Here are five observations from the Thursday night game:
1. The Colts’ D is better than advertised (or the Saints’ offense isn’t as good as advertised). The New Orleans offense had a great preseason, but was unable to get anything going against the Colts. Drew Brees was under constant pressure and was forced into a couple of boneheaded throws.
2. Joseph Addai looks like a top 5 back. Until Addai proves he is able to carry the load every week, there will continue to be questions about his durability, but he proved he could handle the workload for an entire game, gaining 143 total yards and scoring once on 26 touches. (Addai owners should handcuff Kenton Keith, who looked good in limited duty.)
3. The Colts offense looks to be in mid-season form. Let’s be clear – the Saints defense isn’t very good. But Indy didn’t play down to their level, and that’s important.
4. At times, Sean Payton forgets about the run, and it’s Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister who’ll suffer. We saw it in the NFC Championship Game last season, and we saw it again last night. When the Saints get behind, Payton gets itchy and starts throwing the ball on every down. Against Indy, he called 41 pass plays and 25 rushes. Since New Orleans trailed for much of the second half, it makes sense that they would attempt more passes than rushes, but that’s a pretty big disparity.
5. This might be the year that Reggie Wayne usurps Marvin Harrison as the Colts’ WR1. This was the first season that I advocated drafting Wayne over Harrison, since Wayne is a player on the rise and Harrison is getting up in years. I think they’ll both have fine seasons (and should both finish in or around the top 5), but Wayne seems to be taking that next step to super-elite status. He doesn’t strike me as a “give me the damn ball” kind of guy, so Harrison/Wayne may flip flop with big games week-to-week.
