| Advertisement |
INDIANAPOLIS -- When asked what the Indianapolis Colts have to do in order to improve from last season's 8-8 record, general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano didn't mince many words. The cure for the Colts' ills have been pretty evident for quite some time -- protect quarterback Andrew Luck on a more consistent basis while also figuring out a way to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Advertisement
Pagano, particularly, was pretty straight forward with his assessment of Indianapolis' most pressing problems.
"Obviously, we need to protect our quarterback better. There are a lot of different ways to do that. Every team in this league knows no matter if you have a line full of (first-team players), your quarterback is going to get hit," he explained.
"But you have to find ways, whether it be through better talent, smarter players, schemes, there's a lot of different ways to protect your quarterback. Obviously, drafting is a very key component to building an offensive line."
The Colts' offensive line issues, which have been a major issue for the past couple of seasons, was highlighted even more last year when Luck, along with backup quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Charlie Whitehurst, were all sidelined for extended periods of time due to injuries.
If Indianapolis' offensive line problem can be worked out well enough, Pagano doesn't see any issues with Rob Chudzinski's offense being fully installed.
The Colts ran former offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's scheme last year, even after Chudzinski took over the coordinator's role on an interim basis at the midpoint of the season.
The former Cleveland head coach tweaked a few things, trying to add a few of his favorite plays to Hamilton's system.
"Everybody got to see a glimpse of where the offense is going (this coming season) in (last year's) Denver game," Pagano said. "That was a snapshot for everybody of what we anticipate this offense looking like."
Grigson added, however, that the offensive line is just one of the things that he wants to improve before the start of the 2016 season. Getting better overall on defense will be crucial as well.
"The bulk of our winning (in Indianapolis) has been because we have a great quarterback," Grigson said. "But I also have a defensive coach. And he wants to build a defense."
That improvement starts with the pass rush.
"I think the old adage (is) if you have 12 pass rushers, you've got to get 13. But it's easier said than done. The draft this year, there are some players. (But) personally, in my opinion, (it's not) as thick as you'd like. But those guys come at a premium," Grigson said.
"They go really high in the draft. Those pure edge rushers are the ones that command the big dollars. I think everyone knows how important a pass rush is. And we've got to be able to build that and do it through the draft for the most part."
As a defensive coach, Pagano understands the need to get better at sacking the quarterback.
"If you look at the teams that made it to the conference championships, pass rush stood out to me. You can never have enough pass rushers. You can never have enough corners. Getting after the quarterback, both (Denver and Carolina) were able to do it with four guys," the Colts coach stressed.
"(But) Von Millers just ain't falling out of the sky. He went No. 2 (in the 2011 draft). We're not picking No. 2. I don't think we have the resources to get a guy like that. We have to find a way to develop young guys like that on that side of the ball."
--Luck is completely healed after suffering a lacerated kidney in a 27-24 home-field win over Denver on Nov. 8. Luck has been fully cleared to resume a normal offseason conditioning program and is expected to fully take part in all team activities.
As for Luck's contract situation, Grigson acknowledged the importance of getting a deal worked out.
"Both sides are motivated. We obviously want Andrew here. I really don't anticipate any issues with that. I can't talk about any numbers or anything like that," he explained. "We haven't started any of those discussions. But that will probably happen soon."
--Cornerback Vontae Davis recently had foot surgery in order to "clean things out," according to Pagano. He added that the medical procedure wasn't expected to keep Davis sidelined for an extended period of time.
--Grigson, meanwhile, said that second-year defensive end Henry Anderson, who suffered a season-ending knee injury, is making good progress from surgery. Grigson said that Anderson might be able to come back sooner than expected.
--The Colts are not expected to bring back veteran wide receiver Andre Johnson. The former Houston Texans standout was signed to a three-year, $21 million free-agent contract prior to the 2015 season but failed to have the expected impact to the team's receiving corps.
There have been reports that Johnson, who had 41 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns last season, may be contemplating retirement. But agent Kennard McGuire says that Johnson is "training and preparing for next season."
Johnson has a $7.5 million salary cap number for the Colts.
