The Indianapolis Colts are off to another slow start this season and Nyheim Hines explained why it’s especially frustrating for him.
After Sunday’s loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts will enter Week 5 at 1-2-1. Indy is a talented team so that’s not how many anticipated the season would start out for the franchise. Contrary to expectations, Indianapolis will have to overcome another slow start to the season, and everyone’s frustrated. The fans are frustrated, the media is frustrated, and of course, the Colts themselves are frustrated.
Running back Nyheim Hines opened up about the frustration following Sunday’s loss. While the team obviously doesn’t want to have just one win four weeks into the season, Hines explained one of Indy’s big problems and how it’s an extremely frustrating one. That infuriating problem is the Colts having a new starting quarterback for the fifth year in a row.
Hines, who’s been with Indy for five seasons, wasn’t putting blame on Matt Ryan or anything but he was highlighting that Indianapolis is forced to go through natural growing pains every season with a new signal-caller. He explained that the lack of stability was especially highlighted against the Titans, a team with a steady foundation and consistency at quarterback.
more from Hines (2/2):
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 3, 2022
"So that sucks a little bit, too, that most teams we play have an established guy, but that doesn’t matter. We have figured it out and we will figure it out."
Nyheim Hines is tired of the growing process with new Colts quarterbacks
Hines admitted that this isn’t an excuse for Indianapolis and that it’s their job to figure it out regardless but he’s well within his right to be frustrated by the situation because it is a problem that’s affecting the Colts every season. While Indy has many issues that have led to the slow starts every year, lack of consistency at quarterback is definitely one of the biggest.
With the importance of the quarterback in today’s NFL, Indianapolis’ offense has to adjust to a new offensive leader every season. Even with the offseason program, training camp, and the preseason, there still will be issues that the team has to overcome when they encounter them in a real game. Pass protection is an example.
Through the first four games, the Colts have been abysmal at pass protection. Some of it is personnel but some of it is just miscommunication. When you have a new quarterback and moving parts on the offensive line, that’s bound to happen. One of the often overlooked strengths in the NFL is continuity. Indy’s offense hasn’t had much of it in the last five seasons.
However, as Hines also pointed out, it’s their job to figure it out. Some of the problems that the Colts have displayed so far have just been unacceptable. Indianapolis has to clean up those things while also growing closer as a unit and it has to happen fast. If the Colts don’t turn things around soon, their season could slip away and there could be even more changes coming.
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The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday but Indy’s tight ends had a productive day, led by veteran Mo Alie-Cox.