Daniel Jeremiah’s championship recipe
 

The NFL Network analyst tells us that an NFL team needs to reach certain roster benchmarks before they ascend to the ranks of legitimate Super Bowl contenders. So, how do the Colts fare, how far are they away?

Jeremiah says an elite team needs:

1 Quarterback
3 Offensive playmakers at skill positions
3 quality Offensive Linemen
2 pass rushers
3 Defensive playmakers

Quarterback…i know that some will disagree, but I think that a healthy Danny Dimes gives the Colts a legit upper echelon Quarterback. You can argue that he might take time to recover shis full range of skills after the injury, but we’re in this for the long haul, and time is on our side.

Offensive playmakers…Taylor is one of the best in the game; Pierce is an impact player at WR; and Warren is on the brink of joining the ranks of Kittles and Kelce. That’s 3, and you might entertain the proposition that, as he gets more attention in the passing game, Downs will claw his way into the discussion. Then, there’s Deion Burks.

Offensive Linemen…Nelson is a future Hall of Famer. Bernhard Raimann is no Tristan Wirgs, but 20 other teams would love to have him. And, in an era where great Centers are becoming harder and harder to find, Tanor Bortolini is PFF’s 3rd best at the position

Pass rushers…Laiatu Latu has the skills. Before injuring his neck, Buckner was a presence inside. He singlehandedly elevated the rusn. Before he went down, they were on track for 50’plus sacks. After, they were ordinary.

Defensive playmakers…Gardner and Ward are, quite simply,elite at their position. Only 3 other Safeties had more interceptions than Bynum, who was forced to do a lot in an injury decimated secondary. And, if either Haulcy or Allen join this list, we wouldn’t be surprised. Allen, especially, should shine simply because he’ll be the guy at Linebacker. 100 tackles is the baseline we should expect out of him.