The Indianapolis Colts suffered through a frustrating season in 2015, and the protection (or lack thereof) given to Andrew Luck was the first thing that general manager Ryan Grigson noticed.
Grigson on the first thing he looked at in evaluating 2015: “We need to protect our quarterback better."
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) February 25, 2016
Certainly, protecting a franchise quarterback like Luck is an issue. But, if we’re talking about the first thing that went wrong in 2015, protecting the quarterback really isn’t No. 1, as amazing as that sounds.
The Colts were done in by an abysmal defense that allowed nearly 100 combined points over a two-week window against the Steelers and Jaguars. That’s certainly not acceptable for a championship-caliber defense.
They allowed nearly 2,000 rushing yards and finished the season with the eighth worst total in the league. They were also one of the NFL’s 10 worst teams at sacking opposing quarterbacks, something Grigson acknowledged, but didn’t seem too optimistic about fixing.
Grigson says there are some pass rushers in the 2016 draft class but “not as thick as we would like it”
— Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) February 25, 2016
As if all of that wasn’t enough, Indy’s 1,438 rushing yards gained was the NFL’s fourth-worst total, while the 3.6 yards per carry was the second-worst number in the league.
Quite honestly, if we’re evaluating what went wrong with the Colts’ 2015 season, the No. 1 answer is Ryan Grigson, whose offseason signings of Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, and Trent Cole were disastrous. Another mark against him was the decision to draft Phillip Dorsett, which was questioned at the time and one year in does not look like a good move.
Going forward, Grigson is certainly right that they do need to protect Andrew Luck better. Their sacks allowed totals in his four years are not bad, but that’s more due to Luck getting rid of the ball quickly than anything else. He’s taken a ton of hits, and it all culminated with a seven-game season in 2015.
But these are really two different questions. Going forward, protecting Luck is a must if the Colts are ever going to be one of the AFC’s best.
But looking back and evaluating 2015, which is what Grigson was doing, that’s not really what their biggest problem was. The biggest problem was a roster that was overall mediocre, and that’s the fault of the man who put it together.