With games that count on our doorstep, it is really hard to find optimistic prognostications for our Colts. I know that I have seen a reference to an NFL.com poll that had zero of their 31 “experts” predict the Colts to win the AFC South. I heard Michelle Smallmon of the morning Unsportsmanlike broadcast include the Colts among the bottom five teams in the NFL. Even if you just look at mock drafts for next year (you know you have) you won’t find them picking better than last year’s #14.
It is hard to call it irresponsible reporting, but it does indicate that we will see worse play at QB this year, than we have over the past two years. Straight from the Parcells quote list is, “You are what your record says you are.” Most who predict a poor record, are applying Daniel Jones’ losing record of 24 – 44 and saying that that is who he is. I don’t think many are giving him a chance to show better than he has to this point.
Right now, it seems like the best anyone is willing to concede is that he will have a better supporting cast than he had in New York. From what I have read, there seems to be equal parts, “He never had a chance” to “Good Riddance!” I believe that even their ownership said that they had done most everything possible to see him fail. I think that you would have to draw your own conclusion to whether he was the driving force on the 2022 team that made and advanced in the playoffs.
Besides the record, those who are not expecting anything more than average play will point to the average depth for his passes. Quite simply, he does not often let it fly downfield. He’s being labelled a “Check down Charlie”. Personally, I don’t think that a guy of his size would have difficulty getting it downfield, as long as he had protection and felt someone was open enough to send the ball his way.
Now that we have given some of the reasons that many are using to predict our dismal, depressing season, let’s revisit the title of the article’s title. What If He’s Good?
I want to go back to those Giant teams and point out that it is not just a narrative that they were going to be hard for anyone to take over the top. I find five guys who are listed as Pro Bowlers during Jones’ tenure, with Barkley being the only offensive player. I don’t think the lack of talent tells the whole story.
Maybe more than talent, you can look at coaching. Since being drafted and plunged into the starting role, he’s had Shurmer (now in college), Judge (now in college), and Dabol as head coaches. His offensive coordinators have been Shula (now in college), Garrett (unemployed) and Kafka (no prior coordinator experience). Given that Steichen was listed as a top 10 play caller by defensive coordinators and assistant coaches, as recently reported by Luke, I’d say that Jones is in the best position to succeed that he has ever been.
Here is a quick list of things that Jones may be able to do with the Colts that he was not able to do with the Giants.
Have time to throw.
Have reliable, talented receivers
Have a security blanket that gains yards after the catch.
Have a line that allows him to throw downfield.
Have a coach that calls the plays that give him the best chance to succeed.
I’m not even going to point out the recent success stories for QBs who have changed teams and found themselves a little later in their career. I guess I just did?
To finish up here, my role as a contributor on Stampede Blue will be to gain a fan pulse of all things Colts related. So, let me know what you think happens if Daniel Jones is good? Can he elevate us to the playoffs? Can he save jobs? If you think that he can’t be good and have an original idea to help change minds, by all means, share that as well.
Go Colts!
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