Indianapolis, IN
Stock up, stock down following Indianapolis Colts' first preseason game | Sporting News
The Indianapolis Colts failed to keep up in a high-scoring affair, dropping their preseason opener 34-30 against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium.
With the starters playing exactly two drives in order to get their feet wet, the majority of the game was played by the second, third and fourth strings.
As the position battles rage on, the preseason games are what will help determine the back end of the roster the most.
The preseason games also might be the biggest factor in determining a player’s stock throughout the process of cutting the roster down. A strong game can elevate a player’s status while a poor outing can crush his chances of making the team.
It’s a fluid process, though. One week, a player’s stock might be trending a certain way, and another week it can go in the opposite direction.
Following the preseason opener, here’s a look at the stock report for a handful of Colts players:
Colts’ stock report following first preseason game
Stock Up
G Dalton Tucker
An undrafted free-agent rookie, Tucker got some run with the second-team offense at guard. The Marshall product brings vast experience after 51 collegiate games (30 starts), and he was a bright spot on the offensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, Tucker allowed just one total pressure on 26 pass-blocking snaps. He also showed off the ability to get in space on a nice counter-trey block. There are only so many spots open on the offensive line, but Tucker made a strong impression.
CB Micah Abraham
Another rookie who shined during his opportunities, Abraham very well may have become the favorite to be the backup nickel defender behind Kenny Moore II after his performance Sunday. Also a Marshall product, the undersized defender plays much bigger than his frame. His big play came when he stripped, recovered and returned a fumble for a touchdown on a Broncos rushing attempt. He also forced an incompletion down the sideline and had a taclke for loss.
EDGE Isaiah Land
While rookie Laiatu Latu was one of the stars, we’re going to look at one of the underrated depth pieces on the defensive line. Land can serve as an edge rusher or a SAM backer in a pinch. He showed off some impressive juice getting off the line and recorded a pressure on 11 pass-rushing snaps, according to PFF. He also added four tackles (three solo) against the run.
TE Mo Alie-Cox
For all the offseason talk about Alie-Cox being a potential cut or trade candidate, the veteran tight end doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Alie-Cox ran solely with the first-team offense and provided the biggest play for the starting offense on a 19-yard reception during the second drive. Big Mo appears to have the starting role locked up along with Kylen Granson.
Stock Down
OT Blake Freeland
Those hoping Freeland would have shown some improvements after a rough rookie season were sorely disappointed. The second-year offensive tackle played 33 snaps with the second and third-string offense at left tackle. He allowed a team-high three total pressures on 17 pass-blocking snaps, including a quarterback hit that resulted in a Sam Ehlinger interception. Freeland is still the favorite for the swing tackle role, but the gap between him and rookie Matt Goncalves is getting closer.
Run Game
It wasn’t an encouraging outing for the rushing offense. Even with Jonathan Taylor surprisingly getting the start in the preseason opener, the Colts running backs all combined to take 17 carries for 35 rushing yards. Trey Sermon left with a hamstring injury. Both Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson scored goal-line touchdowns, but they also averaged 2.0 and 2.1 yards per carry, respectively. It will get going eventually, but it wasn’t a strong outing in the slightest.
CB Dallis Flowers
Playing in his first game since suffering a torn Achilles in Week 4 last year, there clearly was some rust for Flowers. However, this performance certainly hurt his chances in the competition with Jaylon Jones for the starting boundary role. According to Pro Football Focus, Flowers allowed four receptions on six targets for a team-high 54 yards.
MORE COLTS
Winners and losers from Colts’ preseason loss to Broncos
Biggest takeaways from Colts preseason opener
Colts surprisingly cut former Day 2 pick in latest roster projection
Indianapolis, IN
Conor Daly, Alex Palou become 1st drivers to top 228 mph on 2nd day of Indianapolis 500 practice
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis 500 drivers turned Wednesday’s practice into a possible race day preview.
They ran in packs, created long, snaking lines through the two long straightaways and mostly avoided trouble over the frantic final 75 minutes on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.5-mile oval.
Conor Daly and Alex Palou took advantage of the cool, overcast conditions to post the fastest laps on the second practice day. Daly posted the best lap of the day at 228.080 mph with Palou just a fraction slower at 228.026. They were the only drivers to top 228, while Palou had the fastest trap speed of the day at 237.220.
“We have, we think, found some speed in other areas,” said Jack Harvey, Daly’s teammate with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. “So, generally, they’re just all excited to try and I think, I mean I think we were good the last month of May, but I think we can be a lot better this year.”
Harvey has been fast all month, though he finished 14th on Wednesday at 225.100.
The weather created ideal conditions for speed and the drivers didn’t disappoint.
Daly, the stepson of speedway president Doug Boles, seems to be making the most of his first and possibly only IndyCar start of the season. He was one of five drivers to top 225 on Tuesday, then backed that up with an even better performance Wednesday.
David Malukas was the strongest of Team Penske’s drivers, finishing third at 227.139, just behind Palou, the Spaniard who has won four series crowns and is the defending 500 champ. Graham Rahal and France’s Romain Grosjean rounded out the top five.
Though most of the 33 drivers stayed on the track as long as they could over the final 75 minutes, crew members for three previous race winners — Ryan Hunter-Reay, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi — were also busy trying to fix problems.
Hunter-Reay, of Arrow McLaren, had a radio issue. Castroneves, of Meyer Shank Racing, had an issue with the car’s balance, while Rossi’s Ed Carpenter Racing crew worked on the engine.
Drivers return to the track Thursday then will receive a turbocharge boost Friday before making four-lap qualification runs on Saturday and Sunday. The race is scheduled for May 24.
It hasn’t just been busy on the track.
One day after series officials announced their second rule change of the month, race organizers announced all reserved seats have been sold for the second straight year and the third time since 2016. That also means fans in central Indiana will be able to watch the telecast live.
And NASCAR team BRANDed Management announced it would give 45-year-old British driver Katherine Legge a chance to qualify for the Coca-Cola 600. If Legge qualifies for both races, she’ll become the first woman to attempt racing’s “double” — 1,100 miles of racing in one day — a half century after Janet Guthrie arrived at the Brickyard with the hope of qualifying for the 33-car starting grid. When that didn’t happen, Guthrie wound up starting NASCAR’s World 600, which is now known as the Coca-Cola 600.
Indianapolis, IN
Katherine Legge Will Attempt to Make History With Indianapolis 500, NASCAR Double in Same Day
Katherine Legge will look to make motorsports history this month by competing in IndyCar and NASCAR Cup Series races on the same day.
According to ESPN, Legge’s BRANDed Management announced Wednesday that she intends to race in the Indianapolis 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, which is a feat known in racing as “the double.”
The double has been attempted 10 times by five different drivers, but Legge would be the first woman to do so if she pulls it off.
Speaking to USA Today‘s Mitchell Northam regarding her ambitious plan, Legge said, “It’s another groundbreaking thing that I can showcase to the world really that, if you set your mind to things, you can do anything, and you can do things that maybe you never even dreamt of before.”
Legge, who is a 45-year-old motorsports veteran from England, has competed in the Indy 500 four times, and she has run in eight NASCAR Cup Series races over the past two seasons.
Her best Indy 500 finish to date was 22nd in 2012, while her best result in a NASCAR Cup Series race was 17th last season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Kyle Larson was the most recent driver to run the double, doing so last season. He previously attempted it in 2024, but a rain delay during the Indy 500 caused him to miss the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
John Andretti, Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch and Larson have all run the double, but the only driver to ever complete every lap of both races in the same day was Stewart in 2001.
No driver running the double has ever won a race as part of it. Stewart’s finishes of sixth in the Indy 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600 in 2001 are the best results in the double to date.
Regardless of where she finishes, Legge will etch her name in motorsports history forever if she is merely able to qualify for and compete in both the 2026 Indy 500 and Coca-Cola 600.
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