The Texans over Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium 16-10. First time that Houston has beaten the Big Blue in Lucas Oil. The Texans and the Colts went into the game tied for the division lead at 6-7. The fact that both teams were tied for the lead and had a shot at the playoffs shows you the pathetic state of the AFC South. There has been a dark cloud over the Horseshoe this season. Before the regular season started the Colts were a “trendy” pick to go to the Super Bowl. It quickly became apparent with losses to the Bills and the Jets, and barely winning against the Titans, that something was seriously wrong with the team and particularly with the Horseshoe’s Golden Boy Quarterback, Andrew Luck. Luck’s stats were the worst of his four year career and the way he carried himself on the field was totally different. It was as if he had lost his confidence. It was later revealed that Luck had suffered a shoulder injury in the Bills game and he missed the games against Jacksonville and Houston. Those games were Colt victories, however.
Matt Hasselbeck, the 40 year old backup, came off the bench to relieve the injured Luck and guided the team to two wins over division rivals Jacksonville and Houston. Matt became a media darling and many called for him to remain as the starter. Luck returned to the starting lineup against New England, in what was called the Revenge Bowl because of the Deflategate scandal. In truth, the Colts played fairly well and while the Patriots won, the win was not the runaway that Pats fans were hoping for.
The Colts lost to the Saints and Panthers and this led to the firing of offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. The Horseshoe beat the Denver Broncos at home on a Sunday night game; however, Andrew Luck suffered a lacerated kidney and a partially torn abdominal muscle during the game and was out four to six weeks. That meant that Hasselbeck would be back under center and there were a number of fans who were quite happy about this prospect. Sure enough, Matt led the team to victories over the Falcons and Tampa Bay. But then came the Steelers game in Pittsburgh. Big Ben Roethlisberger ripped the Horseshoe defense for 45 points. The Steeler defense carved up the Colts. The offense got its tail handed to them by the Steeler defense. It was an epic loss for the Horseshoe. Then there was the debacle at Jacksonville when the Jags popped a 51-10 smackdown on the Colts that avenged a lot of losses for the team at the hands of the Colts in previous meetings. Finally, there was the humiliation by the Texans Sunday when journeyman QB Brandon Weedon, who had recently been cut by the Cowboys, led the Texans to a win over Indy and the sole position of the AFC South lead. There are still two games left. The fact that they really have no standing for the playoffs now means there is no reason to push Andrew back into the starting lineup. As for Matt Hasselbeck, the poor fellow has been battered, bruised, and broken this season. He even got a case of food poisoning. Let’s give the guy the rest he needs to heal up. The team can let Charlie “Clipboard Jesus” Whitehurst play out the string and finish the season. At this point, a win might even be counter-productive with regard to the 2016 NFL draft. Anyway, for the Colts and their fans, the season really ended Sunday.
So what happened? Well, in my humble opinion, some bad personnel choices and some questionable coaching decisions over the past four years finally caught up with the team. The failure to fix the offensive line, develop a running game, and a reliable pass rush have shot down the team. There are apparently some serious differences between the front office and coaching staff led by a feud between Head Coach Chuck Pagano and General Manager Ryan Grigson. Pagano is an honorable man and even inspirational in his battle against cancer, but he has not been as effective as a coach as many would have liked him to be. A defensive specialist, he has not been able to put together a winning offense in his time here. His fake punt fiasco during the Patriot game earlier in the season still has people scratching their heads. His contract expires at the end of the season and it could be that the Colts will not resign him. Some say he blames Grigson too much rather than working with him. He has already said that he doesn’t expect to be back with the team next season.
GM Ryan Grigson must assume some of the responsibility for the current situation. While picking Luck for the team was a big win, he only has the deal for cornerback Vontae Davis to show as a plus deal for the Colts. His deal for Trent Richardson for the Colts 2014 number one pick is a day which will live in Infamy with Horseshoe fans and is still considered one of the worst trades in NFL history. His draft picks have generally been lackluster and his free agent acquisitions have been ineffective. This year, for instance, running back Frank Gore, wide receiver Andre Johnson, pass rushing linebacker Trent Cole, and offensive guard Todd Herremans were all high profile signings and none of them have made a big dent in the season. Herremans was cut after failing to see any playing time. Grigson has been accused of being short-sighted and having an ego problem.
It could be that there will be a major house cleaning in the off season, but it’s not easy to find grade A personnel, so Grigson might be safe — particularly if the Colts don’t want to eat his contract. In the meantime, go Big Blue and “Wait till Next Year!”
snicewanger@yahoo.com