10 thoughts - Colts game

Gandhi

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1 - Jon Gaines and Isaiah Adams have not played well in the two preseason games. I liked Trystan Colon at C, but at guard he is horrible. Marquis Hayes is a longshot to make the roster. Evan Brown have not played at all in the two games, despite not being injured, just like all the other starting offensive linemen have not. Yeah, I would say that the battle for LG is over.

2 – Have Xavier Thomas restored hope for the edge rush? Speed, power, technique. We knew he had those qualities, but now he is showing it as well. Sure, he has the occasional screw-ups, but the potential is intriguing.

(I still want them to add someone that gets cut, but that is another story).

3 – I would be surprised if DeeJay Dallas is not a lock to make the final 53, primarily based on his kick return game.

4 – After last week’s game, the former NFL player and scout Nate Tice were glowing about DT Roy Lopez, so I decided to turn on the All 22 coaches’ tape to see for myself. And certainly, he did well. He doesn’t provide that much pass rush, but you cannot move him, and he plays very gap sound, which is the primary two tasks for a d-lineman in Gannon’s system. It was the same in this game in the very limited snaps he got. It is a major positive.

5 – Good Lord, for a rough night in every imaginable way for Christian Jones. By the way, penalties aside, he is clearly best to the left.

6 – Zach Pascal is a nice rotational piece. Not that he is great at anything, but he catches well, he runs good routes, he blocks well, he is a very good special teamer. Useful player.

7 – Did you see Travis Vokolek’s many blocks? That was a thing of beauty. Doubtful that he will get a spot in the TE room (though he could potentially be seen as a Geoff Swaim-type), but you could argue that the players are auditioning themselves for 32 teams. I think that somebody can use Vokolek.

8 – Players that flashed for the second week in a row: WR Andre Baccellia, EDGE Jesse Luketa, CB Starling Thomas.

9 – Man, it would have been great if Darren Hall had made that interception, huh? He is very firmly in the mix for a roster spot but imagine that he had caused a fumble and made an interception in the first two games. Playmaker.

10 – It took three years and one preseason game, but it happened! Cameron Thomas have now played well in a game in his NFL career. Good for him.
 

PJ1

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Cameron Thomas could have had a big game statistically if he finished plays. Great pressure even if it wasn’t vs. starters. Hopefully this can continue.
 

Harry

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I thought the line play looked weak on both units. There is no third string. Thomas & Pascal will have trouble making the active roster. Xavier Thomas is a good rush prospect. I thought Hall’s first game was much stronger, as was Price’s. Gaines likely goes to practice squad. Dallas is a lock to make active roster, but can the carry 5 RBs?
 

BACH

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1 - Jon Gaines and Isaiah Adams have not played well in the two preseason games. I liked Trystan Colon at C, but at guard he is horrible. Marquis Hayes is a longshot to make the roster. Evan Brown have not played at all in the two games, despite not being injured, just like all the other starting offensive linemen have not. Yeah, I would say that the battle for LG is over.
I'm not quite on the same page here.

Colon played C the entire game, didn't he? I know the graph said Gaines was starting at C, but from the first snap it was Colon at C and Gaines at RG.
I thought Colon looked horrible at C. He got beat often.

I thought Gaines looked acceptable as in the best OL performance we saw behind Beachum. He missed a blitz pick-up from a safety, but overall I didn't see any major mistakes.

Adams showed what he is. I actually liked what he did in the run game. He is a liability in the pass-blocking at this point.
 
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Gandhi

Gandhi

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Xavier Thomas has flashed as a pass rusher but he seems to be a liability in the run game, hopefully he continues to develop.
HZ, I agree, but right now I must say that I care less if he is a complete player. I think it is all about rushing the passer, since none of the others are very good at that.
 
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Gandhi

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Can we call time on the Desmond Ridder experiment already? The guy is bad.
I completely agree, Redsz. Tune have played much better, but I also read that some personnel guy (with another team) predicted that the Cards’ backup quarterback was not currently on the team.

Even if he does get cut I still think it was a good trade, since Rondale Moore might have gone the same way, but it doesn’t change that Ridder looks overmatched.
 

CFLredzoned

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1 - Jon Gaines and Isaiah Adams have not played well in the two preseason games. I liked Trystan Colon at C, but at guard he is horrible. Marquis Hayes is a longshot to make the roster. Evan Brown have not played at all in the two games, despite not being injured, just like all the other starting offensive linemen have not. Yeah, I would say that the battle for LG is over.

Not to sound like a Big Mo homer, but I think he's held up the best in pass pro - at least out of the young guys. The only bad play I saw from him is the blown block in the Saints game. He looked at the RB after that play like it was his fault. So not sure who's fault that was. I haven't keyed in on Gaines much though. I forget that he's out there. Do they put all 4 on the practice squad? (Gaines, Mo, Adams, Jones)

Xavier Thomas has flashed as a pass rusher but he seems to be a liability in the run game, hopefully he continues to develop.

He seems to rely too much on the inside move at this point, which gets him burnt on the outside.
 

BritCard

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These games for me have been largely meaningless.

Can you accurately judge Tristan Colon playing Guard next to a LT and C he's never played with? I would think they would get more out of practice reps.

There's been some positives for players that are operating more on an island. DTD and XT have looked good. Hall looks like he's rosterable. It's clear Tune is better than Ridder.

But I'm not sure there has been a great deal of value is in watching back of the roster players lined up with guys that won't make the 53 playing similar on the other side outside of a bit of experience for rookies.
 

Chopper0080

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These games for me have been largely meaningless.

Can you accurately judge Tristan Colon playing Guard next to a LT and C he's never played with? I would think they would get more out of practice reps.

There's been some positives for players that are operating more on an island. DTD and XT have looked good. Hall looks like he's rosterable. It's clear Tune is better than Ridder.

But I'm not sure there has been a great deal of value is in watching back of the roster players lined up with guys that won't make the 53 playing similar on the other side outside of a bit of experience for rookies.
I am sure the main focus is what players are doing what they are supposed to be doing based on the scheme, play, and read. After that looking at the one-on-one battles. And then digging into communication errors.

The only part of what you said that I would push back against a little is that for a backup, coming in and playing with players they aren't familiar with is kinda the role.
 
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Gandhi

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Not to sound like a Big Mo homer, but I think he's held up the best in pass pro - at least out of the young guys. The only bad play I saw from him is the blown block in the Saints game. He looked at the RB after that play like it was his fault. So not sure who's fault that was. I haven't keyed in on Gaines much though. I forget that he's out there. Do they put all 4 on the practice squad? (Gaines, Mo, Adams, Jones)
I will just ask stupid, CFL. Is MO Marquis Hayes?

I think that Hayes have been average in these games. Not fully bad, but not someone that I have noticed. But you raise a good question. Who do they keep? They are not going to cut a third-round pick, so Adams is safe, I would guess. I also feel pretty confident that Jones stick due to his position versatility, and you could argue the same could be the case with Gaines – though I feel more unsure with him. And I don’t think it should be completely ignored that Gaines and Jones are this regime’s draft picks, while Hayes was Keim’s. I could see Hayes getting cut, and potentially bring him back on the practice squad.
 
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Gandhi

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These games for me have been largely meaningless.
I disagree, BritCard. I think it is just of matter of how you approach it. Certainly, you are not going to see how X player will fit the team in situations, where he will have better players around him, but if you approach it as an audition, then the games make a lot of sense. It is primarily about one-on-ones, and if a player can make plays. It is about finding out who is worth to try to develop, so that one day they hopefully can become the player you are looking for.

I think it was Bill Belichick that said that sharing practices with another team is a lot more useful than preseason games, because in practice you get multiple reps in a specific situation on tape, while in a game you cannot control it the same way.
 

Krangodnzr

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I am sure the main focus is what players are doing what they are supposed to be doing based on the scheme, play, and read. After that looking at the one-on-one battles. And then digging into communication errors.

The only part of what you said that I would push back against a little is that for a backup, coming in and playing with players they aren't familiar with is kinda the role.
This is true, but over the course of a season, backups generally have more time to adjust. We've seen backups come in and suck for a game and then settle down.

The preseason is crazy because so many different rotations play. I think it's hard to play with so many different combinations with no continuity.
 
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Gandhi

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This is true, but over the course of a season, backups generally have more time to adjust. We've seen backups come in and suck for a game and then settle down.

The preseason is crazy because so many different rotations play. I think it's hard to play with so many different combinations with no continuity.
That is what makes the preseason so important and exciting, Krang. It is where the coaches need to find out who they want to try to develop, and to us fans, games are much more fun than practices, simply because we obviously don’t see the practices.

I must admit, though, that I find the team building aspect of the NFL very interesting, and I understand why some would find preseason games to be meaningless.
 

Sparky16

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That is what makes the preseason so important and exciting, Krang. It is where the coaches need to find out who they want to try to develop, and to us fans, games are much more fun than practices, simply because we obviously don’t see the practices.

I must admit, though, that I find the team building aspect of the NFL very interesting, and I understand why some would find preseason games to be meaningless.
people need to stop going to these games - they are trash and a waste of time and $. The Cards don't take it serious in the fact NO ONE PLAYS, the only starter is the kicker. Abolish the preseason and play 18 games. College Football starts w/o preseason the NFL can also
 

BritCard

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I am sure the main focus is what players are doing what they are supposed to be doing based on the scheme, play, and read. After that looking at the one-on-one battles. And then digging into communication errors.

The only part of what you said that I would push back against a little is that for a backup, coming in and playing with players they aren't familiar with is kinda the role.

True, their role is largely to come in and assimilate, but I'd also say that they are normally leaning on experienced starters. It's easier for Colon to perform better next to Paris and Fro, which he did at times last year, than with Wilkinson and Gaines.

I don't think we can take much from these games though outside Ridder really sucks. I don't mind the flyer for a player that wasn't going to make it (and is now injured) but it's not going to work out.
 
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Gandhi

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people need to stop going to these games - they are trash and a waste of time and $. The Cards don't take it serious in the fact NO ONE PLAYS, the only starter is the kicker. Abolish the preseason and play 18 games. College Football starts w/o preseason the NFL can also
I understand your thoughts, Sparky, and must say that I obviously don't go to the games myself. I can see why you and other have a different perspective.
 

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Would it surprise anyone that the cards made the wrong choice? It wouldn't me. It's life as a cards fans.

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