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August 28, 2010

Colts focus on positive on the day after

Tom James Tribune-Star Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS — Rather than dwelling on the negative aspects of Thursday night’s 59-24 preseason loss to the Green Bay Packers, and there were many, Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell preferred to talk about the good things that transpired at Lambeau Field.

“I made this statement [Thursday night] and I think it does indeed hold true. If you had an opportunity to look at the [game] film, you can certainly look at things a little differently. We take the ball, first [offensive] drive, in two plays and we’re in the end zone. That’s a pretty good start. You’ve got to be pleased with that. From a defensive standpoint, [Green Bay] took the ball down and they scored. The next time they had the ball, they had a three-and-out. Our offense went down and we get the field goal. The next time we go down, our offense scores the touchdown. That first quarter was a pretty good quarter that looks like the way we play,” Caldwell said Friday afternoon.

“The turnaround was just right at the end of the second quarter. That’s where we had a muffed punt and they got a touchdown. And then they got a shot at the end zone with the clocking running [late in the quarter] and they scored on the touchdown. But, also in between that time, our defense did a great job on a fourth-down stop after a turnover. So there were a lot of good things in that first half. Those are the things that get lost in the evaluation of a ballgame until you actually have an opportunity to go back and look at the film and digest it.”

Then there were the individual performances, topped by the play of safety Bob Sanders. Sanders played well into the third quarter before heading to the sidelines. He ended the night, unofficially, with five tackles and one forced fumble. It was Sanders’ second straight preseason start and his longest outing to date since returning from a torn bicep injury.

“Bob came back and played well. He looks a lot more settled than he did the week before [against Buffalo]. He knocked the ball loose on a caused fumble. I could go on and on,” the Colts coach said. “[Safety] Antoine [Bethea] played well. There’s a lot of guys that did nice jobs out there.”

• Too many mental errors — It’s been a problem area all preseason. Too many mental mistakes, which has translated into far too many penalties and turnovers. The Colts had four turnovers (two lost fumbles and two interceptions) against the Packers and were penalized 12 times for 116 yards.

“We don’t want to play scared. We still want to be aggressive but yet we want to make certain to hold on to the football,” Caldwell said. 

• Too many injuries — Five starters were sidelined during the course of the Green Bay game. Running back Joseph Addai left in the third quarter with an apparent concussion and never returned.

Addai said later that he just had the wind knocked out of him. He was hurt as he made a tackle after a fumble by quarterback Peyton Manning.

Also hurt were middle linebacker Gary Brackett (right hand), defensive tackle Antonio Johnson (groin), cornerback Jacob Lacey (concussion) and offensive tackle/guard Tony Ugoh (toe).

There was no additional news from the Colts Friday on the severity of the injuries or how much time any of the players may miss.

“It’s too early. [The team] reported to the [trainer’s room] at noon [Friday], so they’re being evaluated,” Caldwell said. “I don’t have that sense [that any of the injuries are serious], but it’s much too early to make that assessment.”

The Indianapolis Star reported Friday afternoon that Brackett’s injury may not be as bad as initially thought. According to the report, X-rays taken of his hand Thursday night were negative.

• Spot the ball — It’s safe to say that the Colts are not big fans of the new NFL policy that re-positions the umpire behind the quarterback, as compared to his previous position of lining up behind the opposing team’s linebackers. The umpire is in charge of spotting the ball after each play.

Indianapolis wanted to run it’s hurry-up offense Thursday night and did most of the game when Manning was on the field. But there were problems along the way. The Colts were penalized twice for snapping the ball before the game official had a chance to get to his new spot on the field.

“I’m assuming [the NFL] is going to look, not only at us, but other teams and how [the new policy] affects them. Our flow of the game was good the first two possessions. This whole issue, though, is still in the evaluation process [within the league],” Caldwell said.

Manning appeared to be particularly vexed by the penalty calls. He didn’t shy away from commenting about it after Thursday night’s game.

“It certainly didn’t seem like they took some of things that we do, and that other teams do, into account when they [changed the position of the referee]. I’m not a big fan of it right now,” he said.

• Roster move — The Colts waived/injured cornerback Marcus McCauley prior to the start of Thursday night’s game and added former New Orleans Saints cornerback Danny Gorrer.

McCauley reportedly had a hamstring injury, but the team has not formally announced the move as of yet. Gorrer had been signed as an undrafted free agent by the Saints in 2009. He was waived prior to the start of last season and was subsequently picked up by the St. Louis Rams, where he spent most of the year on the practice squad.

A two-year starter at Texas A&M, where he was a teammate of Colts safety Melvin Bullitt, he was re-signed by New Orleans in June after being waived by St. Louis. The Saints waived him a second time Aug. 24.

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