There’s no other way to slice it.
The Indianapolis Colts laid an egg on the night of the team’s glorious grand opening of the state-of-the-art Lucas Oil Stadium.
The 20-7 outcome versus the Buffalo Bills was not exactly the desired lasting memory for posterity’s sake. But for those more concerned with the Colts immediate future, the team’s clear deficiencies are cause for concern with the regular season quickly approaching.
Be it injuries, maddening mistakes or missed opportunities, none of the Colts units has been able to display a level of familiar sharpness that is necessary to excel.
It has been a consistent theme for head coach Tony Dungy and coaching staff since the start of the preseason. It will remain a huge focus entering Thursday night’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals and likely so when and if the team reaches 100 percent personnel wise.
“All in all we’ve just got to continue to improve and take care of the football a little bit better and we’ll be in pretty good shape,” Dungy said.
While it is true preseason losses seem a common theme in the Dungy era, this five-game preseason is obviously and starkly different. For the first time in 10 seasons, the Colts have had to deal with uncertainty at quarterback, with Peyton Manning still on the mend from offseason knee surgery. With Manning taken off the Physically Unable to Perform List, and returning to practice this week, there is little doubt the All-Pro quarterback will keep his consecutive regular season start streak alive.
Manning will not see game time until the regular season. Careful not to establish specific return goals, the coaching staff said the franchise QB will instead be eased in slowly.
That Manning would likely return for the season opener against Chicago had never been in doubt. The doubt instead has come as a result of the substantial production drop off with Manning’s back ups. Since Jim Sorgi, Quinn Gray and Jared Lorenzen haven’t exactly evoked confidence; Dungy said that for the first time in his Colts tenure, the team is seriously considering three-quarterbacks on the roster for the season. He is also not ruling out acquiring another quarterback should one he likes become available.
“We have not been a three quarterback team since I’ve been here, but I would think at least early in the season we probably would be,” Dungy added. “I wouldn’t say we’re looking but we certainly wouldn’t pass up on a quality guy if he were out there.”
Though Manning’s timetable has received the most attention, it cannot be overstated that the numerous injuries at the defensive end have also largely contributed to the team’s poor performances.
While the team saw the return of cornerstones such as safety Bob Sanders and defensive end Dwight Freeney last week, shortfalls at the defensive line and linebackers positions continue to be apparent on game days.
Starting in Thursday’s game, the Colts should see the return of key defensive players as well. Still, according to linebacker Gary Brackett, who himself is still regaining form from injury; the Colts have ample time to regain consistency prior to the start of the regular season.
“We’re still growing, we’re still getting better, we’re still continuing to grow and we’ll see. Week one is a long time apart so we’ve got to go back, get better during practice and (against the Bengals) put on a good show.”
