According to NFL.com’s Charley casserly, he Indianapolis Colts have a series of vital newbies, key position battles and juicy subplots facing this next season:
Indianapolis Colts
Record 20197-9
IMPACT ROOKIES
Michael Pittman Jr., wide receiver: TY Hilton is still Indy’s WR1, but he wants the rookie to have plenty of playing time as the Colts work things out in a catching corps that also includes Parris Campbell and Zach Pascal. Pittman has excellent running ability and can catch disputed shots.
Jonathan Taylor, running back: Taylor and Marlon Mack will give the Colts a talented double hit to running back. The rookie will compete for the starting position, but will see considerable playing time even if it is not RB1. The Colts want to emphasize running play to reduce the number of passing plays and establish game action; Both should help veteran Philip Rivers. Taylor is durable and gives the Colts a chance to play bigger off the field. Look for them to get him involved in the passing game, even though he had only 42 catches in his three seasons in Wisconsin.
KEY POSITION BATTLES
Position
RB Marlon Mack Jonathan Taylor
WR2 / WR3 Michael Pittman Jr. Parris Campbell Zach Pascal
CB2 / NCB Rock Ya-Sin Xavier Rhodes Marvell Tell III
Kenny Moore is the Colts’ best cornerback for 2020, and he’ll probably start on the outside or five cents. In the linebacker, Anthony Walker and Bobby Okereke will be the starters along with Darius Leonard. The question is, between Walker and Okereke, who will be the MLB and who will be the SAM sponsor?
AN ADDITIONAL STORY
What’s left for Philip Rivers?
The Colts believe in the veteran passer and think he can adjust his game to reduce turnovers. They think that the old Chargers QB have the opportunity to dramatically decrease the number of INT for various reasons. Chief among them: The Colts’ offensive line is one of the best in the NFL, and the Colts aim to have a more balanced career-pass ratio than Rivers got used to in Los Angeles. The veteran made many mistakes when trying to commit plays while playing from behind, something the Colts don’t intend to do much with their improved roster. All of these things should result in the best and most disciplined decision making in Rivers’ career.
Now let me start this off by saying that Casserly really does have a lot here.
The Colts have two heavily promoted rookies: wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and running back Jonathan Taylor—Both of which could be prepared to have an immediate impact and provide offensive game-changing plays as dynamic weapons.
He also gets most of the correct position battles (and even the linebacker positional alignment question between Anthony Walker and Bobby okerekeHowever, the only thing that seems to be wrong is that Kenny moore It appears to be strictly an elite enclosure and a versatile slot machine corner, which doesn’t really play outside.
The Colts Cornerback Battle is really an outdoor battle where two of the three of Rock Ya-Sin, Xavier Rhodesand Marvell Tell He’ll win the opening jobs, though I’d be surprised if Ya-Sin doesn’t have one of those opening jobs locked up well enough after a streak to finish his rookie year.
Casserly also correctly points out that additional story, and perhaps the most critical question facing the Colts this year is whether their new 38-year veteran quarterback Philip Rivers You can still play soccer at a high level.
Rivers is coming off a low season for the Chargers where he threw 23 touchdowns to 20 interceptions during the 16 starts, but he only pulled off a 2018 one-year season where he threw 32 touchdowns to 12 interceptions, in the 16 starts.
The hope is that by passing behind a strong Colts offensive line, he will possess solid receiving options, including the threat of deep star TY Hilton and Pittman Jr., a great full-fledged rookie target, leaning heavily on the Colts’ power play, featuring a 1,000-yard runner’s one-two shot from last year. Marlon Mack and best rookie running back Taylor, who Rivers can return to his previous Pro Bowl form (not to mention a meeting with the head coach) Frank Reich)
As the Colts “bread and butter” offensively, their running power game should set up a game action for Rivers and keep additional defenders closer to the box, which should free up potential passing opportunities on the field.
Rivers should be more willing to take risks, including the deep ones and at all levels of the field (with an improvement in precision over his predecessor), but he will not have to do everything and take an offensive as he did at his best. While he might have more turnovers, the Colts’ passing attack should also have greater big game potential, which should lead to scoring more points offensively.
Casserly is also right.
Colts Offensive Coordinator Nick Sirianni I already said earlier this offseason that after watching the Rivers movie from last season, you didn’t notice a drop in your game or shots:rather that the veteran gunslinger was only forcing deep passes by playing behind (leading to his high total interception).
Something that, hopefully, shouldn’t happen very often in Indianapolis with a more balanced offense and improved defense, with the addition of defensive tackle All-Pro. DeForest Buckner providing a much-needed interior run and constantly ordering double teams, which should free plays for linebackers and mitigate coverage time for the entire Colts secondary.
Overall, the Colts should have a much better roster before the 2020 season with the chance to win the AFC South and return to the playoffs, perhaps even potentially having a deep playoff career within their range.
