Reviewing how the Colts’ players improved or decreased their position on the team.
Stock Up
Joe Flacco
Almost perfect day for the veteran quarterback, who threw for over 350 yards and had three touchdowns on the day. He was also a defensive stop away from leading one of the most impressive comebacks for the Colts in recent history. With Richardson’s injury issues, it is still up in the air whether he will be ready to go next week, and it is a big question mark whether he will manage to play all remaining games taking into account his injury history. The Colts can rest assured knowing Flacco is the backup. And before anyone starts calling for Flacco to start keep in mind that Steichen already put that to rest today.
Nick Cross
Cross got himself an interception, making a play on a game where the Colts had no almost no other things worth writing home about in the defensive side of the ball. His emergence in the safety position has been perhaps the most pleasant surprise for the team this season, and considering how young he is the team has a starting safety spot locked up for the future.
Samuel Womack
Womack has been an even more surprising starter than Cross. The cornerback got waived early in pre-season and claimed “I am never gonna get cut again”. Safe to say he has more than held up his word, forming a reliable outside cornerback duo with Jaylon Jones. Womack played 74% of the snaps yesterday, and with Dallis Flowers now waived after a dismal showing he should be in line to play every snap from now on until Brents returns.
Alec Pierce
3 targets was all it took for Pierce to easily be the most productive Colts’ wide receiver on the day, racking up 134 yards and a touchdown. Most people expected him to lose out on the #2 receiver spot to AD Mitchell, and exactly the opposite of that has happened. Might be because of the competition, or also because he is finally playing with quarterbacks capable of throwing the ball more than 30 yards, but Pierce now has 13 catches for 368 yards (28.3 yards per catch!!!) and three touchdowns on the season.
Tanor Bortolini
Another impressive showing for the rookie who has been rock solid in Ryan Kelly’s abscence. Now the question is whether he is capable of sliding right to cover the position opened up by Will Fries’ injury. I for one think it is at least worth a shot.
Stock Down
Dayo Odeyingbo
I expected a breakout game for Odeyingbo with him being one of the few remaining healthy defensive linemen on the roster. Unfortunately that was not the case as he finished the game with 0 (zero) pressures and just one tackle assist. When he is on, he can take over games on his own, problem is that seems to happen only a couple of times each season.
AD Mitchell
Mitchell had his most productive day as a pro, completing a pass on a trick play for 24 yards and catching four balls for 38 yards, but he seemed to give up on a catch where the contact was coming in. The main problem is, that makes it the third time this season where Mitchell has apparently given up on a play because contact was closing in. You cannot play with cowards at wide receiver. Steichen and Reggie Wayne are probably grilling him about it as you are reading this words.
Dallis Flowers (waived)
Talk about a stock tanking so much it gets waived. Flowers’ game was so terrible that he is not even on the team anymore. His mistake allowed the Jags’ 85-yard touchdown, as wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. was left wide open on the sideline. With Womack and Jones’ emergence the Colts felt confident enough to not even keep him on the roster anymore.
Gus Bradley
Man that seat is getting hotter each week. Firing a coordinator midseason is never a good look, but I don’t think there has ever been a more justifiable case. I think the Colts are cutting Bradley some slack because of the insane amount of injuries, but his defensive philosophy of “just hoping the opposing team makes a mistake” hurts me to watch so bad. Rushing 4 has not worked all game long? Let’s just keep doing it! His inability to create artificial pressure makes him irrelevant in the NFL today, we deserve better.
