What to take from the Colts’ preseason game vs. the Bengals
By CLIFF BRUNT
ISL Editor
It’s challenging sometimes to figure out whether a preseason finale was good for a team. There’s so much more that goes into such games than the final score that they become complicated to watch. Roster cuts are Friday, so seasons and careers were on the line, and the fact that the Colts defeated the Bengals 20-16 was irrelevant in some cases.
Here are some things to think about.
The Colts are still struggling to run the ball.
Indianapolis had 25 carries for 51 yards, and as a result, the Bengals had the ball for nearly 37 minutes. The running backs appear to be reasonably talented, leaving the failure largely at the feet of the offensive line.
It’s got to get better,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “And every man in that room will tell you that from coaches to players. We have signs of brilliance, flashes of brilliance, and then at times we have breakdowns.”
Darren Evans is in danger of being cut.
He had seven carries for 13 yards and a touchdown, but he also fumbled with 6:43 remaining. Deji Karim had 12 carries for 36 yards and a score, looked better overall and didn’t cough up the ball. Both entered the day listed as fifth on the depth chart behind Donald Brown, Mewelde Moore, Vick Ballard and Delone Carter.
Evans said he won’t wait by the telephone to find out if he’s still on the team.
If you do that, you’re going to make it a lot more stressful,” he said. “Just going to try and keep my mind on life, just my daily task and like I said, things will work out for me.
Third-string quarterback Chandler Harnish might have a future in the league.
Harnish completed 9 of 16 passes for 162 yards, including a game-winning 42-yard touchdown pass to backup fullback Dominique Jones in the fourth quarter with 6:54 remaining. He was sacked twice and fumbled twice. He doesn’t always feel the rush, but he generally makes good decisions and gets the ball where it needs to go.
“Chandler (Harnish) has played well all along,” Pagano said. “He’s had some rough starts when he gets in there, but once Chandler calms down he’s been able to be productive and move this offense. So he’s definitely a guy that’s in the mix.
Harnish doesn’t know if he’ll make the final cut.
No indication,” he said. “They haven’t said a word and that’s been a good thing for me. It keeps me urgent; I never get complacent with where I’m at. I’m always working, so we’ll see.
Preseason games can be sloppy.
There were a combined 24 penalties for 199 yards. A hold by Jeff Linkenbach erased a very nice 29-yard run by Ballard in the first quarter. The Bengals had 14 penalties for 119 yards and the Colts had 10 for 80.
“The penalties have to be addressed,” Pagano said. “I think we had six for 50 yards in the first half, and then ended up with 10 or 11; so we’ve got to get that cleaned up.”
Preseason games are risky.
Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton left the game in the first quarter after taking a hit from Robert Mathis. Don’t worry, fantasy owners — he’s OK, though he had a wrap on his right hand as a precaution. Both Dalton and coach Marvin Lewis said he would likely have continued to play if it were a regular-season game.
“It was a stupid thing where my hand went a little numb, kind of like getting hit in the funny bone,” Dalton said. “I wish it didn’t happen, but it did. I’ll be ready to go.”
Luck was impressive in the preseason.
Quarterback Andrew Luck started the game and completed 1-of-2 passes on the opening drive for eight yards. He completed 41-of-66 passes for 522 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and a passer rating of 89.3 in the preseason.
He says he and the team are ready for the next step.
“I think we have come a long way since the first start here in Lucas Oil, the preseason,” he said. “I think we’re on the right track to be ready for the season opener. We’ll definitely put in a lot of work in these extra practices and then the regular practices we have for the game and hopefully be at 100 percent ready by the time Sunday rolls around. I think we’re definitely on the right track as an offense and I feel like we’re personally on the right track.
Time of possession is overrated.
The Bengals had more first downs, rushing yards, passing yards and yes, time of possession than the Colts, but lost because of two more telling numbers: turnovers and penalties. Cincinnati had two penalties to Indy’s one, and had four fewer penalties for 39 fewer yards.
The Colts care about winning preseason games.
Indianapolis won two preseason games for the first time since 2004. Not sure it means anything, but for such a young team with a new coach and new quarterback, showing up on the right side of the scoreboard can’t be bad.
“I told the team I was really proud of every man in that room for finding a way to win that game,” Pagano said.
