How Do the Colts Stack Up In the AFC South?
Jun 11, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano watches the players go through drills during minicamp at the Indianapolis Colts Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Colts training camp 2013 is right around the corner, and it’s time to see how they stack up in the AFC South. We have already taken a look at almost all the position groups and players on the Colts’ roster individually as a precursor to camp, but what about an outsider’s opinion?
Matt Williamson of ESPN’s Scout’s Inc. has ranked each individual position group in the AFC South, and surprisingly enough, the Colts didn’t even come in second in his overall rankings.
Looking Back
| Team | QB | RB | WR | TE | OL | DL | LB | DB | Coach | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| Tennessee | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2.3 |
| Indianapolis | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2.4 |
| Jacksonville | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3.6 |
Williamson ranked the Colts last in the AFC South in RBs and both the offensive and defensive lines. He ranked them at the top of the division at the two most important areas–quarterback and coach. He also put them on top at the TE position, which is pretty plain to see at this point unless one of the other teams has some breakout players.
At this point, it’s really hard to disagree with the rankings Williamson has put together, unless you want to get nit picky or say that ‘this offseason pickup is going to be better than this one.’
I think the Colts got a really favorable #2 ranking for their WR group, but I think they could have also been ranked higher in the DBs category. The AFC South isn’t an overly strong DB division, but the Colts have three potential Pro Bowl players on the back end, and they were ranked the third best group in the division.
The average grade of a 2.4 is just 0.1 lower than the overall rating for the Tennessee Titans, so if you base it strictly off of this list, the Colts would be Williamson’s third best team in the AFC South.
There is a considerable gap between the Colts and Jaguars here, really between the Jaguars and all the other teams. This just won’t be Jacksonville’s year, sorry to say.
The key here for the Colts is they have the top rankings in coaching and at the quarterback position. Those are the two most key areas for any NFL team in my opinion, and I would have to agree that the Colts strongly excel there. If for no other reason, I think you’re looking at a strong playoff contender here because of those two critical factors.