Top 10 candidates to unseat the Patriots following Super Bowl LI

7. Indianapolis Colts

Jim Irsay believes that Chris Ballard was the best GM candidate of the 21st century. That may be overstating things, but he should be a significant upgrade over Ryan Grigson.

From Day 1, Grigson completely neglected what should have been his primary responsibility – protecting Andrew Luck. He also failed to give the Colts a complete defense that could win games against quarterbacks like Tom Brady.

Still, from 2012-2014, Indianapolis went 11-5 three times and made the playoffs each season. The 2015 and 2016 seasons brought regression, but the Colts still went 8-8 in each year. Now they have a general manager who will (at least theoretically) try to assemble a football team rather than a fantasy team. That should be worth a few wins, right?

Unlike most non playoff teams, Indianapolis is undeniably set at the quarterback position.

The Colts head into 2016 with a strong quarterback, talented skill players and a defense that has talent but needs help. If that sounds familiar, it should. The same things were true about the Falcons heading into 2016.

With a strong offseason, Indianapolis could well be a Super Bowl contender in 2017. It wouldn’t even be that surprising.

By Michael Dixon

Bay Area born and raised, I have extensive experience in both the print and online worlds. There are few ... More about Michael Dixon