Off-Topic » 3 things we learned from the Colts in Week 1 The Indianapol

is Colts Week 1 Rigoberto Sanchez Jersey , 34-23 loss looks bad on paper if you’re simply looking at the score, but the Colts showed signs of being a team that can make the division very interesting as the season progresses. It wasn’t all good, otherwise they would have won the game, but they were clearly better prepared than in year’s past.The season is obviously very young, so there’s not much that we can truly know about them, but the four quarters we all saw did give us a little peek at what the Colts may be this year. It’s certainly not all doom and gloom, but the team still has a long way to go.Here are 3 things we learned about the Colts in Week 1.The Colts defense is bending a bit too muchIt’s understood that the Colts new defensive scheme is going to have these kind of games where they allow a ton of yards. They want the speed and instincts from their players in order to turn the ball over, and the defense is ultimately made to play with the lead. Similar to the days of Peyton Manning.Well, that didn’t turn out too well Sunday. At first, I presumed the Colts were significantly better in the first half being as the defense had only given up 10 points. That was not the case, in fact, they were technically better in the second half in a couple areas. Let me explain.The Bengals actually were trying to rack up some big plays by putting guys like Joe Mixon in space, but the Colts forced two turnovers in the first half and managed to turn the tide a bit. The Colts did, however, allow 7.36 yards per play (28th) in that first half, but because they were so good on third downs, they weren’t allowing long, sustained drives. They allowed one 10-play drive that ended in a field goal, but otherwise, a 5-play drive — a touchdown drive nonetheless — was the high for Cincinnati in the first half. The Colts’ 22 defensive plays in the first half was fourth-lowest in Week 1.In the second half the Colts allowed 6 yards per play (24th) Al Woods Jersey , and that isn’t good either, it’s just less than the first half. They began to allow long drives as Andy Dalton regained his confidence and the Bengals were putting points on the board each [possession. They scored on every meaningful drive in the second half aside from their first.They were equally porous on the ground and through the air allowing 5.1 rushing yards per attempt, and 7.6 net passing yards per attempt throughout the duration of the game, and that simply has to stop.It’s going to be a process, we know that much, this defense is new for most of the Colts. But, Matt Eberflus must scheme a way for them to take away some of the big plays that came in space Sunday. The Colts only allowed 4 plays over 20 yards, but they allowed a 75% completion rate which tells you that the Bengals challenged the Colts to stop them on these underneath routes as the game wore on. The Colts have to be better in that respect, but again, that’s how this defense is designed. The pass rush did create some occasional pressure, but Andy Dalton was 11-of-14 in the second half and was nearly unaffected by it. An increase in successful pressure needs to be created in future games if those in the back seven are going to be able to stop anyone this year.The second half is still the Colts’ enemyThe Colts were 6-of-8 on third downs in the first half. They were rolling. They were getting some good yardage on second downs — 7.5 yards per play (10th) — to make third-and-manageable a regular occurrence Sunday afternoon. They did manage to go 5-of-9 on third downs in the second half, but they simply weren’t doing anything with ball averaging only 4.05 yards per play.With the Bengals scoring on their possessions, the Colts allowed both of their sacks in the second half, Luck nearly threw 2 more interceptions, and added the crucial fumble recovery in the final seconds to sew it up. No amount of stats can tell you that a team shouldn’t give away a 23-10 second-half lead with Andrew Luck under center.The thing is, though, is that they did. They were dominated in the fourth quarter, again, and when they did begin to get it together they coughed up the ball. Last season the Colts amassed a total of 3 touchdowns all year, and while you’d have to be quite irrational to think that will be a trend with Luck under center Cheap J'Marcus Webb Jersey , it’s still a problem that needs to be rectified by Frank Reich at the very least.Colts offensive line is a work in progress, but still better The Colts started two backups, a rookie, a former first-round pick, and an old guy Sunday. Andrew Luck did get forced out of the pocket a handful of times, and did take his two sacks on the day, but with all things considered, this group of lineman did a pretty solid job of protecting the franchise quarterback.Luck dropped back 56 times... Fifty. Six. against one of the better defensive fronts they’ll play all season. The Bengals did generate 8 QB hits behind the line of scrimmage, but very few of those were hard hits or affected Luck’s ability to make the throw outside of the two sacks. It’s not an excuse for them, necessarily, rather more of an acknowledgement for the workload they were tasked with and how they worked together.For some perspective about the group this offensive line had to battle in Week 1, five of them that they matched up against accounted for 31 of the Bengals’ 41 sacks from 2017. That was no small feat in my eyes by this Colts’ line. I was actually pretty encouraged by their efforts and am quite interested to see what they can accomplish once they’re fully healthy.Colts fans are used to having a swiss cheese offensive line, and everyone wants Luck untouched as he comes back from an entire season of rehab — I get it. They may still have a bad year with the injuries they’re accruing, but Week 1 wasn’t one of the games we should attempt to form much of a judgement. They could just as easily improve with such a young group along the front line.There are too many bad things that could have happened with Joe Haeg in his first start at left tackle and the slowest human on earth (J’Marcus Webb) at right tackle — so let’s not overblow this one. It is Week 1 after all.Grading Andrew Luck’s First Game Back Luck’s Passing AttemptsLuck’s 1st Passing Attempt — Short Completion to Marlon Mack for 17 YardsFor those who missed his pass, there it is! This is a designed play from the very beginning and it’s a good short pass that gives Luck some confidence and the offense some easy yards. Mack does a great job with the ball after the catch.This is a great play call from the coaching staff, giving him an easy completion to start the game that only helps his confidence. Luck’s 2nd Passing Attempt — Incomplete Pass (Short Right) to TY HiltonLuck does a good job selling the play action and you can tell by the way the defense (especially #91) reacts to it. He does a good job getting depth on the rollout, which buys him more time to make a read down the field. Unfortunately, Luck stares down his target, TY Hilton and tries to thread the needle into a window that wasn’t there. No harm no foul as the defender couldn’t make a play on the ball and the old adage is “only put the ball in a spot where the receiver can get it”.Luck’s 3rd Passing Attempt — 1st Down Completion to TY HiltonLuck takes a nice drop here and is patient with the throw, but he seriously needs to be careful with his eyes on the play. Luck is obviously rusty so his ability to manipulate defenders with eyes isn’t there yet. Nevertheless Adam Vinatieri Jersey , he puts a lot of zip on this pass and places it very well. Luck’s 4th Passing Attempt — Incomplete Pass (Short Left) to TY HiltonIf you look at Luck’s footwork, he’s engaged in a “catch and shoot” type of pass. A catch and shoot pass means that Luck needs to get rid of the ball quickly and preferably on his first or second read. He needs to get rid of it quickly because he’s not taking a drop to get away from the offensive line. He does a much better job scanning the field, but makes the wrong read forcing the ball to a well covered Hilton towards the sideline. A better cornerback in better position could take a pass like that to the house. Luck’s 5th Passing Attempt — Short Completion to Chester Rogers for 10 YardsThis is a very good play from Luck. He takes the easy dump pass that goes for 10 yards. His mechanics aren’t perfect in a muddy pocket, but it’s such an easy throw that it doesn’t really matter. He took what he was given, which is always the smart play.Luck’s 6th Passing Attempt — Short 1st Down Completion to Robert Turbin for 14 YardsAny person can make this easy read — great play call from the coaching staff and a great job by Turbin. You can see a trend with the passes the coaching staff called in this game. Luck’s 7th Passing Attempt — Short Completion to Marlon Mack for 6 YardsAnother easy pass from Luck and a good call from the coaching staff on first down.Luck’s 8th Passing Attempt — Completion to Jack Doyle for 9 YardsFor those interested in the mechanics of a quarterback, Luck performs a very nice 7-step drop with a hitch. This is a long-developing pass play that involves multiple reads, so the 7-step drop is intended to give Luck time to make the read and get as far away from the offensive line as he can! He goes through a few reads here and makes the right one in Doyle. Easily his best throw of the game. Luck’s 9th Passing Attempt — Incomplete Pass (Short Right) to TY HiltonIf his last throw was his best, this was probably his worst. This was definitely a pre-determined read as he immediately looked to Hilton’s side. He definitely relied heavily on Hilton tonight. Doyle was wide open on the drag and probably would’ve gotten the first down. Luck needs to make sure he’s reading and scanning the field properly pre and post snap.Luck’s Only Rushing Attempt — 1 Yard GainNo thoughts on this, but I think every Colts fan held their breath for a few seconds!Luck’s Final Numbers — 6/9, 64 Yards with 1 Rush for 1 YardLuck’s MechanicsUpper BodyHis throwing motion looks the same and he has the same amount of zip on his passes. His lead shoulder was a bit misaligned on his throws and it affected his accuracy a bit. His looked a bit stiff on a couple of throws early on, but I doubt that had anything to do with his shoulder injury. If we’re being picky, it definitely wasn’t perfect in terms of his upper body mechanics, but it was acceptable. Lower BodyFootwork looked fantastic! The 7-step drop was a thing of beauty and I found his lower body was properly aligned for the most part. His drops were crisp and I thought he moved well in the pocket.Overall GradeOverall, Luck had a nice game and the coaching staff called a great game (in general, but with Luck especially). They gave Luck a lot of easy passes that boosted his confidence and got him into a flow. They mixed in a few play action plays and some rollouts. He got a nice taste of NFL football! It feels like I’m talking about a rookie!He looked very calm and relaxed on the field. He was making his usual pre-snap reads, which some quarterbacks don’t even bother doing in preseason games (which is a big mistake) and he didn’t look like a guy returning from a 585 day absence. Overall, I’d give him a very good grade, but there’s some areas that need some refinement. I’d give him a B+.