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Indianapolis Colts season prediction: Best and worst case scenario for 2022

Published

2 years ago

September 5, 2022

Indianapolis Colts season prediction: Best and worst case scenario for 2022

Welcome to FanSided’s 2022 NFL preview! It’s time to look into our crystal soccer and take a glimpse on the Indianapolis Colts season prediction.`

It’s been virtually twenty years for the reason that Colts secured the franchise’s fourth NFL title by way of a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears in Tremendous Bowl XLI. The workforce received again to the “Huge Sport” in 2009 however Peyton Manning and firm got here up quick in opposition to the New Orleans Saints. There was the temporary Andrew Luck Period which peaked with an AFC title sport look in 2014.

However that’s additionally the final time the workforce received a division title. There have been the occasional playoff appearances but it surely’s a membership that hasn’t been in a position to string these collectively. This offseason, common supervisor Chris Ballard orchestrated a commerce for quarterback Matt Ryan. He additionally made some key defensive additions. And this seems to be essentially the most proficient workforce within the AFC South.

Indianapolis Colts 2021 season in evaluation

9-8 file
2nd place in AFC South
Did not qualify for playoffs

Issues didn’t begin out nicely for Frank Reich’s new-look Colts, who would function a unique beginning quarterback in Week 1 for the fifth consecutive yr. Former Philadelphia Eagles first-round draft selection Carson Wentz was reunited with Reich hoping to show round his profession. However the workforce misplaced its first three video games to the Seahawks, Rams and rival Titans, respectively.

Finally, the workforce would hit its stride and the offense can be carried by second-year working again Johnny Taylor, who led the NFL in carries (332), speeding yards (1,811) and whole yards from scrimmage (2.171). He and Chargers’ working again Austin Ekeler tied for the NFL lead with 20 whole touchdowns. And the surging Colts would win 9 of their subsequent 12 video games.

So with a 9-6 file and two video games remaining, the workforce appeared primed to return to the playoffs for a second consecutive yr. Nonetheless, the Colts couldn’t cease the visiting Raiders late within the sport and fell, 23-20. And Reich’s workforce failed to point out up at Jacksonville in opposition to a workforce that had received simply two video games in 16 tries – scoring a season-low 11 factors in a 15-point loss.

Indianapolis Colts NFL Draft class 2022

Rd 2: Alec Pierce, WR/Cincinnati
Rd 3: Jelani Woods, TE/Virginia
Rd 3: Bernhard Raimann, OT/Central Michigan
Rd 3: Nick Cross, S/Maryland
Rd 5: Eric Johnson, DT/Missouri State
Rd 6: Andrew Ogletree, TE/Youngstown State
Rd 6: Curtis Brooks, DT/Cincinnati
Rd 7: Rodney Thomas, S/Yale

For the third time in 4 years, the franchise had no choice on the opening night time of the draft. That was because of the truth that common supervisor Chris Ballard traded for then-Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz in 2021. And since the younger signal-caller performed a minimum of 75 % of the snaps this previous season, the conditional selection grew to become a first-round choice.

The Colts despatched Wentz and two draft selections this yr to Washington for 3 picks (together with a conditional choice in 2023). Ballard bolstered the workforce’s extensive receiving corps with College of Cincinnati standout Alec Pierce. He additionally made three picks within the third spherical, together with tight finish Jelani Woods and sort out Bernhard Raimann, who may wind up a starter early on.

Previewing Colts offense for 2022 season

Key offseason additions
- Matt Ryan, QB
- Alec Pierre, WR
- Bernhard Raimann, OT
Largest X-Issue: WR Parris Campbell
Squeakiest Wheel: Mo Alie-Cox

The workforce has a brand new quarterback (once more) in 14-year veteran Matt Ryan. He comes off a so-so season through which he hit on 67.0 % of his passes for 3,968 yards, 20 landing passes and a dozen interceptions. However he put the ball on the bottom 11 instances (shedding 4 fumbles) and was sacked 40 instances. However the four-time Professional Bowler now finds himself with a greater supporting forged.

A yr in the past, the Falcons ranked thirty first in yards per sport on the bottom. Now Ryan joins a membership that not solely completed with the second-most speeding yards however options the NFL’s prime ground-gainer in 2021 in workhorse Jonathan Taylor. Vast receiver Michael Pittman led the workforce in catches and rookie Alec Pierre hopes to make a direct impression. Extra assist is required right here.

Just a few years in the past, Indianapolis’ offensive line was one of many NFL’s prime models. Following the 2020 season, left sort out Anthony Castonzo retired. This yr, unsung proper guard Mark Glowinski signed with the Giants. However star left guard Quenton Nelson stays, as do sound veterans in heart Ryan Kelly and proper sort out Braden Smith. However there could possibly be some early rising pains.

Previewing Colts protection for 2022 season

Key offseason additions
- Yannick Ngakoue, DE
- Stephon Gilmore, CB
- Rodney McLeod, S
Largest X-Issue: DE Kwitty Paye
Squeakiest Wheel: LB Zaire Franklin

There have been a couple of important adjustments when it got here to this facet of the ball. The most important was the departure of defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, now the pinnacle coach of the Chicago Bears. One other needed to do with the artist previously often known as linebacker Darius Leonard. The dependable tackling machine and big-player performer now has the nom de guerre of Shaquille Leonard.

The brand new coordinator is veteran coach Gus Bradley, who has actually made the rounds. He inherits a gaggle that not solely contains Leonard however stars in defensive sort out DeForest Buckner and cornerback Kenny Moore II. The Colts relied on takeaways this previous season (33) and solely the Dallas Cowboys had extra (34). Consistency is one thing this group lacked a yr in the past.

Assist is available in what needs to be an improved go rush due to the addition of finish Yannick Ngakoue, obtained by way of commerce from the Raiders for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. The Colts completed with a mediocre 33 sacks a yr in the past. And 2019 NFL Defensive Participant of the Yr Stephon Gilmore bolsters the secondary. Indianapolis allowed 32 scores via the air this previous season.

Indianapolis Colts teaching workers overview

Head Coach: Frank Reich
Off. Coordinator: Marcus Brady
Def. Coordinator: Gus Bradley
2023 Head Coach Candidate: Richard Smith

Frank Reich returns for his fifth season because the workforce’s head coach. And as has been very well-documented, he may have yet one more beginning quarterback in Week 1 with the addition of Matt Ryan. Marcus Brady returns for his second yr as offensive coordinator after changing Nick Sirianni in 2021. Gus Bradley takes over for Matt Eberflus, now the Chicago Bears’ head coach.

Indianapolis Colts Awards Watch

There’s little doubt that each working again Jonathan Taylor and quarterback Matt Ryan could possibly be within the NFL MVP sweepstakes. The previous (who received the award with the Falcons in 2016) led the NFL in speeding in 2021 whereas the veteran signal-caller continues to place up spectacular numbers as he climbs up the all-time passing charts.

RB Jonathan Taylor, MVP

It’s been a quarterback award for essentially the most half. However there was the occasional exception and it may rely on the type of numbers second-year working again Jonathan Taylor places up. He led the NFL in speeding a yr in the past with 1,811 yards (18 TDs), completed with a league-best 2,171 yards from scrimmage and tied for the NFL landing lead with 20 visits to the top zone.

S Nick Cross, Defensive Rookie of the Yr

Basic supervisor Chris Ballard has discovered his share of gems exterior of the primary spherical of the draft. Security Nick Cross was the second of two third-round draft selections in April and determine to see loads of motion in new Colts’ defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s system. The Stanford product completed the preseason with seven whole tackles (4 solo) and one go defensed.

WR Alec Pierce, Offensive Rookie of the Yr

In 2021, Michael Pittman led the workforce with 88 catches and in addition paced the Colts in receiving yards (1,082) and scoring grabs (6). However the Colts didn’t carry again veteran T.Y. Hilton, Zach Pascal signed with the Eagles and Parris Campbell’s profession has been affected by accidents. Alec Pierce caught 52 passes for 884 yards and eight scores in his last yr with the Bearcats.

Largest sport on Indianapolis Colts schedule

The Colts open with visits to Houston and Jacksonville. The membership has not crushed the Jaguars on the highway since 2014. Nevertheless it’s the Week 4 conflict with the reigning AFC South champion Titans at Lucas Oil Stadium that’s key. A yr in the past, Frank Reich’s membership managed a 3-3 file inside the division. A season in the past, Tennessee swept the Colts a yr in the past for the primary time since 2017.

Indianapolis Colts season prediction: Greatest case situation

Frank Reich’s workforce will get off to a robust begin and takes care of enterprise in opposition to its AFC South rivals. The workforce performs 5 divisional video games within the first seven weeks of 2022, together with a pair with each the Jaguars and Titans – the latter winners of the AFC South the previous two seasons. Reich’s membership wins 4 of these video games and it permits to membership to construct a bit early momentum.

Indianapolis Colts season prediction: Worst case situation

Indianapolis nonetheless options one of many higher offensive traces within the league but it surely’s a unique unit that dominated for years. Any drop-off on this space could possibly be a detriment to working again Jonathan Taylor in addition to veteran quarterback Matt Ryan. If the Colts end 3-3 inside the division for the second straight yr it may put a critical crimp in reaching the postseason.

Indianapolis Colts season prediction for 2022

11-6 file
1st place in AFC South
Playoff Prediction: Attain AFC Championship Sport

Whereas the rival Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars as soon as once more have new head coaches and the Tennessee Titans misplaced some key gamers to free company, trades and damage, the Colts seem like essentially the most proficient workforce within the division. Matt Ryan brings much more expertise and consistency than Carson Wentz, Jonathan Taylor has emerged as a star and the protection bears watching this season. Final yr’s membership dug itself an early gap after which got here up quick the ultimate two weeks.

The Colts ought to win a division title and will likely be a really harmful workforce within the playoffs.

Learn extra from FanSided’s 2022 NFL Preview right here. For extra Indianapolis Colts protection, take a look at Horseshoe Heroes.

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Indianapolis, IN

Reports: Colts defensive end out for season with Achilles tear

Published

3 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Reports: Colts defensive end out for season with Achilles tear

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts had their first big injury blow of Training Camp.

According to NFL Network, starting defensive end Samson Ebukam is expected to miss the entire season after tearing his Achilles tendon during team drills Sunday afternoon.

Ebukam was poised to have another big year as one of the Colts’ most dangerous edge rushers. Last season, the seven-year veteran helped the Colts defense set a new franchise sack record with his own career-high of 9.5 takedowns. Ebukam added 57 tackles and three forced fumbles during his first year with the Colts.

Before moving to Indianapolis, Ebukam was an impact player for the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

Ebukam’s loss will have a significant impact on the defensive line depth chart. His absence could open up more opportunities for rookie Laiatu Latu, who the Colts drafted 15th overall in this year’s draft. Latu was the first defensive player chosen, as well.

Fourteen different Colts players had at least one sack for the Colts’ record 51 last season. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley returns for his third year in Indy with most of his veteran playmakers — like Zaire Franklin, Kenny Moore II, DeForest Buckner, and Grover Stewart — back in the locker room, as well.

Saturday, Bradley was feeling confident with his leadership up front.

“I mean that’s where it starts, right, is with your defensive line, especially with who we have upfront,” Bradley said after practice Saturday. “We like our veteran presence, the leadership there. So we’re counting on them to kind of set the tone for the whole defense because we have a saying, it starts upfront. And really with us, that’s true.”

The Colts return to Training Camp Tuesday for the first practice in pads. Head coach Shane Steichen knows he and the coaching staff will learn a lot about their team with they go live.

“It’s the first time we’ve put on pads since the end of the year,” Steichen said Sunday. “(We’re looking for) toughness really. You know what I mean? Pads are going to come on, it’s going to be more physical obviously out there and looking forward to that.”

News 8 will have continued live coverage from Grand Park in Westfield all Colts Training Camp.

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Indianapolis, IN

A disaster turns 79. USS Indianapolis sinking leads to world’s worst shark attack

Published

10 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

A disaster turns 79. USS Indianapolis sinking leads to world’s worst shark attack

It was 79 years ago when a Japanese submarine torpedoed the USS Indianapolis, a heavy cruiser carrying nearly 1,200 sailors and Marines. The ship was sailing back to the Philippines after delivering components for “Little Boy,” the atomic bomb that helped end World War II. It sank in 12 minutes.

What followed next resulted in the greatest single loss of life at sea, on a single ship, in the history of the U.S. Navy.

Read IndyStar’s prior coverage about the doomed heavy cruiser and the men who survived its tragedy.

When did the USS Indianapolis sink?

The USS Indianapolis sank shortly after midnight on July 30, 1945. The heavy cruiser was struck by two Japanese torpedoes. The first torpedo blew the bow off the ship, according to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. A second torpedo blasted into its midsection near the powder magazine, creating an explosion that literally split the ship in two.

How big was the USS Indianapolis?

The USS Indianapolis was 610 feet 3 inches (186 meters) long, according to Britannica. Roughly 900 men survived the ship sinking, of which only a little more than a third would be pulled from the water.

USS Indianapolis survivor: ‘That first morning, we had sharks’

In a story published July 24, 2014, IndyStar reporter Diana Penner interviewed Corporal Edgar Harrell, just 20 years old on July 29, 1945. Harrell had finished his watch on the USS Indianapolis at midnight. It was, he said, unbearably hot and stifling where his berth was, so he got permission to make a pallet on deck, right under the barrels of the No. 1 forward turret.

Harrell had just dozed off. And then, a few minutes into July 30, the world exploded.

USS Indianapolis survivor: ‘That first morning, we had sharks’

What kind of sharks attacked the crew of the USS Indianapolis?

It’s believed oceanic whitetip sharks attacked the surviving members of the USS Indianapolis in what became known as the “worst shark attack in history.” These grayish brown sharks, which can reach up to 11 feet in length, are considered a top predator in the tropical and subtropical waters they hunt, according NOAA Fisheries.

They are opportunistic predators, feeding on bony fish and squid but have been known to eat large tuna, marlin, sea birds, other sharks, rays, marine mammals and even garbage.

How long before the USS Indianapolis crew was rescued?

The ship sank on July 30, 1945. After four days, the survivors were discovered by accident on Aug. 2, 1945.

How many people died on the USS Indianapolis?

Accounts of how many people died in the sinking of the USS Indianapolis have long varied by one. Were there 1,195 sailors and Marines aboard the ill-fated ship — or 1,196? Did 879 men perish in the attack, in the water, or after rescue — or 880?

Two historians collaborated on a paper that helps explain the discrepancy, which boiled down to a record-keeping error.

USS Indianapolis death toll: Historians resolve mystery of how many men died in 1945 attack

The famous Indianapolis speech from the movie ‘Jaws’

Actor Robert Shaw delivered perhaps one of the most haunting movie monologues in cinema history during the 1975 film, “Jaws,” which itself heralded the age of the summer blockbuster. In the scene, Shaw’s character, “Quint,” reveals he was one of the doomed sailors serving aboard the USS Indianapolis when it sank into the Pacific. The moment is fraught with tension as he describes what happened when the sharks arrived.

“Sometimes that shark looks right at ya. Right into your eyes. And the thing about a shark is he’s got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll’s eyes. When he comes at ya, he doesn’t even seem to be livin’… ’til he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then… ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin’. The ocean turns red, and despite all your poundin’ and your hollerin’ those sharks come in and… they rip you to pieces.
Actor Robert Shaw in the film “Jaws”

Shaw’s speech is quietly horrifying, underscored to perfection with music by composer John Williams. Ironically, while most of what Shaw says is factual, his monologue contains one glaring error — the date.

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Quint says the disaster occurred on June 29, 1945, when in reality the sinking didn’t happen until a month later.
Putting that aside, the scene remains iconic, offering a rare glimpse into what survivors of the USS Indianapolis endured.
James Briggs: ‘My grandfather survived the USS Indianapolis sinking. I never asked how he did it.’

Long before his work appeared in IndyStar, James Briggs’ grandfather was in this newspaper. In 2020, the 75th anniversary of the USS Indianapolis sinking filled Briggs with regret over questions he never asked.
“He was one of 316 men, out of a crew of 1,195, who lived to tell his story. He survived sliding down his ship into the water, he survived being covered in ship fuel and he survived spending five days in the shark-ridden Pacific Ocean with no drinkable water or food,” Briggs wrote in his column.
James Briggs: My grandfather survived the USS Indianapolis sinking. I never asked how he did it.
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Wreckage of USS Indianapolis found in Philippine Sea

In 2017, researchers discovered the wreckage of the USS Indianapolis at 18,000 feet below the Philippine Sea. News of the discovery came from Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who led a 13-person team to find the lost ship.
Wreckage of USS Indianapolis: How researchers found the doomed ship at the bottom of the Philippine Sea
Learn more about the heroes of the USS Indianapolis:

▶ Rest in peace: Closure, finally, for USS Indianapolis survivor
▶ Retro Indy: The sinking of the USS Indianapolis
▶ The ones they left behind: Remembering their lost ‘sailor boys’
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former IndyStar reporters Dawn Mitchell, Leigh A. Hedger contributed to this article.
John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at JTuftsReports.

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Indianapolis, IN

Colts owner Jim Irsay says Ryan Kelly is a priority. Kelly said team told him he wasn’t

Published

17 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Colts owner Jim Irsay says Ryan Kelly is a priority. Kelly said team told him he wasn’t

WESTFIELD — Colts owner Jim Irsay sounded hopeful that center Ryan Kelly will ultimately remain in Indianapolis after this season.

Kelly, who is the team’s longest-tenured player and headed into the final year of the four-year, $50 million extension he signed in 2020, opened training camp by saying the franchise did not see an extension as a priority before the end of this season.

Irsay struck a different tone in his meeting with local media at training camp Sunday.

“We love Ryan,” Irsay said. “A guy like Ryan’s always a priority. You just love him as a person, and he’s a talented player, he’s been to Pro Bowls. … No question, a Pro Bowl center is a priority.”

Kelly, 31, has made four Pro Bowls in the past five seasons, bouncing back after the offensive line’s struggles in 2022 by making the Pro Bowl a year ago.

“We made it known that we wanted to stay, and that we wanted to have an extension,” Kelly said at the opening of camp. “They didn’t see it as part of their priority.”

Faced with a similar decision on defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, the Colts extended the team’s defensive leader with a two-year, $46 million extension this summer that keeps Buckner in Indianapolis through the 2026 season.

But Kelly has dealt with at least three concussions in his career, and Indianapolis drafted Wisconsin center Tanor Bortolini in the fourth round of April’s draft.

“Every case is different,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard said after Kelly made his comments. “I think one thing we’ve proven since we’ve been here is we’re really to players that have been good players. I think that will work itself out over time.”

The Colts did bring back nearly all of the players who reached free agency last season, signing 11 of its 15 free agents to come back to Indianapolis, including stars in Kelly’s position, heading into their third NFL contract like nose tackle Grover Stewart, cornerback Kenny Moore II and middle linebacker Zaire Franklin.

Even if Kelly makes it to free agency, he could end up reaching his ultimate goal, to continue playing in Indianapolis.

“I hope that things work out well, and I know Chris is talking with the agent,” Irsay said. “We’re hopeful.”

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