Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser takes a next-day look at the Indianapolis Colts' 37-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis Saturday . . .
THE QUICK LEAD
When is a loss not a loss, or at least not particularly important?
One yearly answer in the NFL is when it involves the Indianapolis Colts in a preseason game, a truism that proved true again Sunday afternoon in a 37-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the 2010 preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis.
The game, in fact, followed a familiar preseason pattern for Indianapolis:
The Colts were efficient early. They took the lead.
Then, when the starters were out, the Colts lost the lead and the game.
“At the onset, obviously we played pretty well,” Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said after the 49ers out-gained the Colts, 335-225 for the game, a yardage advantage that was 288-130 after the first quarter.
“Obviously, things started going the other way and we didn't play nearly as well.”
Peyton Manning, the Colts' quarterback who before the game received the Associated Press National Football League Most Valuable Player trophy he won for the fourth time last season, started and played the first two series, leaving with 6:23 remaining in the first quarter and the ahead, 10-0.
“There were some things we could do better, but it was a good way to start,” Manning said.
Manning completed eight of 10 passes for 91 yards and no touchdowns with no interceptions, and helped the offense look efficient early.
The Colts used a short field after a 49ers turnover to take a 3-0 lead, then drove 89 yard for a touchdown on their second series. On that drive, Manning was 6-of-6 passing for 78 yards, completing passes of 20 and 8 yards to Austin Collie, 9 and 7 yards to Reggie Wayne, 18 yards to Anthony Gonzalez and 16 yards to tight end Jacob Tamme.
The drive was what the Colts wanted out of the preseason opener – quick efficiency, a successful outcome and a short day without injuries to the key offensive players.
“The second drive was good,” Manning said.
Manning and the Colts' starters left after the series, and at that point, the Colts had out-gained the 49ers, 104-9. Backup quarterback Curtis Painter threw three interceptions in the next two and a half quarters, and third-team quarterback Tom Brandstater threw another before finishing the Colts' scoring with a short touchdown pass to Tamme.
“Obviously, he didn't play as well as he'd like to,” Caldwell said of Painter. “But overall, he needed a little help, too.”
Afterward, the media focused on Painter's struggles, which is to be expected considering his troubles late last regular season, and while we'll get to Painter later in this post, the reality is those who follow the Colts closely and regular have recognized this preseason pattern before.
While some will gnash teeth and worry over the score, and a lack of running game, and over Painter's performance, the reality is this preseason game looked like many for the Colts over the last decade. The team's objective is to win, because the objective always is to win, but primarily they look for efficient offense and defense early, then once the starters leave, the preseason primarily is about evaluation.
Indianapolis is well past needing preseason success to build confidence and momentum, and once the starters left the game Sunday, the idea was to get backups such as Painter repetitions, and to allow rookies such as first-round selection Jerry Hughes to get their first live NFL experience.
“The first game for a lot of the younger guys is an eye-opening experience for them,” Caldwell said.
Remember, too, the Colts had the following players out: Tight end Dallas Clark, center Jeff Saturday, wide receiver Pierre Garcon, defensive end Dwight Freeney, left tackle Charlie Johnson, safety Bob Sanders and linebacker Clint Session.
Bottom line: The first preseason game was just that, the first preseason game, and although on the surface, the Colts had a lot to like early and not much to love late, for the Colts the game was more about evaluation and preparation, and historically the results of August games are hard to remember once the regular season begins.
Comments