Colts 20 - Bengals 16

The Colts’ fourth and final preseason game culminated in a win Thursday night at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16. Ultimately, the game will in no way be reflective of how the regular season will pan out for the Horseshoe, but it will determine the team’s final regular season roster spots. Players on the cusp of being cut put it all on the line for a chance to make a good last impression on their team’s coaches. This week’s Horseshoe Hero will highlight the players who made the best cases for themselves to earn a roster spot – or at least a spot on the practice squad – due to their Thursday-night performances.

Chandler Harnish, #8, Quaterback

While starting quarterback Andrew Luck threw just two passes, third-string quarterback and fellow rookie Chandler Harnish took the majority of the snaps Thursday night in hopes of convincing the team to keep 3 quarterbacks on the roster. He more than stated a case for himself, leading the Colts from a 10-0 deficit to a 20-14 come-from-behind win. Harnish completed over half of his passes and threw for a game-high 162 yards. He even threw the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter: a 42-yard score to rookie tight end Dominique Jones.

Harnish, the final pick in this year’s draft and therefore the “Mr. Irrelevant” of 2012, has been surprisingly consistent throughout this preseason. He went a perfect 3-3 in his first outing against St. Louis, and although his performance was sub-par in Pittsburgh against the Steelers’ talented defense, Harnish completed over 63% of his passes at Washington last week. Harnish likely won’t see the field again for a while, but he could solidify his relevancy if an injury ever creates an opportunity for him to play.

Dominique Jones, #46, Tight End

Jones broke several tackles en route to his impressive 42-yard touchdown reception from Harnish. The Colts are set at tight end, but Jones’ play was eye-opening. He could earn himself a spot on special teams or on the practice squad. At the very least, he could catch the eyes of another coach lacking depth at his position and earn himself an opportunity to play elsewhere.

Kris Adams, #7, Wide Receiver

Kris Adams had 55 receiving yards on just two receptions, including a good-looking 32-yard catch. With top receiver Austin Collie still day-to-day with his concussion and far from reliable, the Colts could use some good receivers in the reserves. This helps Adams’ chances just a little.

Running Backs: Deji Karim, #39; Darren Evans, #32

Deji Karim and Darren Evans each had rushing scores. While the Colts are pretty stacked at the running back position, there aren’t many stars in the group. The team will likely be using a combination of different backs in an attempt to get the running game going. Anyone who steps up has a chance to become a go-to rusher.

Moise Fokou, #45, Linebacker

The linebacker position took a hard hit in the preseason with the loss of Patt Angerer. Last night Moise Fokou rose to the occasion, recording a game-high seven tackles and six assists. He even forced a fumble and led to a turnover in favor of the Colts. The Colts need playmakers. Fokou may be sticking around.

Josh Gordy, #25, Defensive Back

Josh Gordy recovered the fumble forced by Fokou, leading to a Colts touchdown drive. He also had two tackles and two assists. Was that enough? He’ll find out today.

Per league rules, the Colts’ final 53-man roster will be set tonight by 9:00 p.m., making today the notorious “Black Friday.” At least 22 men will be cut from the Colts by day’s end, and several new faces could show up to practice tomorrow, because, as the league’s worst team last season, the Colts are pretty much in control of the waiver wire. It’s been a long time coming, but the new-look Colts will be finalized today. That means that the regular season is upon us!

Check back on Monday for the first Horseshoe Hero of the regular season. Until then, you can follow me at @catierae08 for more frequent Colts updates and commentary.

Go Colts! Build the Monster.

Aug 19, 2012; Pittsburgh , PA, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is congratulated by running back Vick Ballard (33) after scoring a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of the game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Many predictions have been made about how good the Colts will be in 2012. Numerous analysts have come out and said that they believe the Colts will be a bad football team this season, possibly even worse than in 2011. The main question that arises from that is: The Colts went 2-14 in 2011 and posted the worst record in the NFL, how can the Colts be worse than that? Most believe that Indianapolis would have challenged Houston for the AFC south title crown had it not been for Peyton Manning’s season ending injury, yet although this more than likely was true, the Colts had begun to show signs of decline prior to the 2011 season.

2010 was not a particularly successful season despite winning the AFC south the Colts struggled mightily for consistency, and finished with a meagre 10-6 season, off the back of a trip to the Superbowl. It might be harsh to say that the 2010 season wasn’t successful for the Colts; the team faced huge adversity, with many players on IR, yet still though the eventual Superbowl champs Green Bay, had the most players on IR come the end of the season. The Colts bowed out to the Jets at home 17-16 in the wildcard round.

Coming back to the 2011 season, expectations were high and when Indianapolis fell from the top of the NFL to the bottom without their star quarterback, many were quick to point the finger at long time GM Bill Polian, and if I’m honest, I believe it was completely justified. The Colts roster had become somewhat stagnant, with a number of failed draft choices and overpaid veterans the Colts roster was that of a 2-14 team in 2011; albeit without Peyton Manning. With him I still believe the Colts were a playoff team, quarterbacks like Peyton Manning don’t come around all too often… well they do for the Indianapolis Colts.

2012 signals a new era for the Colts and with Andrew Luck at the helm the Colts look set to surprise many. To answer the question, whether or not the 2012 Colts will be worse than the 2011 Colts, is a tough one. An immediate difference maker of course is the quarterback position, for this we are taking Peyton Manning out the equation, I’m not going to make any Manning/Luck comparisons here. The 2011 Colts were led by Kerry Collins, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky at quarterback. Yes this one goes to Luck, Stanton and Harnish, 7-0, 2012 Colts.

This seasons Colts offensive line appears to be stronger, with Winston Justice at right tackle, and also with a further experienced and healthy Anthony Castonzo, the tackle positions certainly emerge stronger. Despite the losses of veterans Jeff Saturday and Ryan Diem (not much of a loss in my opinion, or was it just me that saw Diem false start all of the time!) the 2012 Colts offensive line figures to be superior to the 2011 one, however the Guard spots do look to still be up for grabs, and also occupied by mediocre players at best. Maybe we will call this one evens, specially based on the starting O-line’s performance in the Rams game. Still 7-0, 2012 Colts.

Moving on to the backs and receivers, I would say the 2012 Colts have a group of emerging young receivers along with a strong veteran presence in Reggie Wayne and Donnie Avery. I would include Austin Collie in that too, yet off the back of another concussion it is hard not to fear for his career, however he is a very talented player and if he stays healthy will explode for the Colts in 2012 with Andrew Luck at the helm, just like he did in 2010 with Peyton Manning, prior to the season-ending concussions. In comparison to 2011, I’m giving the receivers of 2012 the nod. Young stars of camp such as Lavon Brazill and T.Y. Hilton, along with high pick tight ends in Fleener and Allen, give this group the edge over last season’s squad with declining players such as Dallas Clark. The Colts may have lost speedy receiver Pierre Garcon, but to me the Colts have enough young talent to replace him. 14-0, 2012 Colts.

When looking at the running backs I would argue that the group has not changed significantly, with Joseph Addai being the only notable name out, and rookie Vick Ballard the only one in. I’d probably edge towards the 2012 Colts here, nevertheless we will call this one evens.

The defense has seen an extensive makeover from 2012. With a change in the Colts base scheme from a 4-3 to a 3-4, it’s difficult to compare the two units of personnel. Despite this, I’m splitting the defense into the front seven and DB’s. First and foremost the Colts front seven last season, struggled tremendously at stopping the run; a feature of the Polian Colts for many years. My hunch is that with bigger bodies up front the Colts will be better at stopping the run in 2012 than in previous years. The biggest problem the Colts front seven in 2012 faces is the transition from defensive end to outside linebacker for star defensive players Mathis and Freeney. Both have been reported to have made the switch relatively well, still both are set to struggle in pass coverage but both pose a large threat in the pass rush department, and former first round pick Jerry Hughes appears to be an important contributor for the Colts defense in 2012, of which he has struggled to do so in his Colts career thus far. Taking all this into account I expect the 2012 Colts front seven to be more successful than in 2011, this may be because I favour the 3-4 alignment, mainly as it allows you to bring a plethora of different blitzes and coverage’s of which a 4-3 just doesn’t present in my opinion. So I’m not going to base this decision on the personnel as such, but the scheme in place of which I feel the Colts are adequately poised to succeed with in 2012. Clearly I choose the 2012 Colts over the 2011 Colts. 21-0, 2012 Colts.

Finally looking at the Colts defensive backs of the past season, and the coming season, I feel we can compare the talent of the past two seasons, and its one area, along with the offensive line, that I have the most concerns over in 2012, more in terms of depth as I feel the Colts do possess three great starters in Powers, Bethea and Zbikowski. Not much has changed from 2011 to 2012 at defensive back the same problems are still evident, the Colts do not have an adequate starting corner opposite Jerraud Powers, I’m yet to believe Justin King is the answer, although he still has time to prove himself. I think most of the defensive backs are pretty even with last year’s group, if not mildly improved with the acquisitions of Josh Gordy and Cassius Vaughn through trades, essentially it comes down to who I believe is a better starter out of Bullitt (who played minimally in 2011) and Zbikowski. For me, I think Zbikowski brings more fire and explosiveness to the team than Bullitt, leading to me choosing the 2012 DB’s over the 2011 ones, narrowly mind. Maybe just a field goal this time. 24-0, 2012 Colts.

I really don’t see the 2012 Colts being worse than the 2011 Colts. To me the 2012 Colts are a rejuvenated bunch, full of enthusiasm and a willingness to prove their doubters wrong. Many players from the old regime look fired up to prove they can play. The 2012 Colts are not going to blow people away with their play, but they are certainly going to turn a lot of heads, courtesy of Andrew Luck, and head coach Chuck Pagano. Ryan Grigson, I think has done a great job this offseason, and although he is likely to be judged on wins, he mustn’t be. Regardless however, this Colts ballclub is tonnes better than last season, yes the Colts lost a considerable number of key veterans of the past, but the time was right and the Colts are only on the way up from here. It might be premature to assume the Colts can make the playoffs, yet I feel there is an air of confidence around the team, and I for one think they are in contention for a wildcard spot. For the 2011 Colts It may have been a disastrous 2-14, but for the 2012 Colts, I figure for it to be more in the region of 9-7. So let’s say this season the Colts are poised to be winners more than losers, maybe the perennial winners tag is one for the future.

The buzz surrounding the Colts is – for the first time in a very long time (circa 1998, perhaps?) – all about the rookies. After suffering through a difficult 2-14 season, missing the playoffs for the first time in 9 years, and losing Peyton Manning to free agency, #ColtsNation is hoping their fate is finally trending upward. The drafting of former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, along with nine other impressive college players, has the Horseshoe faithful seeing stars, and the new additions are already making good impressions on and off the field.

Here’s what went down for the newbies this week in #ColtsNation.

Roster Moves

The Colts have wasted no time in signing their rookies to contracts. In the past week, the Colts signed half of their draft class – those from the second half of the draft. This includes:

• Vick Ballard – RB, Mississippi State – 5th round (170th overall)
• LaVon Brazill – WR, Ohio University – 6th round (206th overall)
• Justin Anderson – OG, University of Georgie – 7th round (208th overall)
• Tim Fugger – LB, Vanderbilt – 7th round (214th overall)
• Chandler Harnish – QB, Northern Illinois (253rd overall)

The top half of the draftees, including Andrew Luck, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, T.Y. Hilton, and Josh Chapmen, have yet to sign contracts, but it is only a matter of time. All 10 draftees participated in the Colts’ rookie minicamp earlier this month.

Additionally, the Colts signed two free agents this week. Added to the 90-man roster were QB David Legree and G Zane Taylor. Legree signed as an undrafted free agent out of Hampton University. He threw for 1,636 yards, including 10 touchdown passes, last season, and he had a 62% completion percentage in seven games. Taylor, on the other hand, was claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles. He was originally scouted by Colts GM Ryan Grigson, who was a former director of college scouting for the Birds. The additions of Legree and Taylor come a cost, however. To make room on the squad, TE Brody Eldridge and G Matt Murphy were both waived.

OTAs

The Colts began their first set of Organized Team Activities this week, meaning the rookies got to meet and work with the more grizzled and experienced veterans for the first time. Although Andrew Luck was visibly absent – he’s not allowed to participate in OTAs until he completes his undergraduate degree early next month – the workouts and practices were reported to have gone very well. The staff was very encouraged by the fact that almost all 90 roster members were present, including all nine of their 7-years-or-greater veterans, for the optional practices. Coach Pagano saw “progress in the offense’s execution” and communication, and he said the team had “great energy [and] enthusiasm.” Sounds promising to me!

Rookie Premiere

The 2012 NFLPA Rookie Premiere kicked off yesterday in Los Angeles. The 3-day event invites 36 rookies to get their first taste of the lifestyle that comes with being a professional athlete. With four representatives – Luck, Fleener, Allen, and Hilton – there are more Colts in attendance than players from any other team. The men will participate in photo shoots, receive their own trading cards, do some community service work, and play in a celebrity flag football game. They will also attend some informative lectures (Who could forget Herm Edward’s famous “Don’t Press Send” speech from last year?) and participate in red carpet media interviews.

Luck and Fleener also temporarily took over the NFLPA’s Twitter account to answer questions from the fans. These were just some of the responses generated by the two budding stars, but I thought they were some of the most enlightening. They shed light on Luck and Fleener’s closeness – they’ve already been teammates for 4 years and have established quite a partnership – as well as Luck’s first-year goals. Is shooting for a Super Bowl a little ambitious for a rookie quarterback? Maybe, but I like it.

That’s it for #HorseBytes this week! Make sure to check back next Friday for the latest #ColtsNation news, fresh from the Twitterverse.