I love the movie "Contact." It's an emotional and creative look at humanity's search for life in the universe. One line from the movie that stands out to me is when one character says of the search, "small moves."
Incremental progress. It's important in the film and it's important in the NFL, believe it or not.
The Indianapolis Colts made the playoffs for the third straight season this year, advancing all the way to the AFC Championship game where they were handled easily by the New England Patriots. If the Colts want to continue ascending up the NFL ranks, there are a few things they need to do this offseason to get them over the hump.
1. Protect Andrew Luck
Quarterback Andrew Luck has done something I thought would be impossible: he's made the Colts look smart for parting ways with Peyton Manning. No one in NFL history has passed for more yards in their first three seasons than Luck. He's smart, he's mobile and he's got a cannon for an arm. But he can't do it all on his own. The Colts need to give Luck some help, starting with the offensive line.
"But this offensive line has been an area of weakness, especially with a revolving door at starting center," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "There have been injuries (left guard Donald Thomas missed his second straight season due to injury, right tackle Gosder Cherilus has missed two games, among others), but the interior of this group needs to be much improved next season. It is a clear need area for them in the draft, and could be addressed in the Day 2 range."
2. Improve the pass rush
Indianapolis was one of the highest scoring teams in the league this past season, finishing sixth in the NFL in points per game (28.6). That means opponents were playing from behind and throwing the ball a ton. One way to counteract this is to get after opposing quarterbacks; something the Colts did well but not amazing this season.
"The Colts were without veteran Robert Mathis all season, as he tore his Achilles while training away from the team during his four-game suspension," Yates wrote. "2013 first-round pick Bjoern Werner faded after a strong early start, and while rookie linebacker Jonathan Newsome provided a spark with 6.5 sacks in the regular season, it's fair to wonder whether the Colts will target a pure pass-rusher this offseason, as Mathis, who's soon to be 34, recovers from his injury. There's room for improvement here."
3. Upgrade the running back position
Sacrificing a first-round pick in a trade for Trent Richardson has turned out to be a nightmare deal for the Colts. Richardson's production has been nonexistent, and he was a healthy scratch in Indianapolis' two playoff games this year. How things have gone so wrong for Richardson is pretty inexplicable. But one thing still remains clear, the Colts need a viable rushing attack.
"Ahmad Bradshaw has run well when healthy, but injuries have limited him to just 13 games over the past two seasons," Yates wrote. "Daniel 'Boom' Herron ran better than Richardson, but the Colts would benefit from a complete back who can take some of the load off Luck."
Should the Colts pursue Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray should he reach free agency?
