Naptown's Finest » Preseason

Horseshoe Hero: You Gotta Fight For Your Right to Play Football

Catie Staszak — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:00:11 +0000

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.

Horseshoe Hero: Avery, Hilton Bolster Ailing Colts in Washington

Catie Staszak — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 16:49:33 +0000

Colts 17 – Redskins 30

The main storyline of Sunday’s preseason contest between the Colts and the Redskins was the much-anticipated quarterback duel between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the first and second over all selections in this year’s NFL draft. But the more obvious storyline as Sunday’s game in Washington unfolded was far more concerning: The Colts lack depth. Injuries on both offense and defense revealed the true, sky-high value of the Colts’ starting lineup as some back-up offensive linemen crumbled under pressure and the defense failed to stop the run. Without some major assets, the Colts will need to do some scrambling before settling on their final 53-man roster. The fact that they have first priority on the wavier wire helps. But in a veteran’s absence, two fresh faces did provide glimmers of hope at a key position: wide receiver.

Yes, this week there are two Horseshoe Heroes: Donnie Avery and T.Y. Hilton. Both are entering their first seasons with the Colts, one his first season ever in the NFL. With Austin Collie day-to-day after suffering his third (at least) concussion in the past 22 months, the Colts needed their backup wideouts to step up. These two seemed glad to do so.

Donnie Avery had 6 receptions, making him the second-most targeted WR from either team, for a total of 38 yards. Avery’s early presence was especially notable, because the game was his first outing of the preseason (He had previously been nursing a thigh injury sustained during training camp). Avery has become notorious for being injury-prone throughout his 5-year career. In fact, he missed the entire 2010 season after tearing his ACL. However, he is talented, and he was the first wide receiver taken in the 2008 draft. If he can stay healthy, Avery could prove to be a great option for Luck. It was nice to see an immediate chemistry and comfort-level between the two.

Rookie T.Y. Hilton was also impressive in Collie’s absence, pulling in 4 receptions for 54 yards, including a beautiful 31-yard touchdown pass from Luck. Hilton caught my eye on several plays, particularly on a first and 10 play at the Washington-45 in which Luck’s short pass right was tipped. The play easily could have gone the other way, but Hilton got his hands on the ball and turned the almost-turnover into an 8-yard gain down the sideline. Hardly rookie-like. Hilton was the team’s third pick in this year’s draft (3rd round, 92nd overall). He’s proving to be deserving of that selection.

Note: Griff Whalen, another rookie WR and former teammate of Andrew Luck, caught a game-high 8 passes for 66 yards. While he didn’t play with the first team, he showed he belongs in Indianapolis and probably secured himself a spot on the team, at least on the practice squad. An undrafted free agent, Whalen is one to watch in the future.

While the new wide receivers were the heroes of the game, the offensive linemen were not. The run game was practically non-existent, and Andrew Luck had to scramble on several occasions to avoid being clobbered by the Washington defense. In his final series, Luck took an especially brutal hit by linebacker London Fletcher that was downright scary to watch. While both the Colts and the Redskins executed 27 rushing plays, the Redskins almost tripled Indianapolis’ rushing yardage, 147-53. Sophomore left tackle Anthony Castonzo seemed to be the only strength of the line, while right guard Seth Olsen gave up two sacks in the same series. The injured Ben Ijalana and Mike McGlynn are sorely missed.

The Colts’ final preseason game will take place at home against Cincinnati on Thursday (8/30) at 7:00p.m. It’s likely the starters will not play much, if at all, for the final preseason contest is commonly used to evaluate players who may be on the bubble of making the team. A hero will still arise, though, and he will be revealed the following day right here on Naptown’s Finest. Be sure to check back to find out who it is, but until then, you can follow me on Twitter at @catierae08 for more frequent Colts updates and commentary. Don’t forget: According to Jim Irsay, there are still some pretty fierce trade winds blowing! A blockbuster could be thrust upon Colts Nation at any moment.

Horseshoe Hero: Reggie Wayne Makes Veteran Presence Known

Catie Staszak — Mon, 20 Aug 2012 17:38:43 +0000

Colts – 24, Steelers – 26

Wide receiver Reggie Wayne has played 11 seasons in the NFL, and he’s spent his entire career in Indianapolis.

And although he remains a Colt into his 12th year, everything is changing.

Wayne played 11 seasons catching in-the-belly passes from Peyton Manning. Now he’s receiving from a rookie in Andrew Luck (who’s proving he can throw a pretty accurate pass, too). Wayne spent 9 seasons running essentially the same offense, coached by Tony Dungy and his pupil-like successor Jim Caldwell. Now he’s learning an entirely new playbook under new defensive-minded coach Chuck Pagano. Wayne always lined up left. Now, he lines up just about anywhere. Most significantly, with Peyton Manning in Denver, Reggie Wayne is the Colts’ face of the franchise, the veteran and ultimate leader of the team.

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?

After a disastrous first quarter for the Colts in their first of only two primetime games this season, Reggie Wayne led the team back from a 14-0 deficit to a 17-14 lead at halftime.

Things certainly weren’t pretty when the Colts kicked off against the Steelers at Heinz Field Sunday night. While the defense at first flourished, ending the Steelers’ first drive with an Antoine Bethea interception, the offense outright struggled. The Colts’ first drive was a three-and-out, and then, after a Steelers’ touchdown, the team again was forced to punt. The following drive, Andrew Luck’s pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown – his first pick-six (Better to get it out of the way now, before the games really count). On his next play, Luck was sacked. To make matters worse, the team lost Cory Redding, Robert Mathis, and Austin Collie to injuries. It was definitely a turnaround from the team’s first preseason romp against the Rams last week.

But Luck, calm as a cucumber, did not let his mistakes, nor the team’s misfortunes, affect him. He rebounded, and Wayne helped…a lot. Following his sack, Luck threw a nine-yard completion to Wayne, which got the quarterback back on track. Luck then threw three more completions for 51 yards. His drive would ultimately culminate with a rushing touchdown by Donald Brown, who gave Luck his first ever touchdown score last week.

Later in the 2nd quarter, Luck completed three successive passes to Wayne for a total of 48 yards, again en route to a rushing touchdown – this time by Luck himself. Wayne ultimately led the Colts in receiving with 6 catches for 74 yards. Although things are very new for Wayne, his veteran experience and leadership makes him an invaluable asset. It seems as if he has had no problems adjusting to a new playbook, although he may tell you otherwise.

The Colts went on to lose their second preseason contest, but when their starting quarterback ended his night, the team was leading by three points. Mission accomplished.

There was a time that many thought Reggie Wayne would be playing for a different team this year. After a 2-14 season with the Colts in 2011, Wayne’s contract was up, and it didn’t look like Jim Irsay would renew it.

Reggie Wayne says his “heart” wouldn’t let him leave Indianapolis. He ultimately took less money to remain with the team that drafted him. He will remain a Colt for at least the next three years.

For his career, Wayne has 862 receptions for 11,708 yards – good enough for second in Colts history behind only Marvin Harrison – yet he still spends hours catching footballs from a machine at practice to keep him on his toes. Many times he will practice catching with just one hand. He makes it look easy.

I’m certainly glad Reggie Wayne is staying around. For me, not only is he the Horseshoe Hero of the second week of the preseason, but he is also a Horseshoe Hero of the entire season. I fully expect him to be named to the Colts’ honorable Ring of Fire after his retirement…which I hope isn’t anytime soon.

Check back next week for the naming of the third preseason game’s Horseshoe Hero when the Colts travel again to take on the Washington Redskins. For more frequent Colts updates, news, and commentary, you can follow me: @catierae08.

Go Colts!