Frank Gores future

[TheOptimist88]

Gore is still a go-to leader and running back...until he demonstrates otherwise.  Mack is a rookie who will greatly benefit from his presence. Is Frank Gore now trash to be discarded because some believe he has lost his "burst?"  A transition is most assuredly coming at the position.  The GM, coaches and probably the owner, will decide when and who.  Stop arguing. 

I never said he was trash but since the team is moving in a new direction him being cut isn't impossible. No ones arguing it's a debate on a forum I thought that's what this site was for?

 

 

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[TheOptimist88]

Actually the running lanes were fine he just has no burst, moves, and he isn't running people over anymore. And he was below every starting running back and some backups in elusiveness and tackles broken. It's a sad reality that was the most overrated 1,000 yard season in history. 

What? The man is one of the best RBs when it comes to vision and you're implying the running lanes were fine but he just couldn't find it? The Colts have tried to have a run heavy scheme compared to the past with an offensive line that isn't very good at run blocking... So him actually getting 1000yds is a pretty big deal. Especially when a team that wants to establish a running game cant even if they try to but lack of consistency on the Oline is preventing that. 

 

Hard to break tackles when you're getting hit as soon as you get given the ball behind the line of scrimmage. 

Colts offensive line created slightly more than half of the yards before contact. So that's not true and still Jay Ajayi had 2 back to back 200 yard games with the worst rushing O-line in the league. Good backs get yards all over the field.

 

 

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[Stephen]

4 hours ago, csmopar said:

without Luck, we're screwed even if we had Emmit Smith in his prime

Idk a great rb can be just as effective as a great qb. Think Lt the year he scored about 30 tds

[southwest1]

10 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

Gore squeezes out yards that aren't really there. 

 

He's an amazing blocker and still has the vision. 

 

Plus Frank Gore is a leader. Which we need as much as we can get.

 

Let Mack soak up all he can from one of the greatest RB's of all time. 

I can't say it any better than you did Lolly. You highlighted or checked all the appropriate boxes. 

[Stephen]

15 minutes ago, southwest1 said:

I can't say it any better than you did Lolly. You highlighted or checked all the appropriate boxes. 

If mack looks better than gore with the 1s he better not be on the bench or pagano is guaranteed to be fired.

[Stephen]

Just now, Stephen said:

If mack looks better than gore with the 1s he better not be on the bench or pagano is guaranteed to fired.

 

[Peterk2011]

There is no need to rush it. The lead back is on the field for cca 50 snaps per game. He rushes cca. 18-20 times. The rest of the snaps is blocking for Luck. That's more than 50% blocking duty, which is just as important as rushed yards.

 

We know that Gore can block, and we also know he almost never looses the ball, and never ends up with negative yards. Thats a safe base to build on. Then comes Mack in rotation. Let him do his stuff, and if he lights fire, then they can increase his snapcounts any time. 

[Pat Beach 81]

9 hours ago, J@son said:

 

Numbers rarely tell the whole story.  The numbers will not give any indication as to how good Gore's blocking was, how competent was the playcalling, is he only getting the ball in short yardage situations etc etc.  

 

I actually watched all of the games and having done so, I can tell you that your comments about him are wrong.  And the ability to rip off 20 yard runs has more to do with downfield blocking and top speed than a player's burst.  Burst refers to his ability to get out of a tight space quickly.  It would help if you knew what these terms meant before you started throwing them around.

So if he gets to the hole quicker isn't he downfield quicker. If we're arguing top speed then you're helping the point. Franks NOT fast never has been.  This season is a test, like it or not. We need to see what the young running backs offer. If they succeed great, if not Ballard knows he needs another back next year. 

[Jason_]

21 minutes ago, Pat Beach 81 said:

So if he gets to the hole quicker isn't he downfield quicker. If we're arguing top speed then you're helping the point. Franks NOT fast never has been.  This season is a test, like it or not. We need to see what the young running backs offer. If they succeed great, if not Ballard knows he needs another back next year. 

 

I never denied that frank gore doesn't have elite top speed. He never has. 

[ColtJ82]

Assuming he wants it, I would like to see the Colts release him. We aren't contending this year. Give him his release or trade him to a contender for a late round pick. He's earned that, IMO. Let him at least have a shot at another SB. I'd be sad to see him go, but let the man chase it.

[southwest1]

4 hours ago, Stephen said:

If mack looks better than gore with the 1s he better not be on the bench or pagano is guaranteed to be fired.

The reason I liked Lolly's post had more to do with leadership & experience then say yards per carry among any of our backs. Speed kills or helps win games in the NFL yes, but knowing when to be patient & when to hit the crease of daylight is what Gore gives you late in the yr. Don't underestimate that. 

 

I'm fine with toying with our RB rotation to see what the final pecking order should ultimately be, but for right now, Gore deserves to start with the 1's. He's our battering ram. Mack & Turbin can follow him as scat backs for a change up. I'm cool with that. 

[Stephen]

1 minute ago, southwest1 said:

The reason I liked Lolly's post had more to do with leadership & experience then say yards per carry among any of our backs. Speed kills or helps win games in the NFL yes, but knowing when to be patient & when to hit the crease of daylight is what Gore gives you late in the yr. Don't underestimate that. 

Thats the thing when I look at Mack on film he has patience that rivals most veterans. He has vision, speed,power, and elusiveness that gore currently does not possess. With that being said I think they can be like the addai rhodes combo.

[southwest1]

9 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Thats the thing when I look at Mack on film he has patience that rivals most veterans. He has vision, speed,power, and elusiveness that gore currently does not possess. With that being said I think they can be like the addai rhodes combo.

You might be right Stephen. I just can't put too much stock in Preseason games with vanilla defenses even in the 3rd dress rehearsal game. I will admit that the RB position often smoothly translates the best from college to the pros so there's a high likelihood you are correct.

 

Invoking the names of Championship winning backs is high praise. I hope your are foreshadowing future success for INDY on the ground. Knock on wood. 

[Stephen]

1 minute ago, southwest1 said:

You might be right Stephen. I just can't too much stock in Preseason games with vanilla defenses even in the 3rd dress rehearsal game. I will admit that the RB position often smoothly translates the best from college to the pros so there's a high likelihood you are correct.

 

Invoking the names of Championship winning backs is high praise. I hope your are foreshadowing future success for INDY on the ground. Knock on wood. 

Lol I think if Mack is successful it should open up more holes for gore at the end of games. Imagine defenses tired from chasing Mack and then gore comes in and pounds it down their throat lol

[southwest1]

2 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Lol I think if Mack is successful it should open up more holes for gore at the end of games. Imagine defenses tired from chasing Mack and then gore comes in and pounds it down their throat lol

Just to be clear, I wasn't doubting the love you were giving Mack. That kid can run. If Mack did win the starting rotation & Gore became our goal line bulldozer for 6; I'd be a happy camper if we could build momentum & keep winning once the season kicked off. 

 

Pretty or ugly I don't care just win. 

[Stephen]

4 minutes ago, southwest1 said:

Just to be clear, I wasn't doubting the love you were giving Mack. That kid can run. If Mack did win the starting rotation & Gore became our goal line bulldozer for 6; I'd be a happy camper if we could build momentum & keep winning once the season kicked off. 

 

Pretty or ugly I don't care just win. 

Im hoping we can beat the steelers and patriots if we see them in playoffs

[akcolt]

14 hours ago, TheOptimist88 said:

You make an intelligent trade if Turbin gets injured. You don't trade a first round pick for a running back. But you move a later round asset. Cincinnati's Jeremy Hill would be a good target for our committee, Jeremy Langford from Chicago, Alfred Morris from Dallas. There are players more talented currently available. Honestly Gore had the potential to be a 12-1300 yard back last year, he left a lot on the field. Not to mention the game starts slower when we start with him. 

C'mon man now you have us spending a draft pick on a RB. We have holes up and down the roster and you want to spend a draft pick on a RB. You can't really believe this mess. 

[crazycolt1]

3 hours ago, Stephen said:

Thats the thing when I look at Mack on film he has patience that rivals most veterans. He has vision, speed,power, and elusiveness that gore currently does not possess. With that being said I think they can be like the addai rhodes combo.

I too after watching past film of Mack think he has what it takes to be a very good RB in the NFL. Now the question is can he block and pick up blitzes when ask to? 

If he can even come close to being another Addai we hit the goldmine. Addai not only blocked excellent he caught a lot of passes out of the backfield. IMO he was way under rated with what he brought to the Colts.

[TheOptimist88]

4 hours ago, akcolt said:

C'mon man now you have us spending a draft pick on a RB. We have holes up and down the roster and you want to spend a draft pick on a RB. You can't really believe this mess. 

Better than the mess we have at RB. Luck deserves better from the run game 

[Peterk2011]

4 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

I too after watching past film of Mack think he has what it takes to be a very good RB in the NFL. Now the question is can he block and pick up blitzes when ask to? 

If he can even come close to being another Addai we hit the goldmine. Addai not only blocked excellent he caught a lot of passes out of the backfield. IMO he was way under rated with what he brought to the Colts.

 

Excactly! I was very high on Mack before the draft, so I was excited the Colts picked him. And I strongly believe the guy will be very good, he's shown flashes of what I thought he could do for us, and indeed, probably the RB position is where college talent can seamlessly translated to NFL.

 

But why should the Colts put all stakes on him, when they are not forced to? There were some concerns regarding his ball security, and his tendency to give up the between the tackles lanes too easily and go outside. This must be fixed first. It doesnt matter that he runs 20 yards twice if he looses the ball the 3rd time. And if he decides to play tig and ends up in negative yards or draws a holding flag because the oline doesn't know where he is (which is an invitation for holding), then that drive will be stalled no matter how much yards he rushed before.

 

[Stephen]

1 hour ago, Peterk2011 said:

 

Excactly! I was very high on Mack before the draft, so I was excited the Colts picked him. And I strongly believe the guy will be very good, he's shown flashes of what I thought he could do for us, and indeed, probably the RB position is where college talent can seamlessly translated to NFL.

 

But why should the Colts put all stakes on him, when they are not forced to? There were some concerns regarding his ball security, and his tendency to give up the between the tackles lanes too easily and go outside. This must be fixed first. It doesnt matter that he runs 20 yards twice if he looses the ball the 3rd time. And if he decides to play tig and ends up in negative yards or draws a holding flag because the oline doesn't know where he is (which is an invitation for holding), then that drive will be stalled no matter how much yards he rushed before.

 

The holding flag will come from clark lol Mack bouncing to outside isnt really an issue and he doesnt shy away from contact. What I see him do is pick the right holes to run through. Why run straight ahead if there are no holes. You saw how that worked for trent richardson who even when holes would open to the outside would run straight into a defender for a small gain.On one of his runs he had to make two guys miss before he got to line of scrimmage. Then burst through a small hole making a defender who would have tackled him earlier if he had went strait have to reverse field. You can't coach the vision and patience Mack seems to have. Im talking that brawshaw,bell, charles type vision. One of his former teamates said if he puts it all together he could rival david johnson in production. That being said he still has to make sure he protects the ball and continue mastering blocking. I think this might be the best rb class Ive ever seen.

[Peterk2011]

2 minutes ago, Stephen said:

The holding flag will come from clark lol Mack bouncing to outside isnt really an issue and he doesnt shy away from contact. What I see him do is pick the right holes to run through. Why run straight ahead if there are no holes. You saw how that worked for trent richardson who even when holes would open to the outside would run straight into a defender for a small gain.

 

Not straight ahead, but between the tackles. He can - I actually expect him to - choose a different hole than the designed one if he sees chances there. What I was reffering to is to bounce outside. In the NFL those outside rushes must be planned, so there's someone blocking there. Otherwise there will be no space there, no matter how quick Mack is. If we use Mack as for example the Chiefs used Tarik Hill, designing such plays for him, I am more than OK with it.

[Stephen]

3 hours ago, Peterk2011 said:

 

Not straight ahead, but between the tackles. He can - I actually expect him to - choose a different hole than the designed one if he sees chances there. What I was reffering to is to bounce outside. In the NFL those outside rushes must be planned, so there's someone blocking there. Otherwise there will be no space there, no matter how quick Mack is. If we use Mack as for example the Chiefs used Tarik Hill, designing such plays for him, I am more than OK with it.

Yea you can design plays to go to the outside like the stretch play with edge but if a play is designed to go between the tackles and both tackles lose the battle from the start and he decides to juke both defenders and bounce to the outside which currently has no defenders Id be ok with that to. Most the time when he bounces to the outside its because there was no space in the middle. Now on his 23 yard run there was good blocking on the inside for that play. He still had to make one guy miss to get the extra yards. On his first run of 10 yards two guys were in the back field at the snap. Most the time when that happens you get stopped for a loss or 1 yard gain.Mack slipped past both with a nasty jump cut while breaking an arm tackle and headed north to south.

[crazycolt1]

3 hours ago, Peterk2011 said:

 

Excactly! I was very high on Mack before the draft, so I was excited the Colts picked him. And I strongly believe the guy will be very good, he's shown flashes of what I thought he could do for us, and indeed, probably the RB position is where college talent can seamlessly translated to NFL.

 

But why should the Colts put all stakes on him, when they are not forced to? There were some concerns regarding his ball security, and his tendency to give up the between the tackles lanes too easily and go outside. This must be fixed first. It doesnt matter that he runs 20 yards twice if he looses the ball the 3rd time. And if he decides to play tig and ends up in negative yards or draws a holding flag because the oline doesn't know where he is (which is an invitation for holding), then that drive will be stalled no matter how much yards he rushed before.

 

I think the RB coach can work with him on looking for the run lanes. A lot also depends on how good the O-line can block too. I seen he has that burst of speed needed to get through those lanes when they do open. He just looks like he has just enough hesitation and the burst to get through those lanes. As far as putting the ball on the ground the coaches also work with all the RBs and WR on ball security. Hopefully they can show him how to protect the ball better.

[Stephen]

41 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

I think the RB coach can work with him on looking for the run lanes. A lot also depends on how good the O-line can block too. I seen he has that burst of speed needed to get through those lanes when they do open. He just looks like he has just enough hesitation and the burst to get through those lanes. As far as putting the ball on the ground the coaches also work with all the RBs and WR on ball security. Hopefully they can show him how to protect the ball better.

He has elite patience

[Defjamz26]

So confused here. You guys keep saying that Mack needs to sit and learn from Gore as if RB isn't the easiest position to play straight from college to the NFL. It's plug and play. The only thing besides the playbook that RBs have to learn is how to block. The RB position is not like the QB position. You don't need to have young guys sit and learn. QBs age like wine, but RBs age like milk.

 

The Colts should play Mack now, not later. Go with the fresh legs. Gore is a 34 year old RB who was put on a pitch count. Not exactly who you want being your lead back. Mack can give the Colts something they can't get from Gore or Turbin. Plus we need to know if we have a young franchise RB on this team before the 2018 draft. Can't find that out with Mack riding the bench with limited carries. Frank Gore doesn't impact the game the way Mack could.

 

 

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[Coffeedrinker]

After the Steeler game it looks like if gore continues to get 15 to 20 carries a game he is still has a future with the colts this year.

[NewColtsFan]

25 minutes ago, Coffeedrinker said:

After the Steeler game it looks like if gore continues to get 15 to 20 carries a game he is still has a future with the colts this year.

 

I absolutely agree that Gore has a future with the team this year.     I think this thread has been beyond spectacularly silly.       There was actually a post about the difference between having a back averaging 4.0 yards per carry and a back who averages only 3.9.      Seriously.      Not kidding, but wish I was.

 

But I don't see Gore with 15-20 carries,  at least not on a regular basis.    I think the team is happy enough with Turbin and Mack for them to earn touches that will cut into Gore's workload.

 

So,  I think Gore is going to be around 13-16 carries...

I think both Turbin and Mack will be 8-10 carries....

 

Gore has been around 260 in each of his first two seasons.....    I suspect this season he'll be closer to 225-230.    So, down a little,  but maybe not a lot.

 

I do think this will be Gore's last year.    I'd be surprised if Ballard invites him back for the 2018 season.   I'd say possible,  but not likely.    But I absoulutely want Gore as an assistant RB's coach when he retires.    Guys like Frank Gore should be in the building,   and in the locker room.

 

 

 

 

[RockThatBlue]

Gore looked pretty good last night. 

[A8bil]

6 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I absolutely agree that Gore has a future with the team this year.     I think this thread has been beyond spectacularly silly.       There was actually a post about the difference between having a back averaging 4.0 yards per carry and a back who averages only 3.9.      Seriously.      Not kidding, but wish I was.

 

yes,...spectacularly silly.   It's funny how fantasy leagues distort perspective.  There was a time when teams like the 84 Redskins and the mid-70s Steelers were feared around the league because behind RBs like Riggins and Franco Harris, they could pound it for 4 ypc and there was nothing the defense could do about it.  3 carries at 4 ypc is a first down.  Every team in the league would love to be able to run with that level of effectiveness.  That's not the Colts, obviously, but scoffing at 4 ypc is just silly.  now, if the colts had th rams running game from last year, i'ld be ticked, but that's a whole nuther ballpark.  

[lollygagger8]

GORE STILL GOT IT 

[Coffeedrinker]

14 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

I absolutely agree that Gore has a future with the team this year.     I think this thread has been beyond spectacularly silly.       There was actually a post about the difference between having a back averaging 4.0 yards per carry and a back who averages only 3.9.      Seriously.      Not kidding, but wish I was.

 

But I don't see Gore with 15-20 carries,  at least not on a regular basis.    I think the team is happy enough with Turbin and Mack for them to earn touches that will cut into Gore's workload.

 

So,  I think Gore is going to be around 13-16 carries...

I think both Turbin and Mack will be 8-10 carries....

 

Gore has been around 260 in each of his first two seasons.....    I suspect this season he'll be closer to 225-230.    So, down a little,  but maybe not a lot.

 

I do think this will be Gore's last year.    I'd be surprised if Ballard invites him back for the 2018 season.   I'd say possible,  but not likely.    But I absoulutely want Gore as an assistant RB's coach when he retires.    Guys like Frank Gore should be in the building,   and in the locker room.

 

 

 

 

I agree it could be Gore's last year as a Colt.  But he Saturday, he showed his elite vision, ability to hit a crease and very good burst to the whole.

 

I say 15-20 you say 13-16, we are about the same.   I think some of it will depend on who has the hot hand (or hot feet so to speak).

[A8bil]

4 hours ago, Coffeedrinker said:

I agree it could be Gore's last year as a Colt.  But he Saturday, he showed his elite vision, ability to hit a crease and very good burst to the whole.

 

I say 15-20 you say 13-16, we are about the same.   I think some of it will depend on who has the hot hand (or hot feet so to speak).

I think the problem is that the Colts just aren't generating enough run plays to get the kind of carries you are talking about.  With 409 carries last year, they were smack in the middle of the league..  A more prolific offense will net more carries...perhaps 5-6 per game.

[Coffeedrinker]

44 minutes ago, A8bil said:

I think the problem is that the Colts just aren't generating enough run plays to get the kind of carries you are talking about.  With 409 carries last year, they were smack in the middle of the league..  A more prolific offense will net more carries...perhaps 5-6 per game.

409 carries is 25.56/game enough for Gore to get 15-20 and Turbin/Mack to get 10-15.  Last year Gore average 16.43 carries per game, so I think he will get about the same work load.

[A8bil]

8 hours ago, Coffeedrinker said:

409 carries is 25.56/game enough for Gore to get 15-20 and Turbin/Mack to get 10-15.  Last year Gore average 16.43 carries per game, so I think he will get about the same work load.

You're missing the fact that QBs will get about 65 carries no matter what (last year 70), and another 5 so will come to end arounds and trick plays.  So, drop it down to about 21.5 per game for the RBs.   That's 12-15 for gore and 7-10 Turbin and Mack, assuming no other backs get carries.   They need more sustained drives to get to the numbers you're talking about.

[Goatface Killah]

I feel like an butt for saying it because I'm a huge Gore fan, but I feel like he is holding the offense back at this point. I just don't think teams have to worry about him gaining more than 9-10 yards, tops. And if Mack is as good as I think he is, no way should Gore get more carries than him. I enjoy his leadership and appreciate it, but we need a play maker to take pressure off of Luck. I dont mind if Gore starts, but Mack needs to see the field more than just backup duty for 6-8 carries. A bug reason teams have been so aggressive with Luck is we haven't had a back that can make them pay for it. Mack might be able to. Gore wont, at least often enough anymore. Jmo

[Coffeedrinker]

10 hours ago, A8bil said:

You're missing the fact that QBs will get about 65 carries no matter what (last year 70), and another 5 so will come to end arounds and trick plays.  So, drop it down to about 21.5 per game for the RBs.   That's 12-15 for gore and 7-10 Turbin and Mack, assuming no other backs get carries.   They need more sustained drives to get to the numbers you're talking about.

I'm not missing that at all.... That is the point, if the Colts consistently give Gore the ball 15-20 times a game and Turbin/Mack get 10-15 carries per game the Colts will have more sustained drives, longer drivers, higher TOP.  It's a passing league but you still need to get 25-30 running plays in to have a consistent offense.  They need to do a better job of it.  Last year they were so predictable... the first play of the drive, pass, the 2nd play of the drive... pass, then after that (if they got a first down) then it was 1st down run, 2nd down pass, 3rd down pass and repeat.

[A8bil]

5 hours ago, Coffeedrinker said:

I'm not missing that at all.... That is the point, if the Colts consistently give Gore the ball 15-20 times a game and Turbin/Mack get 10-15 carries per game the Colts will have more sustained drives, longer drivers, higher TOP.  It's a passing league but you still need to get 25-30 running plays in to have a consistent offense.  They need to do a better job of it.  Last year they were so predictable... the first play of the drive, pass, the 2nd play of the drive... pass, then after that (if they got a first down) then it was 1st down run, 2nd down pass, 3rd down pass and repeat.

Come on, Coffee...you're being a moving target.  Your immediately prior post did an analysis of the number of carries available to the RBs based on the total number of carries last year (409).  I was just pointing out that the 409 included carries by WRs and QBs in addition to RBs, and that the offense only produced around 335 carries for RBs.  

 

We agree that Gore's not going to get 15-20 while Turbin/Mack get 10-15 in the current offense, but I don't agree that just running the ball more will get those numbers.  Situationally, the offense was often playing from behind in the second half last year, because the defense was letting the game get away.  Luck would then go to an imbalanced offense relying on passing more because that allows better clock management when you need to 2-3 scores.  To get the carries up, the offense needs to get early leads and the defense needs to hold them, so that in the second half the offense can play ball control and run it down team's throats.  In that context, having turbin and Mack doing thunder and lightening will be really effective, but the team has to get them in that position.

[A8bil]

11 hours ago, GoatBeard said:

I feel like an butt for saying it because I'm a huge Gore fan, but I feel like he is holding the offense back at this point. I just don't think teams have to worry about him gaining more than 9-10 yards, tops. And if Mack is as good as I think he is, no way should Gore get more carries than him. I enjoy his leadership and appreciate it, but we need a play maker to take pressure off of Luck. I dont mind if Gore starts, but Mack needs to see the field more than just backup duty for 6-8 carries. A bug reason teams have been so aggressive with Luck is we haven't had a back that can make them pay for it. Mack might be able to. Gore wont, at least often enough anymore. Jmo

I think your analysis is just not grounded in reality.  First, Luck was under pressure because the line has sucked, as as the playcalling.  It requires Luck to hold onto the ball too long while plays develop.  You do that if you have the Patriots line, not the Colts.  

 

Second, you talk as if every other QB out there has the benefit of RBs who are ripping off 40+ yard TDs every game.  The best in the league last year was Ajayi with 4, only a handful had 3...big RB plays are just so rare, they have little or no impact on the game.  And, note that half the guys who had 3 or more are no faster than Gore.  

 

Third, the worst teams in the league last year in giving up sacks were (in order) the Browns, Rams, 49ers, Bills, Colts, Seahawks, Cards, Bengals...Crowell for the Browns, Hyde for the 49ers, McCoy for the Bills, Johnson for the Cards and Hill for the Bengals, were among the best in the league on big plays last year.  If there is a correlation between "homerun" RBs and QB protection it is about as loose as they come.

 

Look...the problem Luck had last year was that the defense let the games get away early, which forced the offense to become more passing oriented to manage the clock while they tried to get out of the hole the defense dug.  This made it easier for the defenses to tee off on Luck because they knew they were not facing a running play...not because the Colts lacked the ability to run the ball, but because the game score situation didn't allow it. 

[Goatface Killah]

2 minutes ago, A8bil said:

I think your analysis is just not grounded in reality.  First, Luck was under pressure because the line has sucked, as as the playcalling.  It requires Luck to hold onto the ball too long while plays develop.  You do that if you have the Patriots line, not the Colts.  

 

Second, you talk as if every other QB out there has the benefit of RBs who are ripping off 40+ yard TDs every game.  The best in the league last year was Ajayi with 4, only a handful had 3...big RB plays are just so rare, they have little or no impact on the game.  And, note that half the guys who had 3 or more are no faster than Gore.  

 

Third, the worst teams in the league last year in giving up sacks were (in order) the Browns, Rams, 49ers, Bills, Colts, Seahawks, Cards, Bengals...Crowell for the Browns, Hyde for the 49ers, McCoy for the Bills, Johnson for the Cards and Hill for the Bengals, were among the best in the league on big plays last year.  If there is a correlation between "homerun" RBs and QB protection it is about as loose as they come.

 

Look...the problem Luck had last year was that the defense let the games get away early, which forced the offense to become more passing oriented to manage the clock while they tried to get out of the hole the defense dug.  This made it easier for the defenses to tee off on Luck because they knew they were not facing a running play...not because the Colts lacked the ability to run the ball, but because the game score situation didn't allow it. 

 

 

I didn't say anything about 40 yard runs. 

 

Yes, I do feel that opponents gameplan against the Colts is all about Andrew Luck and that affects how much pressure he faces. And yes, I do believe that having a RB other teams have to worry about would make them think twice about blitzing every play. That's just football common sense.

 

Beyond that, I'm not even sure what point you're trying to make. You didn't argue that Mack might make the offense more versatile and dangerous, you are basically just saying we don't need a better RB and it has no affect on the beating Luck has taken, which is ridiculous.