Ups and Downs from Colts Training Camp
by JAMoney14 | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Indianapolis Colts - Ups and Downs
From training camp 2020-2021 - August 23rd, 2020
By Steven Holder
For all intents and purposes, the season is under way in the Red Zone. Scrimmages are being played, moves are being made, and fights are breaking out. The only difference between right now and one month from now is that the scores will be officially placed in the Season 62 record books.
For Ricky Chapstick, this fact has hit him and his new Indianapolis Colts without mercy. A team and coach combination that was thought to be a favorite for the title in Season 62, things have certainly not looked as crisp as many in blue would have hoped. This is not a new experience for Coach Chapstick, however.
Chapstick took over the New England Patriots many years ago and found a similar struggle coming off of a successful run in the NFC with Detroit. This time, after blowing away many pundits as the head coach of the Washington Football Team, training camp has not exactly proven to be the success Coach Chapstick had hoped. Today, we're going to quickly take a look at the short-but-underwhelming camp that the Colts have held, including their scrimmages and input from the man himself.
Philip Rivers - QB
One of the major stories coming into Season 62 with this particular coach was how he would handle his veteran quarterback situation. While Philip Rivers is undoubtedly a future hall-of-famer, his best days are behind him from an athletic standpoint. This means that he's going to have to be more selective in his throws and be very familiar with a brand-new style of play. Rivers final 4 seasons in Los Angeles/San Diego saw him become a gun slinger, and in some cases, one of the best in the entire league.
"We know Phil [Rivers] has experience playing with great talent behind him. This is a man who threatened this very team a decade ago with LT and Michael Turner. He gets it. It may take a few games to revert him back to that style, but we'll get there. He's a brilliant dude." - Offensive Coordinator Warren Coker
A few games may be an understatement, as Rivers has not been able to adjust to an ideal point, throwing at least 1 interception in each game he's played. There's nothing that has shown he doesn't still have it from an arm standpoint, but it takes more than that to run an offense. Rivers has struggled making the reads that will be necessary to have success in Season 62. We're all hopeful he can turn it around, but after a very inspired performance by Jacob Eason against a talented Ravens defense, some fans may get restless if Rivers starts slow. Because of the uncertainty, we have to give it a down.
Marlon Mack - HB
Jonathon Taylor's acquisition in the offseason made the Colts and instantly intriguing option for Ricky Chapstick, who has proven he can turn young, talented running backs into multi-year all-pros in the Red Zone. Taylor looks to be no different, but he's still young. A question mark coming in was Marlon Mack, a proven commodity at the position. Many expected Taylor to get most of the looks coming into Season 62, but Mack has flourished in this offense.
"Marlon is one of the quickest running backs I've ever coached. I sometimes find myself applauding when I'm watching these scrimmage films. His potential is scary." -Ricky Chapstick
Marlon Mack has logged two 100-yard rushing games during the scrimmage games, including one highlight reel worthy performance against the New York Jets. Taylor may be the focal point in the future, but at least for now, Marlon Mack is proven that he's not simple trade bait. He's going to be a major factor on this Colts team in Season 62. He's absolutely getting an up.
The Offensive Line
Nobody questions the talent in the trenches here in Indianapolis... That is except maybe the line themselves. One of the most frightening threats to the Colts success in Season 62 has to lie with the offensive line. Though they were thought to be the most dominant part of the Colts offense, it hasn't quite worked out the way everyone expected. Teams with intimidating forces on the edge, such as Philadelphia, Tennessee, and Baltimore, have absolutely exposed the holes in this line. While Marlon Mack has proven to be more effective than expected, the line has proven to be much less dominant against above average talent.
"OUR BOY HAROLD LANDRY IS GONNA EAT TWICE A YEAR, TITAN UP!" - Titans Superfan Leonard Mudpuck
For Coach Chapstick, who relies on a strong run game and clock control, this is not good news so far. There's still time to improve and pay more attention to the other teams strengths when playcalling, but so far? Based on the expectations this team had in this area, we have to give this one a down. A big one.
Zach Pascal - WR
Did anyone expect to hear this name come up early and often the way it has? T.Y. Hilton is still clearly the #1 on this team and he's looked like T.Y. Hilton. We'll reserve judgement on Hilton's play this early due to the struggles of Rivers and the offensive line, but that's all the more reason to appreciate WR2 Zach Pascal. Pascal has been utilized as a slot burner for most of camp and has really shown he can be a crisp route runner against most CB3s in the Red Zone.
"Pascal's quickness and ability to hang on to the football are ideal for that slot position. He has not had many dropped passes at all. It's been very impressive." - Coach Chapstick
All eyes were on Michael Pittman Jr., who hasn't managed to get too many snaps with the first team, but Pascal's reliability on third downs make him an important piece of an efficient offense. He's not going to burn anyone for 99 yards like Tyreek Hill or make guys miss in the open field, but that's not what this team needs him to do. He's getting a huge up so far and we can only hope he continues to stay the course as the rest of the offense catches up.
Malik Hooker - FS
The defensive side of the football had the most question marks coming in. With a less-than-intimidating linebacking corps., there's work to be done from a management standpoint. The position that Coach Chapstick raved about during an online interview several weeks ago was the safety position. He raved about the physical gifts of rookie Julian Blackmon and 3rd year man Malik Hooker. While the phsyical gifts may still be present, Hooker has not used them in the most effective ways thus far.
"Malik is not in regular-season form. That's just the way it is. He knows he has to do better and so do we." - Defensive Coordinator Tyler Farley
The Colts have exhibited more of a bend-but-don't-break defense so far in camp, trying to focus on the pure talent of Buckner and Justin Houston to provide pressure. While the latter part of that hasn't been an overall failure, the inability for the defensive backs to find stops means that this defense has been more along the lines of bend-and-eventually-break. Malik Hooker's lack of playmaking and tendency to go completely invisible on defense is a big part of that. That's why he's getting a down.
Anthony Walker Jr. & Bobby Okereke - LB
I wrote earlier about the inexperience and inadequate linebackers on this team, or at least how they were perceived when this team was selected 10th overall by Ricky Chapstick in the team draft several months ago. Darius Leonard has, as expected, been a force to be reckoned with as a run defender. There were two questions Colts fans had about his cohorts coming into training camp.
1. What kind of defense is this team going to run?
2. How will Darius Leonard's supporting cast fare in that defense?
It appears we got the answer to both of those questions so far. The Colts have utilized several defensive looks, but have come out in the 4-3 set approximately 32% of plays during scrimmages. Chapstick has always utilized multiple defenses, but given this teams starting roster, it appears we're going to see a 4-3 and base nickel set dominate the defensive playcall sheet. That leaves 2nd year man Anthony Walker Jr and 3rd year backer Bobby Okereke to fill in the caps with Leonard, and fill in they have.
"Bobby Okereke... Hehe, such a fun name to say!" - Coach Chapstick, not knowing he was being recorded
Okereke and Walker have both been a happy surprise both in the run game and in pass defense, supporting Rhodes and Kenny Moore. While the defense as a whole has not been consistent, Coach Chapstick has been able to utilize his linebackers in a way that many didn't think was possible. At such a young age as well, it's a huge relief that I'm able to give these two a well-deserved up and certainly, we all hope the Colts can continue to develop them into a defense worthy of a championship.
That's going to do it for this round of Ups and Downs. Join us next time as the Eagles come marching in for a more-official rematch in the first week of Season 62s preseason. The cycle is upon us and FOOTBALL IS BACK!
GO COLTS GO!