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Fox Sports: Colts One of 8 ‘Powder Keg’ NFL Teams

By Luke Schultheis

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According to Fox Sports Alex Marvez, the Indianapolis Colts are one of 8 powder keg NFL teams that figure to go “boom or bust” this season:

"“The signings of running back Frank Gore, wide receiver Andre Johnson and outside linebacker Trent Cole — free-agents in their 30s — reflect a Super Bowl-or-bust mentality for the 2015 season. Usually, the decision to make a short-term push fails to pay dividends and sets a franchise back. Should that happen again here, the Colts will understandably be second-guessed for spending so much on outsiders when so many key young players are headed toward free agency in 2015.”"

Marvez is accurate in his assessment that the Colts did sign a number of highly regarded veteran players this offseason. However, all of them are signed to short-term deals (with two years of actual commitment at most), so they don’t figure to jeopardize the retention of the team’s young core very much.

Jun 9, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Frank Gore (23) talks to coach Chuck Pagano during minicamp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Still, the Colts are clearly “all-in” for this year’s regular season, as the team had the ample cap space to stockpile veteran free agent talent this offseason, while Andrew Luck continues to play on his bargain of a rookie contract this season with just a $7.034 million cap hit. A luxury that won’t be afforded when Luck’s next contract is due at the end of the 2016 season.

The Colts know they only have a 1-2 year window here before Luck’s new mega-contract is due, and they’ve added a number of veteran players to prove it. In that sense, this season truly is a “boom or bust” year for the Colts, as nothing short of a Super Bowl appearance will be considered a significant success.

Nevertheless, this isn’t exactly a volatile unit by any means, with Luck’s leadership and the veteran players they’ve added, future Hall of Famers like Frank Gore and Andre Johnson. The aforementioned veterans are expected to provide veteran leadership and become strong locker room presences for their younger players.

The Colts are “boom or bust” in the sense that they are clearly “all-in” for the 2015 season, but things won’t exactly “get ugly” if they fail to make it to the Super Bowl, at least with the way the team is currently constructed.

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