Post by Guvmintcheeze on Sept 14, 2015 11:23:56 GMT
Colts LB D'Qwell Jackson: 'It was a good wake-up call for us'
Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Indianapolis Colts veteran linebacker D'Qwell Jackson didn't shy away from his feelings following their less-than-impressive 27-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
"We couldn't stop them and you come out of this game with a good sense that we probably needed it," Jackson said. "We got hit in the mouth. It gets guys refocused, re-energized. It was a good wake-up call for us."
The Colts shouldn't need a wake-up call after spending the past eight months thinking about how they were manhandled and embarrassed in the AFC Championship Game.
Indianapolis looked good on paper with the additions it made to go with Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck during the offseason.
But on a dreary, cold and rainy Sunday, the Colts ended looking old, slow and lacked toughness against the Bills.
And this isn't about picking on just one side of the ball. The mistakes were there on offense, defense and even special teams.
That wasn't expected when the Colts spent the offseason talking about a need to get tougher. Team owner Jim Irsay was blunt about it when he said it less than an hour after the AFC Championship last season.
"Big disappointment," Irsay said Sunday. "Everything leads up to the first game, opening game. A lot of anticipation for the season to begin and when it ends up this way it's a tough loss. Very tough to take."
Playing a finesse style won't get it done this season.
The Colts knew the Buffalo wouldn't hold back with its defense, not with Rex Ryan as the coach and not when they knew Indianapolis has a suspect offensive line.
The Bills hit Luck five times and intercepted him twice by keeping pressure in his face all afternoon.
Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo said the Bills threw everything in the book at them.
"They did a lot with their personnel and the way they set their defense," Colts tight end Dwayne Allen said. "They were over, under, odd. That's Rex Ryan. He wants to confuse the heck out of the offense and get them off key."
It was supposed to be Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor who took the hits against the Colts. Instead, he had a clean pocket to work with to throw the ball, he beat Indianapolis with his feet and the Bills' running backs took advantage of poor tackling to get yards in chunks.
Buffalo had three players who had runs of at least 16 yards by finding holes in the defensive line or was elusive enough to make defenders miss.
Who knows what linebacker Robert Mathis will do for the defense, but the Colts need something in the pass rush department because they didn't hit Taylor one time.
"I know I missed some tackles, so I'm to blame too, but we can't keep having these mistakes," Colts safety Mike Adams said. "The hardest part is when you think you have them on the ropes and they come out and bust a run or go through a hole. It kills us. They're all fixable things, and we'll get them fixed."
Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Indianapolis Colts veteran linebacker D'Qwell Jackson didn't shy away from his feelings following their less-than-impressive 27-14 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.
"We couldn't stop them and you come out of this game with a good sense that we probably needed it," Jackson said. "We got hit in the mouth. It gets guys refocused, re-energized. It was a good wake-up call for us."
The Colts shouldn't need a wake-up call after spending the past eight months thinking about how they were manhandled and embarrassed in the AFC Championship Game.
Indianapolis looked good on paper with the additions it made to go with Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck during the offseason.
But on a dreary, cold and rainy Sunday, the Colts ended looking old, slow and lacked toughness against the Bills.
And this isn't about picking on just one side of the ball. The mistakes were there on offense, defense and even special teams.
That wasn't expected when the Colts spent the offseason talking about a need to get tougher. Team owner Jim Irsay was blunt about it when he said it less than an hour after the AFC Championship last season.
"Big disappointment," Irsay said Sunday. "Everything leads up to the first game, opening game. A lot of anticipation for the season to begin and when it ends up this way it's a tough loss. Very tough to take."
Playing a finesse style won't get it done this season.
The Colts knew the Buffalo wouldn't hold back with its defense, not with Rex Ryan as the coach and not when they knew Indianapolis has a suspect offensive line.
The Bills hit Luck five times and intercepted him twice by keeping pressure in his face all afternoon.
Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo said the Bills threw everything in the book at them.
"They did a lot with their personnel and the way they set their defense," Colts tight end Dwayne Allen said. "They were over, under, odd. That's Rex Ryan. He wants to confuse the heck out of the offense and get them off key."
It was supposed to be Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor who took the hits against the Colts. Instead, he had a clean pocket to work with to throw the ball, he beat Indianapolis with his feet and the Bills' running backs took advantage of poor tackling to get yards in chunks.
Buffalo had three players who had runs of at least 16 yards by finding holes in the defensive line or was elusive enough to make defenders miss.
Who knows what linebacker Robert Mathis will do for the defense, but the Colts need something in the pass rush department because they didn't hit Taylor one time.
"I know I missed some tackles, so I'm to blame too, but we can't keep having these mistakes," Colts safety Mike Adams said. "The hardest part is when you think you have them on the ropes and they come out and bust a run or go through a hole. It kills us. They're all fixable things, and we'll get them fixed."