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Per PFF, Andrew Luck Led the League in Deep Passing Yards

By Luke Schultheis

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According to popular advanced statistics website ProFootballFocus (subscription), Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck led the league last season in deep passing yards. Of Luck’s accumulated 4,761 passing yards last year, 1,387 of those were on deep passing yards:

It’s a bit ironic considering that once upon a time under the early Pep Hamilton regime of Colts football, the team was originally looking to implement a power-running offense with a bit of west coast passing flare. The team was looking to move away from Bruce Arians downfield passing attack in Luck’s rookie season and feature a more run heavy attack going forward.

Jan 4, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) throws a 36-yard touchdown pass under pressure from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap (96) during the third quarter in the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

However, Hamilton and the Colts brass soon realized what logically made the most sense last season, that the football should be rightfully placed in the team’s best player’s hands, and that’s easily #12. By placing the football in Luck’s hands, it gives the Colts the best opportunity to make plays, especially down the field.

The scary thought of all of this for opposing secondaries is that last year’s Colts passing game largely featured wideouts like a broken down Reggie Wayne and inconsistent Hakeem Nicks.

By signing highly regarded veteran Andre Johnson and drafting blazing fast rookie Phillip Dorsett, the Colts figure to be even more dangerous in their downfield passing game next season. As the two aforementioned newcomers are set to join holdovers T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief in what should be an even more potent passing attack.

Another interesting and seemingly somber statistic brought up by ProFootballFocus (PFF) was confirming what we already knew, that beloved veteran wideout Reggie Wayne clearly wasn’t the same player last season:

However, perhaps raising Colts fans collective spirits, ProFootballFocus also confirmed that cornerback Vontae Davis is pretty much a bad, bad man, when it comes to opposing quarterbacks passing his way. He played every bit like a shutdown cornerback last season and is among the best players at his position:

All-in-all, the Colts best players like Luck and Davis really shined last season per the advanced statistics via PFF, and that’s probably why they’re among the best players at their respective positions, as well as in the entire NFL.

Jan 18, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Vontae Davis (21) breaks up a pass intended for New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski (87) in the second quarter in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

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