Colts’ Quarterback Situation Leaves Questions Before Week 1
By Evan Rappe
The Colts’ quarterback situation has raised a lot of questions over the past few weeks. While Andrew Luck has had injury issues in the past, most expected him to be back to start the 2017-18 season. Now that we know he’s still recovering, that leaves most people wondering what the plan is.
After trading WR Phillip Dorsett to the Patriots for Jacoby Brissett, many fans were excited to get another game-tested quarterback on the roster. That left four quarterbacks on the payroll, and with the deadline to finalize the 53-man roster approaching, that couldn’t stand.
Colts fans were left to debate whether Scott Tolzien or Stephen Morris should be cut. Based on reactions from social media, most favored keeping Morris. He’s younger, more mobile, and had a better preseason. Regardless, the Colts let Morris go, in favor of Tolzien.
The Breakdown
Morris completed over 70% of his passes in weeks two and three of the preseason, and racked up over 100 passing yards in each of those games.
He played in the fourth game, but he did not pad the stat sheet as much. Tolzien had a comparable performance in Week 3, but outside of that he was overshadowed by Morris.
The biggest knock on Morris was his lack of experience. He hasn’t started a regular-season game under center, and that’s a big deal. Whereas, Tolzien has appeared in nine regular season games, starting in three of them.
Playing quarterback in the NFL is arguably the riskiest place to start someone with no regular-season experience. The entire offense flows through him on every play, and the season is only sixteen games long.
While Tolzien isn’t as exciting to watch, the Colts aren’t holding auditions for a long-term quarterback. The goal at this point should be winning as many games as possible while Luck is gone.
If Andrew Luck is truly only out for a few weeks, stability is more important than Morris’s potential upside. Tolzien’s experience at the helm of an offense combined with his knowledge of the Colts’ system makes him a logical choice to start Week 1.
If we are looking at Andrew Luck missing several weeks, Brissett may be worth a look to start. Once he acclimates to the Colts’ system, he could be a better option than Tolzien.
He saw regular season playing time with the Patriots last year and looked impressive in one of those games. If Tolzien struggles, Brissett provides a viable option to stabilize the quarterback situation until Luck returns.