The AFC South is still terrible
By Evan Reller
Indianapolis Colts
2015: 8-8
Despite this being a Colts blog, they are not immune from criticism. Far from it. For some baffling reason owner Jim Irsay decided to double down on the dynamic duo of coach Chuck Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson. The friction between the latter two was called “toxic” and it felt like the two would be bare knuckle boxing in front of Irsay to remain with the franchise (we have no way to confirm that this didn’t happen either, Grigson has the size but Pagano’s grit can’t be matched).
The Colts have decided the best way to protect Andrew Luck is to chuck 50 offensive lineman at the problem and hope five will stick (and stay healthy). If Luck goes down, the team will plummet, especially without Old Man Matt Hasselbeck to bail them out for a few games.
How many times will the Colts lose in blowouts this year? The line is 4.5 considering Pagano’s history, but looking at the schedule it might be safe to take the under. Only the Steelers and Packers look like serious threats to drop 50-plus on the Colts this year (although the Vikings could certainly be an issue too).
While the Colts addressed their offensive line woes in the draft, free agency, and coaching they still need to find something resembling a pass rush. But rest assured, Robert Mathis feels better than he did in 2013! …Which was also the same season after which he was busted for PEDs, but that surely won’t happen again.
The Colts are thin at almost every position, but it’s a good thing they rarely suffer through multiple injuries. Wait, that’s some other team that doesn’t perpetually rank in the top five in games lost to injury every year.
The Colts revamped their training staff a bit, and added an emphasis on injury prevention. Players are already dropping like flies in camp, but it surely won’t be an issue even with an extra preseason game this year.
Even despite all of the flaws on this team (so so many) the Colts can still win the division just by having the best, highest paid quarterback of the four teams. Luck has a history of beating up on division foes, and this season doesn’t look like an exception. He just has to protect his soft organs this time around.