The Ultimate Sports Blog's
2015-16 NFL Preview
2014-15 Record: 11-5
Last Playoff Win: 2014 Divisional vs. Denver Broncos
Last Playoff Appearance: 2014 AFC Championship vs. New England Patriots
Last Super Bowl Win: XLI vs. Chicago Bears (2006)
Last Super Bowl Appearance: XLI vs. Chicago Bears (2006)
Head Coach:
Chuck Pagano (33-15 all-time in Indianapolis, 3-3 in playoffs)
Assistant Head Coach: Rob Chudzinski
Offensive Coordinator: Pep Hamilton
Defensive Coordinator: Greg Manusky
2014-15 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards: Andrew Luck (4,761 yards, 61.7% completions, 40 TD's, 16 INT's, 96.5 QB rating)
Rushing Yards: Trent Richardson (159 attempts, 519 yards, 3 TD's)
Receiving Yards: T.Y. Hilton (82 receptions, 1,345 yards, 7 TD's)
Tackles: D'Qwell Jackson (140 tackles)
Interceptions: Mike Adams (5 interceptions)
2014-15 Team Rankings:
Passing Offense: 1st in NFL
Rushing Offense: 22nd in NFL
Points Per Game: 6th in NFL
Least Points Allowed Per Game: 19th in NFL
2014-15 Potential Starters:
Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel
Offense:
QB: Andrew Luck
RB: Frank Gore
WR: Andre Johnson
WR: T.Y. Hilton
TE: Dwayne Allen
C: Khaled Holmes
OG: Todd Herremans
OG: Jack Mewhort
OT: Joe Reitz
OT: Anthony Castonzo
Defense:
DE: Arthur Jones
DE: Kendall Langford
DT: Josh Chapman
LB: Erik Walden
LB: Robert Mathis
LB: D'Qwell Jackson
LB: Jerrell Freeman
CB: Vontae Davis
CB: Greg Toler
FS: Dwight Lowery
SS: Mike Adams
2014-15 Schedule:
(September 13) vs. @ Buffalo Bills
(September 21) vs. New York Jets
(September 27) vs. @ Tennessee Titans
(October 4) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
(October 8) vs. @ Houston Texans
(October 18) vs. New England Patriots
(October 25) vs. New Orleans Saints
(November 2) vs. @ Carolina Panthers
(November 8) vs. Denver Broncos
(November 15) BYE WEEK
(November 22) vs. @ Atlanta Falcons
(November 29) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(December 6) vs. @ Pittsburgh Steelers
(December 13) vs. @ Jacksonville Jaguars
(December 20) vs. Houston Texans
(December 27) vs. @ Miami Dolphins
(January 3) vs. Tennessee Titans
Overlook: I've made no secrets that I love myself some Andrew Luck. How good of a football player is Andrew Luck? He's good enough that a Colts team that went 2-14 in 2011, has gone 11-5 in three straight seasons without ever really improving the team around him. I don't think the regular NFL fan knows just how good Andrew Luck is. They just see the Colts turning into a perennial playoff team under his guidance and assume everything is in working order with the rest of the football team and that's far from the truth. The 11-5 Colts' teams of the past few seasons are an Andrew Luck injury away from being 5-11 teams. It's hard to tell with this Indianapolis team, but outside of the QB position, there isn't a whole lot to shout home about (and that was revealed when the Patriots stomped them in the AFC Championship last year). Let's take a closer look at this Colts team and you'll see what I mean.
Offensively, the Colts are good and are only going to be better this year. If you haven't drafted in your fantasy football leagues yet, you are going to want to grab some Indianapolis guys because these guys are going to score some points. Luck is a gunslinger and with new weapons like Frank Gore and Andre Johnson under his belt, he's going to explode even more. T.Y. Hilton has turned into one of the most explosive guys in the league and now that he's locked in and re-signed for the long term, he should be even more comfortable in this Indy offense. Not everything is peaceful and serene on the Indy offense though. Just ask Andrew Luck and he'll tell you their big weakness over the last few seasons has been the play of their offensive line and I doubt that gets any better this year. The only guy who's worth a damn on the line is Anthony Castonzo as the rest of the guys could easily be replaced. The good news is, Andrew Luck's used to operating with a horrible offensive line during his time in Indy, so nothing will change there. However, if these guys can actually find a way to protect Luck and give him more time to make plays in the pocket.....yikes.
Defensively, the Colts are "blah". Outside of Vontae Davis, they don't really have any elite players on this side of the ball. Robert Mathis is a damn good football player, but he's coming off an injury and no one knows what to expect from him. As for the rest of the front seven? It's pretty disgusting and not in a good way. The secondary is easily the strength of this Colts defense, and that's not saying much. Let's just say it's a good thing this Indianapolis team is going to put some points up on the board because they aren't going to be able to stop anyone. Now that the offense is "Super Bowl" material, it's probably time to start drafting some elite defensive players in Indy, right?
So, what should we expect from the Colts this year? I think more of the same from what we've seen the last few seasons. They will be a tough regular season match-up (Luck and the offense gives this team a shot to beat anyone else in the league) and could win a playoff game or two....but it's tough to say that they are a legit Super Bowl contender. Not with that defense. But it's all going to be OK, Colts fans. As long as you have Andrew Luck for the next 10-15 NFL seasons, you are always going to at least have a shot at a Super Bowl title, regardless of how the rest of the roster looks. There aren't a whole lot of other NFL teams that can say that.....
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