Colts Midseason Report

By Alec Rohr

• TheIndyGM

Oct. 31, 2016

Well, we have made it (mercifully) to the midway point of the Colts 2016 season. At a lackluster record of 3-5, the Colts find themselves in 3rd place in AFC South which is often regarded as one of the worst divisions in football as half of the team in the division have found themselves in rebuilding mode the past couple of seasons.

So what exactly has gone wrong for the Colts this season? Everything not named Andrew Luck is the correct answer. Luck has cut down on interceptions and has not put himself in position to take unnecessary hits. I sat back, watched some highlights, looked at some stats, got depressed after doing both of those things, and came up with my top five problems for the Indianapolis Colts.

#1 – Management/Coaching

Clear cut #1, 2nd place is not even close. A few weeks ago, Colts GM Ryan Grigson addressed questions about the struggles this defense has had and came back with blaming it on Andrew Luck’s contract. Wait, what?! Yeah, Grigson blamed his best draft pick’s success on the struggles on the absolutely abysmal defense he created. Last time I checked, the contract was given to Luck in late June this year. So that should have no bearing on the terrible drafts that Grigson has had the last three years. You can also blame the coaching staff for the lack of development of these players that Grigson has drafted and signed. Bruce Arians got the best out of a guy like Vick Ballard, who was a 5th-round pick and rushed for over 800 yards in his rookie season. Since then, Ballard is gone (partly due to injuries) and Arians got a head coaching job in Arizona and turned a 3rd-round pick in David Johnson into a premier, young running back.

Chuck Pagano on the hand? He’s still the master of remaining positive and giving us awesome sound bites from press conferences. But that’s about it. If he would’ve kicked the field goal and taken the 3 points instead of going for it on 4th down in Houston a couple weeks ago, the Colts would be sitting at 4-4 and 1st in the division, owning the tiebreaker over Houston and Tennessee.

#2 – Lack of Pass Rush

If you would have asked me who the guy leading the team with 6.0 sacks was, I would tell you Robert Mathis. Plot twist, Mathis has 2.0 and Erik Walden Is the guy who has 6.0. I’ll be honest, I have never cared for Erik Walden, even dating back to when the Colts signed him in 2013. He had never really done much in his career before coming to town and then he came out wearing #93. #93 is sacred to Colts fans considering how much Dwight Freeney did during his time here, Walden comes out wearing it, head-butts Titans TE Delanie Walker who wasn’t wearing a helmet, then next season he gets ejected for making contact with an official. Yes, this guy is leading the Colts in sacks. The Colts did not have much of a pass rusher last season either, so what do they do in the draft? Wait until the 7th-round to take an OLB (Trevor Bates) and then eventually move him to ILB. I’d be lying if I said I did not see this coming, but I expected more from guys like Mathis.

#3 – Inside Linebacker Play

It shocked a lot of people when the Colts cut Nate Irving when they trimmed their roster to 53. I expected Irving to start alongside D’Qwell Jackson, but instead he got the pink slip and still remains unsigned. Irving being cut led to Sio Moore getting his chance at ILB and he looked good in week 1 against the Lions as he was responsible for 10 tackles and assisted on 3 others. The Colts cut Moore after week 4 along with Antonio Cromartie, a move that surprised many people. D’Qwell Jackson already has over 50 combined tackles, including a 9 tackle performance week 5 against the Bears, but still cannot defend in pass coverage if his career depended on it. It will be interesting what the Colts do with Jackson after this season as he has one year left on his contract but will be 34 years old next year. Owner Jim Irsay has been outspoken about getting this roster younger and Jackson is one of the older veterans on this team.

#4 – Right Side of the Offensive Line

Yes, I mentioned the right side specifically- but do not think I forgot about you, Anthony Castonzo. Denzelle Good and Joe Reitz have both been injured, I understand that, but Reitz has struggled and Good has too at times. Reitz played an excellent game against Detroit week 1, but since then his play has been subpar as he has allowed defenders to get to Luck and get in the backfield way too often. Good played at RT towards the end of last season and showed us glimpses of what he could do, then he moved to RG this offseason so we could start Joe Reitz. Good has not been terrible, but he hasn’t been consistently good either. The left side and middle of the Colts offensive line is bolstered by high draft picks; Castonzo was a 1st round pick in 2011, Jack Mewhort was a 2nd round pick in 2014, and Ryan Kelly was 2016’s 1st round pick and has been Grigson’s 2nd draft pick behind Andrew Luck. Yes, I rank Kelly over TY Hilton because Kelly is protecting Luck and Andrew needs all the help he can get sometimes.

#5 – The Wide Receivers

Duron Carter, where you at? Last year, the Colts signed the son of NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter for next to nothing, a 3-year deal worth a mere $1.5 million. Then the Colts decided to cut Carter in favor of Griff Whalen and then kept him on the practice squad, but when the Colts needed another wide receiver last year the opted to elevate Quan Bray from the practice squad. Carter never saw the field in Indianapolis and bolted back for the CFL last offseason. Carter has almost 1,000 yards for the Montreal Allouettes this season. Meanwhile in Indianapolis, we can’t keep wide receivers healthy or get some to catch a ball. Donte Moncrief just came back after being out since week 2, Phillip Dorsett missed a game with a hamstring, and TY Hilton gets hurt nearly every game but fights through it to give us a chance in nearly every game. Enter Chester Rogers, Tevaun Smith, and Devin Street. If you asked who to any of those names, you’re not alone. Shaky play among the makeshift receiving corp the Colts has been frustrating. Whether it’s drops, not knowing the routes, miscommunication- it has been a mess. Thankfully, Moncrief and Dorsett are back and Dwayne is set to return in a few weeks so Luck will have his full arsenal of weapons back soon enough.

So what about rest of the season? The Colts do not have their bye week until week 10 after playing a game at Green Bay against a resurgent Packers team. Will we see some personnel changes then? Maybe. While midseason firings almost never bode well, what can it hurt at this point? So when the Colts limp into the bye week, we’ll see if they get recharged for a late season push or if management decides it has had enough, scraps the season, and works towards the future. 

NFL

AFC South

Indianapolis Colts

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Written by

Alec Rohr

TheIndyGM

Thoughts, buzz, and information from the Circle City

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