Thumbs up, thumbs down from Colts' win over Rams
Here’s the best and worst of the Colts’ 24-14 preseason victory over the St. Louis Rams on Saturday night.
THUMBS UP
>> DE Henry Anderson: If you were among those wondering why the Colts were excited to acquire Anderson in the draft this year, you’re likely starting to understand why.
Anderson had his most disruptive performance yet against St. Louis, getting increased penetration and causing major headaches for the Rams’ offensive line at times. Anderson showed his versatility, too. After defensive tackle Art Jones went down with an ankle injury on the defense’s first series, Anderson spent time playing in tandem with Kendall Langford, also a defensive end. Anderson’s flexibility allows him to play more or less a defensive tackle role, too.
The Colts this season seem more willing to experiment with new personnel combinations, like the one featuring Anderson and Langford on Saturday. Players like Anderson, who can be moved around to different spots, are the reason the Colts have such options to begin with.
>> LB Erik Walden: What a night for Walden. If his preseason is any indication of what’s to come when the games start to count, he could have quite the season. Walden has been on a tear, recording 1 ½ sacks Saturday night to go along with his three tackles.
But his contributions can’t be measured only in numbers. Walden has been, at times, unblockable in this preseason. But he doesn’t get enough credit for doing the dirty work, setting the edge against the run and mixing it up in the trenches where he has a significant impact on the run defense.
Still, the highlight of Saturday night for Walden was, undoubtedly, his sack of Nick Foles with 13:14 left in the second quarter. He exploited rookie tackle Rob Havenstein, blowing by the lineman with an unbelievable burst out of his two-point stance for a clear shot on Foles.
>> K Adam Vinatieri: Another night, another boomer from Vinatieri.
By the time the Colts trotted Vintieri out for his third and final attempt Saturday night, you’d likely long lost interest given the unknown players finishing up the final moments of the fourth quarter.
No matter.
Vinatieri lined up and booted a 55-yard field goal through the uprights, keeping him perfect for the preseason at 5 for 5. Vinny is 42 and – very literally – still kicking.
PHOTOS: Colts vs. Rams
THUMBS DOWN
>> C Jon Harrison: The Colts have been mixing in first-team snaps for Harrison in the past two games, bringing him off the bench for starter Khaled Holmes. Perhaps the idea is to create competition. Or maybe the Colts want to see Harrison against starting-caliber defenses.
Whatever it is, Harrison’s performance Saturday night didn’t help him.
Harrison struggled to hold blocks and was beaten off the ball on more than one occasion. And it had an immediate detrimental impact on the Colts’ running game. Harrison’s play contributed to the struggles of running back Boom Herron. Herron averaged 5.4 yards on his first five carries, all coming in the first quarter.
His four carries in the second quarter totaled minus-2 yards. Harrison, though not completely at fault, played most of the second quarter.
>> SS Mike Adams: If there’s one thing this Pro Bowl safety has been, it’s reliable. But he had a notable snafu Saturday when he failed to line up deep enough in what appeared to be a deep zone coverage, allowing Rams quarterback Nike Foles to take advantage of the miscue.
Adams was unable to recover after receiver Chris Givens gained a step on him while running a deep post, and Givens hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Foles. This was more a case of failed execution rather than an inability to make a play.
But a play like this can cost the Colts a game nonetheless.