INDIANAPOLIS -- For the Lions, it's more test than tuneup.
Quarterback Jon Kitna will be a game-time decision. He has not taken part in drills since leaving Tuesday's practice with back spasms. ( Related story)
Coach Rod Marinelli said Wednesday he didn't think the injury was serious, but added the team was ready to play the Colts without him.
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz has taken his "Greatest Show on Turf" routine from St. Louis to Detroit, and the Lions appear to be catching on.
With Pro Bowl receiver Roy Williams, No. 2 overall draft pick Calvin Johnson and Mike Furrey, who caught 98 passes last season, Kitna has become the architect of the NFL's most proficient preseason offense.
Detroit has averaged 429 total yards per game, a league-high 349 through the air and scored 50 points in victories over Cincinnati and Cleveland. The Colts have only 34 points in their two preseason games.
Lions fans want to know if this for real, and Saturday night's matchup against a defense that was strong enough to beat Kansas City, Baltimore, New England and Chicago to win last year's title, will be their toughest test yet.
"It's still a preseason game," coach Rod Marinelli said. "If we win, we can look back at the things we did right against a good team. If we don't, then a team like (Indianapolis) is going to show us what we need to work on pretty quick."
"To play his teams, you know the execution, the speed -- I mean this is the fastest team we'll play in all three phases of the game," Marinelli said. "They're fast because they know what they're doing."
And although the Colts are 0-2 for the third straight preseason, and Detroit is 2-0 for the first time since 1995, it's not the records that will matter Saturday night.
All teams must cut down to 75 players by Tuesday, meaning this is the last opportunity for some players to impress the coaches. If tradition holds, it will also mark the final tuneup for the Colts starters before the regular season since Dungy typically rests them in the final preseason game.
"I think it's hard to get that flow when you have three-and-out series and you're in their for such a short time," Peyton Manning said.
"The other night, we had first downs, we had multiple plays in a drive and that's good. When they took us out, I felt we could continue to execute from that point on, and that's what we're going to try and do Saturday."
Manning, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, three Pro Bowl players who have been teammates since 2001, spent more time watching from the sidelines during the first two preseason games than playing. Backup quarterback Jim Sorgi did most of the work, and coach Tony Dungy took a look at his new players.
Week 3 of the preseason is always a little different. Dungy will make his usual changes Saturday night against Detroit, finally giving Manning and Co. a chance to show everyone what the defending Super Bowl champs really look like.
"We'll prepare for the Lions like we would a regular-season game," Manning said. "We'll play it more like a regular-season game and, hopefully, we'll see as many situations as we can." Just don't expect too much.
While most of the starters are slated to play into the third quarter, there will be some anomalies.
The offense will likely be more vanilla than normal, meaning defensive tackle Dan Klecko and backup offensive lineman Charlie Johnson will probably not be catching passes as they did during last year's playoffs -- and Manning will not be running much.
Running back Joseph Addai will see his most significant action, too, albeit with a sprinkling of his unknown backups, whom Dungy wants to see work with the starting unit.
Former Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, is expected to play, too, but he'll likely leave earlier than most to avoid risking any additional injuries after having offseason shoulder surgery.
Still, it will look more like a game than an exhibition. "We're looking forward to playing a game where we'll have everyone going through the third quarter," Dungy said. "We really want to treat this like a game situation."
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
