When a franchise goes from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck as its quarterbacks, it is very hard to feel sorry for them when they have years without a true answer at quarterback. However, the Indianapolis Colts drafted Anthony Richardson years ago, thinking he would be the answer.
There have been more questions and problems with him than solutions. Now they have Shane Steichen entering his fourth season as the coach, and Daniel Jones as their quarterback for the second year – only he is coming off an Achilles tear.
What is the hope for the Colts this season?
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The Colts started last year looking great, running off an 8-2 record before the bye week. Even their losses were relatively acceptable ones – they dropped one game to the Los Angeles Rams and the other to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both were on the road, and both were 27-20 losses.
Sure, they had some moments where they were more lucky than good, but great teams position themselves to take advantage of luck. After the bye, it was a complete disaster. They lost in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs by three. Then they lost at home to the Houston Texans, and Jones didn’t play again after the Jacksonville Jaguars game.
A promising start saw Jones’s injury eliminate any possibility of the postseason and an 8-9 finish, losing 8 of their final nine games.
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There really wasn’t any type of splash from the Colts this offseason. They did upgrade their defense a bit with the signing of Arden Key. His numbers are actually fairly impressive, but he isn’t a name most will be familiar with. On offense, the team signed extensions for both Jones and Alec Pierce.
Jones was a bit interesting because the Colts are paying him a lot of money, despite knowing he just tore his Achilles. The receiving room was getting really expensive, but they traded away Michael Pittman Jr. to try and save a few bucks.
This should be an interesting season for the Colts. The rumor is that Jones is healthy enough to play and will be the opening week starter under center for the Colts. At backup is the questionable Richardson, and then Riley Leonard.
Both of those guys need to be ready if called upon because Jones is at his best when running, so if he can’t do that, they will be in some trouble. Pierce had ankle surgery, and it is questionable if he is back in action to start the season. The team still has some pieces, but I don’t think there are nearly enough to make it dominant.
The Colts are listed at 7.5 wins for the day, and I think it is a great line hung by the books. Their schedule isn’t exactly easy, especially for a team that didn’t make the postseason. However, if they can keep things rolling the way they were when Jones was healthy to start last season, I think they have a good chance to win at least eight games this year.
I’m personally not playing anything on them. I’ve said that Jones is a competent quarterback outside of games played in New York, but coming off of the Achilles injury, I’d be more likely to back the under than the over. There is a solid defense, and if they get a quarterback that can move the ball and avoid turnovers, they should be competitive in most games.
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