Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson is now entering his third season with the team and during his time there he has made some strides. After a 2-14 season in 2011, longtime Colts general manager Bill Polian was fired and replaced by Grigson. Grigson’s first move was to hire Chuck Pagano as the Colts new head coach for 2012. With their porous 2011 season the Colts entered the 2012 National Football League Draft owning the first overall pick which they used on quarterback Andrew Luck. In Luck’s first season with the Colts the team went 11-5 and earned a playoff berth. This season the Colts once again went 11-5 and they won their first playoff game since the 2009 AFC Championship Game. The AFC is not as strong as it has been and as the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos have aging quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Peyton Manning respectively while the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are rebuilding. If there was ever a time for a team to seize control of the AFC the time is now for the Colts.
Grigson has shown that he is not afraid to take a chance by making a move. Early in the 2013 NFL season, Grigson acquired running back Trent Richardson from the Cleveland Browns. In exchange for Richardson’s services the Colts sent the Browns their first round pick for the 2014 NFL Draft. In 14 games with the Colts last season Richardson only gained 458 rushing yards as he only averaged a paltry 2.9 yards per carry. As a team the Colts were 20th in the NFL last season in rushing. At 6’4″, 235 lbs., Luck is as sturdy as they come and he can carry a team, but Grigson needs to avoid some of the mistakes that were previously made by Polian.
Polian’s tenure with the Colts lasted from 1997-2011. Polian’s first big move came in 1998 when the Colts used the first overall pick of the NFL Draft to select quarterback Peyton Manning. Polian built a team around Manning that would go to win a Super Bowl Championship at the conclusion of the 2006 NFL season. At first Polian was putting talent around Manning on offense that consisted of tight end Dallas Clark, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, and running back Edgerrin James as all three would be vital to the success that the Colts had in the 2000’s. Eventually it got to the point to where Polian would just plug any pieces around Manning as he felt that his quarterback could succeed with anyone around him. From 1998-2010 the Colts only endured two losing seasons, but when Manning missed the entire 2011 NFL season as he was recovering from neck surgery, the Colts went into a tailspin as they finished 2-14. Manning was the only key cog missing from the Colts roster and Polian’s failure to develop talent around Manning led to his demise.
The Colts are already down one pick for this spring’s NFL Draft, but all hope is not lost for this team to improve. Grigson must make an important decision as to whether or not Richardson is the long-term answer for the Colts at running back. If Grigson is ready to give up on Richardson is he willing to draft another running back this spring? After a strong rookie season in 2012 which saw him gain 814 yards on the ground, Colts running back Vick Ballard was expected to be the feature back for Indianapolis, but he suffered an ACL injury during the first game of the 2013 NFL season. which led to Grigson acquiring Richardson. Along with Richardson, how much stock will Grigson put in the recovering Ballard?The Colts finished 2013 15th overall in total offense, but going forward Grigson needs to put some more play makers around Luck.
Last season wide receiver T.Y. Hilton led the Colts in receiving yardage with 1,083. The second closest Colts player in receiving yardage was tight end Coby Fleener at 608 receiving yards. Since Luck arrived in the NFL his go-to-guy with the Colts has been Wayne who was lost to an ACL injury midway through the 2013 NFL season. As good as Luck is he cannot do it by himself and Grigson needs to bring in a legitimate number one receiver for the Colts. The upcoming NFL Draft is loaded with wide receiver talent which will not hinder the Colts being that they do not have a first round pick. In 2012, Grigson used a two draft picks on tight ends. Fleener was Luck’s main target in college at Stanford while Dwayne Allen was also selected in 2012, but a hip injury sustained in the first game of 2013 abruptly ended his season.
Luck led the Colts on an epic comeback in the AFC Wild Card Game last month where they were able to erase a 38-10 third quarter deficit and defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 45-44. But the next week the Colts put themselves in an early hole and they were never able to recover on the road against the Patriots as they fell 43-22.
In the NFL, the championship window is only open for so long and you cannot take it for granted which is something that I feel Polian did. In two seasons with the Colts, Luck has a 22-10 record while passing for 8,196 yards and 46 touchdowns. Grigson appears to be building a nucleus around Luck with young players and a good draft could have the people of Indianapolis once again thinking about a Super Bowl Championship. Luck has become the leader of this team and you don’t have to wait until five years down the line to think about a championship because the time is now for the Colts.
Source: Pro-football-reference.com
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