Colts' Preseason Power Rankings, Who's on the Hot Seat?
The Indianapolis Colts are 1-1 in the preseason after losing to the Buffalo Bills and beating the Chicago Bears.
Preseason records are about as indicative of regular season performance as preseason power rankings, but it's interesting to see what national media is saying about the Colts heading into the season.
ESPN thinks the Colts are in for another long year. They've placed Indianapolis 29th in their preseason power rankings, standing pat from their post-draft power rankings in May.
Their theme for this edition is the hot seat. Who is on the hot seat for the Indianapolis Colts for 2023. Rather than say the entire offensive line, beat writer Stephen Holder suggests if first-year offensive line coach Tony Sparano Jr. doesn't get results, he might not get a second year.
This is Sparano's first season, so his inclusion here isn't necessarily about his continued employment. Instead, it's a recognition that the Colts are asking a lot of him. They want him to resurrect the team's offensive line, and to do so without major personnel changes. The Colts once counted on their line as a strength of the team and still have tens of millions of dollars invested in its key players. But there has been continued slippage during the past two seasons and the Colts are worse off for it. Fixing it falls mostly on Sparano. -- Stephen Holder, ESPN
Sparano was an assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants last season. The Giants had the fourth-best rushing attack in the NFL in 2022.
The Colts had the most expensive offensive line in the NFL last year, and they woefully underperformed. This year the Colts are ranked No. 7 in offensive line spending, but they still have more than $50 million invested according to Spotrac.
The early returns are hit and miss as the Colts' offensive line struggled in their win against Chicago.
The return of running back Jonathan Taylor could and should provide a spark for the line and the entire offense.
First-year head coach Shane Steichen and No. 4 overall draft pick Anthony Richardson are the face of the Colts' rebuild in 2023, but they'll only go as far as the offensive line takes them.
If the team struggles in 2023, Steichen and Richardson will be back in 2024, so placing Sparano and the offensive line on notice is a good call from Holder and ESPN.
