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Do you think Colts fans wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat knowing they are one hit away from Curtis Painter?

The man who helped put the Jets in the playoffs last season was at it again on Sunday during Indy’s 37-17 preseason loss to San Francisco on Sunday. Painter (9 of 19, 64 yards) threw three interceptions and lost a fumble.

Painter might as well be Jim Sorgi or any other nameless backup who fans don’t want to see under center for their team during the regular season. When teams make a commitment to pay roughly top dollar to keep its stars in the salary cap era, soon an imbalance starts to exist on the roster. As a result, team depth is filled by cheaper means of labor.

Believe it or not, the Colts are the third youngest team in the league as a result of the dollars devoted to its stars including Peyton Manning, Dwight Freeney, and Reggie Wayne. While their stars are intact, they have to go on the cheap in other spots and hope that the players develop into solid performers.

This has not occurred with Painter, who will make a little over $400,000 this season for Indy.

Here are five other random thoughts from Week 2 of the NFL preseason:

1. Matt Leinart is not the answer in Arizona: Leinart does not seem to have “it” as a starting quarterback in the NFL. While his numbers from Saturday night versus Houston were decent (6 0f 7, 49 yards), Leinart and the phrase “deer in the headlights” might pop up a few times this season. It doesn’t help that Larry Fitzgerald sprained his MCL either.
2. It doesn’t pay to be a running back for Houston: The Texans drafted running back Ben Tate to help bolster the running game. The rookie fractured his ankle and will likely miss the season. Meanwhile, Steve Slaton, who fumbled seven times in 11 games last season, coughed it up at the goal line on Saturday night as well. It looks like Matt Schaub may be busy again.
3. Sam Bradford’s welcome to the NFL was not a pleasant one: The Vikings provided a rather rude welcoming committee to the number one overall pick in the NFL draft. Bradford completed 6 of 13 passes for 57 yards. He was also sacked four times.
4. It wasn’t exactly a banner week for the Patriots: Defensive end Ty Warren is out for the year with a hip injury; Torry Holt was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury (although, it was going to be tough for him to make a splash with their receivers); and Tom Brady suffered an injury to his right hand on Thursday. When asked about Brady’s injury, Bill Belichick replied, “I don’t think it’s life-threatening, no.” Belichick remains a delight.
5. Bravo to Mike Tomlin: The Steelers boss did the right thing by sitting Ben Roethlisberger versus Detroit on Saturday night. The team needs Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon to get as many reps as possible before one or both of them attempt to keep Pittsburgh’s season afloat before Big Ben returns from his suspension.