INDIANAPOLIS —
Center Jeff Saturday has a message for all those who want to a) blame the Indianapolis Colts’ 34-7 season-opening National Football League loss to the Houston Texans on new quarterback Kerry Collins or b) blame the aforementioned loss on the absence of quarterback Peyton Manning.
According to Saturday, losing the 2011 season opener was a complete team effort.
“None of us played well. It had nothing to do with Kerry. As an offense, we just didn’t play well. We didn’t execute when we needed to,” Saturday said Monday.
“Fumbles, sacks, penalties. You name it. Any way that you can shoot yourself in the foot, we did it. Kerry doesn’t have control over all that. We’ve got to play better as an offense.”
As for not having the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player around, Saturday dismissed that fact as an excuse as well.
“Obviously he’s not there. But I don’t think if Peyton would have been back there it would have been much better. We didn’t play well,” he explained. “We weren’t efficient in our offense. It just adds up and snowballs.
We just didn’t produce the way we need to and we didn’t get it done.”
Saturday thought that the Colts showed some improvement in the second half, but agrees that there’s still a lot of work to do before facing Cleveland in the team’s home opener Sunday.
“The Texans, give them credit. They took advantage of every mistake we made and made the most out of it. We made mistakes. We did things that we know we can’t do no matter who’s playing quarterback. And it catches up to you. You can’t go out and start a game that poorly,” he said.
“It’s still a loss. We can justify each and every point they scored. We showed [in the second half] that we can move the ball, we can be effective. And I think that’s what you build on. We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds. You can’t give teams advantages like that. We have to get together and get into a rhythm.”
• Work to do — That’s what the Indianapolis Colts have in front of them after losing to Houston.
Too many mistakes, both mental and physical, put the Colts in a big hole early against the Texans. Now Jim Caldwell’s team has to regroup and retool heading into Sunday’s home opener with Cleveland.
Collins sees a lot of room for improvement.
“I’m sure there’s a host of things that we all could have done better. We need to take better care of the ball, and that’s the No. 1 priority. There are going to be things, I’m sure, with plays, reads, and decisions that I’ll have to improve on. That’s part of it,” he said Monday.
“Really, we just didn’t help ourselves. The big things were turning the ball over, which I was responsible for. But there were some good things that happened in the game, especially in the second half. We hurt ourselves a little bit with penalties and some other things, but I fully expected to go into yesterday and to play well and run the game plan. There were some good moments, but, obviously, [there is] a lot we need to work on.”
Cornerback Jerraud Powers agrees.
“We’re not going to spending this [coming week] sitting around and thinking about Houston. We’ll worry about them when we play them again,” Powers said. “We tip our hat to them. They executed their game plan. They did a great job. But after [Monday] at 2 p.m., this game will be put behind us.
“There’s a lot more football to be played. We’re going to definitely get things turned in the right direction. Everybody’s on board, focused. There’s not going to be any finger-pointing. We’re going to remain unified and do what we have to do to win.”
Running back Joseph Addai said the players know what they have to do.
“[Wide receiver] Reggie [Wayne] pulled us the whole offense together in the fourth quarter [of the Houston game]. The defense got together. Everybody’s got their heads up,” Addai said.
“There’s a lot of veterans on this team. We know that it’s going to take time [to get used to playing without quarterback Peyton Manning]. We know that. We know the situation.”
Caldwell, as is his nature, isn’t about to go into panic mode anytime soon.
“I think it’s an understatement, but we just didn’t play well [against Houston]. We just had a few too many mistakes. And you can’t make those kind of mistakes against good football teams,” the Colts coach said.
Caldwell added that while he didn’t expect to make wholesale changes on either side of the ball for the Cleveland game, there is work to do.
“Obviously, when you turn the ball over twice and give them the ball early, on the 12-yard line and the 18-yard line, those are just a couple of miscues that you can’t afford to give to a good football team. That certainly set an early tone, and we just couldn’t get our feet back underneath us quickly enough to make some things happen,” he said.
“Our defense started pretty fast. We got a turnover right away, but we didn’t capitalize on it from an offensive standpoint. [The defense] made [the Texans] kick a field goal the next time they had the ball. So you can’t just make a blanket statement and have it cover the entire group, because there were some phases that were okay.”
The Colts coach said that pass protection needs to improve.
“We were a bit inconsistent. There were some times where we did a pretty good job handling the line of scrimmage and creating some holes. Joe [Addai] had some pretty good runs in there, and there were quite a few times where our pass protection was good and solid,” Caldwell said. “Then there were others where we weren’t very good, and we didn’t block very well in terms of the run game. I’d say we were inconsistent, and we have to get better. We have to improve.”
• Injury list — Outside linebacker Ernie Sims suffered a sprained right knee in the second quarter and did not return. Middle linebacker Gary Brackett incurred a sprained left shoulder in the fourth quarter after intercepting a Matt Schaub pass. Brackett was hurt as he was being tackled after the interception.
“I tried to brace my fall, and just landed with all my pressure on my shoulder. It was my shoulder, and my knees are fine,” Brackett said Monday.
As for Sims, his injury may sideline him for an extended period of time.
“There’s a possibility of that,” Caldwell said. “We probably won’t know fully until, maybe, the next couple of days.”
Among those sitting out Monday’s short practice were Wayne, safety Antoine Bethea, defensive ends Tyler Brayton and Robert Mathis, weakside linebacker Kavell Conner, wide receivers Anthony Gonzalez and Blair White, Manning, Sims and Brackett.
Colts
Colts’ opening loss was a complete team effort
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Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
While the Indianapolis Colts put their rookies and a handful of second-year players through workouts this weekend at the team’s Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, a pair of first-year coordinators are getting a chance to do some valuable on-field work as well.
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Werner, 36 others open Colts’ mini camp
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts received high marks for the impact players the team added through the NFL draft.
Of the 10 players selected, five ended up either starting or seeing extensive playing time (quarterback Andrew Luck, tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and running back Vick Ballard) during the Colts’ 11-5 season.
While this year’s class may not rival that group in terms of name recognition and flash, it may produce just as many major contributors once the 2013 season gets underway. -
Werner at top of game
Bjoern Werner was a late comer to football. But after being selected in the first round of the 2013 National Football League draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Werner realizes that he has reached the pinnacle of the sport in a relatively short amount of time.
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Colts select pass rusher Werner in first round
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Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
As the 2013 NFL draft gets underway tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Indianapolis Colts are continuing their wait-and-see stance in regard to the first-round pick.
The draft begins at 8 p.m. — televised by the NFL Network and ESPN — with the Kansas City Chiefs making the night’s first selection. Teams will have 10 minutes to make their decisions during the first round. Indianapolis will have the 24th overall pick in the first round.
There will be only one round tonight. The second and third rounds are scheduled for Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with seven minutes allotted per pick in the second round and five minutes allowed in the third. The final four rounds are slated to begin at noon Saturday with four minutes between selections.
As it stands now, Indianapolis does not have a second-round pick. It was traded to Miami last fall in exchange for veteran cornerback Vontae Davis. But second-year general manager Ryan Grigson has nut ruled out the possibility of trading down from the first round if the Colts aren’t satisfied with the players available. -
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Colts veteran among those excited to see Luck's growth in 2013-14
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Heyward-Bey feeling fortunate to hook up with Luck
Add one more player to the list of veteran free agents signed by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason.
Former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey agreed to a a deal with the Colts late Monday evening. Bey, who played collegiately at Maryland, was the seventh player selected in the first round of the 2009 National Football League draft. -
Colts sign nose tackle
Another day, more player signings for the Indianapolis Colts.
Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin agreed to terms with the Colts on Tuesday evening and officially signed with the team Wednesday. Franklin (6-1, 315) is a 10-year NFL veteran with stops in Baltimore (2003-06), San Francisco (2007-10), New Orleans (2011) and San Diego (2012). -
Colts sign Matt Hasselbeck to back up Luck
The Indianapolis Colts’ roster moves just keep coming.
While the Colts haven’t yet added that big-name wide receiver that team owner Jim Irsay hinted at in tweets over the weekend, Indianapolis has addressed one area on offense.
Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had agreed Monday night to be the Colts’ primary back-up to second-year starter Andrew Luck. He officially signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the team Tuesday morning.
“We are very pleased to announce the signing of Matt Hasselbeck,” general manager Ryan Grigson said in a prepared statement. “His body of work, intangibles, and extensive league experience speak for themselves. Those factors, plus his familiarity with our offensive scheme, will make him a great asset to our team and its vision as we move forward.” -
Colts likely done signing free agents, for now
With the possible exception of adding a few lesser-priced players, the Indianapolis Colts’ big-time foray into the veteran free-agent marketplace is pretty much done.
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Landry, Jean Francois join Colts defensive unit
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New York Jets safety LaRon Landry and San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois both signed contracts with the Colts. Landry, a strong safety who appears to be a bigger version of former Indianapolis Pro Bowler Bob Sanders, and the versatile Jean-Francois are expected to make immediate impacts on the Colts’ defensive unit. -
Colts introduce free-agent signees
What the Indianapolis Colts accomplished last season — posting an 11-5 record and earning an AFC wild-card berth with a young team plus having that kind of success without its head coach on the sidelines for 12 games — didn’t go unnoticed by players around the NFL.
That was especially true for the five veteran free agents who were added to the Colts’ roster Tuesday. Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus (Detroit), cornerback Greg Toler (Arizona), outside linebacker Erik Walden (Green Bay), offensive guard Donald Thomas (New England) and linebacker Lawrence Sidbury (Atlanta) admitted as much Wednesday.
“I felt like this would be the best fit for me at this point in my career. I really liked what I saw was happening with the program here and the way things have taken shape. I feel like we have a really great team here and it’s on the rise. I really wanted to be a part of that,” Thomas said during a teleconference interview with the Colts’ media. -
Colts sign five free agents, filling needs at offensive line, cornerback
The Indianapolis Colts were a busy team on the opening day of the National Football League’s veteran free agent market, which got underway at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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Jeff Saturday retires as a Colt
An Indianapolis Colt for life. Pencil in Jeff Saturday for that honor.
The 14-year veteran center in the NFL put an official stamp on a career Thursday that began in Baltimore in 1998 and ended in Green Bay in 2012. But it was those 13 seasons in between — from 1999 to 2011 in which he played for Indianapolis — when Saturday earned his greatest rewards. -
Saturday thrilled to retire as a Colt
The 14-year veteran center in the National Football League put an official stamp on a career Thursday that began in Baltimore in 1998 and ended in Green Bay in 2012. But it was those 13 seasons in-between — from 1999 to 2011 in which he played for Indianapolis — that Saturday earned his greatest rewards.
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Saturday to retire as Colt on Thursday
Former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday will make his retirement from the National Football League official on Thursday.
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Indianapolis franchises punter McAfee
A week ago, Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano said it was a priority that the team retain the services of punter Pat McAfee.
McAfee, an unrestricted free agent who’s contract is due to expire March 12, was designated as the Colts’ franchise player Friday. The move allows Indianapolis extra time to work out a long-term deal for the team’s special-teams ace.
“He’s huge. He’s a major priority in free agency. Obviously, we’ve reached out and are working to get Pat re-signed,” Pagano said during the National Football Scouting Combine. “We saw what he did for us last year. He’s a great weapon, not only kickoffs and touchbacks. -
Colts GM enjoying time at combine
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Colts keeping eye on large crop of talented linemen in NFL Draft
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Among the offensive line candidates who have been showcasing their talents at the National Football Scouting Combine, which began in earnest Thursday and wraps up on Tuesday, the spotlight has been on the offensive tackles. Offensive left tackles in particular. -
Colts' Pagano back to full work schedule at combine
Back and ready to go.
That’s the attitude Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano is taking during the National Football Scouting Combine, which completed its second day of operations Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium. During a wide-ranging press conference at the combine, Pagano confirmed that he is back to a full work regimen after missing 12 games last fall as he battled a rare form of leukemia.
After undergoing cancer treatments that featured heavy doses of chemotherapy, the second-year head coach was able to return to the sidelines for Indianapolis’ final regular-season home game against Houston and for the team’s AFC wild-card matchup with eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore. -
Colts looking forward to different approach to draft in 2013
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts had the first overall pick in the 2012 National Football League draft.
It was a foregone conclusion that the Colts would select former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the selection. While Indianapolis front office and player personnel officials certainly had to do their due diligence in preparing for the draft, the Colts find themselves this year in a bit different situation.
The team will have the 24th overall pick in the first round, which is a double-edged sword. Indianapolis picks lower in the round due to a successful season. But the pool of available can’t-miss talent isn’t quite as plentiful as drafting earlier in the round. -
Former Pro Bowl selection Freeney won't return to Colts
The news coming out of the Indianapolis Colts headquarters Friday afternoon was not totally unexpected. Team officials have confirmed that two veteran players – former Pro Bowl defensive end/outside linebacker Dwight Freeney and wide receiver Austin Collie — will not be returning for the 2013 season.
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Colts’ new offensive coordinator will offer variety
Quarterback Andrew Luck running the Pistol offense? Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton lining up in the Wildcat?
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Colts moving on to the off season
Moving on. That’s the immediate plans for the Indianapolis Colts as they head into the off season.
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Baltimore ends Indy’s playoff run early
The Baltimore Ravens want one long final ride for Ray Lewis. Having disposed of Andrew Luck and the Colts, they now face a more imposing challenge.
Next up, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. -
Switching sides: Colts-Ravens matchup includes old friends on new teams
Just as Baltimore Ravens players and coaches will be seeing some old friends returning to M&T Bank Stadium today, several Indianapolis Colts veterans will also have an opportunity to renew acquaintances with a familiar face.
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Pagano prepares Colts for tough crowd in Baltimore
As a former resident of Baltimore, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano knows all about the hard feelings that still run strong about the move of the Colts franchise to Indianapolis in 1984.
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Pagano marvels at Colt’s progress
In the minutes after last Sunday’s win over AFC South champion Houston, Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano marveled at how the 2012 season has progressed for his team.
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