Colts at Titans: Three Up, Three Down
By Evan Reller
Sep 27, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Indianapolis Colts receiver Andre Johnson (81) prior to the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Stat line: 1 target, 1 drop
PFF Grade: -0.9
Through three games, Johnson has been a non-factor. He has struggled to get open and doesn’t appear to be on the same page with his quarterback. Johnson clearly doesn’t have burner speed anymore, but most of his career has been made off precise route running and his size. Those are two things that haven’t changed.
Johnson would be best suited to bodying out defenders over the middle and utilized on third down plays (much like Reggie Wayne was). He could feast in the slot, but doesn’t seem to have been put in much of a position to succeed. Johnson and Luck need to develop a rapport, and it might take a few more games.
Johnson is too talented to be written off through three games. Film shows that he has been open (and had a big play wiped out by a Hugh Thornton hold) but Luck has often failed to find him. I expect their relationship to develop over time and to make an impact as the season progresses (perhaps when the Colts travel to face his old team in nine days).
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