The Colts were able to play better football last year. That was because they made small improvements that added up. They can continue to make those small improvements in 2019.
Small improvements don’t look like much. That is because they are, by definition, small. But they do add up. Just ask the 2018 Colts. They made a bunch of small improvements from 2017, and ended up in the playoffs and playing in the AFC Divisional Round.
One of those small improvements was blitzing at the right time. For much of the first half of the year, the Colts were one of the teams that blitzed the fewest of anyone. But in the second half, they used smart blitzes to confuse quarterbacks and put them under pressure.
That pressure forced mistakes and allowed the Colts to take advantage of them. They made those plays because they made a small improvement; calling more blitzes from the edge. That made the team better and resulted in more wins.
Another example is the Colts’ ability to convert on third down and long. They were the best team in the league at converting in such situations in 2018. The Colts were able to keep drives alive because of their improvements in that area, as they were terrible in that in 2017.
These are the types of improvements that the Colts can continue to make in 2019. Making small improvements like that will allow them to be an even better team this season. Having them make these improvements are the imperative for any team to get where they need to me.