What Should Colts GM Chris Ballard Address First In Draft?
As the eyes look forward to ascertain what Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard must do in the offseason to bolster his team, it’s fair to say certain needs are obvious.
The Colts need more wide receivers. Injuries sucked the life out of what was supposed to be a position of strength this season. And once again, T.Y. Hilton got hurt, which reminds the team can’t just rely on the four-time Pro Bowl star each year.
The Colts need a solid cover cornerback. They drafted Rock Ya-Sin last year and he has potential, but Pierre Desir isn’t the long-term answer on the other side. He’s been playing hurt, but hasn’t proved himself worthy of the offseason deal he received. Nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II showed why he got paid in the offseason.
The Colts could also use another offensive tackle, even if they give left tackle Anthony Castonzo an extension. Castonzo has been an uncelebrated mainstay since being selected in the first round in 2011, a decent player who has never been named to the Pro Bowl, so even if Ballard brings him back with a short-term deal, using a draft pick on a tackle would make sense.
But the most important position to address is every NFL team’s most important position, quarterback. The fear is that the Colts are confident Jacoby Brissett will develop and be more consistent after having issues this season, be it seeing open receivers or holding onto the ball too long. Head coach Frank Reich has continually praised Brissett, so much so that it’s as if the Colts keep selling Brissett as the answer, but he’s not.
Brissett is 24th in passing yards and 19th in passer rating. And the Colts’ latest loss 38-35 at Tampa Bay on Sunday was another example of why he’s a good backup, but not a great starter. His biggest pass plays were nothing more than jump balls that Marcus Johnson went up and grabbed. A touchdown throw to Johnson was underthrown, but Johnson was able to read the throw and make the grab with better position than the defender.
Down a field goal in the final minutes, the Colts drove to midfield. Facing a key third down, tight end Jack Doyle was running a slant over the middle and had a step, but Brissett’s throw was too far behind. On fourth down, Brissett’s throw was batted back to him, which he caught, then attempted to throw again. Every quarterback who has ever played should know you can’t attempt two passes on one play.
The Colts turned over the ball on downs and didn’t get it back. It’s not asking too much for a quarterback to lead the team on a drive to a tying field goal with plenty of time on the clock. Brissett couldn’t do it. And it’s not the first time he’s failed to deliver.
Two weeks ago at home against Tennessee, the Colts fell behind 24-17 when Adam Vinatieri’s field goal try was blocked and returned 63 yards for a touchdown. There was still more than 5 minutes left to get a tying score. But Brissett forced an overthrow into triple coverage — the kind of throw you just can’t make with a game on the line — and was intercepted. The Titans prevailed 31-17.
It’s fair to say the Colts quarterback job became significantly harder with so many pass catchers subtracted by injuries. But great quarterbacks raise the level of everyone around them And the fact is, these Colts have encountered one-score games a dozen times. They would be better than 6-7 if able to finish. Injuries can’t always be the excuse when you’re one play away from winning.
Some of that is on an inconsistent defense, which failed to protect a 14-point lead at Tampa Bay. But it’s also on an offense that relied on a solid rushing game which ranks sixth at 133.4 yards per game.
Thing is, defenses eventually get around to stacking that defensive box to limit those runs, which means Brissett has to make the throws to loosen things up. His struggles couldn’t be more obvious. There’s no way to explain just 129 passing yards in a critical 20-17 loss at Houston on Nov. 21.
The Colts are just 17th in points scored at 17.8 per game. So despite having one of the league’s best ground games, they haven’t scored enough. We know from experience, having been spoiled by Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, that offensive scoring starts with the most important position. And 17.8 doesn’t get it done.
The fear is that Ballard will deem other needs more important and address those instead of quarterback. But the Colts have an additional second-round pick acquired from Washington last year, which means it will be just outside of the first round.
Ballard loves his picks and likes to acquire more to add as much draft talent as possible. So it would go against what he prefers to package picks to move up in the draft to select a new franchise quarterback.
But that’s what he should do.
We know from seeing the struggles of so many NFL teams that finding the right franchise quarterback isn’t easy. It might be the toughest task in terms of talent evaluation.
That’s why the Colts should take a shot at it in the draft, even if they intend to stick with Brissett for another year.
Make no mistake, though, about Brissett. He will only take this team so far, and that’s probably not better than mediocrity.
