5 Preseason True or False Colts Questions
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1. The Colts are handling Anthony Richardson's preseason correctly…
TRUE
Chris Ballard spilled the beans with JMV on Wednesday that the plan for AR is to sit on Saturday against the Cardinals, but he will play at least a half in Cincinnati next week. And while there are several items I may disagree with Ballard on this is not one of them.
There are basically 2 options…1) play Richardson AND the starters against the Cardinals after two grueling joint practices or 2) play everybody deeper into the second half in the final preseason game. Both are not ideal options. Plus, you’re not playing AR without the other starters. That would be no sense.
It’s incredibly rare for a team to play their starters in the preseason game after back-to-back joint practices. The Colts didn’t do that last year, and they won’t do it this year either. The other option is playing starters deep into the second half of the final preseason game. That’s also silly. A few snaps in that game won’t change the course of AR’s season.
At this point we’re all waiting on the obvious…to see Richardson play in regular season games and get valuable reps. Practice and preseason games can only go so far. It’s all about September 8th.
2. The secondary is a "fatal flaw"…
TRUE
Listen, I know I’ve harped about it on air, but I’ll ask again…is this secondary good enough to make it a full 17 games? The answer is no. Let me ask a second question…did the Colts raise the floor (not the ceiling) to their CB/S rooms this offseason? The answer is again unfortunately no.
Don’t get my message mixed up. I think guys like Kenny Moore and Julian Blackmon are studs, but it’s about more than just a couple guys. It’s about depth. And right now, with Dallis Flowers struggling coming off his Achilles injury and the uncertainty at safety, consider me nervous about this group in the long term.
3. The WR battle is over…
FALSE
Part of the fallout from the Josh Downs injury is Adonai Mitchell moving to the slot. While only part time, the injury and the move from AD has muddled the WR “competition”. No longer does it feel like it’s Pearce vs Mitchell but rather Pearce AND Mitchell.
But what happens when Downs is back? It’s a great question where I don’t have an answer.
One quick note…it is impressive how Mitchell, as a rookie, is able to take on the slot role. That’s not something he did a lot of in college. It says something that the staff thinks he can handle learning multiple positions in his first training camp.
4. Jelani Woods will make the 53-man roster…
TRUE
Admittingly, I’ve been a “Woods guy” and have been eager to seeing if he could tap into his potential. But the truth right now is that he’s getting mostly third and fourth string reps. In 12 training camp practices Woods caught ONE pass from AR. ONE.
Do I think he’s a candidate to be cut? Yes. But do I think he’ll actually get cut? No, I do not.
I know the flashes have been few and far between but at least he showed something in that rookie season. And then he was injured all of last year. I think it’s worth the Colts to play out this season and if it’s not working then you move on. It’s also worth remembering Woods was a 3rd round pick. That’s valuable real estate to give up on.
5. Jonathan Taylor will rush for 1,500 yards…
FALSE
Sorry to Frank Gore but Jonathan Taylor isn’t rushing 2,000 yards. Nor is he rushing for 1,500. Don’t blame me! Blame Anthony Richardson and the NFL in general.
With that being said, I’m on the record that Taylor will have a monster year. My over/under would be closer to 1,300 yards. If Taylor plays 15 games that would average out to be a little under 90 yards per game.
