State Of The Franchise: Colts

I'm going to kick off my state of the franchise reviews with the team that has the number 1 overall pick, the Indianapolis Colts.


  The Colts, ahh how the mighty have fallen. Two years ago you were a pick six away from the Lombardi Trophy. Now you are a wounded horse just barely alive, your rider ditched you for a stronger bucking Bronco. You were tamed by a group of marauding Texans and nearly eaten by a pack of Jaguars. But alas, all is not lost for you young Colt, your Luck is about to change.


 While it's true that I am an avid Robert Griffin III supporter and I believe he will be better than Andrew Luck, I see how good Luck is as well. Andrew Luck will be the savior of this poor wretched Colt, but it will take some time. I will not be surprised if the Colts finish 7-9 or worse next year. But it will be a promising year of under .500, much like the one that the Panthers had this past year with Cam Newton.


  If the Colts want to return to the supremacy they had for so long in the AFC South they have a few holes they need to fill. They have holes in the secondary, mainly at strong safety. They have not found a replacement for Bob Sanders, in fact last year they plugged in an undrafted safety named David Caldwell. Caldwell is decent, but he is mediocre at best and if it at all possible he should be replaced.


 The Colts, however, have a much worse need on offense. A solid receiver for Andrew Luck to throw to, preferably a tight end or a slot receiver. If I was the GM for the Colts I'd be looking to re-sign Dallas Clark as soon as possible and then add a solid receiver through the draft. The colts should be looking for a guy like Junior Hemmingway or Devon Wylie late in the draft. Both of these guys could be solid slot receivers in the NFL. If they wanted to pick a little higher they could go after a deep threat like Kendall Wright, Alshon Jeffrey, or Stephen Hill in the 2nd round.


 They could also look to pick up a running back in the mid rounds. A guy like LaMichael James or Chris Rainey could add an amazing playmaker to their team. LaMichael and Rainey both remind me of Darren Sproles as far as their skill sets go. They are both extremely fast and can play both in the backfield and in the slot, essentially filling two needs with one player. They are also both exceptional on special teams as return men.


 Colts fans will probably have to put up with another year or maybe two of being beaten down by the Texans and even the Jaguars. But by the end of 2014 I would be shocked if the Colts had not won another division title with Andrew Luck at the helm.