Colts Fall Short, 24-21, To Seattle Seahawks

Too much of what has plagued the franchise in the past, though, completely overshadowed the promise of tomorrow.

A first quarter marred by an elastic defense and poor special teams play set an ominious tone. The Colts' backups made things interesting in the second half, but were unable to compensate for what preceded them. Seattle rode its quick start to a 24-21 preseason victory.

Even an occasional flash of brilliance from rookie quarterback Peyton Manning and solid play from his backup, Kelly Holcomb, couldn't disguise the wrinkles that must be ironed out prior to the Sept. 6 regular-season opener against Miami.

By halftime, the Colts' defense had yielded 17 first downs, 244 total yards and scoring drives that resulted in quarterback Jon Kitna's 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Pritchard and Todd Peterson's 20-yard field goal. Seattle dominated time of possession (19:28-10:32) by rushing for 105 yards and converting 7-of-11 times on third down.

Co-conspirators in a half that left the Colts trailing 24-7 were special teams. Not content to be gored by rookie Ahman Green, who provided choice field position with 30- and 34-yard kickoff returns, the Colts were innocent bystanders when Joey Galloway gathered in a Chris Gardocki punt and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown.

Interspersed among the inadequate activity were just enough bright spots to keep Saturday's trip to the Great Northwest from being a complete washout.

Manning responded to his first NFL start by completing 8 of 15 passes for 113 yards during the first half. Along the way, he experienced both ends of the success spectrum. Manning gave the Colts a brief 7-3 first-quarter lead by hooking up with Marvin Harrison for a 48-yard touchdown, then suffered an interception in the second period when he tried to thread a pass to Torrance Small who had drawn double coverage.

The Colts' running game, expected to be strength during the regular season, generated only 34 yards in the opening half. However, Marshall Faulk enjoyed a solid night's work with 33 yards on six carries.

Also, rookie Jerome Pathon gave a glimpse of what he brings to the team. On offense, he only had one catch, but it was a keeper. Despite drawing tight coverage from cornerback Fred Thomas, Pathon went airborne to haul in a 36-yard pass from Manning. He added a 40-yard kickoff return.

Coach Jim Mora used the second half to further the evaluation process of his roster. His backups didn't disappoint.

Holcomb took over for Manning at the start of the third quarter and produced immediate results in the form of a nine-play, 80-yard scoring drive. After Abu Wilson carried five times for 29 yards, Holcomb hit Small with a 22-yard pass and Bradford Banta with a 12-yarder. Then on first-and-10 from the Seattle 15, he and Small collaborated on a TD that narrowed the Seahawks' lead to 24-14.

The defense added to the comeback bid early in the fourth quarter.

Green tried to find running room over the left side of the line only to be corralled by backup strong safety Robert Blackmon. Blackmon pried the ball out of Green's grasp and end Kendel Shello did the rest. He scooped up the loose ball at the Seattle 24 and lumbered in for a touchdown. With 12:55 to play, the Colts were within 24-21.

Any hopes the Colts had of completing their long journey back were dashed when No. 4 quarterback Jim Kubiak and No. 3 center Aaron Taylor were unable to make connections on a snap at the Indianapolis 34 with 4:52 to play.

Game notes

Backup running back Lamont Warren, who was taken off the field on a golf cart in the second quarter, suffered a sprained right ankle. . . . Veteran wide receiver Aaron Bailey made the trip to Seattle but did not suit up because of a slight groin injury. . . . Play was stopped briefly in the fourth quarter when the face masks of Seattle's Paul Spicer and the Colts' Waverly Jackson became entangled. . . . The Colts entered the preseason intent on improving their run defense. Seattle rushed for 214 yards.

Game summary

First Quarter
Sea-FG Peterson 20, 9:16.
Ind-Harris 48 pass from Manning (Blanchard kick), 6:43.
Sea-Pritchard 25 pass from Kitna (Peterson kick), 2:12.
Sea-Galloway 74 punt return (Peterson kick), 1:00.

Second Quarter
Sea-May 15 pass from Friesz (Richey kick), :39.

Third Quarter
Ind-Small 15 pass from Holcomb (Vanderjagt kick), 10:07.

Fourth Quarter
Ind-Shello 24 fumble return (Blanchard kick), 12:55.

Attendence-52,645.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING- Indianapolis, Wilson 9-39, Faulk 6-33, Elias 3-22, Groce 3-8, Crockett 1-3, Kubiak 1-0, Warren 2-(minus 2). Seattle, Ah.Green 16-92, Black 16-66, Watters 8-34, Kitna 3-20, Strong 1-4, Arellanes 4-(minus 3).

PASSING- Indianapolis, Holcomb 10-17-1-153, Manning 8-15-1-113, Musgrave 0-2-0-0. Seattle, Kitna 9-13-1-92, Friesz 6-16-0-64, Arellanes 2-6-0-7.

RECEIVING- Indianapolis, Green 5-73, Small 4-55, Wilson 2-21, Hetherington 2-12, Harrison 1-48, Pathon 1-36, Banta 1-12, Faulk 1-5, Crockett 1-4. Seattle, Wilson 3-36, Pritchard 2-37, Watters 2-14, McKnight 2-13, Ah.Green 2-8, May 1-15, Black 1-12, Shaw 1-12, Blades 1-6, Harris 1-6, O.Gray 1-4.

MISSED FIELD GOALS- None.