Colts Rams Recap: Guest Post by Nick Clason

It's that time of year again, when the Colts are terrible, and no one gives it a second thought. In fact the Colts have lost 24 of their last 28 preseason games. The preseason record is far from indicative of their regular season record. The Colts have won ten games or more every season since 2001. In other words, no need to fear the beat down taken by the Rams. There are a few positives that I noted after viewing the game. Line Both offensive and defensive lines looked decent. Though they got pushed around a little, it was most likely due to the fact that the coaching staff played a lot of reserves and guys that they wanted to get a "look" at. However the defensive line rotation looks incredibly promising with guys such as Fili Moala, Antonio Johnson, Drake Nevis, and Ricardo Mathews. Nevis is looking especially competent. The offensive line had a few bright spots with guys such as guard Jacques McClendon and Joe Reitz. Mike Pollack typically plays poorly at guard, but once he moved over to take over at Center for Jeff Saturday he played much better. Jeff Linkenbach played well at LT and I would not be surprised, nor would I mind if he got time at either tackle position. I have been more than impressed with him over the past two seasons. Anthony Castonzo and Ben Ijalana both had decent performances, and look that they may get time this year. The offensive line seems as if it is going to be the most fluid position this year with guys movining in and out positions. Recievers The recieving corps is deep, very deep. Obviously Reggie Wayne is going to be the number one guy with Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez. Blair White will most likely be back as well, and there are also guys such as Taj Smith and David Gilreath (my personal favorite low-roster guy from the Badgers). Linebackers Kavell Conner looks great, though a little slow on pass coverage, he is looking strong as a tackler and pretty quick. Brackett and Angerer are of course going to get the start as well. When Ernie Sims gets back, he could give Conner a run for his money. I believe the linebacking corps will be surprisingly strong. Running Backs Donald Brown had a strong performance, finally showing flashes of his former first round-ness. Delone Carter didn't get tons of playing time, but looked like a strong runner with good ability to push the pile if need be. Darren Evans, undrafted free agent from Virginia Tech, looked amazing toward the end of the game. Again, the preseason doesn't matter. But there are some definite bright spots in areas that have been considered "weak" by many in the past. It is definitely something to be excited about.