By George Bremer
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. —
A week of ridicule and recrimination did little to dampen Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Curtis Painter’s confidence.
But it seems to have done wonders for his execution.
Four days after throwing three interceptions and posting a quarterback rating of 9.8 against the San Francisco 49ers, Painter was a revelation in Toronto.
He completed five of his six pass attempts, none to the opposition, for 97 yards and one long touchdown. His numbers even were better than those of starter Peyton Manning, who struggled early and finished 8-of-15 for 91 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Head coach Jim Caldwell preached patience in the aftermath of the 49ers’ debacle.
He said the coaching staff could see improvement in practice, and he showed no signs of panic.
On Friday, a day after Painter rewarded Caldwell’s confidence with an outing to remember against the Buffalo Bills, the second-year coach resisted the temptation to gloat.
“I think that, much like anything else, it is a process and it is a long journey,” Caldwell said of Painter’s improvement. “Oftentimes, we as coaches have an opportunity to see things develop underneath the surface that aren’t quite evident on game day. I think you’ll see that he will continue to improve. That was certainly a good start and something to build upon. He played well, and we anticipate that he will keep getting better.”
Painter faced his skeptics in the media immediately after his performance against San Francisco and again on Tuesday during training camp at Anderson University.
The theme of each of his responses was the same: He knew he must player better, he was confident he and the offense would improve and he wouldn’t make the same mistakes twice.
Meanwhile, Painter went about practice exactly the same way he had before his meltdown in the preseason opener.
“He really didn’t (change anything),” Caldwell said. “He practiced exactly the same way he has always practiced. We do anticipate that his performance will continue to improve, but he didn’t do anything special.”
In his defense of Painter in the days leading up to the Buffalo game, Caldwell continually said all the blame shouldn’t be placed on the quarterback’s shoulders.
Dropped passes, missed blocks and poorly run routes are just a few of things that can make a quarterback look bad but are primarily out of his control.
One of the biggest reasons for Painter’s statistical improvement Thursday was rookie free agent wide receiver Taj Smith.
Smith turned some heads during the first week-and-a-half of practice at AU. He showed good hands, speed and athleticism, and Painter targeted him often against the 49ers.
Smith dropped what would have been a long gain down the sideline and finished with three catches for just 15 yards.
Thursday he pulled in a 43-yard touchdown catch to cap a two-play, 81-yard drive and finished with three catches for 91 yards.
Much like Painter, he turned his image around in the process.
Still, fans and media aren’t likely to change their minds after one preseason performance.
Caldwell insisted Friday that Painter can and will improve.
He also said surviving four days of intense criticism and living to tell the tale might make the quarterback better in the long run.
“I think (all the quarterbacks on the roster) have grown accustomed to handling those situations,” Caldwell said. “They take them on, embrace those opportunities. They’re competitive, (those situations) challenge them, and I think they emerge a little bit stronger as a result of it.”
