You think the Indianapolis Colts are soft.
That's the perception, right? A passing team with a gunslinger quarterback that has issues on both lines is not usually considered physical or tough.
That's unfair, but that's the reality.
So when I went into the Colts locker room last week to ask players about the perception of being soft, let's just say the players didn't exactly like the line of questioning, even if I am not a believer in that thinking.
Nobody likes to be called soft, especially big, tough, football players.
"Soft? Says who?" Colts defensive lineman Arthur Jones said. "The guys who are in this locker room know we aren't soft. We're a bunch of ass kickers."
With Andrew Luck as their quarterback, the Colts are wide open on offense, and in 2014 they struggled to stop the run when they needed to be stout. The Colts gave up 4.3 yards per rush last season, tying with Miami for 22nd in the league. They averaged 3.9 yards per rush on offense to tie three other teams for 22nd in the league.
That isn't exactly a formula that screams physical team. But that's the rub. When you have Luck, shouldn't he be the focal point on offense? That means the run game won't be as good -- thus the soft label.
"That's been the reputation, but when you win they can call you whatever they want," Colts linebacker D'Qwell Jackson said. "I guess it's the way you look at it. Do you want a team that goes out and gets a bunch of personal fouls and beats up people and plays undisciplined, one that picks up unnecessary penalties and puts their team in harm's way? I don't fall for that talk that we're a soft group. This is a violent sport. There's nothing soft about it."
The Colts made moves to get tougher, even if nobody will come out and say it. They signed guard Todd Herremans and veteran Frank Gore to improve the run game on offense. Then they added defensive end Kendall Langford on defense. Jones missed time last season with injuries, and he's a good run player and a tough one.
A Colts source recently told me he that wanted his team to be able to travel and not be considered a "dome" team. The Colts have a facility that can be open or closed, depending on the weather, and dome teams have a reputation for not being able to be tough when the conditions aren't good outside.
Jones was as sensitive to the soft talk as any Colts player I talked to on the subject. Then again, when you brother is Jon Jones, the MMA champion, and a guy you used to beat up as a kid, soft is not a word you want associated with your team.
So Jones brought up a song when the subject was broached. It's called "You Ain't Poppin."
"If you don't have no haters, you're not popping," Jones said. "That's from the song. It's something I like to live by. People are gonna hate. It's all about the guys in this locker room and the other stuff doesn't matter."
Left tackle Anthony Castonzo waved off the idea of being a soft team altogether.
"What's the definition of a tough team?" Castonzo said. "You could line up and play power football all day and get two yards a run. Is that a tough team, just because you're doing it and essentially bashing your head against a wall over and over again? Does that make you tough? Tough is the guy across from you knowing you are going to give it to him every play, no matter what the style of play."
Passing teams will always be considered soft. But what would you rather have: A run game or Luck?
"I think I will take our guy," Herremans said. "That's an easy choice that every supposed tough team would make."
The Colts didn't look good on the offensive line against the Bears Saturday night. Luck was pressured from the opening whistle and the line got whipped. That's not a good sign.
Considered soft or not, the line play has to be better on both sides of the ball if the Colts are going to take the next step.
Enough with the meaningless injuries: I have really come to hate the preseason. The injuries continue to add up. Every game we see guys getting carted from the field, and not just with pulls of hamstrings either. There are major injuries, the kind that end seasons.
We likely saw the Packers lose star receiver Jordy Nelson for the 2015 season on Sunday with a torn ACL, according to reports. The Giants have nobody left at safety after a slew of injuries. The Panthers have major issues up front on the defensive line, and lost pass rusher Frank Alexander for the year on Saturday night when he tore an Achilles tendon against the Dolphins.
Then we saw Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey go down in the same game in which the Packers lost Nelson. He will likely have surgery for an ankle injury. Terrible hit for the Steelers.
I still think there is way too much year-round training going on. Guys don't get to rest their bodies. That matters.
Then there are the games themselves. It's time to cut them down to two per team, with one week of work with another team. That's it. But greed is at play here since the players make little money in the preseason, but the owners get full ticket prices. Some will say Nelson went down in a non-contact situation that could have happened on the practice field or in a real game. Two things on that: You need practice, but you don't need these games, and in a real game he's actually playing for something, including a real check.
More preseason musings:
Cleveland Browns | |
| Even after Johnny Manziel did some good things last week against the Buffalo Bills, Browns coach Mike Pettine insisted that there is no quarterback controversy and Josh McCown is the quarterback. Why? McCown is a stopgap at best. Even if Manziel hasn't caught up yet, don't the Browns need to find out what he can do? Aren't they better off for the long run to play Manziel, and then move on from him if he stinks? They know what they have in McCown, and it isn't good. He's a journeyman at best. All playing him does is delay the inevitable. The Browns aren't playoff good with either guy, so play the kid. Find out what he can do. McCown is not the long-term answer. | |
Indianapolis Colts | |
| First-year Colts receiver Andre Johnson is thrilled to be playing with Luck. After years with the Texans dealing with so-so quarterbacks (that's being kind), Johnson said Luck was the main reason he picked Indianapolis. "It's a great opportunity," Johnson said. "He's the reason why I came here." Johnson turned 34 in July and he certainly isn't the deep threat he once was. But he said he's learned to take care of his body better -- resting when it needs it -- and that should help him prolong his career and stay away from the old label. "That's the nature of the business," Johnson said."Anytime you are over the age of 30 in this game, people are going to say you are old. I don't worry about it. I let my play do the talking." | |
New York Jets | |
| We expected the Jets to be really good on defense, especially with the addition of Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie on the corners. So far? Not so much. The first unit has given up 24 points in two games so far, and they have looked bad in doing so. There has been coverage busts and poor tackling. New coach Todd Bowles is a defensive coach, and with his offense, he will need that defense to carry the team. If it can't, this could be one long season for the Jets. | |
Philadelphia Eagles | |
| Can somebody explain why fans go nuts for Tim Tebow when he comes into the game? He is horrible. He can't process the information fast enough to be an effective NFL quarterback. Did you see how many open receivers he missed against the Ravens? Even Mike Mayock, who is one of the nicest analysts out there, pretty much said if the first read isn't there, Tebow has no way of functioning. Fixing a motion doesn't mean fixing the ability to go through reads. He can't do it. It's not fixable. At least he has the SEC Network job to fall back on. Nice kid. Horrible player. | |
Baltimore Ravens | |
| Terrell Suggs can say whatever he wants about his hit on Sam Bradford, but it was dirty -- especially in the preseason. I get that a quarterback is live on the read option, but going at his legs? Come on. And in the preseason, in Bradford's first game back after a second knee surgery? That's bush league. The Eagles clearly didn't like it, but why didn't anybody go after Suggs? If that had been Ndamukong Suh with that type of play, the media would have gone nuts. Suggs can be just as dirty at times. | |
Arizona Cardinals | |
| When I was in Arizona for camp, I happened to be there the day rookie running back David Johnson pulled up after a long run with a bad hamstring. That injury kept him out for a few weeks, but Johnson was back Saturday night against San Diego and rushed for 66 yards on 13 carries and had two catches. The Cardinals love this kid's potential and he showed the ability to run inside the tackles, something the Cardinals badly need. Early on, Johnson looked like he was searching for the home run, rather than taking what was available. "I thought after he quit dancing and he got out of the dance studio, he ran real well," Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said after the game. "He can go out on 'Dancing With the Stars' if he wants to dance. As big and fast as he is, take your foot on the ground and give me four yards or more." | |
New England Patriots | |
| I sure hope the Patriots don't plan to keep Devin McCourty at corner. He struggled some against the Saints on Saturday night. He is one of the better free safeties in the league, and was just OK at corner. Why mess with that? I know they suffered some big losses on the corner in free agency, especially with Revis, but it makes no sense to move him from a position where he excels, a position that is hard to find good players with his type of range. McCourty needs to be at free safety. | |
Miami Dolphins | |
| Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill continues to show major progress. He has led the Dolphins to touchdowns on three of his five drives in the preseason. His passer rating is over 120. If Tannehill can continue to make the steps forward, the Dolphins could very well be a playoff team and push the Patriots in the division. | |
Seattle Seahawks | |
| We're less than three weeks away from the NFL regular season and Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor hasn't shown up for camp in a contract dispute. Want to bet he doesn't miss a game? Chancellor would be leaving over $260,000 per week on the table if he doesn't play in the regular season. Won't happen. | |
Chicago Bears | |
| I thought Jay Cutler looked good against the Colts Saturday night, completing 8-of-9 passes. He also almost ran in for a score, lowering his head to do so, but that was called back for a penalty. Another impressive play came when he scrambled to his right and hit Josh Bellamy with a throw across the field for a big gain. That, too, was wiped out by penalty. After talking to Cutler and coordinator Adam Gase last week, I think he's primed for a good year. The Bears defense looked much better than a week ago as well. Pass rusher Pernell McPhee, signed as a free agent, will be a heck of a player for them. | |