Indianapolis Colts: Offense Must Come Together in 2016
The Indianapolis Colts‘ offense disappointed many in 2015. If the Colts want to find success, the offense has to mesh well together in 2016 and beyond.
The Indianapolis Colts showcased an offense that thrived in 2014. Quarterback Andrew Luck threw for over 4,700 yards with 40 touchdowns — leading the league in such category. The Colts would make an AFC Championship game berth that year before falling short to the hands of the New England Patriots.
After a promising 2014, the 2015 season was the year in which the Colts were supposed to get over the hump and hopefully bring the city of Indianapolis its first Lombardi Trophy since 2006. General Manager Ryan Grigson was in an all-out ‘win-now’ mode — signing veterans Andre Johnson and Frank Gore to multi-year deals with the hopes that the two could help get the team to the Super Bowl.
One year removed from the signings — Johnson is now without a job after being a non-factor during his first year with the Colts, and the team missed out on the playoffs just the second time in 14 seasons thanks to an injury-riddled campaign for Luck.
The notion league-wide this time a year ago was that Luck would take yet another step in his game and see similar success from 2014. That wasn’t the case however, as Luck missed nine total games due to various injuries — resulting in the Colts cycling through three different starting quarterbacks throughout the season.
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Now with a healthy Luck and new-and-improved offensive line, the Colts hope to bounce back and regain their form atop an AFC South that looks light-years ahead of what it was just one season ago.
The bulk of the Colts’ success in 2016 will have to come from an offensive unit that must mesh well together early on. With the improvement of receiver Donte Moncrief over the last two seasons, he should make his presence on the field felt as the teams No. 2 receiver behind T.Y. Hilton.
Phillip Dorsett is another player that comes to mind when discussing players that need to step up this coming season. The Colts used their first-round pick on Dorsett in last year’s draft with hopes that the speedy receiver out of Miami could add another vertical threat to the offense. Instead, he was mostly nonexistent throughout the majority of last year.
Next: Indianapolis Colts Need Consistent Pass Rush in 2016
Behind an offensive line that could possibly have four new faces in 2016 — including center Ryan Kelly — the Colts are hopeful for a healthy and productive season from both Luck and the offense as a whole.
If everything falls into place as planned, look for the Colts to regain their dominance and get back on track from where they left off two years ago.