Lions-Colts recap: It's not all bad
It's time for the Monday morning quarterback edition of the Two-Minute Drill.
It wasn't pretty watching the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts smash the Detroit Lions, 37-10, on Saturday night at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Yet, there were a few Honolulu blue and silver linings to be found in the Lions' third preseason game.
Pass rush: It showed some signs of life, especially on the first snap of the game. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning dropped back and immediately got flushed from the pocket, rolling to his left, and that's where defensive ends Dewayne White and Kalimba Edwards converged for the double-team sack. Loss of 13 yards, just like that. It was an encouraging sight since White was on the field for the first time in a preseason game, while Edwards, who missed last week's preseason contest, finally showed up to play.
In fact, Edwards had a standout performance against the Colts. He made three tackles, two of them solos, got credited for a half sack and twice more flushed Manning from the pocket. All throughout training camp, coach Rod Marinelli has been pressuring Edwards to start playing with some passion, and it came shining through against the Colts.
Roy and Calvin Johnson: For the first time in the preseason, wide receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson both were in the starting lineup, which should become a common sight once the regular season kicks off. Mike Furrey missed the game against the Colts due to a minor injury, putting Calvin Johnson, the heralded first-round pick, on the field opposite Pro Bowler Williams for some meaningful minutes.
The problem is that neither had Jon Kitna, out with back spasms, throwing to them.
Even so, the results were mildly encouraging. Williams looked sharp while catching three passes for 39 yards from third-string quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan. Calvin Johnson also had three receptions, finishing with 25 yards. So far, the Lions haven't made it a high priority to throw in Calvin Johnson's direction, which is nothing to worry about. Expect offensive coordinator Mike Martz to unleash the promising rookie once the games really start to matter.
And, lastly, the education of O'Sullivan continues: He has been impressive throughout training camp. He has a nice, quick release and seems to have a good grasp of Martz's complicated playbook, but he revealed himself against the Colts to be little more than a third-string quarterback.
He played the entire game against the Colts -- since backup quarterback Dan Orlovsky also is injured -- and completed 24-of-34 attempts for 232 yards and a touchdown. He got intercepted twice, though, and had trouble sustaining drives. To be fair, he was matched up against the Super Bowl champs.
No, there just weren't a lot of silver threads to be found after this matchup.
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