tment Denico Autry Jersey , frustration, and general helplessness. The team was thoroughly outplayed and outclassed by a drastically more talented Chiefs team, falling 31-13 in a game that was, despite an admirable performance by the defense in the second half, never close. The Colts looked like the 1-5 team they started the season as; they were uncreative, uninspired, and frankly untalented. The disappointment in Kansas City falls mainly on the shoulders of the offense, as once again quarterback Andrew Luck didn’t show up in a playoff game, while head coach Frank Reich’s gameplan was completely unsuccessful. No receiver other than Dontrelle Inman could get open against a pretty average chiefs secondary, and the offensive line, the key to the Colts’ playoff run, was dominated in the run game by a defensive front had been the weakness of the Chiefs’ absurdly awful run defense throughout the season. On Saturday the Colts looked like a team that wasn’t in the same class of Kansas City or any of the other NFL elites. But the good news, as every Colts fan knows all too well, is that they shouldn’t be. As admirable as the team’s 10-1 run this season was, it was pretty clear this team was not a true playoff contender as much as we might have tried to convince ourselves otherwise. The team’s best wins of the season came against a Dallas team with an unusually inept performance by quarterback Dak Prescott, twice against a Houston team with an offensive line that would make the Grigson/Pagano Colts proud, and twice against a Tennessee team starting quarterbacks Blaine Gabbert, who’s proven to be terrible, and Marcus Mariota, who Tennessee should and presumably will be looking to replace in the next couple of the years.All of that’s to say that their divisional round loss must be put in the right context. As admirable as their run was, the Colts were lucky to make the playoffs (thanks to the easiest schedule of the past three seasons) and were lucky to be placed against a Houston team that they were extremely comfortable with. But while the Colts’ success this season can be seen to some degree as a fluke, the foundation they were able to lay this season is something to be incredibly excited about going forward. The post-Grigson rebuild is over for all intents and purposes. GM Chris Ballard has put together a young core that’s only going to get better, has extra picks in the second and likely fourth round from the Sam Darnold trade and the Donte Moncrief signing respectively, and has $100+ million in cap space that he could and absolutely should use recklessly before it comes time to pay Luck and the young studs from the 2017 and 2018 draft classes in a few years. This team has all the makings of one that will be ready to truly compete in the playoffs as soon as next year, despite an absolutely brutal road schedule. This is a critical offseason for Ballard and company because if they take advantage of the plethora of resources at their disposal, those Super Bowl dreams fans had at times this season will not be far-fetched.So what exactly must the team do in the offseason? Let’s dive in, position by position, as the offseason ramps up in the next few months.Note: UFA denotes an unrestricted free agent, RFA denotes a restricted free agent, and ERFA designates an Exclusive Rights Free Agent.CoachingWhat They Have: Frank Reich is going to get some buzz for coach of the year and for good reason. Reich was the driving force behind the team’s turnaround this season, and his ability to cultivate a locker room that is incredibly cohesive is extremely exciting for the team going forward. As a game manager, Reich showed a level of aggressiveness that is uncommon both in recent Colts history and in the NFL in general. Though the obvious example is the 4th down against Houston early in the season, Reich showed an appropriate level of 4th down aggression throughout the season, an area that most teams in the league are not remotely taking advantage of to the fullest extent. As a play-caller Nyheim Hines Color Rush Jersey , Reich put on some absolutely masterful performances throughout the year, as he was able to consistently keep defenses off balance, especially when the team went to no huddle. Additionally, though it is hard to know exactly where the responsibilities of Frank Reich end and the responsibilities of offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni begin, the offensive coordinator deserves a ton of credit for the offense’s success despite its well-documented talent deficiencies at wide receiver. Credit also goes to Running Backs coach Tom Rathman and Tight Ends coach Tom Manning.On defense, Matt Eberflus enjoyed an outstanding rookie season as a defensive coordinator, who put together an incredibly solid defense that was able to keep opposing offenses contained despite a general lack of talent. His effort this year earned him some interviews for head coaching positions, but it appears that the Colts will be able to retain him, creating much-needed continuity for 2019. If/when Eberflus gets his opportunity, I’d expect LB coach Dave Borgonzi, who did a wonderful job this season shaping Darius Leonard into an All-Pro and Anthony Walker into a legitimately impactful starter, to get the job. What They Need: As of Tuesday, the Colts have a gaping hole in their coaching staff after the firing of offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo, likely due to some combination of the alleged Denzelle Good incident and the fact that DeGuglielmo was never a Reich hire in the first place. I would certainly enjoy it if the team targeted Washington’s Bill Callahan as a replacement.Overall, Reich did a great job with the team last year, but he is not without his warts. As a game manager, he had a few decisions that irked me, such as allowing Luck to check out of a run at the goal line against the Giants in week 16 with very little time off the clock, or his reliance on the run in the 4th quarter in the Kansas City game despite the fact that the team was quickly running out of time. Despite putting up excellent numbers all year, the offense came out completely flat in Jacksonville and Kansas City and that ultimately cost them both games. As a play-caller, Reich called runs way too often on second and long, a decision that statistically is close to a drive killer. After the Jack Doyle injury, Reich turned to more jumbo, six OL sets to compensate for the loss of Doyle’s blocking, and for the most part, they were complete duds. Additionally, the offense seemed to turn away from Nyheim Hines towards the end of the season, and he’s a player whose receiving ability could have really helped them in the playoffs against Houston and Kansas City. In Eberflus’ case, I think it’s fair to say he did the best he could with what he had. The Colts ran far and away the most zone coverage in the league this year, and that simply won’t work against some of the top NFL offenses the Colts will be playing next year and beyond. Being zone heavy is fine, but the defense needs to be able to run straight man coverage more often than they did last year if they want to be successful in the playoffs, something that should be more possible with the influx of talent the defense hopes to add over the offseason.What do you think of the Colts’ roster as a whole? What player would you most like to add in free agency? What position is in the most need of talent? Leave a comment or hit me up on Twitter, @__AlexJacobson. The Indianapolis Colts’ defense struggled in the first half of the 2018 season but turned it around, kick-starting a run to the playoffs. A key to the turnaround was the unexpected rise of several role players into every day starters. Of the players to turn it around https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Johnny-Unitas-Jersey , perhaps the most underappreciated was cornerback Pierre Desir. Desir put together a career year for the Colts in 2018, eclipsing his career best marks in almost every statistical category. He finished with 79 total tackles, 8 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, and an interception. He also played a pivotal role in shutting down DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper late in the season.This film room will examine where Desir excels and how he put together a career season. It will also examine areas he needs to improve if he hopes to become a number one corner in 2019, for the Colts or another team.PositivesMan DefenseThe Colts run a zone heavy defense but mix in man coverage to confuse offenses. Desir was the team’s go-to corner in these situations. As the player often tasked with covering the opponent’s top target, he was excellent in match-ups against Cooper and Hopkins. His long frame and impressive movement skills make him a nuisance for receivers in man coverage.Desir held Amari Cooper to 4 catches for 32 yards in their week 15 match-up and a big reason was his athleticism. Electing to use mirror and match coverage, Desir was able to move with Cooper all, even though Cooper is one of the better route runners in football. In this clip, Desir (top of the screen) matches Cooper’s movements off of the line effortlessly and stays even down the line on the in route. Tight coverage like this led to fewer targets for Cooper.When matched-up against DeAndre Hopkins, Desir knew he had to be physical at the line, rather than mirror and match. In this clip, Desir (top of the screen) gets his hands on Hopkins early and drives him towards the sidelines. Frustrated, Hopkins gives up on the route and allows Desir to take him out of the play. The ability to play physical in man coverage was a major reason Desir held Hopkins to just 9 catches for 73 yards in two games.In our next clip, Desir (bottom of the screen) is in off man coverage with speedy wide receiver Robby Anderson. He gets good depth on his backpedal and flips his hips effortlessly once he diagnoses that Anderson is running a fade route. He does an excellent job of closing the gap with the receiver and gets his head around to make a play on the ball. The result is an incompletion.In our last man coverage clip, Desir (bottom of the screen) is lined up in press man coverage. He opens his hips well as the receiver cuts inside and breaks on the ball effortlessly as it is thrown. A poor pass is the main reason for this incompletion but Desir is in prime position to make a play. He gets his hands into the passing lane and nearly causes an interception.Burst/ RecoveryTwo of the more important traits that a corner can posses are burst and the ability to recover when beat. Desir has superb burst out of his backpedal which is so important in the Colts’ zone heavy defense. He also doesn’t panic when he is beat and often works himself back into a play by getting into throwing lanes. In our next clip, Desir (bottom of the screen) is in off man coverage. He opens up his hips early and allows the receiver to have an inside release, acknowledging his safety help over the top. When the receiver runs a skinny post just inside of his zone, Desir breaks on the ball and nearly comes away with an interception. The underthrow helps but Desir’s burst and quickness out of his backpedal nearly turn this play into an interception.Often billed as a man corner, in this clip Desir (top of the screen) flashes ability in zone. Here he is tasked with the outside flat zone. He gets his eyes on the quarterback early and recognizes the slant. He breaks on the pass with excellent foot speed and quickness and comes away with his only interception of the season. Great read but the play was mostly made because of his top level burst out of his break. In our next clip, Desir (right of the screen) does an excellent job recovering after he is initially fooled with play-action. He calmly locates his receiver, gets in the passing lane, and finds the ball as it touches the tight end’s hands. The result is a big incompletion on a play that could have been a big gain for the Cowboys.TacklingToo many players lunge and dive at ball carriers rather than wrapping up and making good, clean tackles. Desir spent some time in Seattle and it is reflected in his tackling form and ability. His tackling ability was vital to the Colts’ zone defense in 2018. Desir consistently wraps up when tackling. In this clip, he (top of the screen) comes out of his break when he sees the tight end catch the pass. He aims his tackle correctly while getting his head on the correct side of the ball carrier and wraps him up. The result is no extra yards and a solid tackle in the stat sheet. Even on plays when he is not in position, Desir (top of the screen) has the length and physicality to make tough tackles. In this clip, he gets a deep drop in coverage and flies upfield when the ball is caught by the running back in space. He gets around the potential wide receiver block and reaches the running back before he can get to the first down marker. NegativesConsistencyThe only major issue I notice when watching Desir’s game is game-to-game consistency. He often struggles with the mental aspect of the game and needs to be stickier in coverage in some games. He was excellent against Dallas, Washington, and Houston but really struggled in against Miami, New England, and New York (Giants). This clip shows the biggest lowlight of the season for Desir (bottom of the screen). He does a good job of sticking with his man through the route. He covers his man all the way down field and doesn’t lose him when the ball is thrown. But he needs to make a better play on the ball. He has to win at the point of attack. Losing down the field is a recipe for losing games.The following clip shows Desir’s mental inconsistency. He (top of the screen) is tasked with man coverage on the outside receiver against the Patriots. The receiver motions inside and catches a quick screen while Desir doesn’t react in time to prevent the touchdown. As the only unblocked defender on this play, it is on Desir to get in there and break up the pass. The inactivity at the snap shows some of the mental inconsistencies in his game. Final ThoughtsPierre Desir was an underappreciated player during the Colts’ playoff run in 2018. He was excellent in man coverage and his ability to tackle in space was underrated. His burst and agility is truly remarkable. To really take the next step and become a number one corner, he must find more consistency in his game.The Colts’ would have been a completely different team last season if he didn’t step and play as well as he did. Hopefully GM Chris Ballard finds a way to bring the veteran back for at least another year in 2019.
