning and even less playing time for starters, the preseason is much more about individual depth players trying to make an impression than it is about team themes.
But if we put some of those individual trends together, along with what we already knew about the team, we can get some useful information. With the Indianapolis Colts entering the 2015 season with many of the previous year's starters returning, there is a lot we already know about this team.
With two critical preseason games remaining, what have we already found out about the 2015 Colts?
The Skill Players Are as Good as Advertised
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For Indianapolis, the biggest offseason acquisitions were skill position players.
The team signed Frank Gore and Andre Johnson in free agency, making quite the splash in the process. Not only did the team add a dependable veteran in Johnson to the receiving corps, but it added explosive rookie Phillip Dorsett in the first round of the NFL draft.
The Colts had Dorsett ranked in the top 20 of all prospects in the draft, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com, clearly valuing his sub-4.3-second 40-yard dash speed. The additions of him and Johnson, along with the ascending T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, really solidified the group. It might be the most explosive group in the league, and Sam Monson of ESPN.com recently ranked it the best in the league.
With a thin defense and a questionable offensive line, the skill players have to be good for the Colts in 2015.
So far in the preseason, they've looked as good as advertised.
Andre Johnson hasn't played much, but he caught two passes for first downs, one of which was exactly the contested, in-traffic catch that the Colts signed him for. T.Y. Hilton was a top target for Andrew Luck in Week 2, catching a 45-yard bomb down the middle in the team's lone touchdown drive. Dorsett has been a consistent target, catching seven passes for 72 yards.
The running backs have impressed as well. Gore looked right at home finding room between the tackles in a few snaps in Week 2, while rookie Josh Robinson has arguably been the most impressive player in the preseason.
In a preseason that has largely been a struggle for the team, the skill players have fortunately played up to expectations.
The Offense Has One Weakness
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But if the quarterback is great (he is) and the skill players are playing as well as expected (they are), then there is only one thing that could hold the Colts offense back this year.
Unfortunately, that weakness has already reared its ugly head this preseason.
Yes, we're talking about the offensive line.
The problem is simply the inconsistencies.
In Week 1 of the preseason, the offensive line struggled to run block. The interior line in particular failed to get a push up the middle or get to the second level. In Week 2, pass protection was the issue from all areas of the line.
Jack Mewhort allowed several pressures, including a sack. Todd Herremans' miscommunication aided in Mewhort's allowed sack; Khaled Holmes' blown block led to a crushing hit of Luck. Even normally solid Anthony Castonzo allowed a sack.
The Colts will have a good offense this year. Andrew Luck and the skill players will make sure of that. But the offensive line could keep it from hitting its potential, which could potentially keep the team from making the Super Bowl run the franchise so desires.
Pass Rush Is Still a Concern, But...
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The preseason has also confirmed some preconceived concerns about the team's pass rush.
For much of the preseason, the team has really struggled to get to the quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles' quick passing offense moved up and down the field with relative ease, and the Chicago Bears' first team moved up and down the field quickly as well. Jay Cutler went 8-of-9 for 69 yards, and the Bears kicked three field goals in the first half.
Jonathan Newsome hasn't impressed like people hoped he would just yet, which could be a big sticking point for the year.
On the other hand, Trent Cole has looked impressive, showing that he still has the pass-rushing acumen to contribute this year. He won't be the star that he once was, but he has a variety of moves that can be used to disrupt plays in the backfield.
Against the Bears, Cole had a powerful bull rush that forced Jay Cutler into an Erik Walden sack, a big play in forcing a field goal in the red zone. If Cole can keep up that kind of production, the Colts defense could be much more consistent.
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The Preseason Is Very, Very Sloppy
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Every team's preseason is sloppy. That's the nature of preseason, playing third-string players for the majority of the time.
But for the Colts, it's been especially rough.
It started with the backup quarterback play. Both Matt Hasselbeck and Bryan Bennett have been horrible in the preseason, making it difficult to assess the quality of the depth wide receivers. The individual success of the linemen has been hard to see as well, as the pocket presence of each quarterback has been hard to watch.
Other aspects of the team have struggled as well.
The defense has been a mess of missed tackles and blown gaps, namely in the second and third team. This has led to numerous big plays by opposing teams, such as Jeremy Langford's big runs last Saturday.
Special teams has been a similar story. Missed tackles and poor angles have allowed the Colts' opponents to average more than 16 yards per punt return and over 31 yards per kick return. It's the preseason, and most of those players won't even be on the roster in a few weeks, but it's still disappointing to see from players fighting to make the team.
Injuries Are the Biggest Concern
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As a whole, the biggest reminder this preseason has been how important it is to stay healthy.
We've seen a number of key players for other teams go down with ACL tears and be lost for the season, such as Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin. We've seen other critical players lost for a significant period of time with muscle tears, sprains and other injuries, such as Arian Foster and Maurkice Pouncey.
Sure, preparing for the season and figuring out the bottom of the roster is important, but it's much more critical for a team to keep its star players healthy.
Fortunately for Indianapolis, the team has stayed relatively healthy so far this preseason.
If you're a Colts fan, you should be knocking on every wood surface in the building as you read this.
The team has suffered a few minor, lingering injuries. Rookie Phillip Dorsett is day-to-day after bruising his knee last week. Coby Fleener has missed the last two weeks with a knee injury. Greg Toler is now week-to-week with a neck injury, as is Hugh Thornton with a knee injury.
Toler is the only really concerning one there, as the Colts' cornerback depth is lacking. If he's not ready to go to start the season, the Colts will be thankful that they start the season with the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets, franchises with less than intimidating quarterback situations.
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