John Simon Color Rush Jersey , either in free-agency or the Draft, the Colts may have to look inside the house to find a defensive tackle." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Jihad Ward could be the answer the Colts are looking for at defensive tackleNew,38commentsAfter not adding a single defensive tackle, either in free-agency or the Draft, the Colts may have to look inside the house to find a defensive tackle.EDTShareTweetShareShareJihad Ward could be the answer the Colts are looking for at defensive tacklePhoto by Rob Carr/Getty ImagesDefensive tackle was probably the biggest position of need the Colts had entering the off-season. In free-agency, the Colts were expected to go after big names like Ndamukong Suh or Sheldon Richardson, but they signed no one at the position. Then the Draft came and the Colts were expected to invest an early pick in a defensive tackle, on a guy like Jerry Tillery or Dexter Lawrence, but then again, no defensive tackle was added to the roster. This leaves the Colts with four options at defensive tackle as of today: Margus Hunt, Tyquan Lewis, Denico Autry, and Jihad Ward.Denico Autry was the Colts best defensive lineman last season, and he is expected to start again, after alternating between defensive end and defensive tackle, but who will start alongside him? Margus Hunt enjoyed a hot start to the season, but cooled off considerably and disappeared in the playoffs. Tyquan Lewis had an inconsistent rookie season, and he may not be ready to handle full-time starting duties just yet. The best option seems to be Jihad Ward.Ward is an athletic freak with the size and weight to handle 0-tech defensive tackle duties. He is a mountain of a man at 6’5 and 290 lbs and moves fluidly. Ward was having himself a breakout season last year before an ankle injury in Week 7 forced him to IR. Ward played as a substitute in all 6 games prior to the injury https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey , but he still amassed 3 sacks and 3 tackles for loss. Nothing eye-popping, but the production and efficiency was definitely there. On this sack against the Redskins, we can appreciate everything that Ward excels at. He displays his excellent hand usage and strength to demolish Washington’s left guard Shaun Lauvao, he leaves him in the dirt and then gets Alex Smith for the sack. Ward specialty from the little we have seen from him seems to be collapsing pockets from the inside and having the ability to destroy opposing linemen in one-on-one situations. Ward can give the Colts something they lacked last season, pressure from the inside. Ward will also potentially benefit from playing alongside Autry, who is expected to make a permanent move to defensive tackle after the signing of Justin Houston. Autry had an excellent season, racking up 9.5 sacks, leading the team in the department. The main weakness I see in Ward’s game is that he failed to garner double-teams, which is essentially the main job of the 0-tech defensive tackle: opening up lanes for his teammates. Still, opposing teams will take quick notice that if Ward is left one-on-one with a guard, then the pocket will almost surely collapse. What is most encouraging about Ward is his impeccable work ethic. The leap he made from his 2nd to his 3rd year demonstrates he is more than willing to put in the work and grind to become a better football player. This off-season Ward worked out with Colts legend Robert Mathis to improve his pass-rushing moves. His hand usage is consistently the topic of viral videos, as he is incredibly quick. If the workout videos can translate to the field, then the Colts will have found the guy they were looking for to play defensive tackle. Andrew Luck is an elite NFL quarterback, what is most surprising about this is the lack of weapons he had during his career." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Analyzing Andrew Luck’s weapons throughout his careerNew,25commentsAndrew Luck is an elite NFL quarterback, what is most surprising about this is the lack of weapons he had during his career.EDTShareTweetShareShareAnalyzing Andrew Luck’s weapons throughout his careerPhoto by David Eulitt/Getty ImagesAndrew Luck has played at an elite level, when healthy, during his entire career. Before he was putting up 30+ touchdown seasons Antonio Morrison Jersey , Luck excelled at being one of the most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL, and once he got accustomed to the League, his numbers skyrocketed.The best quality about Luck is how he seems to be able to make things work without as many weapons as the other elite quarterbacks in the League. If you take a look at the other top-notch quarterbacks, they always seem to have at least two or three above-average pass catchers, while Luck rarely had two. Say for example, Mahomes had Hill, Kelce, Hunt (before the suspension) and Watkins; Rodgers had guys like Adams, Nelson, Graham, and Cobb; Goff has Cooks, Gurley, Woods, and Kupp and even Deshaun Watson has Hopkins, arguably the best receiver in the NFL.Andrew Luck’s receivers through the years2012ReceptionsYardsTouchdowns2012ReceptionsYardsTouchdownsLuck did have a solid supporting cast in his first two seasons in the NFL. Wayne was an ageless wonder, posting a 106/1355/5 line at 34 years old. That same season, Luck also had Donnie Avery, who enjoyed a respectable season with Luck throwing the ball to him Kenny Moore Color Rush Jersey , and also a rookie T.Y Hilton who exploded onto the scene.In his second season, he lost Avery, but Fleener developed into the vertical-threat he was supposed to be out of college. It is also worth mentioning this is the season where Reggie tore his ACL, and, at 35 years old, he never truly recovered. Wayne’s injury marked the last time the Colts had a true #2 receiver.In year 3, Luck truly made the leap and asserted himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, throwing for 40 touchdowns. That season, Luck had T.Y, already established as a premier NFL receiver, a much more polished Coby Fleener and a hobbled Reggie Wayne on his final legs. For his first 3 years, Luck never enjoyed the luxury of an established rushing attack behind him. The Colts offense was extremely one-sided, and the offensive line was porous. After taking an absurd amount of hits, Luck’s body ended up crumbling, and he missed most of the 2015 season with a kidney and shoulder injury. He returned for the 2016 and posted another great season, but the Colts failed to make the playoffs when Luck played 15 or more games for the first time in his career. Yet again Luck did not have a true #2 receiver and the offensive line appeared to be allergic to blocking, allowing 41 sacks, an absurd 7.6% sack rate. Predictably https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jeremiah-George-Jersey , history repeated itself: After being beaten up throughout the course of the 2016 season, Luck was unable to play a single game in 2017, as a result of one of the strangest injuries in Colts’ history.Luck returned for the 2018 season with plenty of questions about his shoulder, and whether or not his body could hold up after having not played for over two years. He quickly dispelled such chatter, posting his best and most efficient season to date, with 39 scores, 15 interceptions,4593 yards and a career high 67.3% completion rate. Also, Luck finally got a great general manager, who put one of the best offensive lines in the NFL in front of him. Luck was only sacked 18 times (best in the NFL) and played all 16 games.The true question here is: If Luck managed to accomplish all that he has done without a true supporting cast, what will he able to do if given weapons? It would not be surprising if he posts even better numbers than those of Mahomes. Luck could even break a few franchise records. With the offensive line problem already more than fixed, the Colts should desperately try to find Luck a true #2 receiver, either in the draft, as this is one of the deepest wide receiver classes in recent memory, or via trade, aiming for available targets such as Mohamed Sanu or Nelson Agholor for example. I trust Ballard to give Luck his best supporting cast in his career as he is entering his prime.