5 Takeaways: Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints

Aug 23, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback

(12) passes the ball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

While Saturday night’s preseason loss to the New Orleans Saints (3-0) stings, the Indianapolis Colts (0-3) still have plenty of things to glean from the game. One of the biggest highlights was having wide receiver Reggie Wayne come onto the field to a chorus of cheering Colts fans. It was a wonderful sight to watch as the man who tore his ACL last year get a standing ovation from those who loved him.

However, the Colts play on the field had much to be desire and there were a bunch of things that stood out to me from the Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints:

• Luck is Human: This is not to say that he’s not an amazing quarterback; he surely will be something wonderful in the league someday. However, Luck’s entire night will revolve around one horrible interception in the first quarter that went straight to Saints’ safety Kenny Vaccaro with no pressure and an open guy just a few yards past the ballhawker. Colts fans have gotten used to Luck’s solid decision-making skills, but this was more in the ballpark of horrific decision-making. It may be safe to pin this one of the rust of preseason and the want to involve Wayne in the game, but this one was a tad unsettling. Hopefully Luck with realize his fault and get back to practice to figure out exactly what went wrong.
• Kerr is a Monster: In my 53-Man Roster prediction earlier this week, I left out big man Zach Kerr, and I’m happily eating my words now. The big man made a name for himself disrupting the Saints defense. He came up with a sack along with five tackles, including two behind the line. He has a big B.J. Raji type of personality when he makes a big play. While Josh Chapman firmly has the nose tackle spot after a good preseason, Kerr can make a case for key backup position and even find some time at spot duty defensive end. He had some speed that he could use to get around bigger guards with strength to boot.
• Good Defense or Bad Offensive Lines?: The Colts have been praised lately for having a great pass rush against the Jets and Giants. They would constantly bring pressure on the outside and collapse the pocket to make passing tough. However, in Saturday’s game, no such thing happened against the first offense. The Saints’ offensive line is very good, which was a large contributor. But if the Colts enjoyed pass rush success thus far, why couldn’t the defense touch Drew Brees this evening? The Jets and Giants offensive lines are nothing to boast about, so it may be that the Colts’ defensive rushers are good against lower-quality lineman, but need to step it up against top-tier units.
• Is Boom Real?: I’ve previously shunned the outrageous Colts fans and liberal-thinkers that think that Dan Herron is the best thing since sliced bread. However, after tonight, I’m starting to speculate myself about the guy. I can’t help but think that Boom plays a lot like Donald Brown, who the Colts just split with. They do have similar playing styles and can find success in situations that aren’t ideal for a running back. After another mediocre performance from Richardson and nothing exciting out of Bradshaw, Herron should be looking for some first-team reps soon if the Colts need a solution in the run game.
• Harnish is redeemed: I ripped on Chandler Harnish last week after a terrible second-half performance against the New York Giants. However, this week, he has me believing again. Harnish was decently efficient with the ball in his time with the third team. His two incomplete passes were a bit erratic, but he was pinpoint accurate on four completions, including a rainbow into the end zone for Josh Lenz. He’s trying to make an impression to become the full-time backup quarterback after the departure of Matt Hasselbeck and he may have earned it tonight.