Colts Overview

A verythorough overview of the team

Although the line play was flat-out horrendous at times, the Colts’ skill position players compensated for this with their speed. Joseph Addai, who would be a change-of-pace running back for most teams, is able to use his speed to make cuts and jukes to avoid defenders in the backfield and he frequently makes plays out of nothing. Meanwhile, Donald Brown, who is much better suited for running between the tackles, had a disappointing 281 yards in his rookie season. The Colts’ receivers are too fast to cover, and rookie wide receiver Austin Collie showed a knack last year for making defenders miss him after the catch, which led to huge gains on basic, short passes. With the return of injured Anthony Gonzalez, the Colts’ receiving corps will consist of four receivers who would arguably each be the top receiver on most teams in the NFL. Aside from the receivers’ speed and Manning’s pocket presence, another way the Colts hide their line’s weaknesses is through creative pass route design. The Colts often utilized quickly-developing routes, allowing Manning a chance to get rid of the ball before the rush could get to him. Also, on their plays that were designed for a receiver to catch a pass on a short route, the other receivers would run routes that put them upfield in perfect position to block for the intended receiver after he cleared the first defender or two.