Defense’s stoutness marks a breakthrough
INDIANAPOLIS — There’s one thing you can’t measure in the preseason, and that’s a defense’s toughness. The Raiders didn’t play well in the four practice games, and they didn’t care because apparently they knew better.
After allowing Andrew Luck to complete his first 11 passes for 127 yards halfway through the second quarter, they sacked him four times and allowed only 61 yards passing the rest of the way.
“We started to get a little pressure,” safety Charles
Woodson said. “Pressure busts pipes. It doesn’t matter how good you are in this league as a quarterback. If you can get pressure on a guy, then you have a chance.”
The coaches made some defensive adjustments regarding where the blitzes were coming from, and the players calmed down after being too emotional early.
The Raiders also did a better job of bring down Luck, a 6-foot-4, 239-pound QB who broke away from a couple of sacks early. On a third-quarter 4th-and-1 play, defensive end Jason Hunter dragged down Luck on a bootleg.
“Our defensive coordinator ( Jason Tarver) was yelling, ‘boot, boot, boot!’ ” Hunter said. “And he’s a big strong guy. You have to wrap him up and gator-roll him.”
Defensive end Lamarr Houston, safety Tyvon Branch and cornerback Tracy Porter had the other sacks. King takes the blame: Holder Marquette King said it was his fault that Sebastian Janikowski missed a 48-yard second-quarter fieldgoal try. King wasn’t sure he got the laces out.
“It didn’t feel right,” said King, who got blasted on his first NFL punt earlier in the game.
Mastrud’s gone, and then he’s not: On the Raiders’ last drive, Terrelle Pryor had the Colts guessing wrong on a 3rd-and-1 play and found tight end Jeron Mastrud wide open.
Mastrud had to wait for the pass and then was off to the races with a 15-yard lead before it looked as if he was shot. He hobbled for what was a 41-yard gain to the Colts’ 30-yard line after cramping.
“I was kicked earlier, and it was a bad time for it to bite,” Mastrud said.
Barnes, Pashos come up big: Khalif Barnes and Tony Pashos have been at their tackle spots for less than a week, but they held up well at left and right tackle, respectively. The Raiders, who were using a lot of quick-hitting plays, gave up only one sack.
Briefly: Pryor became the third quarterback in the Super Bowl era to lose a game despite throwing for at least 200 yards and rushing for at least 100 (the last was Donovan McNabb in 2002). …
Darren McFadden’s TD run was the first by an Oakland running back since Oct. 14. He finished with 17 carries for 48 yards. ... Head coach Dennis Allen said there were no injuries to report after the game.