At this time and place in the 2018 season, our Indianapolis Colts are 1-5. Their latest defeat came at the hands of the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New York City. You may recall that the Colts traded their 3rd pick in the 2018 draft for the Jets 6th pick and a pair of second round picks that the Jets held. The Jets selected USC quarterback Sam Darnold with the pick. Darnold has been a sensation for the Jets and the team is riding his arm to a possible playoff spot.
As to the Colts, well they have a shortage of NFL caliber talent, mostly at wide receiver and cornerback but other areas as well. Anthony Castonzo is back at left tackle. This brings some stability back to the offensive line. Marlon Mack is back at running back along with Robert Turbin. Turbin, however, was injured after coming back from his four game suspension and may not be available. After muffing a pass from Luck that led to a pick/six, the second year back rambled from 79 yards in the second half including a 25 yard gain which is the longest advance any of the Horseshoe running backs have achieved so far this season. He totalled 89 yards for the game. Andrew Luck threw four touchdown passes but also three interceptions. It should be pointed out that the picks were due to receiver errors, not Luck’s.
The Colts were in the game until almost the end. As has been the case in all the Colts’ losses this season, the team was a couple of missed plays away from a possible win. The Jets have one of the ASC’s better defenses, but Luck was able to put 34 points on the board against it and with a group of receivers and runners who probably would not be able to make the roster of many NFL squads. T.Y. Hilton is the only wideout they have that strikes any fear in the hearts of opposing secondaries and he has been injured the last several weeks. The same goes for tight end Jack Doyle. Free agent signee Eric Ebron has emerged as Luck’s go-to guy in the end zone. The former Detroit Lion first round pick currently leads NFL tight ends with 6 touchdowns. That’s the most touchdowns of any Colt player right now. Ebron is big, strong and fast. He drops too many, though. That’s the reason the Lions let him walk.
On the defense, rookie linebacker Darius Leonard is the player that Colts fans are cheering. He still leads the NFL in tackles even after having to sit out the Patriot game with a foot injury. Another pleasant surprise is the play of Anthony Walker at middle linebacker. The second year man from Northwestern was picked in the 5th round of the 2017 draft by the Horseshoe. Veteran safety Mike Mitchell, just signed from the Steelers to replace injured Clayton Geathers graded out as the AFC’s top performing safety for the weekend.
The Colts meet Buffalo on the road next week. The Bills’ impressive rookie quarterback Josh Allen was injured last week and the Bills have a similar problem to the Colts — they are bereft of high quality talent particularly at wide receiver. If Allen doesn’t play, the Bills are seriously handicapped. The Bills are 2-4.
A power ranking poll just released has the Colts ranked at #30 with the Raiders and Cardinals behind them. It did point out that Coach Frank Reich seems to be getting the most out of the talent that he has available and that Luck is certainly back. It goes on to say that as the team continues to build they can develop into a true contender. A number of other media types, including Peter King have claimed that the Colts are wasting Andrew Luck’s talent by failing to provide him with talented weapons and supporting players to win. Luck is now 29 and the Colts are farther back now than when he started. I am afraid I have to agree. There is still time, but it is running out.
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