Indianapolis Colts: What We've Learned Through Week 4 of Preseason

Real football is almost here.

The Indianapolis Colts finished their preseason with a 9-6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday night, and now the preparation for Week 1 can truly begin.

The preseason has been fun, depending on how you define the word, and training camp is an important part of the preparation for the regular season. But nothing can substitute for the real thing, and the real thing just got a bit closer.

But before we totally close the book on the preseason, let's review some of the things we've learned in the last couple of weeks. From here on out, we'll be looking ahead to the regular season, but let's take one last fond look back at the preseason.

There's a Reason Starters Don't Play in Week 4 of the Preseason

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Like most teams, the Colts didn't play most of their starters for any snaps during the fourth and final preseason game Thursday.

We were reminded exactly why when Daniel Herron, the Colts' second-string running back and pass-catching specialist, left the field holding his shoulder in the second quarter. Herron wasn't even playing with the offense, he played just two snaps as a kick returner as the Colts prepared their special teams units for the season opener.

Even with an extremely limited workload, a key player for Indianapolis was injured, the severity of which could be significant.

Vick Ballard left the field later in the game with a tweaked hamstring, an injury that wasn't surprising but was yet another example of injury attrition in the preseason.

The Colts now have some interesting decisions to make at the running back position, but the overall point here served as a reminder as to why the Colts have severely limited Frank Gore this preseason. Running back is a high-risk position, and one play can change a season.

The Receiver Depth Is Real

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Football is all about advantages.

What kind of advantages can you create on the field with personnel packages, depth and levels of talent?

The Colts have two big advantages on their roster: Andrew Luck and wide receiver.

Looking at the Colts roster over the offseason, the additions at wide receiver gave them an advantage that 30 other teams in the league didn't have. It was a talent-laden position, with both veteran, in-their-prime and emerging players on the roster. It was a deep position, featuring up to six receivers with contributing potential.

On the field in the preseason, that talent has shown up.

Andrew Luck has looked to T.Y. Hilton early and often when the two have played together. Andre Johnson scored a 32-yard touchdown and pulled in a two-point conversion. Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett both flashed versatility and skill with both first- and second-team quarterbacks.

The only question had been Duron Carter, the long, talented receiver out of the CFL. Oh, and he's also Hall of Famer Cris Carter's son.

Carter had an impressive training camp, but it didn't show in the preseason until the final two games, when he caught eight balls for 110 yards. The fourth preseason game was huge for Carter, who caught five passes, most notably a 24-yard back-shoulder pass and a 42-yard catch-and-run in the middle of the field.

Showing both awareness and elusiveness in the open field was huge for a player with lots of physical potential, and it may have been the performance that solidified his roster spot.

The Defensive Line Is a Complete Question Mark

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts looked like they could actually have a decent defensive line after a few weeks of the preseason.

Arthur Jones was healthy, looking to return to 2013 levels of play that earned him a five-year, $33 million contract. Kendall Langford was looking stout and comfortable back on a 3-4 defense. Rookie defenders David Parry and Henry Anderson were both flashing standout play.

But after Jones injured his ankle last week, things got a bit murkier.

After it was reported that Jones would need serious surgery, potentially missing half the season, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, the alarm bells started to sound.

While Jones was disappointing last season, the Colts run defense was still tangibly better when he was on the field.

To some degree, the presence of Anderson and Parry helps cushion the blow, as does the promising play from a few other depth players. But really, we have no clue how the Colts will replace Jones, nor how effective those replacements will be.

Jones hasn't lived up to his contract, but he's still the Colts' most talented defensive lineman, or at least the one with the best resume.

Clayton Geathers Is Not Finished Product...but There Is Something to Mold

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Colts started playing rookie safety Clayton Geathers with the first-team dime lineups early in the offseason. The former Central Florida safety is a tough, versatile player with strong in-the-box potential.

Given the Colts' struggles to find a good coverage linebacker, Geathers' ability to play in the box made him an ideal nickel/dime linebacker for the team. But through a couple of preseason games, it was clear that Geathers had significant room for improvement—improvement that was needed before he can take over a significant role.

But Geathers has also shown that he has an aggression and energy about him that stud strong safeties possess, and that's something to be excited about.

Geathers flew all over the field against the Bengals, finishing with five tackles and a forced fumble. The fumble came on a terrific hit over the middle, a perfect example of the power and playmaking ability Geathers has. The rookie safety also blew up a few runs, whether or not he was credited with the tackle, with his quick fills at the line.

How much Geathers will contribute as a rookie is unknown, but there is certainly something there to work with.

Chuck Pagano and Ryan Grigson Will Be Scrutinized

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

The Colts' preseason takes reached furnace-level heat this week when Bob Kravitz of WTHR.com reported that head coach Chuck Pagano's job will be in danger this year.

This is not new speculation, though, given that it was announced earlier this year that Pagano would not be getting an extension prior to the regular season.

But Kravitz's piece was predicated on the news that there was a growing rift between general manager Ryan Grigson and Pagano:

"

From my conversations with people who know what’s going on, Irsay and Grigson have questions as to whether Pagano, a players’ coach, has the ability or the inclination to put a boot up somebody’s backside. Even at this level, fear is still a healthy motivator. They also look at his record outside of the abysmal AFC South and the fact the Colts have gotten trounced in several games against elite opponents. Fair or not, and I think both men deserve the opportunity to remain and work toward a title, those are the facts. Again, there’s a reason Pagano wasn’t extended several years and offered a healthy raise. The decision-makers, Irsay and Grigson, have questions.

"

This was later confirmed by other national media sources, including Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Garafolo reported that Grigson wanted rookie Donte Moncrief to see more playing time at the end of last season, while Pagano stayed loyal to Reggie Wayne despite clear decline from the veteran.

Both Grigson and Pagano have had their ups and downs in Indianapolis, and there are coherent arguments on both sides of the "Grigson or Pagano" debate. But as of right now, it's a debate that doesn't bear much value, simply because the Colts won't be making any changes until after the 2016 season.

We have a small sample on both of these men: just two full seasons of coaching for Pagano and three at the helm for Grigson. How 2015 pans out could swing the perception of either figure fairly quickly

With these kinds of reports and the expectations for the Colts being exceptionally high, don't expect Grigson or Pagano to escape scrutiny anytime soon.