Mark Susina-Flickr
The Indianapolis Colts will more than likely have to rely on their offense to carry them throughout the 2014 season. Coming into the season, they were not considered a top notch defense to begin with. Then comes the loss of five time pro-bowler Robert Mathis. Mathis was originally suspended for the first four games due to the use of PEDs (performance enhancing drugs). Last week, news broke that Robert Mathis would miss the entire 2014 season due to a torn Achilles that he suffered while working out on his own. Losing Mathis is a substantial blow to the Colts’ defense because he led the team with 19.5-sacks last season as well as 10 forced fumbles. Both statistics were among the top in the NFL. Colts Middle Linebacker Jerrell Freeman finished with the second most sacks on the team with 5.5. Simply put, there will be no replacing Robert Mathis this season.
So what do the Colts do now?
They must light-up the scoreboard with their explosive offense. The Colts have all the necessary weapons to have a top-five offense this season. To begin with, they have arguably the best young Quarterback in the game in Andrew Luck. Luck will benefit greatly due to the return of his security blanket Reggie Wayne. Wayne was Luck’s top target until tearing his ACL during the week 7 matchup against the Denver Broncos last season. The 35-year old Wide Receiver proved during week 1, against the Denver Broncos, that he can still be his reliable self, finishing with 9-catches for 98-yards. Another weapon returning from injury is Tight-End Dwayne Allen. Allen went down during the week 1 game against the Oakland Raiders last season with a foot injury. During his rookie season, Allen finished with 45 catches for 521 yards and 3 touchdowns (NFL.com). However, his best attribute to the team was his exceptional run-blocking. Look for Allen to be a top target for Luck this season, especially in the redzone due to his large frame and good hands. Luck will also have his top target from last season in T.Y. Hilton to throw to. Hilton became Luck’s top target last season after the injury to Reggie Wayne. Hilton proved to be an explosive weapon last year racking up 82 receptions for over 1,000 yards and 5 touchdowns.
During the offseason, the Colts added another weapon to Luck’s arsenal in the free-agent acquisition of former New York Giants‘ wideout Hakeem Nicks. Nicks is coming off a career low season grabbing 56-receptions for close to 900-yards and no Touchdowns (NFL.com). Nicks did, however, lead his team with 16-yards per catch. But, the numbers from last season do not tell the whole story. Nicks was catching passes from Eli Manning last season who had a horrible season. Manning finished with only 18-touchdowns and 27-interceptions and a completion percentage around 57%. So it’s fair to say Nicks did not have a steady Quarterback throwing him the ball last season. But let’s be honest, even those receiving numbers for Nicks is a substantial upgrade over Darrius Heyward-Bey. ANY kind of contribution will be better than Heyward-Bey.
Other targets for Luck this season are Wide Receivers Griff Whalen, Da’Rick Rogers, rookie Donte Moncrief and Tight-End Coby Fleener. Each one bring their own specialty to the team. Whalen has great hands to go with the chemistry with Andrew Luck that they developed during their days at Stanford. Rogers is a good young deep threat with great size, but at times lacks maturity. This was proven during the preseason when Rogers drew a personal foul penalty after catching a Touchdown and punting the ball into the stands. Moncrief was drafted in the third-round of this years draft and with his size and speed many believe he can become a weapon for Luck for years to come. But due to the amount of weapons Luck already has, he may not get many targets this season. Lastly, Coby Fleener will be a good target for Luck this season because, like Whalen, he has great chemistry dating back to their Stanford days.
But let’s not forget about the running game. Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw will more than likely get majority of the carries this season. The Colts are still waiting for Richardson to produce. He had some good strong carries in the opener against Denver, however, due to the early 24-point deficit the Colts were forced to start airing it out and abandon the running game. Like Richardson, Bradshaw had limited carries in the opener. However, Bradshaw did something in the opener Richardson didn’t. He made a good contribution in the receiving game, hauling in five receptions for 70-yards. Along with his contributions in the receiving game Bradshaw is excellent in pass protection. If Indy can get on track with the running game and have a dual-threat with Richardson and Bradshaw in the backfield, it will only make the offense that much more dangerous.
Overall, the Colts have all the necessary weapons to be a top offense in the NFL this season. But will they?
Josh Allen is a Writer for Couch Rider Report. Friend him on Facebook and follow us on twitter
