Indianapolis Colts Still Looking for Improvement Heading into Preseason's End

"Don't put too much stock into the preseason."

That's the overriding motto for anybody spending the time to watch an entire preseason contest. So, for most fans and analysts, the Indianapolis Colts' losses to start the preseason were merely an annoyance, not anything to be concerned about.

In the same way, the team's 24-14 win over the St. Louis Rams shouldn't be giving anybody boosted confidence headed into the final week of the preseason.

In fact, the Colts are actually seeing the same old issues continue to pop up.

Breaking it down on both sides of the ball makes it easy to see where the Colts look very similar to their 2014 counterparts.

Offensively, the issues started behind the offensive line, unsurprisingly.

Frank Gore sat for the game, but his backup Boom Herron was impressive in what he was able to earn on the ground. Unfortunately, that wasn't very much, as Herron rushed nine times for just 25 yards. Herron also added a 10-yard reception, and simply couldn't find much room behind a struggling offensive line.

Unfortunately for the Colts' run game, the third option found even less room to run. Josh Robinson, who might have been the most impressive Colt through the first two weeks of the preseason, rushed five times for just four yards and fumbled a handoff as well.

The interior line has struggled to get any push in the run game throughout the preseason, and it shouldn't be surprising to anybody. The Colts continue to start veteran journeyman Lance Louis at left guard, with the unimpressive Khaled Holmes and Jonotthan Harrison competing at center. Todd Herremans has looked his age at right guard as well.

There were other areas of sloppiness on offense as well.

T.Y. Hilton had a couple of catchable passes on the sideline that he failed to bring in. Dwayne Allen dropped a pass in the middle of the field. These can be tightened up, however, and don't project to be issues for the rest of the season.

On the whole, the Colts offense looked crisp. The first team moved the ball into scoring position on three of five drives in the first half. The lone three-and-out came when backed up to the Indianapolis 5-yard line in the second quarter, prompting three consecutive runs.

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Yes, the offensive line had a rough night, but the St. Louis front seven is one of the best in football. For the most part, the offense performed as expected.

The only downside was the fact that nobody showed the flashes of improvement on the offensive line that the Colts have hoped to see, flashes that could hint at the line being better than we expect. Instead, the struggles projected were reality. Nobody took a step forward in the center battle. Joe Reitz and Jack Mewhort both look like they could provide some ugly low-lights in pass protection at right tackle.

There were no surprises, for better or for worse.

The defense had a similar story.

The areas where we knew they would struggle (screen passes, running backs leaking out of the backfield, etc.) they did. The linebackers on the roster continue to be a particular sore spot, making the return of free agent Nate Irving even more anticipated.

Pass rush continues to be a problem as well. Erik Walden and, at times, Trent Cole are the only players who have gotten a consistent pass rush at all, as young players Bjoern Werner and Jonathan Newsome have disappointed throughout the preseason.

This leads to extensive blitzing and aggressive safety play, which leaves the defense open for big plays, just like last season. The team allowed three screen or quick passes to running backs go for 15 yards or more, and the starters allowed a 44-yard touchdown pass after a play-action pass in the first half.

Like on offense, there were positives here.

The defensive line looked stout against the run for the second week in a row. There were a few inconsistencies, but these were hard to blame on the defensive line, which held its own and occasionally created penetration in the backfield.

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This is probably the best chance for improvement for the 2014 Colts. There is depth on the defensive line, depth that hasn't been there in previous years. That depth could be crucial in a postseason run.

But overall, Week 3 was a reminder that the preseason simply isn't telling us much about these Colts. They are what we thought they were.

That's not a bad thing. The Colts we knew went to the AFC Championship Game last season.

If the Colts are to reach the Super Bowl they so greatly desire, however, they need to see improvement over last season. They haven't really seen that improvement yet this preseason. Of course, that's okay.

You can't put too much stock in the preseason.