Finding a bad aspect of the Indianapolis Colts' mashing of the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 is not easy. The truth is that while Indy looked great, Miami looked just as bad. We might not know how good the Colts are for a bit.
That means that any potential issues that popped up during the game might be compounded by better competition. In Week 2, Indy will travel to play the Denver Broncos, and Denver is a good team. Head coach Sean Payton will test the deficiencies in the Indianapolis defensive scheme.
The issue could be up the middle of the defense. Long-time starter Zaire Franklin was solid, but not fantastic, in Week 1. He might still be getting used to what defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo wants. The inside linebackers are tasked with different things than in previous years.
Indianapolis Colts might want to think about sitting linebacker Cameron McGrone
Cameron McGrone, however, was terrible. Listed as a starter heading into Week 1, he didn't start. Instead, Joe Bachie did. Maybe McGrone was thrown off by the change, but he has to do better.
While head coach Shane Steichen lets Anarumo run the defense, Steichen also isn't the kind of coach to sit and watch as one or two players fail. The Colts, even as good as quarterback Daniel Jones was in Week 1, are still going to win a lot of games with excellent defense. A weak part of the unit hurts the entire team.
McGrone split snaps with Bachie, so the competition about who plays next to Franklin is clearly open. Bachie wasn't incredible either, to be fair, but he was in on four tackles and played solid football.
McGrone could have been involved in two tackles, but he whiffed on one. He played on 21 snaps and made just one tackle. He appeared lost in coverage, but thankfully the safeties made up for any issues.
The question is what happened with McGrone leading into the game. Maybe the Indianapolis Colts re-watched the preseason film of Cameron McGrone and realized he has real problems bringing down ball carriers. He wasn't fundamentally good at tackling then either.
Again, it's tough to look at Indy's 33-8 squashing of the Dolphins and find too much fault. The problem is potentially future issues. McGrone could be one of those issues. Eventually, missed tackles are going to hurt his defense. It is better to sit him out most of the game and let Joe Bachie work his magic.