The only way that the Colts will keep both 26-year old Curtis Painter and 28-year old QB Dan Orlovsky both on the roster is if Peyton Manning isn’t ready to go when the 2011 season starts.  So they are essentially duking it out for the #3 QB job now with Kerry Collins on board.  Painter has completed 19 of 37 passes (51.4%) for 266 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (81.6 QB Rating) in the Colts’ first three preseason games.  Orlovsky has completed 15 of 36 passes (41.7%) for 208 yards with 2 TD passes and 3 INTs (44.7 QB Rating) during the preseason for the Colts.  Painter has the lead in the battle for the #3 QB job for the Colts heading into the final week of the preseason.

UPDATE:  (9/4/2011) – The Colts have released Dan Orlovsky.

The Colts came close to winning last night but the defense couldn’t hold as the Packers scored the last 11 points of this game.  Curtis Painter actually looked decent last night as he completed 11 of 21 passes for 171 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  He did lose a fumble though.  Dan Orlovsky was so-so as he completed 4 of 9 passes for 30 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Joseph Addai led the way on the ground for the Colts last night with 44 yards rushing on 8 carries (5.5 ypc).  He also caught 1 pass for 7 yards last night.  Rookie RB Delone Carter pitched in with 29 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.1 ypc) in this game.  WR Reggie Wayne led the way for the Colts in the passing game with 105 yards on six grabs (17.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WRs Chris Brooks (2 rec, 18 yards, TD) and David Gilreath (2 rec, 13 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Colts last night in the passing game.  The Colts finished up with 112 yards rushing on 27 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 30 passes (50%) for 179 yards last night.

The defense had big time issues stopping the pass last night and it hurt them on the scoreboard.  CB Jacob Lacey (10 tackles), LB Ernie Sims (8 tackles) and LB Philip Wheeler (6 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 2 QB hits) led the way for the Colts’ D in this game.  DE Dwight Freeney (2 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 tackles for a loss and 2 QB hits) and safety Mike Newton (interception that he returned 39 yards) also made big impacts in the game for the Colts’ D last night.  The Packers finished up with 45 yards rushing on 19 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 35 of 50 passes (70%) for 345 yards last night.  The Colts are now 0-3 on the preseason.

The Colts have signed 38-year old QB Kerry Collins.  Collins came out of retirement to join the Colts, so I’m thinking that Peyton Manning isn’t going to be ready for the season to start.  He played in 9 games (7 starts) for the Titans last year and he completed 160 for 278 passes (57.6%) for 1,823 yards with 14 TD passes and 8 INTs (82.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 10 times for 1 yard (0.1 ypc) last year.  Collins proved last year for the Titans that he still has something left in the gas tank.  Collins has now played in 194 games (177 starts) in his first 16 years in the NFL and he has completed 3,439 of 6,163 passes (55.8%) for 40,441 yards with 206 TD passes and 195 INTs (73.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 372 times for 687 yards (1.8 ypc) with 10 TD runs in his NFL career.  Collins is 81-96 (45.8%) as a starting QB in the NFL.  Instead of fighting for the #2 job, Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky are now fighting for the #3 QB job on the Colts in 2011.  The Colts made a smart move in signing Collins as he is a huge upgrade over Painter and Orlovsky.

With Peyton Manning likely not to have much practice time before the season opener (if he even plays), the Colts will need to help him out more with the running game to limit the hits he’s going to likely take.  The Colts re-signed 28-year old RB Joseph Addai is still going to be the main man for the Colts in 2011.  Addai played in 8 games (7 starts) for the Colts last year and he carried the ball 116 times for 495 yards (4.3 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  He also caught 19 passes for 124 yards (6.5 avg) last year for the Colts.  The Colts need Addai to stay healthy if they are to have a good running game in 2011.  Addai has played in 66 games (49 starts) in his first 5 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 977 times for 4,020 yards (4.1 ypc) with 38 TD runs.  He has also caught 176 passes for 1,355 yards (7.7 avg) with 9 TD grabs in his career so far.  Addai is by far the best back on the Colts’ roster heading into the 2011 season.

24-year old Donald Brown did not excel when Addai’s injuries gave him the shot to be the main man in the running game last year.  Brown played in 13 games (8 starts) for the Colts last year and he carried the ball 129 times for 497 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 20 passes for 205 yards (10.3 avg) last year.  Brown needs to step up this year if he’s ever going to have a big role in the Colts’ offense.  Brown has now played in 24 games (9 starts) in his first 2 years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 207 times for 778 yards (3.8 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has also caught 31 passes for 374 yards (12.1 avg) so far in his NFL career.

24-year old rookie RB Delone Carter out of Syracuse was picked by the Colts last April in the 4th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Carter is built low to the ground at 5’9″, 224 pounds.  He is in a battle with Donald Brown and Darren Evans for the #2 RB in 2011.  Even if Carter doesn’t beat those guys out, he’s still the best power runner by far on the Colts’ roster and that will get him some work in 2011.

22-year old undrafted RB Darren Evans is off to a good start in training camp and the pre-season, catching the Colts’ eyes.  He could make the team if he finishes strongly in the pre-season.  He could even work his way all the way up to the #2 job for the Colts.

23-year old Javarris James could be running out of time for the Colts.  He played in 10 games (0 starts) as a rookie for the Colts last year and he carried the ball 46 times for 112 yards (2.4 ypc) with 6 TD runs.  James also caught 9 passes for 63 yards (7.0 avg) last year for the Colts.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE COLTS RBS IN 2011:  C

The Colts looked completely pitiful last night once again.  Curtis Painter had another tough game as he completed 5 of 10 passes for 40 yards with 0 TD passes or interceptions last night.  Dan Orlovsky wasn’t any better as he completed 7 of 17 passes for 67 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 interception.  RB Delone Carter led the way on the ground for the Colts last night with 25 yards rushing on 4 carries (6.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 7 yards (3.5 avg).  Javarris James pitched in with 11 yards rushing on 5 carries (2.2 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 26 yards (13.0 avg) last night.  TE Dallas Clark led the way in the passing game last night with 3 grabs for 20 yards (6.7 avg).  The Colts finished up with 55 yards rushing on 17 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 12 of 27 passes (44.4%) for 95 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 23:31 last night.

The defense got pushed around by the Redskins last night.  Safety David Caldwell (8 tackles) and LB Kavell Conner (6 tackles) led the way for the Colts’ D last night.  LB Adrian Moten also had a very solid game with 4 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception last night.  The Redskins finished up with 215 yards rushing on 35 carries (6.1 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 30 passes (70%) for 200 yards in this game.  The Colts are now 0-2 on the pre-season.

The Colts have waived 24-year old QB Nate Davis.  Davis played in the pre-season opener against the Rams and he completed 3 of 7 passes (42.9%) for 36 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs (59.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 1 time for 0 yards in that game.  The Colts have decided to move forward with Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky behind Peyton Manning.  The Colts won’t miss Davis as he isn’t likely to turn into a decent NFL QB any time soon.

The Colts have signed 31-year old DE Tyler Brayton.  Brayton played in 15 games for the Panthers last year and he had 22 tackles, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 passes defensed and 3 tackles for a loss.  Brayton has now played in 125 games in his first 8 years in the NFL and he has 283 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 18 tackles for a loss, 5 forced fumbles, 6 fumble recoveries, 16 passes defensed and 1 interception.  The Colts needed some depth at DE,  so this was a good signing for them.

The Colts looked horrible all the way around in this football game.  Curtis Painter started at QB in this game and he still looks lost.  He completed 3 of 6 passes for 55 yards with 0 TD passes and 1 INT.  Dan Orlovsky was a little better, as he completed 4 of 10 passes for 111 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 INTs.  QB Nate Davis was the third QB in the game and he completed 3 of 7 passes for 36 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Mike Hartline finished the game at QB by throwing 2 incomplete passes.  RB Darren Evans led the way for the Colts on the ground in this game with 52 yards rushing on 8 carries (6.5 ypc).  Rookie RB Delone Carter also looked pretty good as he rushed for 29 yards on 6 carries (4.8 ypc) in this game.  WR Taj Smith led the way in the passing game for the Colts with 1 grab for 44 yards and it went for a TD.  TE Tyson DeVree (2 rec, 42 yards) and WR Pierre Garcon (1 rec, 41 yards) also had solid games for the Colts last night.  The Colts rushed for 114 yards on 24 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 10 of 25 passes (40%) for 202 yards last night but they only had possession of the ball for 23:43 in a pretty pathetic offensive performance.

LB Kerry Neal led the way for the Colts’ D in this game with 7 tackles.  LB Philip Wheeler and CB Kevin Thomas pitched in with 6 tackles apiece for the Colts last night.  The Rams finished up with 169 yards rushing on 41 carries (4.1 ypc) and they also completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 173 yards last night.  The Colts have a lot of work to do on both sides of the football.

The Colts have signed 28-year old guard Josh Beekman.  Beekman didn’t play in any games in the NFL last year.  He has played in 28 games (20 starts) in his first three years in the NFL.  Beekman will likely make the team and get playing time for the Colts in 2011 as long as he can stay healthy.  This was a good signing for the Colts this late in the free agency game.

UPDATE:  (8/29/2011) – The Colts have released Josh Beekman.

The Colts have claimed 27-year old TE Michael Matthews off waivers from the Bills.  Matthews didn’t play in any games last season.  Matthews has played in 39 games (11 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 8 passes for 54 yards (6.8 avg).  Matthews is unlikely to make an impact with the Colts in 2011.