How the Colts manage expectations moving forward

With how well the Colts played last season and how they have improved their roster so far this offseason, their expectations will increase. How will they manage them?

Justin Houston is just one piece that the Colts have added this offseason. But it just so happens that he might be the biggest piece that they have added in the Chris Ballard era in free agency. Houston signifies the rising expectations that this Colts team will have to manage.

Making the playoffs last year was not something many people expected from this team. They were expected to take a small step forward, but not a giant leap. They took that giant leap, and then went even further when they won a playoff game.

Now it’s expected for them to take an even bigger leap. They should now be division favorites in a very competitive AFC South. They have only lost one starter from last year’s squad, and none of them were from a very improved defense. It was just lowly Ryan Grant.

But just because the Colts look so good now doesn’t mean they aren’t going to continue to improve. They still have more days of free agency left and they have the draft at the end of next month. The draft is where they will make the majority of their improvements.

Managing these expectations is a good problem to have. Don’t expect them to listen to a lot of the outside noise that will be around the team before the season starts. They know what their ultimate goal is and how to get themselves there.

Ballard has done a masterful job of building this roster. He has done so largely without using the large amount of cap space that he has available to him. But now that he has with a big-time free agent, Colts fans are really excited. And they should be.