The Current Offensive State of the Indianapolis Colts

The Current Offensive State of the Indianapolis Colts

As an avid Colts fan, my knowledge of the team is pretty high. I will try to keep this article as un-bias as possible, trying to avoid the typical fan side of me taking over. I will analyze the offensive skill positions, focusing on the positives, negatives, and what we can improve on in the future. 

Quarterback:

Obviously, we are set at the QB position with Andrew Luck at the helm. Luck has already had tremendous success in his first 3 years. To add on, he's only 25 years old, which means he's got a long way to go in this league. In 47 career games, Luck has already threw for 12,797 yards with 84 touchdowns. With those stats, you are guarenteed success. These stats have resulted in 3 playoff appearances and 33 career wins for the Colts. But with young quarterbacks come mistakes, mistakes that were definitely expected. In those 47 games, Luck's turnover rate has been very high. He's thrown 43 interceptions and lost 21 fumbles. Luck can fix the problems by making better, more mature reads and by staying in the pocket and limit the scrambling. Turnovers are one of the main reasons why the Colts aren't going far in the postseason. The Colts as a team need to take the pressure off of Luck to improve his game. To Luck's defense, the offensive line is very inconsistent and take on a lot of pressure. We have a young, unexperienced group of guys that are protecting Luck. The O-Line can not handle the pass rush that some of these contending teams send. But as the years go by, the offensive line, and Andrew Luck, will definitely improve.   

Running Game:

To be honest, the Colts backfield is a mess. You never know what your going to get from them. Currently, "Boom" Herron and Trent Richardson are splitting carries. When Ahmad Bradshaw went down with an ankle injury, Trent Richardson was the next man up. I honestly don't think Richardson, or the Colts, were ready to take on every-down carries. That lack of trust has resulted in Andrew Luck's passing attempts increasing by the game. Trent has shown promise going back to his days at Cleveland, and even Alabama. His power-run style gives off a Marshawn Lynch type of feeling. He has the ability to break off some big runs if he fixes one of his problems. He needs to stop hesitating. Trent needs to hit the whole hard. His ground and pound style can be loved by Colts fans. The other halfback is Daniel Herron. Boom was previously used as special-teamer, but became a change-of-pace back with the 2 devastating Vick Ballard injuries. Herron has shown promise, but isn't ready to be a starting NFL halfback. Both have protection flaws that can be improved, however. Both can improve and become 2 young studs. 

Wide Receivers:

The Colts have a young and consistent group of guys catching balls from the slinging Andrew Luck. You have Reggie Wayne (The Veteran), TY Hilton (The Speedy Deep-Threat), and Donte Moncrief (The Red-Zone Threat) as your wide receivers. Reggie has been solid all season and can always be relied on. But ever since his arm injury, he has passed the torch to the young guns, guys such as Hilton and Moncrief. In the 2012 Draft, the Colts, with the 92nd pick, selected "TY Hilton, Wide Receiver, Florida International". I first thought that TY, only 5'9", was going to be a nice slot target for Luck in their first NFL season. They could develop a little chemistry and let it play out, for he was only a 3rd round pick. Hilton, of course, becomes Luck's favorite target and a popular deep threat. Two years later, also in the 3rd round, the Colts go out and get Donte Moncrief out of the University of Mississippi. This kid is very athletic and can use his size, 6'3", to his advantage. He is a great combination of size and speed. He reminds me a little of Mike Evans. Evans, who is 6'5", is the future of the Buccaneer franchise. Unlike Evans, the Colt offense doesn't revolve around Moncrief. If the Colts groom him correctly, he will be a great number 2 receiver. 

Tight Ends: 

When Ryan Grigson selected Coby Fleener (2nd Round) and Dwayne Allen (3rd Round) back-to-back in the 2012 NFL Draft, I completely understood why. Coby Fleener, 6'6", was a great pick. Entering the draft with Luck, the two already had great chemistry. He would be the pass-catching tight end to replace the great Dallas Clark. A round later, they select Dwayne Allen, 6'3". Weighing 255 pounds, Allen is a great run blocker and can clear holes for the Colts run game. He is best when blocking down, letting the halfbacks kick it to the outside. Both have become great redzone targets for Luck. If they stay healthy, they will be a very successful duo. 

Overall:

Overall, the Colts offensive is so powerful, it leads them back to the playoffs every year. The fact that the team is so young and so successful is truly a work of art. 

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