The Indianapolis Colts are quickly taking on water and undoubtedly the most disappointing team in the still very young NFL season.
Last night, the Colts were losers once again by way of a 20-7 decision to the New York Jets of all teams.
Sure Todd Bowles has enacted a pretty stingy defense in New York but what makes this loss even worse for the Colts is A) they actually lost to Ryan Fitzpatrick and now Tyrod Taylor in consecutive weeks, B) the Colts looked like an abomination in the process (especially Andrew Luck) and C) it was at home.
So in general where has it gone wrong for a Colts team that many (including myself) had going to and winning the Super Bowl this season?
On the field, and last night in particular it all starts with Andrew Luck.
Monday night the fourth year quarterback was 21/37 for 250 yards, one touchdown and three (yes three) interceptions. However if Colts fans, NFL pundits and myself are going to be honest, Luck was worse than those number indicate. Simply put Luck has looked lost while last night was a good display of sheer futility at the quarterback position as the former first overall pick threw into double and triple coverage and badly missed his targets.
I’m not going to put all the blame though on Andrew Luck since you can safely say the rest of the Colts roster looks awful.
The offensive line is as porous as it gets, the defense has been nonexistent and the team’s biggest offseason acquisitions, Frank Gore and Andre Johnson would be awesome if the Colts were playing in 2012 rather than 2015.
But how much can you really deflect away from Andrew Luck?
Colts fans don’t really have to look much further than Peyton Manning to know that he performed better given many of the circumstances he’s undertaken in Indy than Andrew Luck. Plus lets not kid ourselves when it comes to Luck. He’s not guy that was taken in the third round. Luck was the undoubted first overall pick four years ago and was taken to be an elite guy like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees all of whom were taken well after that first overall pick was taken.
The problems with the Colts though transcend well beyond the football field and onto the sidelines and front office of the organization itself.
Head coach Chuck Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson have feuded last season and into this past offseason over reported personal issues and differences of opinion on who to sign in the offseason according to Deadspin. And as Deadspin points out, the issues of whom to sign are without a question a GM decision first and foremost (as it should be) but Grigson’s influence has apparently made its way down to lineup decisions which traditionally would be the head coach’s domain.
But how bad has it really gotten?
Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star first points out that last night’s loss and subsequent presser could have been Pagano’s silent protest over the way the team has been operation from the front office over the past few years. Additionally, Holder points out that a loss this upcoming Sunday could bring things to a whole new level of bad for the Colts, given their expectations for 2015.
Pagano has quietly protested some things internally during the last few years. That's closest he's come to doing it publicly IMO.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 22, 2015
This thing, to me, is on the verge of getting really ugly. If they don't get a win on Sunday, Pagano's head might explode.
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) September 22, 2015
And if you want to stretch things out further with this rift between Pagano and Grigson there has been talk that Pagano could be on his way out even before week one against the Bills if Pagano didn’t win the Super Bowl which some believe still might not save Pagano in Indianapolis.
Both Pagano and Grigson are in the final year’s of their contracts with the Colts so it wouldn’t seem as though both will be lame duck in 2015. However owner Jim Irsay has reportedly been ‘lowballing’ Pagano on extension offers which may be his subtle way to say thanks but no thanks in 2016.
Either way the only thing the Colts should be concerned about right now is this 0-2 start and getting things turned around and quickly.
Since 2009, only two of the 45 teams that started the season 0-2 went on to make the playoffs. One of those teams was the Indianapolis Colts last season. However those two losses to start the season in 2014 were against the Broncos and Eagles both of whom went to the playoffs. This year, the Colts have dropped their first two against the Bills and Jets who both underwent head coaching changes in the offseason.
Nothing is over yet for the Colts in a very winnable AFC South. However after week five the Colts are set to go up against Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Peyton Manning, Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger over the course of seven games. And if the Colts play anything like they’ve played the first two weeks of the season against that gauntlet of quarterbacks, by the time Week 14 rolls around they could certainly find themselves well below .500 and in the midst of another rebuild.