Over the first quarter of the season, the Colts have had as many as a dozen projected starters sitting on the bench, nursing injuries.
Richardson
Taylor
Woods
Kelly
Fries
Paye
Ebukam
Lewis
Buckner
Stewart
Brents
Moore
In addition, Pittman has a bad back, Downs a toe, and Braden Smith is playing on one leg.
And yet, through all that adversity, they’ve lost 3 games by a total of 11 points.
I know that the default, rote response is next man up, but… Starters are starters for a reason, and Pro Bowlers like Taylor, Moore, and Buckner can’t be replaced by the likes of Taven Bryan, Trey Sermon, and Chris Lammons. The bottom line is that we can’t know just how good a team that Chris Ballard has put together until plaers are back on the field and not sitting in a whirlpool, communing with the training staff.
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