The Colts are in Hell ...... but Not Necessarily Quarterback Hell

[Colts And Orioles]

o


Last season, the Colts had one of the best offensive lines in football ...... but their quarterback played badly in crunch-time on numerous occasions, probably costing the Colts at least 2 games, maybe 3.

This season, the Colts managed to unload Wentz and went out and got themselves a better quarterback in Matt Ryan ...... but the offensive line has devolved from one of the best in the NFL to one of the worst in the NFL.

Also this season, the Colts, for one reason or another, have managed to lose numerous very close games that went right down to the wire for numerous different reasons ...... the otherwise excellent defense didn't come through on the final drive of the game a couple of times, our place-kickers missed makeable field goals in 2 separate games that likely would have won said games (once it was Blankenship, the other time it was McLaughlin), the offense failed to put the ball in the end-zone for the knockout-punch against the Eagles when they had a 1st-and-goal from the opponents' 5-yardline late in the 4th quarter, or they just got an unfortunate bounce of the ball that tipped the scales in the opponents' favor.


No, I don't believe that the Colts have necessarily been in QB hell since the retirement of Andrew Luck ...... the Colts WERE in QB hell in 2019 with Jacoby Brissett and in 2021 with Carson Wentz, but they WERE NOT in QB hell in 2020 when Philip Rivers led them to an 11-6 record and took the Buffalo Bills right down to the wire in a playoff game on their homefield in New York State, or even this season with Matt Ryan, who has somehow managed to not get himself killed behind the atrocious offensive line that has allegedly been "blocking" for him ...... we have just been in hell since the retirement of Philip Rivers following the 2020 season. Not the brand of hell that the 2011 Colts were in when Peyton Manning was injured, Andrew Luck was still at Stanford, and the hopelessly overmatched team that was led by hopelessly overmatched quarterbacks such as Curtis Painter and Dan Orlovsky went 2-14 ...... we've just been in "would have, could have, should have" hell over the last 2 seasons combined.

o

[Spike]

Matt Ryan - Can't throw a football through a paper bag.
Nick Foles - Is he even on this team?
Ehlinger - Eh.

I would call that QB hell.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Spike

Matt Ryan - Can't throw a football through a paper bag.

Nick Foles - Is he even on this team ???

Ehlinger - Eh.


I would call that QB hell.

o


The 37 year-old Ryan may be playing with an injured shoulder, which sidelined him for 2 games earlier in the season ...... Ryan may not have injured his shoulder in the second place if he had had some decent blocking in front of him in the first place.

So unless you have a quarterback with the mobility of a Michael Vick or a Fran Tarkenton, or a quarterback such as Dan Marino who had one of the quickest releases in the history of professional football, expecting better results from even a very good quarterback with an atrocious offensive line like the Colts have had is like expecting better results after rearranging the chairs on the decks of The Titantic.

o

[Oldcolt]

Just because the offensive line stinks it doesn’t give a pass to Ryan. They both stink and yes I think this is QB hell. You cannot do any planning since every off season you start with a new QB. No continuity to grow your team with. It leads to this kind of shit where you don’t really have an idea of who sucks because everyone seems to suck. With the perfect team Ryan could lead us, but then again so could maybe half the quarterbacks in the league given a great surrounding cast.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Just because the offensive line stinks it doesn’t give a pass to Ryan. They both stink and yes I think this is QB hell. You cannot do any planning since every off season you start with a new QB. No continuity to grow your team with. It leads to this kind of shit where you don’t really have an idea of who sucks because everyone seems to suck. With the perfect team Ryan could lead us, but then again so could maybe half the quarterbacks in the league given a great surrounding cast.

o


Well, how about the reverse of your hypothesis ...... how many starting quarterbacks in the NFL right now could succeed with this offensive line ???

How many quarterbacks in the NFL right now would find a way to lead this team to a winning record when the defensive front is in their face less than 2 seconds after the ball is snapped, as it has been for a good portion of this season ???


Also, I don't think that Ryan needs a "perfect" team to be successful ...... if the offensive line were even average, the Colts would likely be at least 7-5 right now, and with a good offensive line (about 7th or 8th in the league out of 32 teams) they would likely be 8-4 or 9-3. Last year, the Colts were 9-6 after 15 games with Carson Wentz at quarterback with an offensive line that was the antithesis of what Matt Ryan and Sam Ehlinger have had this season.

o

[Colts And Orioles]

o


Sam Ehlinger was sacked 9 times by the Patriots.

Nick Foles was sacked 7 times and threw 3 INT's against the Chargers.

Matt Ryan had his shoulder separated against the Titans, was sacked 38 times, and threw 13 INT's in the 12 games that he played in.


If the Colts had a quarterback who could read defenses like that of a Peyton Manning, had a super-quick release like that of a Dan Marino, had the mobility of a Michael Vick or a Randall Cunningham, and had the strength and toughness of a Ben Roethlisberger, they could certainly make things work with this offensive line.

o

[HoosierinFL]

Originally Posted by Colts And Orioles

o

If the Colts had a quarterback who could read defenses like that of a Peyton Manning, had a super-quick release like that of a Dan Marino, had the mobility of a Michael Vick or a Randall Cunningham, and had the strength and toughness of a Ben Roethlisberger, they could certainly make things work with this offensive line.

o

dude, Jim Harbaugh retired a long time ago

[apballin]

Originally Posted by HoosierinFL

dude, Jim Harbaugh retired a long time ago

Yea talk about shitty line, remember the playoff game vs the Steelers when Jim had chipped teeth and a bloody mouth….

[Dam8610]

Actually coming to the end of this season I feel better about the OL than I did coming into the season. Raimann has developed and looks to be the LT of the future, Nelson and Smith have gotten their acts together and are playing at a level much more commensurate with their contracts, and we know where the holes are: C and RG. Fill the holes and we're back to an elite line. Those two holes aren't the hardest to fill, either.

[Colts And Orioles]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

Actually coming to the end of this season I feel better about the OL than I did coming into the season. Raimann has developed and looks to be the LT of the future, Nelson and Smith have gotten their acts together and are playing at a level much more commensurate with their contracts, and we know where the holes are: C and RG. Fill the holes and we're back to an elite line. Those two holes aren't the hardest to fill, either.

o


I hope that you're right ...... the fact that the offensive line had back-to-back solid seasons in 2020 and 2021 prior to this season's disaster gives me at least some hope that perhaps 2022 was a big bump in the road, and that perhaps 2023 will see them revert to (good) form.

Whether or not the offensive line will find a way to be at least average-or-better is the biggest "if" in the Colts' immediate future, along with who their starting quarterback will be.

o