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NFL.com Names Pep Hamilton 8th Best O.C. in NFL

By Luke Schultheis

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According to Bucky Brooks of NFL.com, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is Top 10 at his coaching position in the NFL. The 40 year old offensive guru is widely considered one of the top NFL head coaching candidates for a new job, and it’s been well earned with his exceptional play-calling ability and design:

"8) Pep Hamilton, Indianapolis ColtsAndrew Luck’s budding greatness has overshadowed Hamilton’s masterful orchestration of the Colts’ offense. The wily play designer, who served on Stanford’s staff during Luck’s time at the school, has helped his star pupil post impressive numbers the last two seasons despite lacking a solid running game. Hamilton’s clever utilization of personnel groupings and diverse formations has helped Luck torch opposing defenses. Critics took Hamilton to task for not putting the entire offense on Luck’s shoulders early on, but the veteran play caller has slowly placed more on the Pro Bowler’s plate, creating big-play opportunities while featuring a quick-rhythm passing game. Overall, the approach has worked splendidly, with the Colts reaching the AFC Championship Game last season. With more artillery coming onboard during the offseason (in the form of veteran additions Frank Gore and Andre Johnson and first-round pick Phillip Dorsett), Hamilton could finally be in position to blend the Colts’ dynamic aerial attack with the power-based running game he used to help make Stanford a powerhouse on the collegiate level."

While Hamilton initially showed some growing pains in his 1st year as Colts offensive coordinator in 2013 by featuring a forced power-running game, he smartly handed the reins of the offense to his superstar quarterback in Andrew Luck last season. However, this isn’t simply a matter of Hamilton giving Luck the ball and simply watching what he does with it…at least for the most part.

Oct 9, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton during game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rather, Hamilton has excelled at utilizing his two talented tight ends in the offense in Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, each of whom had career seasons last year by catching 8 touchdowns a piece. He’s found creative ways to keep opposing defenses off-balance by freeing up his tight ends in coverage.

However, it’s not just his tight ends, as Hamilton likes to cleverly sneak his running backs out in the red zone too, as last year’s running back Ahmad Bradshaw caught 6 touchdowns last season when he had 3 receiving touchdowns prior in his entire 8-year career.

It’s worth noting that his wideouts don’t suffer either, as T.Y. Hilton made his 1st career Pro Bowl last season, by catching 7 touchdowns on his way to 1,345 receiving yards.

Still, there’s no question that Luck’s 40 touchdowns were impressive in their own right. However, it would be foolish to say that Hamilton’s play-calling wasn’t overly beneficial to the young quarterback, especially in the touchdown department:

As NFL.com’s #8 best offensive coordinator, Hamilton is definitely worthy of such an honor. He’s made major strides as an offensive coordinator and developed into one of the best play-callers at his position. With new weapons at his disposal in Frank Gore, Andre Johnson, and Phillip Dorsett, it’ll be interesting to see if Hamilton can make what was already a prolific offense last season, even better.

January 24, 2014; Ko

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