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Colts' year-end awards from 2023 season

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Colts' year-end awards from 2023 season


The 2023 season ended in disappointing fashion for the Indianapolis Colts, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the future given what they showed throughout the campaign.

Considering where the Colts were just one year ago at this time, the outlook of the franchise is far more positive. They have a strong leader in Shane Steichen, a young quarterback in Anthony Richardson who shows promise, and some solid pieces to work off of this offseason.

But before we get into the thick of the offseason plans and predictions, it’s time to take a look back at the 2023 season and hand out some awards.

From MVP to the biggest disappointment, here are the Colts’ year-end awards from the 2023 campaign:

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Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

DT DeForest Buckner

There were a few players worthy of this nod, but Buckner’s presence made a huge difference for the entire team. Though the pass rush was stagnant at times, the Colts had four players with at least 8.0 sacks. Buckner was one of them while leading the team in quarterback hits (21) and total pressures (52) while seeing the fourth-highest double-team rate among all NFL interior defensive linemen (66%). This defense was shaky, but it’s a nightmare to imagine what it would be like without Buckner.

Other nominees: Zaire Franklin, Michael Pittman Jr., Quenton Nelson

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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

WR Michael Pittman Jr.

There are a handful of worthy players, but Pittman is the selection here. All we have to do is look back at the brutal loss against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16. Pittman was out for that game due to a concussion, and the entire unit looked lost. The fourth-year wideout posted career-high marks with 109 receptions for 1,152 yards. As a pending free agent, re-signing Pittman should be of the utmost importance for Indy this offseason.

Other Nominees: Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith

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Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

LB Zaire Franklin

Yes, DeForest Buckner was our MVP so it would make sense he should be the Defensive Player of the Year as well. But for diversity’s sake, we’re going with a different option. Franklin broke the single-season franchise record for tackles, a record he set just one season ago. He’s come a long way as a former seventh-round pick, and his evolution into a high-quality MIKE should not be overlooked.

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Other Nominees: Kenny Moore II, Samson Ebukam, Julian Blackmon

(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

S Trevor Denbow

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Before the season, my guess would have been Matt Gay. However, he missed enough kicks this season to be taken out of the conversation. Denbow was third on the team with 325 special teams snaps, but he led the team with 12 special teams tackles (nine solo) while recording just one missed tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. He may not be a factor on defense, but he’s turned into a quality special teamer that the Colts can lean on.

Other Nominees: Grant Stuard, Luke Rhodes, Segun Olubi

(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

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DE Tyquan Lewis

Though Lewis isn’t the first, second or even third name mentioned when discussing the defensive line, what he did in 2023 should be talked about more. Coming off his second patellar tendon tear, which he eerily suffered on nearly the same day one year apart, Lewis posted career-high marks in total pressures (44), quarterback hits (13) and tackles for loss (nine), all of which ranked fourth-best on the Colts defense.

Other Nominees: Kenny Moore II, Ryan Kelly, Rigoberto Sanchez

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(Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

LB E.J. Speed

We went with Dayo Odeyingbo last year, and he certainly made a case for it again. But we’re going with Speed here. Stepping into a starting role with the decline of Shaquille Leonard (more on him below), Speed led the team with 12 tackles for loss while posting career-high marks with 102 tackles (78 solo), three forced fumbles and four passes defended. He also ranked second on the team with 50 defensive stops and posted a solid 86.4 passer rating in coverage, which ranked 11th-best among qualified linebackers, per PFF.

Other Nominees: Dayo Odeyingbo, Nick Cross, Bernhard Raimann, Will Fries

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Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

WR Josh Downs

Through the first half of the season, it appeared Downs was trending toward a massive rookie campaign. Through the first eight games, he averaged five receptions and 59.1 yards per game. He was on pace for 1,005 yards. The second half of the season wasn’t as kind. From Weeks 9-18, he averaged just 3.1 receptions and 33.1 yards per game. How much the lingering knee injury had an impact isn’t all that clear considering he wasn’t on the injury report, and he played his typical allotment of snaps coming out of the Week 11 bye. Regardless, his 68 receptions set a single-season franchise record for a rookie campaign, and his future is still extremely bright given what he showed.

Other Nominees: Julius Brents, Jaylon Jones, Will Mallory

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(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

LB Shaquille Leonard

We also could talk about the season-ending injury to Anthony Richardson. I won’t argue there. But the decline of Leonard was simply sad. He was on a Hall of Fame trajectory with the Colts before his back/nerve/calf injury came about. He simply wasn’t the same player on the field, and it led to the Colts just cutting ties halfway through the season. Leonard meant a lot to the locker room, the community and to the fanbase, but the Colts seemingly made the right call in parting ways. Hopefully, he bounces back. If anyone has the mentality to do it, it’s Leonard. But it was just disappointing to see his career unfold this way.

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Other Nominees: Anthony Richardson (injury), Week 18 finale

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

OL coach Tony Sparano Jr.

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This one is pretty easy. While the defensive coaching staff remained on hand, Sparano was one of the many new additions on the offensive side of the ball under Shane Steichen. Sparano played a heavy part in getting this offensive line back to being a dominant unit despite the starting five dealing with injuries throughout the entire campaign.



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Indianapolis, IN

Josef Newgarden says no issues with repaired Indianapolis 500 ring after 2023 win

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Josef Newgarden says no issues with repaired Indianapolis 500 ring after 2023 win


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INDIANAPOLIS – When Josef Newgarden won the 2023 Indianapolis 500, he looked to be on top of the world. He celebrated on top of his car, against the fencing separating the oval track from fans, with the winner’s milk in Victory Lane and finally knelt down to kiss the Yard of Bricks across the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

That’s when the smile that had been beaming across his face since the biggest race of the year ended momentarily subsided. Newgarden’s first-place ring fell apart.

He picked up the pieces with a confused look, but soon went back to celebrating. Newgarden wasn’t going to let this distract from what may have been the greatest day of his then-17-year racing career.

An IMS spokesperson later told the IndyStar that the face of the ring fell off when Newgarden was slamming his hands against the bricks in celebration. Shortly thereafter, Josten’s, the jewelry company responsible for the Indianapolis 500 rings, sent Newgarden a backup ring while they took the original for repairs.

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Nearly a year later, on the first day of practice for the 108th annual Indianapolis 500, Newgarden said there are no issues with his now-fixed ring.

“They replaced that fast, so it’s been good so far,” Newgarden said.

Contact Kyle Smedley with comments via email at kmsmedley213@gmail.com or on X @KyleSmedley_.





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Ericsson “can’t believe” he backed off on Indy 500 last-chance qualifying lap

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Ericsson “can’t believe” he backed off on Indy 500 last-chance qualifying lap


Former F1 racer Ericsson, the 2022 Indy 500 winner, was on course to make the field when he backed off at the end of his third tour of the four-lap qualifying run.

After realizing his error, he got back up to speed but it was too late to set a representative speed.

That meant he had to sit in the pits, cooling his car, before a last-gasp final run which ended inside the final five minutes of the session – and sealed his 32nd position on the grid.

“It was tough for sure,” said Ericsson. “This was even harder than the last few years, especially after my mistake there on my first run when we were safely in – can’t believe I did that.

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“Then I had to sit there and wait and think about that I had one shot to make the race. I had to hit that run; I knew the car was hot from the first run. We had to trim out, and the car has been really difficult to drive since my crash. It was a tough mental challenge.”

When asked by NBC Sports if anything had changed on the radio instructions to count him through the laps from the pitstand, Ericsson replied: “You live and learn right, but it was all on me.

“We’ve done the same all week, it feels like we’ve done 58 qualifying runs and it’s always been the same countdown. It’s on me, I messed that up and I shouldn’t be doing that with my experience.

“We’re going to change procedure on that for sure!”

Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda

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Photo by: Josh Tons / Motorsport Images

His fellow last-chance qualifier Graham Rahal was also relieved to make the field – after his second year of facing an anxious wait to see if his speed was sufficient to make the field.

“We went to bed last night scratching our heads,” said Rahal. “A lot of questions that need to be answer and still do.

“We changed some componentry that we expected to go better, and we went slower today again, which is the fourth day in a row of speed loss. Setup really hasn’t changed, we can see it in the data, but unfortunately, we’ve got to identify what the component is.

“We put on our road course gearbox, which I can guarantee nobody else is running. We just threw on some random uprights, and we tried to make it work, but we lost speed again.”

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When asked if he was getting accustomed to the anxiety of potentially being bumped again, he replied: “It never feels calm. It never feels good.

“The way the rules are written for the LCQ, it’s not favorable it on those on the bump. You can’t move.

“If you pull out of line, you pull your time, you’re not allowed to make the adjustments on the car that you would like to proactively.

“You’ve got to wait to see and then pull and go again.”

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Indianapolis, IN

NASCAR star Kyle Larson to shoot for the Indianapolis 500 pole after blistering qualifying run

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NASCAR star Kyle Larson to shoot for the Indianapolis 500 pole after blistering qualifying run


Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Kyle Larson drives through the first turn during qualifications for the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Saturday, May 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)




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