Irsay calls out team with tweets as Colts prepare for Dolphins
By PAUL SIEGFRIED
ISL Correspondent
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay injected himself back into more controversy this week when he took to Twitter to implore the team to do a better job protecting franchise quarterback Andrew Luck when the Colts face the Miami Dolphins Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium (1 p.m., CBS).
Raider/Colts– we gotta protect #12 better..and that includes more than just OL…it’s backs,TE’s,coaches on blitz pick ups..I DEMAND better
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) September 11, 2013
Irsay also gave his assessment of the upcoming contest.
Dolphin/Colts-Make no mistake about it/The Fish CAN and WILL bring the HEAT…We gotta MAN-UP and confront HEAT with a NASA-like Heat-Shield
— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) September 11, 2013
To be sure, Luck could probably be protected more after he was sacked four times and harassed many more times in last week’s come-from-behind 21-17 win over Oakland. The players know it, the coaches know it and the fans know it. But to be called out by the team’s owner after just one regular-season game in social media could be seen as a slap in the face.
The narrow win over the supposedly-lowly Raiders was a bit of a shock, and the Colts will see a better team this week in the Dolphins, who had a commanding 23-10 win over the Browns last week.
The Colts suffered a huge blow when starting running back Vick Ballard was lost for the season after suffering a non-contact ACL injury in practice on Thursday. He was placed on injured reserve on Friday.
Ahmad Bradshaw now moves into the starting running back position, and Donald Brown will see more action at the backup spot. The Colts have not announced whether they will pursue signing a veteran running back, but running back Kerwynn Williams was elevated from the practice squad
Despite Irsay’s admonitions, Luck had a decent effort against the Raiders, throwing for two scores and running for another, the fourth-period TD that put the Colts back in front for good after the team had lost a 14-0 lead.
The protection for Luck is an issue. The rebuilt offensive line struggled at times against the blitzing Raiders, and couldn’t open holes for running backs Vick Ballard and Ahmad Bradshaw. But an offensive line with so many new parts takes time to jell, and Irsay will likely have to be as patient as coaches and fans while that happens.
Pagano also put some of the responsibility back on Luck, but also recognizes that his QB can’t take another 41-sack beating like he did a year ago.
“He could have managed plays better. He’s running way too much. I know that,“ said Pagano. ”We’ve got to do a better job of keeping him clean.”
In the meantime, the Colts frontline will be tested again by a solid Dolphins defense which sacked Cleveland quarterback Brandon Weeden six times, hit Weeden 16 times and forced three interceptions. Defensive end Cameron Wake had 2 1/2 of those sacks and six of the hits, and rookie first-round choice Dion Jordan picked up another sack from the other DE spot. Cornerback Dimitri Patterson picked off two of Weeden’s passes and broke up three others.
There are two other concerns on the offensive side for the Colts coming out of the opener. The team could not put together a sustained running game, and they failed to flash the big-play ability they showed a year ago and in the preseason.
Ballard was limited in practice this week with a knee injury, and Bradshaw still isn’t 100 percent after missing all of the preseason. Luck connected with deep threat T.Y. Hilton just three times for 20 yards, and Pagano addressed getting the ball to his game breaker.
“It doesn’t take much to get him going and we need to get him going earlier in the ball game. We will do that and we’ve talked about that,” he said. “He’s not one of the guys that will sneak up on you now after the year that he had last year. Everybody is well aware of what he can do and how he can hurt you so they are doing things to take away our playmakers. We will do better to get him involved.”
Tight end Dwayne Allen, who caught one of two Luck TD passes last week, has been sidelined at practice this week with a hip injury.
A year ago, top draft pick Luck and No. 2 choice Robert Griffin III got all the attention as rookie QBs thrown into starting roles. But Miami chose Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill with the No. 8 pick and he started all 16 games a year ago for the Dolphins. He threw for nearly 3,300 yards with 12 TDs and 13 interceptions in Miami’s 7-9 season.
This year, the Dolphins added top free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace caught just one pass a week ago in the win, but Tannehill connected with wideout Brian Hartline nine times for 114 yards and a score. Tannehill finished 14-of-38 for 272 yards.
The Dolphins, like the Colts, had trouble running the ball last week. Miami finished with just 20 yards rushing on 23 carries against Cleveland. Daniel Thomas had 14 yards on 8 carries, while Lamar Miller, expected to be the main ballcarrier this season, had just three yards on 10 carries.
The Colts defense struggled against the fleet feet of Oakland quarterback Terrelle Pryor and the read-option. Pryor ran for 112 yards, and he was able to scramble out of trouble and throw for 217 more.
Tannehill isn’t as mobile as Pryor, and the Browns were able to sack him four times. The Colts will need to produce more of a pass rush against the Dolphins.
Indianapolis gets middle linebacker Pat Angerer back this week after he missed the opener with concussion symptoms. If the Colts can managed to get some kind of pass rush against Tannehill, the Miami QB has shown to be susceptible to throwing interceptions, and the Indianapolis secondary has been opportunistic in forcing turnovers.
