Ryan Grigson drafted Ryan Kelly in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft but did nothing else to improve the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line. It was a decision that shocked many Colts fans, especially with the issues that star quarterback Andrew Luck has dealt because of the porous offensive line.
Unfortunately for the Colts and the sanity of their fan base, Grigson’s gamble did not pay off and that was obvious in Week 2 action against the Denver Broncos.
Luck was sacked five times throughout the course of the game, with Von Miller chipping in three of them. He was also sacked twice against a Detroit Lions’ defense that doesn’t have much pass rushing ability in the first week of the season. Things have to change if the Colts want to change their future.
Indianapolis has started 0-2 for the third season in a row. One of the consistent issues that they have faced has been finding ways to keep Luck on his feet.
There are a couple of different directions that Jim Irsay could go. He could continue sticking with Grigson and keep risking Luck’s health each and every week, or they could fire Grigson and bring someone in that can see the problems and do their best to fix them. It is obvious that Grigson cannot or will not change the way that he is running things in Indianapolis.
Looking at the roster, the Colts should have a very competitive football team if the line was fixed. They would still have defensive problems due to key injuries, but the offense would be much more effective.
At this point in time, the Colts cannot afford to stick with what they’ve been doing and expect things to change. Grigson has three more years on his contract following the 2016 season and Indianapolis cannot hold onto him throughout the rest of his deal if they want to compete for a Super Bowl appearance.
Grigson must improve the Colts’ offensive line or be fired. There are no other options for the Colts at this point in time. Whether he improves it via a midseason trade or signs some big names next offseason, he has to make moves for the line.
Expect to see the Indianapolis offense continue struggling and Luck continue taking big hits for the foreseeable future. Until the Colts make the additions that they need to their line, nothing is going to change.
