Insider: Colts get a Texas-sized dose of reality vs. Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas – Football fans are prone to overreaction. And this is especially true in the preseason.

The reality is the games don’t count. The schemes are not aggressive. The game plan can practically be outlined on an index card.

And yet, none of the reaction to what was produced by the Indianapolis Colts early on in Saturday night’s 24-19 preseason loss to the Dallas Cowboys feels like hyperbole.

No matter the circumstances – practice, preseason, regular season – when your starting units are dominated by an opponent, there is no spinning that reality.

After the game, some of that reality spewed from the coach’s own mouth.

“We can’t move the ball down the field and we can’t get first downs,” Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. “We can’t make any excuses. I don’t care who’s in there. You gotta execute. You gotta be efficient. You gotta move the ball.”

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Again, reality, not hyperbole.

Pagano didn’t intend to be hyperbolic when he said this, either: “We need a lot more grown men in that locker room. More grown men on this football team.”

Occasional breakdowns in the preseason can be forgiven. But total dominance simply cannot.

The starting defense, in the midst of a complete overhaul, played with a relatively intact unit for the first time, and the results were unsightly. The Cowboys’ star-studded offense reeled off plays of 23, 17 and 32 yards on its way to an effortless 95-yard opening-drive touchdown (receiver Dez Bryant took No. 1 cornerback Vontae Davis deep, then retreated for a back-shoulder catch).

Yes, you read that right. Ninety-five yards. Ninety-five.

“That’s never OK,” safety Darius Butler said. “As a defensive player, you have a team backed up to start the game, you have to capitalize on that. That has to be good field position for our offense.”

Speaking of which, the starting offense has yet to show a spark in quarterback Andrew Luck’s absence. Again, the unit inspired no confidence. Scott Tolzien, the starting quarterback, for now, was again erratic. The unit went three-and-out on its first two possessions, with Tolzien throwing pass attempts that fell short of the first-down markers on each of the team’s first two third downs.

Granted, the team’s rampant injuries are a factor – Luck’s shoulder issue hangs over the franchise like a stubborn storm cloud, plus receivers Donte Moncrief and Chester Rogers missed the game – but there were some very good reasons to be justifiably concerned.

It would be so convenient to summarily dismiss it all as preseason minutiae.

But you cannot dismiss the fact that the Colts were generally manhandled in the trenches on both sides of the ball, an area General Manager Chris Ballard has paid particular attention to. And you cannot dismiss the lack of explosiveness on offense, with all indications being that this team is going to have to play an ugly, plodding brand of football until Luck returns – at some point.

Along those lines, the one thing the Colts’ starters did that might mitigate their otherwise messy performance was force turnovers. That’s been a recent point of emphasis for the Colts because, as it turns out, turnover margin has something to do with winning football games.

Linebacker John Simon and safety Matthias Farley combined to jar the ball loose from Cowboys running back Darren McFadden on Dallas' second possession, ending the threat at the 7-yard line with 4:06 remaining in the first quarter. The Cowboys had driven 76 yards by the time the Colts forced the turnover.

Then, on Dallas’ next possession, Colts linebacker Barkevious Mingo used a power move to beat his man, then stripped the ball loose from quarterback Kellen Moore. Linebacker Lavar Edwards scooped up the football after a fortuitous bounce and jogged 15 yards untouched to the end zone. The Colts were 25th in turnover margin in 2016 (minus-5), and only a dramatic about face in that category can overcome what we’ve seen from their offense thus far in the preseason.

Pagano, in a moment of honesty, added context to the importance of turnovers given the team’s current state.

“We’ve been practicing it with strip attempts, fumble recoveries, picking up loose balls, day after day, and it’s paying off,” he said. “We’re going to have to create some short fields for our offense to give them an opportunity to put some points on the board right now.”

Speaking of points, perhaps now would be the time to take stock of the team’s quarterback situation. Tolzien protects the football, which is admirable. But he rarely shows the playmaking ability required of a starting quarterback. And Phillip Walker, who has been taking snaps with the second team, didn’t show the same spark he has in practice.

Enter Stephen Morris, who guided the third-team offense in the fourth quarter and finished 11-of-15 for 111 yards and touchdown. It was enough to make Pagano promise a review of his quarterback depth chart heading into next week’s preseason contest at Pittsburgh. Perhaps it’s time for radical changes.

Morris and rookie running back Marlon Mack (45 yards on five carries) gave the Colts reason for optimism.

But, overall, this game was gut punch for the Colts. For a contest that didn’t count, it sure as heck felt a lot like a loss that mattered.