Mercifully the season is finally over for the Horseshoe. A 37-20 spanking at the hands of the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars left the team with a 7-9 season record and a third place finish in the AFC South. The game was sort of a microcosm of the season itself for the Colts — a surprisingly strong start in the first half only to fall apart in the second half. Anyway we are done for 2019.
We will have the 13th pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft. There are a number of directions we could go with the pick. A line-clogging defensive tackle. A big-play wide out. A play-making cornerback. A frightening pass rusher. However, the Colts should go for a quarterback, or at least in my humble opinion. Jacoby Brissett unfortunately has shown that he is not “THE GUY” to be under center for the team. There will be several free agent passers available: Andy Dalton. Phillip Rivers, Marcus Mariota and Teddy Bridgewater. However, GM Chris Ballard has not shown tendencies to sign a free agent to a key position. He wants to build through the draft.
There is another looming problem. the offensive line. Both the tackle Anthony Costanzo and center Ryan Kelly are free agents. I figure that the Colts will drop the franchise player tag on Costanzo. He’s that valuable. Kelly had his best season as a Colt and says he wants to stay with the team. Resigning them both will bite into their free agent money.
The Colts had the worst kicking in the league. They missed 33 total points in missed field goals and extra points, by far the most in the league. Adam Vinatieri is most likely gone. Chase Mclaughlin has been effective for the last three games but the team will want to bring in competition.
The one thing the Colts were good at was running the ball. The team was fourth in the league in total rushing yards. Marlon Mack gained 1,091 yards on 247 carries and 8 touchdowns. Jordan Wilkes, Jonathan Williams, and Hyheim Hines were all effective when called upon. Brissett seemed more effective with his legs than his passing arm at times. Even at that the team was still just 25th in total offensive yards. Defensively the team was 16th in total yards given up.
The Browns fired Freddie Kitchens, their first year head coach. Ron Rivera may go to the Washington Redskins. As to the Colts there are a few free agents who will not return. Tight end Eric Ebron whose erratic behavior and poor production turned off the coaches. Jabaal Saheed didn’t produce as a pass rusher, and he will be allowed to walk. Clayton Geathers a talented player who has had too many injury problems, will be gone. There will of course be many other bits of surprise business, but for now the Colts 2019 season is in the books.
Final Column of the Decade
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