Indianapolis Colts Make Adam Schein’s List of Most Complete NFL Teams
That the Indianapolis Colts get mentioned as one of the NFL’s most complete teams, one year after going 7-9, is a compliment to how general manager Chris Ballard has reshaped the roster.
NFL.com contributing columnist Adam Schein had the usual suspects near the top of his recent list of most complete NFL teams: the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and New Orleans Saints were to be expected.
That Tom Brady relocated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers makes coach Bruce Arians’ team worthy of inclusion as well. The Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Cleveland Browns could be debated.
Then Schein concludes his list with the Colts at No. 9. Surprised?
Here’s what Schein had to say:
“Yes, over their AFC South foes in Tennessee. I love this team. Indy has the best offensive lineman in football in Quenton Nelson -- and there's a solid argument for the O-line as a whole being the NFL's best. RB Jonathan Taylor and WR Michael Pittman Jr. were draft steals. Neither was selected in the first round, but both made Lance Zierlein's list of the top 10 Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates. Philip Rivers is coming off of a down year, but the future Hall of Famer is an upgrade for the Colts at quarterback.
“The defense wasn't bad last season, but the unit should take a step forward after the trade for DeForest Buckner. He's a game-wrecking force up front, the kind of menacing defender who'll make life easier for Indy's supreme linebacking corps. Darius Leonard is one of the best defensive players in football, while Bobby Okereke showed plenty as a rookie and Anthony Walker was stout as always.”
The Colts have missed the playoffs in four of five seasons, but Schein’s list is another testament to the growing optimism about this franchise. He mentions almost all of the key moves which should make this team better.
He didn’t include the Colts signing former All-Pro cornerback Xavier Rhodes to shore up the secondary, but that’s understandable because Rhodes has lacked consistency for two seasons and is more of a gamble than the other additions.
But, yes, the Tennessee Titans have reason to consider themselves snubbed on this list after reaching the AFC Championship Game last postseason.
(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.)
