Can T.Y. Hilton Still Be a Dominant Receiver?

Jan 4, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts wide receiver

(13) makes a catch and scores a touchdown during the fourth quarter of the 2013 AFC wild card playoff football game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Indianapolis Colts were expected to have one of the higher powered offenses in the NFL this season, but that simply hasn’t been the case through their first two games. Neither Andrew Luck or the wide receivers have looked anything close to what was expected, and T.Y. Hilton has been perhaps the most disappointing receiver of the bunch. He was forced to step into the number one receiver role down the stretch last season after Reggie Wayne tore his ACL.

Hilton performed admirably under pressure last season, and ended up proving himself the league as more than just a big play wide receiver. While he was still one of the best deep threats in the league, he also found ways to make plays over the middle and on short passes in open field that allowed him to use his speed to make something bigger. So far this season, none of that ability has been seen from him.

Through the first two games against the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, Hilton has caught just 11 passes for 106 yards and no touchdowns. It’s possible that his numbers haven’t been there due to the overall disappointing offensive performance overall, and that has mainly fallen on the shoulders of offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. Luck is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Colts simply haven’t been putting him in situations for him to be successful.

It is going to be very interesting to see how Hamilton’s game plans continue to change when his job is in jeopardy. The Colts can’t afford to keep allowing him to come into games with weak plans, and if things don’t pick up soon you can bet that he will be told to change or get out of town. Hilton has the potential to be a dominant receiver, and still has the same skill and possibly even more than he did last year.

Wayne being back on the field and the addition of Hakeem Nicks has probably made things a bit more difficult for him as well. He has gone from being a number one receiver on the team last year to being one of three players that could be number one targets in any given game. Hilton will pick his game back up whenever the Colts offense begins playing up to their potential, but until then most players will continue the disappointment that fans have seen in the 0-2 start.