Center Ryan Kelly Shares Thoughts on Run Game, Colts Drafting Jonathan Taylor
INDIANAPOLIS — As the anchor to an Indianapolis Colts offensive line that was the cornerstone for the NFL’s seventh-ranked rushing attack in 2019, Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly embraced the team’s “Run The Damn Ball” mantra.
The fifth-year pro liked the Colts’ second-round draft selection of running back Jonathan Taylor, another indication of the team’s commitment to run.
Looking back at a 7-9 season that fell apart with seven losses in nine games, Kelly spoke candidly in a May Zoom video conference call about what went wrong, how the Colts could have run the ball more effectively, and offered simple advice to Taylor and other newcomers joining the team.
“I think we saw in the Kansas City game – that really set the bar for us,” Kelly said of the Colts rushing for 180 yards in a 19-13 road win over the Chiefs in Week 5. “Even Week 1, when we ran the ball for over 200 yards – how good we can be. Then you see the clips on there where we left some yards on the field. That 200-yard game, we could have had 250 or 275, and I think it just gives you a lot more energy to what the future holds.”
The Colts drafted Taylor, a Wisconsin workhorse with 6,174 rushing yards in three college seasons, to join leading rusher Marlon Mack in what has been called a “one-one” punch. Mack led the Colts with 1,091 rushing yards.
“Obviously, excited about the running back,” Kelly said of Taylor. “Just like every other class, they’re always going to draft six or seven guys, they’re going to bring a bunch of free agents in. I think the message to those guys is, ‘Look, as a rookie you have to put your head down. That’s what everybody does. Put your head down, you work, you grind and let the cards fall where they may by using every chance to run the ball.’”
The Colts O-line is praised for being the only group to not miss a start in 2019, but Kelly reiterates the rushing commitment requires everyone's effort.
“We do such a good job as a team of making sure that everybody is involved in the run game,” he said. “It’s not just the running back that we drafted, if he plays or not. It’s not just about the five offensive linemen to start all 16 games. It’s the receivers – the stuff you don’t see, those guys digging out corners and making those long Marlon runs go.
“Those are ultimately the final points that I think (in) the bigger picture is how well our coaching staff brings everybody involved. The run game doesn’t just involve the offensive line. It truly is 11 guys out there to make it work. You obviously see the fruits of our labor later in the season when you’re wearing a team down like that and they just don’t want any part of it.”
Kelly, coming off his first Pro Bowl and entering a contract year, asserts his opinion as a team leader on the Colts needing to learn from mistakes.
“I felt like sometimes we were playing to not lose and that’s easy to say as you look back at the season because the NFL season is hard, man,” he said. “It’s a grind for every single person – coaches, players, families. It’s all really tough.
“That’s kind of been (head coach) Frank’s (Reich) message the past couple weeks, it’s how you look at the game. It wasn’t that we weren’t giving an incredible effort or that we didn’t play with technique or we weren’t finishing. It’s just in certain situations, I felt like we were just playing to not lose as (opposed) to playing to win.”
Kelly couldn’t put his finger on why that was. He just knows it needs to be fixed, moving forward.
“I don’t know what brings that or what breeds that, but I think that we have a special locker room,” he said. “I think we have some really special guys in there. I think the seeds that we planted last year, especially on the offensive side and as a whole team – just the character that we have, will really propel us into this season. Every year is different. We had a tough season (last) year and (we’re) just going to take it day by one and just play as hard as we can.”
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
