Posted in: NFL, Sports | Tagged: Andrew Luck, Chuck Pagano, entertainment, HRL, Indianapolis Colts, nfl, sports

NFL Post-Mortem: The 2017 Indianapolis Colts

Published Sun, 28 Jan 2018 17:15:41 -0600

The Indianapolis Colts have been for a very long time, tied specifically to the fate of their quarterback. For years with Peyton Manning at the helm, the team built around him — and when he got hurt, they fell apart. They moved on and drafted Andrew Luck, who took the team to 11-5 seasons three years in a row before losing Luck for part of the 2015 season, and then got him for all but one game in 2016. But any big hopes for 2017 were in question when Luck had offseason shoulder surgery and was slow to recover. Coming off of an 8-8 season, fans kept their fingers crossed going into the new seasons.

What Happened?

Andrew Luck never got under center in the entire season, and the first game was atrocious. The team gave up two pick six interceptions and a safety. It became obvious early on that they didn't have a quarterback on the roster that could give them a fighting chance, and they traded with the New England Patriots for their third string quarterback Jacoby Brissett. he took over as the starter in the second game of the season and the second year player did as well as he could, but the team ended up going 4-12 taking third place in their division. The loss of one player, no matter how good, should not swing a teams fate that drastically, and had they not gotten Brissett, would they've even gotten the four wins? Those had to be questions on the mind of owner Jim Irsay and general manager Chris Ballard, who decided to fire Pagano with the season's end.

What's Next?

Word came out yesterday that the team has chosen Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to be their new head coach, but the announcement won't come until after the Super Bowl. If this turns out to be true, he will be the second coordinator take from the Patriots this offseason. This would be his second time as a head coach, leading the Denver Broncos to an 11-17 record before being fired in 2010. The idea of McDaniels having a quarterback like Luck to run his offense should get the people of Indianapolis excited, but that comes down to Luck coming back healthy.

Another nice side effect is that Brissett is already familiar with McDaniel's offense. The Colts sit in a good place in the draft, holding the third draft pick, meaning they should come away with a day one starter at a key position like defensive end. McDaniels, or whoever ends up being the new head coach, will end up getting a later start than just about every other team when it comes to the draft. They will need to evaluate the current roster and the possibility of re-signing and singing free agents before the end of April when it comes time to pick.

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