Stampede Blue
The Indianapolis Colts are officially 2-0 for the first time in a long time. The world asked them to do it against a better defense and they did. A lot of really good plays have been discussed ad nauseam, so in this article, I’ll highlight some less flashy plays the Colts have used to move the chains and score points.
Colts have loved Naked keepers early in the game. It helps the QB get into a rhythm, moves the launch point so elite pass rushers can’t tee off, and lets them get their TE the ball in the flat.
A Naked usually has something in the flat, and over route from the backside, and then a post or deep corner as an alert.
This is a Naked with Slam tag. Slam just tells Tyler Warren to engage with Nik Bonnito and then leak into the flat. Bonitto does an awesome job reading boot and engaging with Warren and preventing him from getting out into the flat.
Jones does an awesome job flipping his hips and delivering a ball right on the body on the Over from Pittman, knowing he’s about to take a shot on this play.
AD Mitchell didn’t necessarily see a ton of action on the field, but he did serve a purposeful role when he checked into the game. Here he is running a Hinge route on Patrick Surtain. The Colts love getting AD the ball in 3×1 scenarios where he can run isolation routes vs. a corner. This is obviously great defense from one of the best corners in football, but sometimes the perfect throw helps.
A random thought, but watching it back, I wonder if that Hinge route is allowed to convert vs. press coverage. I have no way of knowing, but a lot of offenses will convert that route into a Go if they get press. The reason for that is because a jam can throw off the timing of the route and it’s harder to separate with a corner attached at your hip. Normally with a hinge, you want to threaten an off corner early and then generate your separation at the top of the route.
In a 3×1 formation, the QB will almost always read that weak safety vs. any split safety coverage. If that weak safety tries to hunt up any vertical route from the strong side of the formation, well than you know you have 1-on-1 with that X receiver. If that safety tries to bracket the X receiver, than you’ll work the 3 receiver side.
Nonetheless, AD Mitchell is slowly making more plays when he gets his opportunities, albeit still limited. I think it’s a matter of time before he gets a chance to be an every down player.
The Colts run game deserves a lot of credit as well. Obviously Jonathan Taylor has been terrific through two weeks, but I also think the Colts have executed really well up front.
An interesting development is the under center run...
