The Indianapolis Colts are only thinking about one thing, themselves. Instead of worrying about the unknown that is the Oakland Raiders offense and quarterback Terrelle Pryor, Andrew Luck and company are only focused on what they can do as a team.However, while some may say Luck is overlooking the opponent, head coach Chuck Pagano is well-aware the Raiders are a different team from last year.
"I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about us," Pagano said, via News-Sentinel.com. "Everybody in this locker room is worried about us. The enemy is always in your own camp. There's nothing worse than reading your own press clippings, thinking about what you did a year ago, because nobody really cares what happened a year ago. This is about 'What have you done for me lately?' So our guys understand that and we will not overlook anybody."
That being said, Pagano understands the threat that Pryor can be on the field. Most teams have only seen the preseason work done by the quarterback since he only made one start last season. In four appearances in the preseason, Pryor put together 14 completions and 10 rushing attempts. That duel-threat mentality is something Pagano realizes takes extra preparation to handle.
"He gives you another dimension that you've got to take care of," Pagano said. "He's dangerous on the move. Whether they're running read option with him (or) drop back to pass, if it's not there then the guy can take off. He can scramble. He can scramble to run. He can scramble to make plays down the field."
The combination of Pryor and running back Darren McFadden could be a lot for the Colts defense to handle. While the Raiders will be on their fourth left tackle since training camp begin after Menelik Watson was ruled out for Sunday's game, Oakland still has playmakers that can make some noise.
Veteran Robert Mathis is certainly aware that Pryor allows the Raiders to open up the playbook more than they did last year. Head coach Dennis Allen has the ability to get more creative with the read-option and Mathis is making sure the rest of the defense is not selling this Raiders team short.
"It's a team defense; everybody has to do their job," Mathis said. "We've got to put it on the field. Can't go by hype or anything of that nature. We've got to put the product out."
Luck is not thinking too much about the Oakland defense. The second year quarterback is focused on making sure his offense does not make some of the same mistakes they made last year. With a new set of wide receivers, Luck is just hoping to avoid turnovers and make first-downs. Veteran Charles Woodson plans on making that as difficult as possible for the team.
