The Indianapolis Colts have rested most of the team’s starters in the 2024 NFL preseason. The exception? Matt Gay, the second-highest-paid kicker in the league. Carrying a cap hit of over five million dollars, Gay has had some struggles since arriving in Indianapolis. Afterranking 27th in field goal percentage (80.5%) amongst his peers in 2023 (min. 15 attempts), the 2024 season has not begun well for the 30-year-old.

Gay missed two field goal attempts against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night, bringing the tally to three for the preseason. The misses have come from 54, 53, and 44 yards and were all pulled wide left.

What happens next for the Colts? Don’t miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

The leg power is certainly there, but the accuracy appears to remain a lingering issue from last season. Lost scoring opportunities will lose you football games all day, something Colts fans have been all too familiar with since the turn of the century.

The issue is that the NFL kicking market is pretty dry. Not a lot of options exist out there – Randy Bullock is probably the best we’re looking at. Bullock last played for the New York Giants in 2023 where he knocked down five of his six attempts, so about the same conversion rate as Gay.

“I feel like the ball is coming off my foot really well,” said Gay. “I gotta make the kick regardless of who’s holding or what’s happening” (via James Boyd | The Athletic). If the misses persist, the Colts will be stuck with one of the worst special teams contracts in the league. General Manager Chris Ballard could bring in a kicker to compete, but the options aren’t abundant.

Head coach Shane Steichen said he thinks that Gay “is gonna be fine” after two disappointing performances. His lone made kick through two games came from 35 yards out.

On the bright side, Gay recorded a career-high eight field goals made from 50+ yards last season. Again, distance is not the issue. Missing kicks may be more costly than knocking down the occasional long one, though.

At the end of the day, Gay is likely to be the starting kicker in Week 1 when the Colts face the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium on September 8th. Likely to be a close game, it should be a good test for Gay’s clutch time ability.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X; subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.

The 2024 Indianapolis Colts roster has talented offensive players who can help any fantasy football manager get their squad to the playoffs and beyond. The obvious names that stick out are running back Jonathan Taylor and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Adonai Mitchell. But they all pale compared to the fantasy potential that their quarterback, Anthony Richardson, harnesses.

In a recent piece from the fantasy football department at Pro Football Focus, Jonathon Macri dives into the biggest high-risk, high-reward players and by which round they might see themselves taken. The second-year signal-caller is located in the fifth round of this piece. Macri breaks down the potential risk and meteoric reward that Richardson poses to a fantasy manager.

“Should he play an entire season, when considering everything that he brings to the table as a runner on top of his passing potential in Shane Steichen’s offense, there’s a fair bit that can go right with this pick. Richardson delivered a higher fantasy points per dropback rate (0.73) than any other quarterback last season, which helps highlight his potential whenever he’s on the field.”

– Jonathon Macri | Pro Football Focus

What happens next for the Colts? Don’t miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

Richardson’s mobility is no secret going into his second professional season. While he only saw four games in 2024, he still dominated as a runner from the quarterback position. He finished with 25 carries for 136 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Expect more explosive running statistics to pile up if Richardson can stay healthy. Macri continues in his analysis of Richardson.

“Richardson’s elite athleticism and arm talent only feed into his breakout potential and overall upside, but for that to all come to fruition, he has to stay on the field, which has become a particular concern for Richardson after last season.”

– Jonathon Macri | Pro Football Focus

Richardson understands that if he isn’t more aware of where his body is on the football field, he will continue to withstand injuries like he did during his inaugural campaign. It will be paramount for the former Florida Gators field general to continue his quarterback development while staving off any injuries.

There is plenty of hype around this Shane Steichen-led Indianapolis offense with Richardson at the helm. If Richardson stays under center, especially for all 17 games, he has the ceiling to be the highest-scoring fantasy quarterback for 2024 and help Indianapolis finally reach the postseason.

Want more Colts content? Check out the latest episode of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast!

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X; subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.

INDIANAPOLIS — At the city-county council meeting Monday, Mayor Joe Hogsett said public safety has been one of the highest priorities over the last eight years and will remain so for the 2025 proposed city budget.

Totaling $1.6 billion, public safety initiatives account for 41% of the allocated expenses of the 2025 proposed budget at $637 million. Hogsett said that 2022-2023 saw a 32% decrease in criminal homicides.

“And the number continues to trend downward in 2024,” Hogsett said. “Effective today, we are down another 8.2% from this very same day one year ago.”

2025 proposed city budget: COVID rent aid will expire, Georgia Street gets upgrade in proposed Indy budget

Indianapolis police and firefighters

The budget includes money for 1,743 officers, a goal that the department has tried to but failed to reach since 2019. To meet that goal, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department will add a third new recruit class.

There will be a continued investment in technology for the department’s license plate readers, public safety cameras, dash cameras, and body-worn cameras.

Funding would also go toward purchasing a new mobile traffic safety command center, new car printers and scanners for one-third of the department’s patrol officers, and investments in IMPD’s non-sworn personnel to fill professional and technical positions, shifting seven officers back to police work.

Indianapolis Fire Department would get $258 million — about $3 million more than last year— to maintain its 10-year fleet replacement program, fund a new arson unit and build new fire stations. This includes a budget for a recruit class in January 2025.

Violence prevention in Indianapolis

Hogsett said the plan will continue to fund 24/7 staff for its clinician-led community response teams in both downtown and the east IMPD district to divert people in a mental health crisis from the criminal justice system. Other proposed funding includes:

• Investing in community programs to help reduce homelessness, treat addictions, and address mental health challenges.
• Funding a master leasing program for 42 additional units for unhoused individuals and families as part of the 200-unit project created by the Mayor’s Office housing initiative.
• Violence reduction and intervention initiatives managed by the Office of Public Health and Safety, including the Witness Protection program, and the Group Violence Intervention program.
• $250,000 continued funding for the Tenant Legal Assistance Project and the Eviction Avoidance Project with Indiana Legal Services.
• Increased funding for community mental health centers operating in Marion County.

Criminal justice initiatives

Hogsett’s budget also allocates $313 million toward criminal justice expenses including:

• Funding for Forensics Services Agency to outsource a subset of cases, allowing them to reduce processing time on firearm and sexual assault cases.
• Funding to support recruitment and retention programs in the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
• Additional investment in technology to improve communication and jail maintenance in the Adult Detention Center.
• Funding the debt payments associated with the soon-to-be-opened Forensics and Coroner facilities, as well as the Youth and Family Services Center, all of which will replace outdated and inefficient buildings.

Infrastructure and community investment

The budget allocates nearly $200 million for roads, bridges, and other greenway improvements across Indianapolis neighborhoods in 2025 with more than 30% of funding across the 5-year capital plan to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.

• $68.4 million for stormwater system improvements across neighborhoods in 2025.
• Additional personnel dedicated to trail maintenance as a result of the historic $50 million investment through the Circle City Forward initiative and Lily Foundation grant.
• $7 million in grant funding for the Department of Parks and Recreation to build an archery range at Riverside Adventure Park and additional funding for park beautification.
• Increased local funding for animal care supplies to reduce reliance on donors and investment in professional kennel cleaning to free up staff to focus on animal care.
• Technological investment to improve the Mayor’s Action Center request portal for increased transparency between citizens reporting concerns and the City’s progress toward alleviating them.

Funding would also support the creation of a safety ambassador position for parks. The goal is to begin developing a program dedicated to the enhanced public safety in parks.

It would fund a position in the Department of Public Works to begin developing a program dedicated to enhanced public safety in parks and implementation of the Vision 0 plan to help eliminate all serious injuries and deaths from traffic crashes.

Public safety and criminal justice committee

City-county council committees are reviewing the budget before it’s voted on this fall, and the Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee met Wednesday, Aug. 14 for its first round of discussions on the Marion County Coroner’s Office, Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency and the Office of Public Health and Safety.

They will vote on the budget at a later date with the final budget vote happening later this fall.

Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formally Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.