Greg Toler Must Step Up for the Colts

Sep 8, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts cornerback Greg Toler (28) reacts to making an interception against the Oakland Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts are heading into a very promising 2014 campaign, but they will need to shore up some major holes from last season in order to compete against teams like the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. One of the biggest issues last season was the defensive backfield, especially due to all of the injury concerns. There are some players that suffered injuries last season that will be needed this year, and one of those players is cornerback Greg Toler.

Toler was signed last offseason to be the number two cornerback across from Vontae Davis, but injury issues cut his season short. He ended up playing in just nine regular season games, and compiled just 23 tackles and an interception. Those numbers weren’t even close to what the Colts were hoping for, and he was pretty much a non-factor.

He has shown throughout his career that whenever he can stay healthy, he is more than capable of being a playmaker. The Colts desperately needed that extra playmaker on the field last season, and they are going to need it once again this year. Indy’s secondary doesn’t look terrible, but it also doesn’t have a history of being consistent and being able to force opponents to turn the football over.

There is no denying that the Colts’ offense has the ability to win football games, but they could use some help from their defense. They have built their team the same way that they built it when Peyton Manning was the quarterback, and that means that the offense is much better than the defense. All of that being said, there are pieces on the defensive side of the football that have the potential to change the perception of the Colts’ defense.

If Toler is able to figure things out and stay healthy, he will be a great playmaker for the Colts. He is very quick and knows how to read the football, and has a very good football mind. His career has been filled with quite a bit of frustration, but this could be the season that he figures things out and becomes a key piece on a contending Colts team.

Overall, it will be very interesting to see what the Colts are able to get out of him this year. They are still very confident that he will live up to being the player that they signed, and if that is the cause the defense will be much stronger. Toler is a major piece of what the Colts want to do this season, and he must find a way to fight through the injury issues to step up in 2014.