Stampede Blue: for Indianapolis Colts fans

The Indianapolis Colts OT loss to the Houston Texans in Week 4 will not soon be forgotten. The final play that the Colts ran offensively, though, certainly does not sum up this game nor should it. Andrew Luck put up a massive stat line (40-62, 464 yards, 4 TDs) that should quiet those saying that his arm can't do this or can't do that due to some lack of arm strength. The Colts defense had themselves a game, too, despite the fact that the Texans finished with as many points as they did. They held the Texans' running backs, forced a turnover and held up in the red zone on some possessions just as they had through the first three games. The Colts offense did gift the Texans 14 points after all. With all of that clearly in the rearview mirror, Frank Reich's 4th-and-4 call to go for it, in his own territory has no shortage of opinions coming out. Of course I've got mine as well, but it goes less towards "should he have gone for it on 4th down in a tie game," and more in the direction of what was happening in the past few minutes of the game. Many will say that you put the ball in your franchise quarterback's hands when it counts, and that's a totally justified opinion. But, what about when the momentum isn't in his favor? If there's anything that really needs to be addressed in all of this, it's those saying "the Colts aren't going anywhere this year anyhow" IN WEEK 4. Last I checked, a tie is not a loss, and if the wins are the same come playoff time, that tie could come in handy. There are 10 teams in the AFC with a 2-2, or 1-3 record right now. Why couldn't the Colts earn a Wild Card berth this year? And do fans honestly think that nothing is worth it if the team isn't deemed "Super Bowl contenders" right now? That seems a little more than ridiculous to me.

As always, we find that there are a handful of moves -- both up and down -- for several of the Indianapolis Colts in regards to their respective Pro Football Focus grades. I think you could somewhat guess that the offense and the defense were not equally as impressive to the grading scale. The Colts offense had one of their least impressive outputs in quite awhile with Andrew Luck under center. Nevertheless, some players definitely did impress, some absolutely did not, and some others appear to be stuck in a weird spot with the metric site. Defensively, however, it's quite fun to see what others are thinking about the Colts upstart unit. Naturally, Darius Leonard has been catching everyone's eye, but there is another linebacker who hasn't been playing too shabby himself. The Colts secondary has some interesting results as well, and we see that the Colts are indeed getting some credit at all three levels of their defense. In our look at their individual grades, and where they currently stand, I also will give you the evolution of their grade by showing the movement from week to week in, both, there rank among others at their positions as well as the movement of their grades. Don't look now, but the Colts are producing some very fun players to watch.

It's undeniable that this Indianapolis Colts roster is bringing about some surprises already in this young 2018 season. Nobody expected Darius Leonard to be playing at this level, even if they liked him coming into the season, but he's not the only one to be turning some heads. Luke Schultheis joined me today to discuss a little bit of everything, including our most surprising Colts on both sides of the ball thus far, our most underrated starters and rotational players and more organic conversation about the state of the team as well. One of the most interesting positions for the Colts has been the tight end room. The position was considered a major strength coming into the season, but the look of the group has taken on a new form in a very short time. Ross Travis was placed on IR, Darrell Daniels was traded to Seattle, and now the Colts have their most prized tight end, Jack Doyle, out and hasn't practiced yet this week. Luke and Matt briefly discuss the situation surrounding Andrew Luck, the team's secondary, how Matt Eberflus has used all of his assets on the defense and molded them into a formidable group and much more. This season is going to be a wild ride without question.

The Indianapolis Colts Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was a heart-breaker. Maybe the most difficult thing to swallow was the amount of time the Colts' offense was off the field -- and the defense on it -- throughout that possession. This drive's duration featured some bad plays by a few individuals on the defense, but mostly the defense brought their high-energy, fast approach and did a very good job in keeping Carson Wentz guessing. The Colts weren't helped by some awful calls from the officials, and thus we see the creation of a long, sustained drive that ends up with the Eagles getting into the end zone and creating the final scoring gap of 20-16. Today Matt will take you through each of these plays to dissect the Colts defense and describe what he saw after re-watching and gaining some perspective out of the mess that it was. Additionally, Matt brings on David Strauss from Mybookie to go over five of the most interesting matchups for Week 4 in the NFL, as well as the Colts-Texans matchup, and Matt will take a bettors approach to guessing the lines for those games. David will offer the insight that goes in to creating the lines, and why Matt isn't smart enough to run a gambling site.

The Indianapolis Colts found themselves in a familiar position Sunday in Philadelphia. They, despite having an awful day offensively, were in a position to control their own destiny. Unfortunately, and as you already know, the Colts failed to take advantage of that, and several other opportunities throughout the game. Between Andrew Luck and Frank Reich something has got to change with how this offense is performing. Luck threw the ball 40 times Sunday and until late in the final possession, was at a rate of less than 3 yards per attempt. That should be unacceptable by anyone's standards and certainly by Luck and Reich's. The running game is almost non-existent, the receivers aren't getting open regularly enough -- especially not early in their routes -- and they are missing opportunities in the red zone. The Colts missed a couple opportunities for touchdowns with drops, and bad throws, but the lack of aggression that Reich promised this fanbase has been noticeably missing. Yes, Reich will go-for-it more on fourth down than the previous Colts' regime, but where's the willingness to attack the opposing defense? Now, it's not all doom and gloom. In fact, I don't think it's doom and gloom at all. We know what this offense behind Luck is capable of. But, the offense has been a true strength for this team, otherwise they'd be getting run out of the stadium every week so far. Darius Leonard is on pace to become an All-Pro linebacker in his rookie year, Margus Hunt is making everyone a witness right now, and the rest of the Colts defense is making enough plays to hold offenses out of the end zone with regularity. The Colts need more sustained drives, a more aggressive, creative approach in order to take advantage of the litany of possible WINS left on their schedule. This loss was a true heart-breaker. But, the Colts dug their own grave when they had the ball, and should truly be 3-0 right now.

As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for their Week 3 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles the personnel availability for both teams is not pretty. Each squad faces a loss of multiple heavy contributors, which ironically also will feature the return of Carson Wentz for his 2018 debut. The Colts won't have Jack Doyle, Anthony Castonzo or Marlon Mack against a very stout Philly front seven, but the Eagles' backfield is coming in with a depleted backfield and receiver corps which may be a lot for Wentz to deal with in his first game back. Today we welcome Kevin Hickey (Colts Wire) to dive into what the Colts have left for them to throw at the Eagles on both sides of the ball, and Michael Kist (Bleeding Green Nation) joins in the second half of the show to take a look at the other side of the equation. The Colts certainly have their hands full this Sunday, and will likely see tight end Erik Swoope elevated to the active roster in place of Doyle, and we should expect Margus Hunt to pull double duty with, both, Denico Autry and Hassan Ridgeway already confirmed to be OUT in this one. Can the Colts defense find success by going after the Eagles' offensive strengths? Will Jim Schwartz be able to out scheme Frank Reich considering their familiarity with each other's respective tendencies? We look at all of these situations and much more in our Week 3 primer to get you all set for this weekend's game.

The Indianapolis Colts have been a roster that has shown that the youth and speed brought in throughout the offseason has become a huge benefit for the long-term success of the team. Something that cannot be overstated, though, is Frank Reich's scheme and playcalling. Last week the Colts floundered against the Bengals in the second half as they held a sizable lead, but in Week 2 the Colts held on to their lead and dominated on both sides of the ball for large portions of the matchup. Today, we'll look at how the Colts have progressed -- according to Pro Football Focus -- form Week 1 to Week 2, and I'll discuss my thoughts on their respective movement. While we can't really nail down whether we should be in a agreement with the actual grade itself, we can come up with a vague agreement/disagreement with where they sit in regards to the rest of the league at their positions. We already know, and have spoken much about, Darius Leonard rising to the occasion against the Redskins, but there are more Colts who are being given some credit for being in the top tier of their positions that most may not have guessed. In short, we look at the grade from Week 1 and how each player's grade has risen or fallen, and determine whether or not I agree in one way or another.

After a disappointing loss in Week 1 after the Colts held a 13-point lead, the team bounced back in a major way yesterday against the Redskins. The defense was swarming all day, the offense was methodical for large stretches of the day and the coaching was excellent as well. Today we look back on Darius Leonard's fantastic performance and what that means for the Colts' defense going forward, the offensive line and how, with subs getting significant snaps at tackle, they continue to protect Andrew Luck enough to allow him to be successful at all depths of the field and what Frank Reich did before the game that may have been as important as anything he did all day. The Colts held the Skins to 65 rushing yards, zero touchdowns and disrupted their backfield all day with 11.5 tackles for loss. Additionally, the Colts are putting Reich's system to good use as Luck is spreading the ball around and Jordan Wilkins is showing his vision in the running game which allows for the dink-and-dunk attack to stay unpredictable. This wasn't just a win for the Colts, it was a peek into what their potential could lead to this season. They've worked over two very good defensive rosters, are still showing that they have some big-play ability as well as the patience to move down the field slow and steadily, convert on third downs at an amazing rate and get points on the board. The Colts may not have the overall, top-end talent that most of the true contenders have right now, but they do have a group of guys who are playing extremely well together and are going to make life tough on whoever they play. This is such a fun group to watch, and regardless of their final record this year, Colts fans legitimately have something to be excited about right now, and definitely into the future.

The Indianapolis Colts weren't in top form Sunday in their loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. You have to like what you saw from Andrew Luck, and depending on your viewpoint of where the Colts' defense is heading, there were some good signs of growth there as well. Who graded well, and who didn't? Which grades do I relatively agree with and which aren't up to snuff? Today I take you into the Colts top PFF grades at each position to see how they were seen from another point of view. Going through these should, as always, be taken with a grain of salt, but at least we believe that the grades are given by someone who actually watched the game. I'll admit, there were some surprises. I think there were a couple Colts who were given too much credit, and evening out the conversation, I felt a couple players weren't appreciated enough. Such is life. The Colts will face off against the Washington Redskins in Week 2, and they had some nice performances in Week 1 as well. For the team's sake, let's hope that more than a few of the Colts put together better showings on the road in order to get their first win of the 2018 season.

Today we begin to look at the Indianapolis Colts Week 2 opponents, the Washington Redskins. The Colts were first half warriors last week, but the Redskins put nearly all of their points up in the second quarter. What does this mean, if anything? Maybe nothing, but we do know that the Colts are going to have to be much better late in the game if they're going to stand a chance in Washington. The Colts will be dealing with an extremely efficient quarterback in Alex Smith, a resurgent Adrian Peterson, a do-it-all running back in Chris Thompson, tight ends Jordan Reed and receivers Jamison Crowder, Paul Richardson and Josh Doctson. How will the Colts' defense deal with, and limit this offensive attack? On the other side of the ball Andrew Luck will be seeing another impressive defense across the line of scrimmage from him. Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Ryan Kerrigan, Ryan Anderson, Preson Smith, Zach Brown, Quinton Dunbar and Josh Norman will be working within Greg Manusky's scheme to tear up the Colts' protective shield up front, and disrupt Luck and the timing based offense that Frank Reich is scheming up for them. Can Luck and this minimal bunch of playmakers find success on the road? Anthony Castonzo should be back, and hopefully Marlon Mack, but we have to believe that the receiver corps will really have their hands full. I ramble on all of this on today's Colts Cast, and a reminder to be on the lookout for some exciting news on the podcast front. You're going to love it.

The Indianapolis Colts came into their Week 1 battle against the Cincinnati Bengals on a mission. Andrew Luck was back under center, the defense is young and was excited to show off their speed and on top of all that, a new play-caller in head coach Frank Reich as well. 34-23 looks bad, but this game was so much closer than the final score suggests. The Colts built themselves a halftime lead, and put up some cushion on their second drive of the second half to lead 23-10 halfway through the third quarter. But, it was the Bengals who put up 24 straight points to steal a game in Indy where they've never played well. We saw some very good things out of the offense; a patchwork offensive line did pretty well for themselves, they were excellent on third downs and we saw how quickly Andrew Luck could strike once he gets into a rhythm. Defensively, all Colts fans should be excited about what they saw out of the group despite the rushing yards, and a few hiccups throughout their performance. This group created pressure, turned the ball over and made the Bengals earn every play. The bend-but-don't-break approach is going to yield some big games in terms of yards, but this defense is going to be fun this year and look like a unit that is going to turn some games in the Colts' favor. We talk about all of this and analyze some individual performances from the Colts Week 1 loss. This is about as close to a moral victory as it gets. Now that Reich has popped his cherry, the honeymoon is over. The Colts now have some expectations to live up to.

The Indianapolis Colts have a lot to look forward to with their youthful roster. But, will that be a delayed in the Colts' home opener against the powerful defense of the Cincinnati Bengals? Joe Goodberry (from the Athletic Cincinnati) joins Matt Danely to discuss every facet of the team's 2018 season debut. The Bengals offense will be one where we largely know what we're getting. A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, Joe Mixon and more will be squaring off against an inexperienced Colts defense in which the Colts find themselves in a situation where their season will largely weigh on forcing turnovers and outplaying their expectations. Several rookies and second-year players will be taking on this task against a quick-passing offense in which creating pressure on the passer may be slim pickings. The Colts offense will have a rough matchup out of the gate as well. Can the Colts backfield become a legitimate force as a unit, or will they struggle to complement the offense, making them one-dimensional? Additionally, can the receivers get through initial contact and get open quickly to get the offense in a rhythm, or will the heavy pass rush the Bengals' front four can provide overwhelm the duration of the offensive line's ability to protect Andrew Luck? Many questions for this Colts roster right now, and we won't really have a great idea on how consistent they can be until we see the product 'officially' on the field. Joe brings great conversation on the matchup, and tells us what we need to know about the Colts' opponent this week.

Saturday the Indianapolis Colts set their initial 53-man roster. For the most part, they put together a group that most of us saw coming. There were some surprises, and those moves set the Colts fan base down a strange path. Fans and analysts alike didn't agree with them, but Chris Ballard certainly has his process that he believes in and is sticking to it. Two of those moves were the release of John Simon, and Ryan Delaire being waived after making the initial roster. One that is also of a bit strange for some is the trade that sent Darrell Daniels to the Seattle Seahawks in return for receiver Marcus Johnson. I look at all of these and try to make sense of it all. We discuss the current 53-man group as a whole, looking at the initial roster and what the subsequent moves that have changed it since. The Colts' lack of movement on the waiver wire, and how the roster is currently structured lends one to believe that more changes will be coming soon. The Colts have also began setting up their practice squad. At the moment there are 5 players on it, but there are still two names out there who have been linked to the Colts practice squad, and we have a pretty good idea of two more that may be added which would bring the group to 9. Where the Colts add that tenth player is still yet to be decided. It's been a busy 48 hours for the Colts and their fans. There are more moves yet to come with the team being less than a full week from their first regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Indianapolis Colts, like every other NFL team, will be getting that chance to see a ton of their depth players tonight in the fourth preseason game of the year against the Cincinnati Bengals.  Today we'll take a look at each of the positions, and which players there will need to put on a show in order to make their case for the initial 53-man roster. The offensive line needs to show up, playmakers need to be formed in the back-7 of the Colts' defense, and some of the depth along the defensive line needs to prove they can get to the passer as well. The running back situation is so fluid right now, that this group must put on a good performance. With Marlon Mack likely out for at least Week 1 and Robert Turbin sidelined with his suspension even the immediate backups have to show their worth tonight.  Waiver claims still present a challenge for the backend of this roster, though. There is so much on the line for the depth players as the preseason comes to a close.

With 53-man roster cuts looming throughout the league, we know that the Colts can be expected to be active as waivers start going through. There are plenty of positions in which the Colts could use an influx of more talent in order to improve their roster. Today we take a quick look at a handful of players who may be cut at the end of the week, at positions the Colts might need to take a look at. Naturally, we can't possibly know who all will be available around the league, but there are certainly some names we continue to hear who are firmly on the roster bubble. A couple receivers, corners, defensive ends and more that may not be massive upgrades, but the fact remains that the talent level will be increased with their presence. Also, I talk to Davis Strauss (mybookie) about some of the betting odds on the Colts 2018 season. The over/under on Adam Vinatieri breaking the all-time scoring record, Andrew Luck being the comeback player of the year, the Colts chances of winning the AFC South, and who the team offers as rookie of the year candidates on each side of the ball.  We break it all down for you on today's Colts Cast