Colts Midseason Report Card

[Andy]

The Colts are halfway done the season, and it's been very good thus far. How do they grade though?

 

Positional Grades

Quarterback: A

Andrew Luck has had an outstanding season thus far. He's much more efficient and is doing everything he's asked to do and more. He's done a great job protecting the football and it seems like he makes a big play every time he has the ball in his hands, whether he's throwing it or running with it. It's clear that he's taken that next step in the NFL, and is someone to definitely watch out for.

Running Back: C

The running back play has been inconsistent this year. Ahmad Bradshaw really gave it a boost against the 49ers and even Trent had a good game that day, but in recent weeks it's been invisible and they have not been performing. Trent Richardson will be great down the line, but right now he is not performing, and in a system that needs to him to perform, he's really letting them down. He needs to step it up.

Wide Receiver: A-

Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton have been both stars this year. They both have had a few big games and have had big impacts in each game. Darrius Heyward Bey has been disapointing to say the least, and will need to pick it up. Had he been playing well, this group would be at least an A. With Reggie Wayne out now, it will be interesting to see how the group reacts; will they rise to the occasion, or choke under pressure?

Tight End: B-

Losing Dwayne Allen for the season hurt a lot, but Coby Fleener has done a decent job as his replacement. If you look beyond the drops and dumb plays he's done, he's improved dramatically as a blocker and has more of an impact in the passing game. He just needs to work on his consistency and his drops. As for backups, Jack Doyle has seem little playing time and they just signed Weslye Saunders, again. It's a generous B- for now.

Offensive Line: C

I will say that the offensive line is better than last year, but 5 metal poles would also be better than last year's group. Anthony Castonzo and Gosder Cherilus are having really nice seasons on the outside and that's helped tremendously. The problem is, the Colts need to find consistency between the tackles as the running game has suffered badly and they have hard time picking up blitzes. Luck is still getting hit a lot too. So it's better than last year's group, but far from good.

Defensive Line: B+

The defensive line has been quite good this year. Cory Redding is having a pro bowl like season with his good amount of pressures and his outstanding motor. Fili Moala's performance is a nice surprise, he injured his ACL last year and wasn't expected to be that great this year, so kudos to him. Ricky Jean Francois has had his moments. Josh Chapman has performed pretty well when inserted, and finally Aubrayo Franklin has proved to be a good early down nose tackle. This unit is having a solid season.

Linebackers: A

Shall I say this group is better than the quarterback group?!? Maybe not, but they have a case. Robert Mathis is leading the NFL in sacks with 11.5, and he had his bye week! He's having just an incredible year. Erik Walden on the other side isn't as flashy, but he's doing his job as an edge setter (contain man) and has improved as a pass rusher. No complaints on him. On the inside, Jerrell Freeman is having a pro bowl season too, as he's been the heart of this defense. He's the guy who brings it all together and has a few sacks and a ton of tackles. Kelvin Sheppard, Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner have rotated at the other linebacker spot, but no one has really impressed. However, as a unit, they are fantastic.

Safeties: B+

The safeties have been good this year. It's clear that this is an A-, or even an A group when Laron Landry is healthy, but unfortuantely that hasn't been the case. Delano Howell has played quite a bit and has not been good. He hurt the Colts while in the game. The good news is, Antoine Bethea is still very good and is playing his role extremely well. Despite bad play from Howell, this group gets a good grade.

Cornerbacks: A-

Vontae Davis is having an outstanding ALL PRO like season, and has shut down pretty much everyone he's gone up against. I'm convinced he's made that jump into the elite category of cornerbacks. Greg Toler has been a bit up and down this year, but there are definitely more positives than negatives. He's made some big plays for the Colts this year. Darius Butler is a bit of a surprise, as he's playing as well as any nickel cornerback in the NFL. If you want to see how to play nickel-cornerback, go watch his performance against Seattle. This group has really improved this year, maybe more than any other group.

Special Teams: B+

All in all, special teams have been good. Adam Vinatieri is continuing to be a great kicker and has nailed a few long 50+ kicks. He's still got it. Pat McAfee is having a great year punting, and as we found out is a big hitter too. The kickoff and punt coverage teams have been playing well and have not allowed any big runs. They had a monster game against Denver. The return teams have been decent, but nothing special.

 

Game by Game Grades

Week 1 vs Oakland Raiders (Win 21-17): C+

This is was a tougher game than what it should have been. The Colts weren't very prepared going into the game and had a tough time adjusting to the Raiders. They came out with the win, but it wasn't pretty. 

Week 2 vs Miami Dolphins (Loss 24-20): C

This was a game that the Colts had in their grasp but let it slip away thanks in part to a terrible Luck interception and a missed Vinatieri field goal (one of his very few misses). Out of all the performances this year, this is the one where the defense performed the worst. 

Week 3 at San Francisco 49ers (Win 27-7): A

In what was perhaps one of the best executed games I've seen from the Colts in awhile, the Colts went to San Fran and handily beat the defending NFC champions by using ground and pound and aggressive defensive tactics to shut them down.

Week 4 at Jacksonville Jaguars (Win 37-3): A

The Colts were killing it and scoring on both sides of the ball in a game that started out weirdly, but was a blowout by the 2nd quarter. They did so well, they brought in the backups very early. An easy game.

Week 5 vs Seattle Seahawks (Win 34-28): A-

In a game where they were underdogs, the Colts executed a great gameplan on offense and were able to utilize their big playmakers and get some points! Luck had a fantastic game dueling Russell Wilson and should thank the defense for coming through in the end.

Week 6 at San Diego Chargers (Loss 19-9): C-

In what was the most disapointing game of the year, the Colts went to San Diego and looked lifeless. The Chargers easily outcoached the Colts and had a much better gameplan, getting an extra 17 minutes of time of possesion over the Colts. It was a terrible performance from the Colts.

Week 7 vs Denver Broncos (Win 39-33): A

In what was a very emotional game, Peyton Manning returned only to lose to the Colts. The Colts received a fantastic flawless performance from Andrew Luck as well as some great performances from Robert Mathis and Vontae Davis. Those 3 looked like all pros out there (which isn't surprising). They were able to hold onto the lead and give the Broncos their first loss. 

Week 8 vs BYE WEEK

 

Midseason Awards

MVP: Andrew Luck

Do I really need to give an explanation for why Luck is the MVP? The guy has taken that next step in the NFL. He's improved tremendously from last year, and he was awesome last year! He's making better decisions and his vision has improved dramatically. He looks more comfortable and everything seems easier to him.

Offensive Player of the Year: Andrew Luck

What I wrote in the MVP description.

Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Mathis

I'll give an honorable mention to Vontae Davis and Jerrell Freeman, but this is Mathis' award. He leads the NFL in sacks with 11.5, and has been a menace on the edge. He's given some good left tackles a tough time this year and has a few multi sack games now. He's proven that he can still be a game changer. He is the main reason why the Colts have a pass rush (only have 10.5 sacks as a team without him).

Rising Star: Darius Butler

I was thinking of putting Freeman or Hilton, but both were really good last year and people know who they are. Although Butler was good at certain times last year, he only played half the year. This year, he's playing great as a nickel-cornerback, which was highlighted by a tremendous performance against the Seahawks. The kid has taken his game to the next level and is proving that he's one of the better nickel guys in the league.

 

Recap

All in all, it's been a great start to the year. The Colts are 5-2 and many are talking about being potential Super Bowl contenders. They are the only team to beat Denver, Seattle and San Francisco, which is pretty ridiculous when you think about, and they receiving some MVP like performances on offense and defense. The biggest difference on this team this year is that they are a much more well rounded team. They are playing so much better on defense and have even taken that leap into the top 15. They are getting some great performances in every position group and that's partly due to some great coaching. This is a great crew. The offense is clicking, the defense is clicking, and the team just looks more comfortable as a whole. This is a team to definitely watch out for in the 2nd half of the season.

[tenbears1971]

Great post Andy. Donald Thomas and Dwayne Allen both going down early I'm the season hurt our O Line immensely. Good news is they will both be back next year and I would bank on a few new faces with them.

[braveheartcolt]

Pickiest post of the year.....but why not wait until half way through our season before writing this?

[AntonMcG]

Yeah... we are not midway through the season.

[BOTT]

Canadian math, eh

[Dudley Smith]

Why is DHB a disappointment? What did everyone really expect from him? I think he has been great at blocking on the second level and has been average in the passing game. I think he has done about as expected-- nothing more or less.

 

Otherwise, I like your assessment.

[Warhorse]

I would give our RB's a B to B+

[schwamm]

I think you are overly critical of DHB, and not critical enough of TY, who has been either awesome or awful.

I also think our ILBs have been the most significant liability in this D, and are the reason this D keeps getting gashed by runs into the second level. Freeman has been an excellent value, but I suspect the team can and should look for upgrades at both ILB positions next year.

[Kenny]

Giving our WRs an A is a stretch. Too many key drops from all of them, even 87, to be anything but a B-.

[Ja'Crispy]

I'd just like to add that Brown deserves credit. RB play has been inconsistent, but whenever he gets his chance he does pretty well. You have to appreciate a guy that accepts his role and goes out there and works hard.

[ColtsFanMikeC]

Donnie Brown is having an 'A' type of year, and I still think it is i hard to give T-Rich a very poor grade as our running game has been very predictable and our blocking between the tackles has been terrible when he is in the game.

 

Like Schwamm says -- our ILB's have been very suspect.  Freeman is playing well, and Mathis is getting his sacks, but no way has the LB corps been as close to as valuable as Luck this season.

 

Also, Howell played pretty much lights out when he was called upon, I think the safety play should be rated above the LB play.

 

Good report all in all, though

[throwing BBZ]

 

The Colts are halfway done the season, and it's been very good thus far. How do they grade though?

 

Positional Grades

Quarterback: A

Andrew Luck has had an outstanding season thus far. He's much more efficient and is doing everything he's asked to do and more. He's done a great job protecting the football and it seems like he makes a big play every time he has the ball in his hands, whether he's throwing it or running with it. It's clear that he's taken that next step in the NFL, and is someone to definitely watch out for.

Running Back: C

The running back play has been inconsistent this year. Ahmad Bradshaw really gave it a boost against the 49ers and even Trent had a good game that day, but in recent weeks it's been invisible and they have not been performing. Trent Richardson will be great down the line, but right now he is not performing, and in a system that needs to him to perform, he's really letting them down. He needs to step it up.

Wide Receiver: A-

Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton have been both stars this year. They both have had a few big games and have had big impacts in each game. Darrius Heyward Bey has been disapointing to say the least, and will need to pick it up. Had he been playing well, this group would be at least an A. With Reggie Wayne out now, it will be interesting to see how the group reacts; will they rise to the occasion, or choke under pressure?

Tight End: B-

Losing Dwayne Allen for the season hurt a lot, but Coby Fleener has done a decent job as his replacement. If you look beyond the drops and dumb plays he's done, he's improved dramatically as a blocker and has more of an impact in the passing game. He just needs to work on his consistency and his drops. As for backups, Jack Doyle has seem little playing time and they just signed Weslye Saunders, again. It's a generous B- for now.

Offensive Line: C

I will say that the offensive line is better than last year, but 5 metal poles would also be better than last year's group. Anthony Castonzo and Gosder Cherilus are having really nice seasons on the outside and that's helped tremendously. The problem is, the Colts need to find consistency between the tackles as the running game has suffered badly and they have hard time picking up blitzes. Luck is still getting hit a lot too. So it's better than last year's group, but far from good.

Defensive Line: B+

The defensive line has been quite good this year. Cory Redding is having a pro bowl like season with his good amount of pressures and his outstanding motor. Fili Moala's performance is a nice surprise, he injured his ACL last year and wasn't expected to be that great this year, so kudos to him. Ricky Jean Francois has had his moments. Josh Chapman has performed pretty well when inserted, and finally Aubrayo Franklin has proved to be a good early down nose tackle. This unit is having a solid season.

Linebackers: A

Shall I say this group is better than the quarterback group?!? Maybe not, but they have a case. Robert Mathis is leading the NFL in sacks with 11.5, and he had his bye week! He's having just an incredible year. Erik Walden on the other side isn't as flashy, but he's doing his job as an edge setter (contain man) and has improved as a pass rusher. No complaints on him. On the inside, Jerrell Freeman is having a pro bowl season too, as he's been the heart of this defense. He's the guy who brings it all together and has a few sacks and a ton of tackles. Kelvin Sheppard, Pat Angerer and Kavell Conner have rotated at the other linebacker spot, but no one has really impressed. However, as a unit, they are fantastic.

Safeties: B+

The safeties have been good this year. It's clear that this is an A-, or even an A group when Laron Landry is healthy, but unfortuantely that hasn't been the case. Delano Howell has played quite a bit and has not been good. He hurt the Colts while in the game. The good news is, Antoine Bethea is still very good and is playing his role extremely well. Despite bad play from Howell, this group gets a good grade.

Cornerbacks: A-

Vontae Davis is having an outstanding ALL PRO like season, and has shut down pretty much everyone he's gone up against. I'm convinced he's made that jump into the elite category of cornerbacks. Greg Toler has been a bit up and down this year, but there are definitely more positives than negatives. He's made some big plays for the Colts this year. Darius Butler is a bit of a surprise, as he's playing as well as any nickel cornerback in the NFL. If you want to see how to play nickel-cornerback, go watch his performance against Seattle. This group has really improved this year, maybe more than any other group.

Special Teams: B+

All in all, special teams have been good. Adam Vinatieri is continuing to be a great kicker and has nailed a few long 50+ kicks. He's still got it. Pat McAfee is having a great year punting, and as we found out is a big hitter too. The kickoff and punt coverage teams have been playing well and have not allowed any big runs. They had a monster game against Denver. The return teams have been decent, but nothing special.

 

Game by Game Grades

Week 1 vs Oakland Raiders (Win 21-17): C+

This is was a tougher game than what it should have been. The Colts weren't very prepared going into the game and had a tough time adjusting to the Raiders. They came out with the win, but it wasn't pretty. 

Week 2 vs Miami Dolphins (Loss 24-20): C

This was a game that the Colts had in their grasp but let it slip away thanks in part to a terrible Luck interception and a missed Vinatieri field goal (one of his very few misses). Out of all the performances this year, this is the one where the defense performed the worst. 

Week 3 at San Francisco 49ers (Win 27-7): A

In what was perhaps one of the best executed games I've seen from the Colts in awhile, the Colts went to San Fran and handily beat the defending NFC champions by using ground and pound and aggressive defensive tactics to shut them down.

Week 4 at Jacksonville Jaguars (Win 37-3): A

The Colts were killing it and scoring on both sides of the ball in a game that started out weirdly, but was a blowout by the 2nd quarter. They did so well, they brought in the backups very early. An easy game.

Week 5 vs Seattle Seahawks (Win 34-28): A-

In a game where they were underdogs, the Colts executed a great gameplan on offense and were able to utilize their big playmakers and get some points! Luck had a fantastic game dueling Russell Wilson and should thank the defense for coming through in the end.

Week 6 at San Diego Chargers (Loss 19-9): C-

In what was the most disapointing game of the year, the Colts went to San Diego and looked lifeless. The Chargers easily outcoached the Colts and had a much better gameplan, getting an extra 17 minutes of time of possesion over the Colts. It was a terrible performance from the Colts.

Week 7 vs Denver Broncos (Win 39-33): A

In what was a very emotional game, Peyton Manning returned only to lose to the Colts. The Colts received a fantastic flawless performance from Andrew Luck as well as some great performances from Robert Mathis and Vontae Davis. Those 3 looked like all pros out there (which isn't surprising). They were able to hold onto the lead and give the Broncos their first loss. 

Week 8 vs BYE WEEK

 

Midseason Awards

MVP: Andrew Luck

Do I really need to give an explanation for why Luck is the MVP? The guy has taken that next step in the NFL. He's improved tremendously from last year, and he was awesome last year! He's making better decisions and his vision has improved dramatically. He looks more comfortable and everything seems easier to him.

Offensive Player of the Year: Andrew Luck

What I wrote in the MVP description.

Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Mathis

I'll give an honorable mention to Vontae Davis and Jerrell Freeman, but this is Mathis' award. He leads the NFL in sacks with 11.5, and has been a menace on the edge. He's given some good left tackles a tough time this year and has a few multi sack games now. He's proven that he can still be a game changer. He is the main reason why the Colts have a pass rush (only have 10.5 sacks as a team without him).

Rising Star: Darius Butler

I was thinking of putting Freeman or Hilton, but both were really good last year and people know who they are. Although Butler was good at certain times last year, he only played half the year. This year, he's playing great as a nickel-cornerback, which was highlighted by a tremendous performance against the Seahawks. The kid has taken his game to the next level and is proving that he's one of the better nickel guys in the league.

 

Recap

All in all, it's been a great start to the year. The Colts are 5-2 and many are talking about being potential Super Bowl contenders. They are the only team to beat Denver, Seattle and San Francisco, which is pretty ridiculous when you think about, and they receiving some MVP like performances on offense and defense. The biggest difference on this team this year is that they are a much more well rounded team. They are playing so much better on defense and have even taken that leap into the top 15. They are getting some great performances in every position group and that's partly due to some great coaching. This is a great crew. The offense is clicking, the defense is clicking, and the team just looks more comfortable as a whole. This is a team to definitely watch out for in the 2nd half of the season.

 

 

Through the eyes of a Homer. As such not bad.

[Andy]

Pickiest post of the year.....but why not wait until half way through our season before writing this?

 

 

Yeah... we are not midway through the season.

 

 

Canadian math, eh

 

Needed an article for the bye week. Doesn't really make a difference.