Insider: Why the Colts aren't worried about WR Alec Pierce ... and you shouldn't be e

[JAFF]

Insider: Why the Colts aren't worried about WR Alec Pierce ... and you shouldn't be either

The Jacksonville secondary spent most of Sunday’s opener playing in a deep shell, trying to keep Indianapolis from hitting one over the top, and according to the Colts coaches, the plan left few, if any, opportunities to throw the ball deep.

“You can try real hard as a coaching staff to get the ball to a certain guy, or call a certain play where maybe a certain guy is the first read,” Cooter said. “But boy, if that defense plays that alternate look… You think their main coverage is one thing, and when they play that secondary coverage, Anthony Richardson doesn’t need to throw to his first read. He’s got to get to his second read. That happened a little bit to Alec in the game.”

Indianapolis is counting on Pierce, who flashed at times in a rookie season that produced 41 catches for 593 yards and two touchdowns, to take the next step.

But a couple of missed connections between Richardson and Pierce in the preseason, coupled with a quiet day on Sunday, have drawn criticism for Pierce.

Criticism the Colts coaching staff believes is unwarranted.

“I’m not concerned,” Indianapolis receivers coach Reggie Wayne said. “The kid, he’s confident in his ability, he knows what he’s got to do. He’s not listening to what y’all say; that’s always a plus.”

The Colts put the blame for Pierce’s lack of opening-day production on the game plan.

Indianapolis spent most of the first half attacking underneath in the middle of the field, leaving Pierce and the team’s veteran No. 1 target, Michael Pittman Jr. out of the action on the outside. When the Colts headed to the locker room at halftime, the two had combined for just one target, and that target came on a ball batted at the line of scrimmage.

Pittman got going in the second half, piling up eight catches for 97 yards and an electric 39-yard touchdown on a screen.

But Pierce stayed quiet.

“It’ll come,” Wayne said. “Just got to be patient; still trying to get rolling as an offense, period. … The first game, Pitt got going a little bit in the second half, so people’ll start keying on that, and that’s when Alec’s got to come up.”

Ideally, the Colts would like to get their outside receivers involved before the half on Sunday against the Texans.

Even if that doesn’t mean throwing the ball deep against a Texans secondary that limited Baltimore star Lamar Jackson to just 169 passing yards in the opener last Sunday.

Pierce might be the team’s best deep threat, but there are other ways to get him involved, especially by attacking the middle of the field.

“I can do a better job of getting him the football a little more,” Steichen said. “We’ve got to get (the outside receivers) touches early, and it took some time to get it going.”

The Colts are only one game into the season.

And the coaching staff is confident Pierce will play a key role soon.