Serv, if you have time, and only if you do, I'd be really interested to read their impressions of how the game went. Some in particular were pretty forthright in their opinions...
G., I don't have time to do a full. Recon-type,breakdown due to the Bucs game coming up so soon but I can give you a feel for the main things I have found after scanning a few after-the-game threads.
"Don't know what happened from the 1st 2 weeks til this week with the run defense. They weren't great the 1st 2 weeks, but this week they are God awful. The Skins would be better off just handing the ball off every play and not let RG3 throw it"
"This looks like a Manning era game - no running game, no run defense."
I liked this one:
"Yea,I hope washington cuts morris.I think that kid may just be that good.
"
"I feel this "very young" team needed a dose of reality after a nationally televised game in which they played very well.
This is not quit a playoff caliber team just yet. I think it is good to get smacked in the chops every now and again. Puts things in the proper perspective.
The Colts are way better than last season but they have a LONG ways to go.."
There was one pretty in-depth analysis that I thought was interesting.
"Just throwing out some quick ones...
1. Luck looked like Luck. Patient, accurate, smart, made all the right decisions. Incompletions mostly just due to pressure, wrong routes. Not sure what more there is to say about Luck. He's a pro, he's the franchise, he'll be the rock under center as long as the OL doesn't get him killed, which is a big IF.
2. When the OL is this soft, Donald Brown is pretty useless. He needs space, to be used in space. He's not going to break tackles or barrel through the first line of defenders. Games like these show Brown's limitations. But...
3. Bruce Arians' playcalling was horrible today. Now, to be fair, some of it was purposely trying to get a look at guys like Donnie Avery, but for the entire first quarter, Arians held Luck back from doing the things he does back. Slants, bubble screens, awkward delay counters that go for losses? Come on. He finally let Luck open up in the second quarter, and we saw some offense. But I'm watching this game and just seeing so much predictability, running behind the same ineffective OLmen, etc. First game where I've really thought the playcalling was detrimental. The right side of the line is weakest. Brown is not a power back. DON'T RUN BROWN RIGHT.
4. WR is going to be a tough call. Wayne, Hilton, Brazill all probably locks. I thought Avery showed well today, though still worry about his ability to stay healthy for a full 16 (as most beat writers would also express). It also seems like Hilton, Avery and Brazill are redundant players. For that reason, I'd like to see Adams get the call over Avery. Just brings a different skillset, body type. Maybe both make it, though. Who knows?
5. Griff Whalen feels like that typical Colts receiver that's solid every preseason, but doesn't make the team. First on the practice squad? I like Whalen, hope he sticks somehow.
6. Anthony Castonzo and Joe Reitz are starting-caliber OLmen. Samson Satele can be at times. None of the Colts' RGs or RTs is starting caliber. Not one. Expect them to look for trade/waiver wire help there. No way Seth Olsen can be a starter heading into the season.
7. The Colts' defensive line is a mess. I actually thought Antonio Johnson looked good today. They have no healthy DEs that fit this system, though. Neither Moala nor Matthews can hold an edge. Moala plays from his ass entirely too much. With McKinney potentially suffering a serious injury, Colts will have serious trouble anchoring on that line.
8. It needs to be said: Dwight Freeney does not fit in this defense. He's just not a OLB, folks. He's a speed-rushing DE. He can't hold an edge. He's too slow rushing from a stand-up position. He isn't good at playing in space. He can't cover. The Colts are putting Freeney in a position to fail, but then, they can't really trade him either, so it's just a weird situation for both. A lot of outside bursts today came when Freeney just got eaten up on the edge.
9. Jerry Hughes was terrible today. For all his pass-rushing prowess this season, he's still yet to show he can be a tough defender. Still getting eaten up on blocks. Not setting an edge. Generally just gets lost in the scrum. I might buy him as a rusher. I don't buy him as an overall OLB. Just not good enough on the edge or in space, same thing we bitched at Phillip Wheeler for last year.
10. Only two defenders really made a favorable impression: A Johnson and Jerrell Freeman. I like this Freeman kid. He's still a bit small to be an ideal starter in this offense, but he's got speed, nice hitting ability and looks okay in space. Just okay though. I've yet to see him impress in coverage.
11. To say CB is a huge trouble spot is an understatement. Has Jerraud Powers had one healthy season? He's the only starting-caliber guy, and the Colts can't count on him to be there. Justin King, DJ Johnson, doesn't matter, same result really. Either need to improve from waiver wire/trade/next year's FA or draft.
12. The only people more invisible than Freeney today were Antoine Bethea and Tom Zbikowski. I've really yet to see Zbikowski do anything this preseason.
13. Pat McAfee was pretty bad outside of his first few kicks. Think it was just mental today.
14. Special teams looks about as ineffective as ever, but I guess getting to the 20 is a victory.
15. What will piss off Pagano most is that this team just looked soft. Defensively, extremely soft. Apballin, sorry man, your prediction isn't coming anywhere near true. Offensively, very soft, advancing by the grace of Andrew Luck and barely at that. This team is going to see a TOUGH Bears squad in Chicago. If they play like this, they'll lose by 35.
16. I hate to diss local guys, but Don Fischer and Jim Sorgi are horrible. Fischer pronounced Jerraud Powers about 5 different ways today. He's a starter, and a starter for the team Fischer covers. That's bad. He called Josh Gordy "Josh Gordon"...just things like that. Sorgi has about as much personality as a doorknob.
If this was "sending a statement to the Bears", as the team wanted to do, it's a bad statement to send: hopefully our QB bails us out somehow.
Colts have a lot of work to do on OL, CB, LB, DE positions. Not going to solve it all in one year. Some help from waiver wires, yes. Maybe some from trades. Most will come from next few years of free agency and draft. It's gonna be a rollercoaster, which means highs and lows.
This game mostly just showed what we knew but didn't want to admit: the Redskins are 2-3 years ahead of the Colts in the rebuilding process. They have their lines in place. The Colts have neither line in place, and very little if any depth.
Good thing is that Luck will be fun to watch regardless of the talent around him, though. Just hope he can stay healthy given that line, specifically the right side."