After the Colts took a beat down from the Jags last Sunday the Colts head home from a match-up against the Browns. If things aren’t fixed offensively it could get ugly no matter who’s taking snaps for Cleveland. Let’s hope the speckled Indiana Nights uniforms spark the fire for Minshew Mania. However, I believe the game plan should be quite simple…
Colts’ Gameplan – F*ck it… Go Wild.
The future of the franchise has been benched for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury and now the team has nothing to lose. I say fuck it, go nuts in all phases of the game, and see what happens.
Fake every punt put Moss and Jt in the backfield together with multiple counters and screens, and blitz a copious amount of times. Why not?
Just to be clear, I’m not saying the Colts are giving up on the season! Shane Steichen and Gus Bradley have both proven to be creative football minds and now is the time to unleash that genius all over the field. At 3-3 in a division that isn’t out of reach, throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.
Colts’ Offense
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (28) – Indianapolis Colts
With Minshew at quarterback, the offense will be somewhat limited in the playmaking department. This is where Steichen needs to bake in some splash with play design and tendency breakers. Get funky with formations, have nutty motions, and pull linemen for funsies to create game-breaking plays.
The Browns are putting up historical numbers defensively this year, holding opposing offenses to 3.8 yards per play and allowing a measly 23% 3rd down conversion rate. Keeping teams in long 3rd downs unlocks their franchise leader in sacks, Myles Garrett, to make his money.
Here’s where Jonathan Taylor, Zack Moss, and Josh Downs fit into the go-wild game plan. Run a double RPO with Moss and JT during the same play and have Downs be the pass option on the outside. Not only could this possibly force the Browns out of base defense, which the Colts struggled with last week, but also keep them honest. If both runningbacks have the potential to get the ball, the defense can’t hone in on one man, which makes the running lanes bigger. Turning a 2-back system into the same run defense teams played when facing Anthony Richardson, with the passing option Wildcat doesn’t allow.
At the very least it’s fun to think about.
However, you can’t RPO every play so to shake it up let Downs run option routes on iso backside formations. Let him be the match-up nightmare he is! So far this season he has 28 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown. It’s time to get this man a 10-catch game with a couple of touchdowns. Even if that means giving him more targets than Michael Pittman, who fits into the next part of the plan.
Throw it into jump ball situations. Alec Pierce is on the injury report with a shoulder but that can’t stop the Colts from ripping the ball downfield. Let Pittman use that big body and attack downfield. Test the corners for Cleveland and force them to beat you instead of Myles Garrett. To open up the field, let Minshew get outside the pocket on play-actions to cut down the field and watch the horseshoes gallop into the endzone.
Colts’ Defense
Colts DL Deforest Buckner (99) – Indianapolis Colts
So far, Rodeny Thomas and Julian Blackmon have been fine. Just fine. However, they have the ability to be great! They both need to be more active participants in the game plan instead of safety valves for the young corners. Spin the coverage, send them on double safety blitzes, and let Blackmon stay in the box just to mess with crossing routes.
Grover Stewart is gone for six games on a PED suspension, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of the defense. It’s time to slant, twist, switch, flip, roll, rip, and ride every which way possible to get Buckner open to make a mess. Do everything in an all-out boom-of-bust style.
Again, this is not the COlts punting on the season. It is simply unleashing Zaire Franklin, EJ SPeed, and Shaq Leonard to play completely uninhibited by schematic rules. Bring an all-out blitz on first down to overwhelm whoever is playing quarterback for the Browns. Jam receivers, get physical at the line of scrimmage, don’t let tight ends cross your face, and please for all that is good and holy let Kenny Moore come off the edge with a coaching point that roughing the passer does not exist if Watson is playing this week.
See ball, destroy man with ball, score ball. That’s the motto for the defense for the rest of the season. It’s not catchy but it is easy steps to success.
The Colts organization has seen enough from Steichen to know he’s the guy. So just let every go bonkers and see what happens. F*ck it… Go Wild.
