INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts were back at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center on Monday to analyze the film of their 34-27 loss to the New England Patriots.
Chuck Pagano spoke to the media on Monday afternoon and reiterated that he takes full responsibility for the failed execution of the Colts fake punt from Sunday night. Pagano said on Monday he has no regrets with the call but should have coached it better during the week.
What else did Pagano take away from the Colts loss on Sunday night?
Here are some sound bites from Chuck Pagano meeting the media on Monday:
Injury News
- S-Mike Adams (hamstring): Day-to-day.
- S-Clayton Geathers (knee sprain): Day-to-day. MRI was negative.
Chuck Pagano on what he learned about his team on Sunday night:
"I think this team can play with anybody."
Bowen's Analysis:* *While Pagano acknowledged the reasons for the Colts loss on Sunday night, he also felt like his team showed they could compete with the league's elite. There are certainly no moral victories in the NFL, but the Colts did show on Sunday that if they clean up a few things, "they can play with anybody." That will now be tested several times in the coming weeks.
Scan the box score from Sunday night and the numbers back up Pagano's belief. One of the biggest issues for the Colts remains the inability to stay away from drive-killing penalties. The Colts had 11 penalties for more than 100 yards on Sunday night, something that cannot happen when facing a team like New England.
Chuck Pagano on the play from Andrew Luck:
"I thought he did a really good job.
"Great decisions…and most importantly he took care of the football, no turnovers."
Bowen's Analysis: Luck's return to game action on Sunday night was his finest performance here in 2015. In throwing the ball 50 times on Sunday, Luck did not commit a turnover, an obvious area that has plagued him in past games with New England.
The Colts best half of 2015 came in the first two quarters on Sunday night. With a healthy skill group and an offensive line allowing the unit to operate at a high level, the offense could be finding a rhythm that many people predicted this offseason. The penalties remain the major concern.Chuck Pagano on abandoning the run in the fourth quarter:
"Did we get away from it a little bit too soon? Yeah.
"There was a point where I told Pep we have to go up-tempo, we've got to get this thing down field in a hurry."
Bowen's Analysis: On Sunday night, Frank Gore had another impressive outing. Gore had 78 rushing yards on 13 carries, averaging six yards a rush against New England.
Yet, once the Patriots took a 13-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Gore did not touch the ball the rest of the game. The Colts have a running back on pace for 1,000 yards this season, something that hasn't happened in Indianapolis since 2007. If the Colts can stay ahead of schedule going forward, I'd expect more and more of Gore.
