Out Of Sync

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After three consecutive 11-win seasons and a trip to the AFC Championship Game last January, the bar of expectations was raised for the Indianapolis Colts heading into the 2015 National Football League season. And rightfully so as the Colts have quarterback Andrew Luck who appears to be the future of the NFL. But the Colts 2015 campaign, it has never been able to get ignited and with just one game remaining in the NFL’s regular season, they are on the outside looking in as far as the postseason picture.

Andrew Luck

The Colts began the 2015 National Football League season by losing their first two games and doubt began to creep in around this team. The Colts would win their next three games, but the injuries would begin to mount for Luck. Luck was attempting to play through a shoulder injury which saw him sidelined after the Colts, Week 3 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Luck attempted to rejoin the Colts in Week 6, but he hasn’t played for Indianapolis since Week 9 as he suffered a lacerated kidney. Last season Luck led the NFL in touchdown passes with 40 and he appeared ready to assert himself into being the league’s MVP, but it never came to fruition in 2015 due to his injuries.

In Luck absence, the Colts turned to veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to lead them. Hasselbeck is 5-3 this year as the Colts starting quarterback, but a shoulder injury of his own has limited him and it might see him miss the team’s regular season finale this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. Hasselbeck removed himself the Colts 18-12 victory this past Sunday against the Miami Dolphins as he would be replaced at quarterback by Charlie Whitehurst. But in Hasselbeck’s absence, Whitehurst suffered a hamstring injury which forced the Colts to place him on season-ending injured reserve. And with the Colts season on the line this Sunday, they might have to turn to Stephen Morris to be their starting quarterback. Morris is in his second year in the National Football League and he has yet to attempt as pass which does not bode well for the Colts.

Ryan Grigson

Throughout the Colts struggles this year, you can see the mistakes that have been made by the front office in Indianapolis as they have simply put too much on the shoulders of Luck. Ryan Grigson is in his fourth year as the Colts general manager, but he hasn’t done a sound job of putting talent around Luck as this team is unable to function if Luck isn’t on top of his game. And if this sounds familiar, this was basically the same way that the Colts functioned when Bill Polian was their general manager which was evident in 2011 when former Colts and current Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning missed the entire season as he recovered from neck surgery. The Colts struggled mightily as their 2-14 record without Manning was the worst in the National Football League which resulted in them drafting Luck.

The Colts organization is simply relying to much on Luck to bail them out of everything while bringing in “system” players as opposed to play makers. In the National Football League, you do need a franchise quarterback that will make those around him elevate their respective games, but at the same time one man cannot do it by himself.  And if you look throughout the annals of NFL history, there has never been a quarterback that won a championship by doing it all by himself.

The Colts have never given Luck a top-tier wide receiver to throw to, or for that matter, anyone on their 53-man roster which falls into the lap of Grigson. The Colts did sign wide receiver Andre Johnson this year after he was cut by the Houston Texans. But at the age of 34, Johnson is not the player that he once was which is evident by the paltry 457 receiving yards that he has tallied in Indy. Somehow Colts head coach Chuck Pagano was able to get Indianapolis to the AFC Championship Game last year without a ton of talent, but it is going to be tough for this team to make consistently deep runs in the postseason without more play makers on the roster.

The Colts are 29th in total offense this year while they’re tied for 28th in total defense. Even with Luck under center, the Colts struggled on offense this year which resulted in offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton being fired last month. But this has simply been a team that lacked cohesion since the season began.

Chuck Pagano

Hamilton was fired last month by Pagano due to the fact that Pagano’s job was on the line and he needed a scapegoat. And now Pagano has joined Hamilton as the Colts fired him this week. But whomever the Colts head coach is going to be next season, this is an organization that needs more structure from within.

Since its inception in 2002, the AFC South has been one of the weaker divisions in the National Football League which is evident by the way that the Colts have dominated with 9 division titles. In that same period the Jacksonville Jaguars have never won the AFC South while the Titans and Texans have each won it twice.

There are a ton of scenarios that need to go the way of the Colts this Sunday for them to make the playoffs. And even if the Colts found a way to make the playoffs, they would just be there for the ambiance as this team has now a mash unit. The best thing for the Colts to do right now is to fold up show with an eye towards the 2016 National Football League season.

 

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By | 2016-01-01T11:39:32+00:00 January 1st, 2016|Categories: National Football League|Tags: , , , , |0 Comments

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