Posted on August 13, 2017, by Travis Pulver
If you put much stock in preseason games, then Jake Ruddock is going to be the next ‘great’ quarterback, the Colts are going to go 0-16, and Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay is going to be drafted way too early in a lot of fantasy leagues. Yes, it was that kind of game. You name it and it went right for the Lions. On the other hand, it all went wrong for the Colts.
To be fair, it is only preseason. There have been plenty of teams that have stunk it up in the preseason that did just fine when the season started. Colts fans are going to have to hope that’s what fate has in store for them.
Via @TribStarJoe
From what was observed/learned Sunday afternoon, it looks like it could be a real long season for Colts fans.
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- Colts general manager Chris Ballard shared an interesting nugget of information during an interview in the broadcast booth. He described Andrew Luck’s strength right now as being better than it ever was last season. Luck did not look great last season. So, was this Ballard’s way of saying he’s a long way from being 100 percent? Or is he trying to give us something while not giving us anything definitive?
- Jim Irsay’s comments after the game make it sound like Ballard might have been trying to tell us Luck has a long way to go.
Irsay said, via CBS4 in Indianapolis (h/t NFL): “I can’t say that Luck will be ready for the [regular-season opening] Rams game, but he will be ready for the start of the season. He is throwing.”
He’ll be ready for the start of the season but not for the regular season opener? If the Colts season doesn’t start with the regular season opener, then when does it start?
- If you want a good indicator of how the Colts played against the Lions, the Indianapolis broadcast team named the new punter, Jeff Locke, the player of the game.
- Scott Tolzien did not look like a guy you want behind center when the season starts, but it sounds like there is a distinct possibility that could happen. Irsay said the team looked into signing a veteran player but didn’t like the price tag.
- But to be fair, rookie safety Malik Hooker made a few nice plays as did Edwin Jackson. It wasn’t all doom and gloom. Just mostly doom and gloom.
- Don’t say it too loud but Chad Johnson (aka Ochocinco) may have been right in his assessment of Lions rookie wide receiver Kenny Golladay. The rookie from Northern Illinois had three catches (targeted four times) for 53 yards and two touchdowns. One of the touchdown catches was an absolute thing of beauty.
- Jake Ruddock looked like he could step in and play this season if the Lions needed him to. He looked composed, made his throws, and kept the offense moving. It will be interesting to see what he does next week against the Jets (who may be a dumpster fire on offense but have a strong defense).
Via Twitter
“You can see the difference between last year and this year at this time,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said (ESPN). “He has a better grasp of things around him. He’s in command.”
- Detroit might have a running game this year. Dwayne Washington looked good (six carries, 34 yards) and Zach Zenner had a nice 19-yard run (but only gained seven yards on five carries otherwise). So, it may not be a great running game but it will not be hard to improve off last year’s lackluster attack.
Both teams will be back in action next Saturday. Detroit will host the New York Jets with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 PM ET. Indianapolis will host the Dallas Cowboys with kickoff scheduled for 7 PM ET.