Indianapolis Colts – 2017-18 NFL Season Analysis

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Will They Make It?

The past two years the Indianapolis Colts fell shy of making the playoffs. Both years the Colts ended with an 8-8 record. In 2015, Andrew Luck missed time with an injury, but the real blame is the atrocious defense. Over the off-season Indianapolis brought in Ted Monachino to be the new defensive coordinator. Monachino was the former linebacker coach for the Baltimore Ravens. If the Colts can find a way to keep their opponents out of the end-zone, they can become a lethal team with their high-powered offense.

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Key Player Additions

DE Jabaal Sheard
LB Sean Spence
LB John Simon
LB Barkevious Mingo
WR Kamar Aiken
RB Christine Michael
TE Steven Wroblewski

Key Player Losses

S Mike Adams
LB Josh McNary
DE Zach Kerr
CB Patrick Robinson
DT Art Jones

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The Draft

During the 2017 draft the Colts clearly had their sights set on defensive improvements. With 8 total picks, Indianapolis brought in 6 young players to hopefully assist with their defensive woes. Here is a rundown of the Colts 2017 selections:

First Round – Malik Hooker - S – Ohio State
Second Round – Quincy Wilson – CB – Florida
Third Round – Tarell Basham – DE – Ohio U
Fourth Round – Zach Banner – OT – USC
Fourth Round – Marlon Mack – RB – South Florida
Fourth Round – Grover Stewart – DT – Albany State
Fifth Round – Nate Hairston – CB – Temple
Fifth Round – Anthony Walker Jr. – LB – Northwestern

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Players to Watch

T.Y. Hilton, WR

T.Y has become a boom or bust option for fantasy football owners over the past few years. Although Hilton led the league in receiving yards, he only managed to reach the end-zone 6 times. In 2017 T.Y is hoping to reach double-digit touchdowns. With Kamar Aiken now in the receiving core, perhaps T.Y will find a better way to get open in the end-zone. Hilton heads into the 2017 full of confidence despite being without his starting quarterback for the beginning of the season.

Andrew Luck, QB

The Colts franchise quarterback, Andrew Luck, has been hobbled over the past couple seasons. In January, Luck underwent shoulder surgery and now he won’t be back for Week 1. The Colts will rely on either Scott Tolzien or Stephen Morris in the early weeks to fill in for the injured Luck. Once Luck comes back, expect the Colts to get a boost in production.

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Overview

The Colts have been rather unlucky over the last few years and they will be without Luck in the first weeks of the 2017 season. If their defense manages to figure it out this year, they could be a good team once their starting quarterback is healthy.

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-- @jeffjagoe --

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32 Teams in 32 Days - Countdown to the NFL Season

Day 1 - Oakland Raiders

Day 2 - San Francisco 49ers

Day 3 - Kansas City Chiefs

Day 4 - New York Jets

Day 5 - Atlanta Falcons

Day 6 - Green Bay Packers

Day 7 - Minnesota Vikings

Day 8 - Dallas Cowboys

Day 9 - Buffalo Bills

Day 10 – Denver Broncos

Day 11 - New York Giants

Day 12 – Jacksonville Jaguars

Day 13 – Pittsburg Steelers

Day 14 – Baltimore Ravens

Day 15 – Houston Texans

Day 16 – Cincinnati Bengals

Day 17 – Cleveland Browns

Day 18 - Tampa Bay Bucaneers

Day 19 – Los Angeles Chargers

Day 20 - Seattle Seahawks