The Indianapolis Colts weren't making excuses on Thursday.
Yes, the 59-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers came in a preseason game, and yes, there were a bunch of starters out and not a little weirdness going on – weird, as in, “testing-the-new-rules” weirdness – but one thing Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell rarely does is paint an undeserved positive picture.
And make no mistake:
Late Thursday night, Caldwell wasn't feeling all that positive.
“You have to call it like it was, like you see it,” Caldwell told Colts Radio following the Colts' third loss in as many preseason games. “There were too many penalties . . . We turned the ball over and gave them some opportunities and short fields to score points.
“We were not as sharp and as crisp as we'd like to be across the board.”
By the third quarter, it was hard to remember the Colts once led 17-7, and for a time looked efficient on offense.
Colts quarterback Peyton Manning completed 15 of 26 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Pierre Garcon had several big plays early in his first game this preseason. Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne had seven receptions for 96 yards, and wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez had a big-time, one-handed reception.
Running back Joseph Addai also had a 49-yard run, and at times, the Colts' offense looked like what many believe it could be this season – one of the deepest, most-potent Colts offenses in recent memory.
But from there, the Colts made too many mistakes and too many turnovers.
They finished with four turnovers, two of which led directly to Packers touchdowns, and they also were penalized 12 times for 116 yards.
That's uncharacteristic for the Colts, traditionally one of the NFL leaders in turnover margin and usually one of the league's least-penalized teams.
“Any time you have penalties and turnovers, that's not what you want,” Manning said.
Caldwell said the situation is correctable.
“Certainly, we can get them corrected and will get them corrected,” Caldwell said. “They are things we typically don't do, so we have to make certain we get those things straightened out and get back to performing like we know how.”
As disturbing for the Colts as the mistakes was the defense allowing 28 first-half points, with the Packers scoring 10 more points early in the second half.
There likely and understandably will be a lot of worry by fans and observers after this game. The Colts throughout the second and third quarters did not play as well as they normally do, and although Indianapolis doesn't get overly worried about preseason scores, playing well in the first three quarters of the third and most-important preseason game was very much something they wanted to do.
At the same time,perspective is important.
The Colts moved the ball well at times offensively, and their wide receiver group looks as talented and as ready as many believed it would be throughout the off-season. The offensive line is still playing without starting center Jeff Saturday and left tackle Charlie Johnson, and Pro Bowl tight end Dallas Clark also didn't play Thursday.
Defensively, the team struggled at times, but safety Bob Sanders looked like the 2007 Associated Press National Football League Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in a long time – since that season, actually. That news trumps an awful lot of concerns.
The reality is although this wasn't close to a perfect game for the Colts, they rarely play anything close to a perfect preseason game. If this was a regular-season game, there might be real cause for concern. As it is, this was a preseason loss by a team that has lost a lot of preseason games the last six seasons.
Until the performance translates to the regular season, panic is unnecessary.
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