First off, raise your hand if what you witnessed on Sunday matched your expectations? Okay, since I don’t want speak to only a handful of fans, lets get everyone involved and see if we can determine why we got that wonderful result. I’m going to give you a few options as to why things went so well and forewarn that if you think we already blew the season by winning and subsequently wrecking our shot at a “real” QB, this may not interest you much.
I think the first possibility that we have to ponder is that the Fins may be awful. They sounded like a hot mess over the off-season, with Hill wanting a trade and Tua wanting his best weapon to focus on work. They had a lot of turnover in the secondary and have had injury concerns throughout training camp. They were listed by a few of the talking heads as a team that could take a step or two back this year. All of that aside, they still lined up one of the most accurate passers in the game, with two special weapons to throw to, and a RB that accounted for 1,500 scrimmage yards last year. That defensive front also boasted some Pro Bowl level talent and depth.
Option two might have been that it was all about The Boss. To come in and play uninspired football on a day that saw all the legends return to Indy to honor the man who has been the face of the franchise, would have not been a good look for anyone involved from top to bottom. I’d think that the former players were allowed to address the team or at least mingle with them prior to the game. That has to resonate at least a little, to see Hall Of Famers and other Indy legends and to hear their stories about the glory years. I don’t know how any current player could could look at the Ring Of Honor and not think, “That’ll be me someday.”
Now it is time to acknowledge that Daniel Jones could very well be the right guy at the right time. Some of us hoped that he could be our reclamation project and week one was a great step in that direction. He’s a Charlotte kid and I can tell you that Minneapolis and Indy are a whole lot closer to his norm than New York City. The play action and check-downs worked. He showed that he could connect on at least intermediate passes. He wasn’t perfect and after watching the Ravens and Bills go toe-to-toe, he may have to be perfect to get us a level or two better than we’ve experienced during the post Luck years, but dang, he looked good!
The fourth is that it could be a combination of each, which may be closer to the reason we looked as dominating as we did yesterday, than any single option. Personally, as someone who had higher expectation for the season than many, I think it is sustainable. It may take multiple weeks of this sort of result for some to buy in, but I would hope that the grip on that plunger to detonate the bomb that blows this whole thing up, at least loosens up a little.
Let me know which option that you believe is correct, or give me your own.
Go Colts!
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