Go For It On Fourth Fan Preview 2018: The Indianapolis Colts

Go For It On Fourth Fan Preview 2018: The Indianapolis Colts

For my half of the Go For It On Fourth preview for the 2018 NFL season, I decided to ask fans of every team questions about how they think their team will do this season. Instead of asking just one fan per team, I decided to get as many fans as I could involved. For some teams, that was several. For some teams, that was just one fan. But we very much appreciate everyone who got involved in our Preview for the 2018 Season!

Representing the Indianapolis Colts:

George, Tampa, Florida, @george3796
Elijah, Murrieta, California, coltsnation87 or @etoohill
Ben, Norfolk, UK, @Sargie_Jarvo
Kay, Cardiff, Wales, @kaycolts
Stuart, Aberdeen via Dundee, @stvstheworld

First off, sum up last season for us.

George: Our team and coaching staff was exposed in all of their weaknesses

Elijah: Uh, yeah...it was a time for growth? and seeing how much we miss our lord commander Andrew Luck.

Ben: Very disappointing, but when thinking about what it actually meant on the grand scheme of things, provided Andrew Luck is back and firing on all cylinders, it was a stop gap where we had to survive and play to get ourselves to a position where we are able to compete again.

Kay: Awful in a strong division, and we were terrible.

Stuart: In a words, absolutely fucking turboshite. No wait, that's three words. Okay, absolutelyfuckingturboshite. Luck was activated off the PUP list then went back on it, then practised a little bit, then his shoulder was sore again, he went to the Netherlands, and our hopes for the season went with him. Scott Tolzien is the worst quarterback I've ever seen play for the Colts, and I've seen Curtis Painter play for the Colts. Jacoby Brissett tried his best, but with absolutely no offensive line to speak of, he got sacked a bunch of times, and we lost a bunch of games from winning positions. We finished four and fucking twelve. It...it was not good. And, despite all of this, we swept the Texans, because of fucking course we did.

How was your offseason?

George: Ehhh. Luck got healthy which was nice but not much on the free agent end.

Elijah: It was decent, really focused on basketball a lot, big Lakers fan here and as the entire world knows, we have LeBron James, so now I just sit back and let the NBA finals come to me...(laughs).

Ben: I always think that free agency is a little disappointing for the Colts.  Watching other teams go out searching, I felt the Colts were very careful and considered this FA, going after positional needs rather than marquee signings.  I think Ebron will be a big addition and Autry had a very successful training camp, I hope that he can work well in the new defensive scheme, where the pass rush is one of the main areas we need to improve.  I did feel that losing Moncrief would hurt us, but I was quite pleased to see that he has not shown his form in Jacksonville and dropped to a possible 4^th WR option.

Kay: Flat. Plenty of talent out there, let’s go and get some of it!

Stuart: Quite surreal. Chuck Pagano is finally, mercifully gone from the club. Good human being, terrible head coach. Should have followed Ryan "Human Binfire" Grigson out the door in 2016. Andrew Luck is back to full health. We hired Josh McDaniels, and then he revealed himself to be an absolute rat of a human being and backed out at the last minute, and we ended up getting a potentially much better option in Frank Reich.

Key additions from free agency and the Draft?

George: Quentin Nelson, huge.

Elijah: For free agency it is Eric Ebron, really excited to see what this guy can do for us and hoping him and Doyle become a threat in the league. For the draft: it had to be our wall who is Quentin Nelson, he already is showing what he can do to protect the lord commander.

Ben: Obviously the main man from the draft was Quinton Nelson, who really looks the part.  I am still a little curious to see how the new O line will perform.  Ryan Kelly is now back and needs to live up to the hype and expectation and others just need to perform.  It’s no good having Andrew Luck back if he gets banged up week after week because he’s not getting protection!  I was incredibly disappointed to see that Deon Cain will miss the season with a torn ACL.  He was pushing for WR2 position and he looked very impressive in camp.

Kay: Nelson, Smith and what’s free agency? (laughs).

Stuart: Quenton Nelson looks like an absolute monster of a man. He is going to utterly ruin many a defensive lineman’s Sunday afternoon this season, and I am all here for it. Denico Autry could be a decent addition at defensive end. Quite like the pick-up of Ebron as well.

What's your hopes for this coming season?

George: Luck stays healthy, possibly a playoff berth.

Elijah: I’m hoping for a healthy team all the way through? If it’s even possible for us...and maybe in contention for a playoff spot, if those things happen I’ll be thrilled.

Ben: I think first and foremost, a winning record and a fit QB for 16 games.  The AFC South has always been seen as a weak division, but with the rise of Jacksonville, the Colts need to wise up and sort things out quickly, lest we become one of the weaker teams in the league.  Let’s not forget, we only won four more games than Cleveland last season.

Kay: Luck injury free and a playoff chase would be nice, as well as a win in New England OR IS THAT TOO MUCH?

Stuart: That Andrew Luck puts it all together again, that our offensive line keeps him upright, and he starts doing absolute bits once again in the league. Wildcard spot would be lovely. Winning the division would be sensational. Honestly though, I just want a good season for our Colts. It's been four years since we've had a good season.

What's your thoughts on your starting quarterback?

George: Ready to see him in action in a real game, nervous.

Elijah: He is the best, great role model, great person, and most of all great player. He is our Lord Commander.

Ben: I think the thoughts on Andrew Luck have been echoed by every man and his dog during the off season.  He is a first-class talent, but sadly this season he has to prove himself and he has to hit the ground running.  At least Brissett has proven himself to be a decent back up and I was very pleased to see that Tolzien does not feature in ours (or anyone’s plans this season) as he let us down from the off last year.  Andrew Luck could very easily be a future hall of famer if he can rediscover his form and stay on the field.  If not, I fear he could easily become another one of the ‘could’ve been’ stories of the NFL.

Kay: If he’s 90% of what he was, give him Comeback Player of the Year now and save the festivities.

Stuart: He's potentially the nicest human being on the planet, when fully healthy he's a top ten quarterback, and he has a Civil War General account dedicated to him on the Twitter dot com. What's not to love?

And your thoughts on your head coach?

George: Excited to see what he’s got.

Elijah: He seems like a great guy, but he needs to prove himself too I think, we are coming off of a coach who would make poor decisions when it really mattered.

Ben: Frank Reich will be good for the Colts.  He seems to fit well with Chris Ballard and the whole front office seems settled and calm.  They fill me full of confidence, but is time to start translating that confidence and football sensibility on to the pitch.  Again, this could be a fantastic success story or another story of what could have been.  They seem to have worked well together during FA and the draft and made some smart and sensible choices.

Kay: Rookie, give him a shot but it seems a poisoned chalice.

Stuart: Well when you bring in a Super Bowl winning offensive co-ordinator when you were planning on bringing in a Super Bowl losing offensive co-ordinator, it seems a little bit of an upgrade. Seems a good man, but an absolute no-nonsense head coach, which is a massive improvement. I'm hopeful.

A player that will be key for you this season?

George: TY Hilton needs to takeoff in my opinion for us to be successful.

Elijah: Jack Doyle, want to see him really break free this season, and become a monster.

Ben: TY Hilton needs Andrew Luck.  He is a Pro Bowl talent and only just made it there last year as an alternate.  Let’s not forget, in Luck’s last healthy season, TY lead the league in receiving yards and last year he wasn’t a patch on the play he is when Luck is on the field.  If Luck is healthy, I have high expectations that the two of them will click again and start to produce some results.

Kay: Malik Hooker.

Stuart: Jack Doyle. I absolutely love the man and my friend Jodi sent me a video of him saying hello to me once, so he's one of my absolute favourites. He's the reliable option that we really need Andrew Luck to have.

And who would you happily drive to their next club?

George: TJ Green.

Elijah: TJ Green...too many missed opportunities to intercept and knock the ball out of the air...he ain’t it.  

Ben: This was a tough one, as I actually like our roster at the moment.  But one player I don’t understand the attraction to is Christine Michael.  I’ve never rated him and I can’t see him keeping a roster spot unless he is showing them something in training that I’m just not seeing.  RB is a weak and worrying position for us, but I’m still not comfortable trusting him to carry the ball.

Kay: Marlon Mack. Don’t see the fascination.

Stuart: Most of the Grigano nonsense has gone, but if we could take TJ Green outside and shoot him out of a cannon into the heart of the sun, that'd be appreciated. Or, as it's known in the NFL, trading him to the Cleveland Browns. He’s been cut, huh? Well, there goes the cannon plan. Okay. Mark Glowinski. Cannon, heart, sun, etc etc.

What made you choose to support your team?

George: Family is from Indiana, so I was born and raised into Colts Nation.

Elijah: Well I would be lying if I said it wasn’t Peyton Manning. Love the guy, love his character, love him as a player most of all, wish the world had more people like him. He has to be one to the most upstanding individuals in all of sports history.

Ben: Other than going to Florida on holiday as a child, I have no other affiliation with America, no family living there and no friends who come from the states, so I had the opportunity to consider who I would like to follow.  I liked the Colts immediately. I followed for a couple of seasons before making my choice, but the Colts stood out.  It was Luck’s first season and he was joined by TY Hilton.  I liked the young and exciting roster and the way that they played.  They didn’t generate a lot of media hype, but they were a solid team with a good base and foundation.

Kay: My husband. (Can this be a divorce option?)

Stuart: I used to have a bet with my Dad every year on the Super Bowl, and every single year, my Dad would win this bet. The last time I made that bet with him was Super Bowl XLI, I picked the Colts to win, and despite an opening kickoff Bears touchdown, the Colts came back to win the game and the Super Bowl. My Dad unfortunately passed that year, but I always looked for the Colts results after that. A Cowboys supporting pal of mine from my old work at the Odeon Cinema got me into NFL properly a couple of years later, and I decided to pick the Colts to honour my bet with my Dad.

For a first-time NFL fan, tell us some reasons why they should support your team?

George: Loyal fan base, excellent history and bright future.

Elijah: Well for one thing, our history is amazing I think. We have had 3 of the greatest QBs ever: Unitas, Manning, Luck. And we are just an upstanding ball club that doesn’t play dirty. We have a history of winning, and that is how we still see ourselves…as winners.

Ben: They are a fun team to watch.  They are creative and their players all work together as a team.  We have no players such as Dez Bryant, Beckham Jr, Lev Bell, no players who think they are too big for the team, which makes the team fun to follow. On top of that (provided he is the same player as before) we have a top 5 QB, a good receiving corps and a record-breaking kicker.  They will never be the team to make the headlines week in week out for some kind of disaster or event, but they are steady and solid.

Kay: It’s boring winning all the time – Luck is probably the most underrated player in the game, and Chris Ballard is stunning.

Stuart: We all identify with supporting a team with the inate ability to shoot themselves in the foot on a regular basis. They're very much a rollercoaster of a club to support, but when they're good, they're brilliant. We have a returning young QB that is determined to prove the entire league wrong that has written him off as injury-prone or "finished", and a very young team. Much better years are ahead for us. Come join us on this adventure.

Compare your team to a European football club.

Elijah: Hmmm...I’m not the best with soccer, but I would have to say maybe France? Cause didn’t they just win the World Cup...and I feel like we could win the Super Bowl soon? Sorry that is probably a bad comparison.

Kay: Aston Villa – we won it once, now we’re a bit rubbish but have a hell of a playmaker but no defence.

Stuart: Everton. Oh, God, Everton. I love Everton, but yes. Everton. The Colts are American Everton. They look absolutely boss in Blue and White. They have a brand new stadium that many Evertonians have wanted the design to look like for their new stadium. The Colts have a very unique ability to Everton the absolute fuck out of it at every given opportunity. And we always bottle the derby against the Patriots much like Everton do the Merseyside Derby.

What's the best-case scenario for you this season?

Elijah: We go to the playoffs.

Ben: Playoffs and beyond.  There is no reason why the Colts can’t win the divison, or at the very least grab a wild card spot.  We are still in a division that divides opinion on who will win it, so it’s all to play for.  Obviously, the best best case scenario is Andrew Luck wins the season MVP and takes us to the Superbowl, but I can’t help but feel that a few things will have to go our way to make this possible.

Kay: Playoffs via wildcard.

Stuart: Andrew Luck plays all sixteen regular season games, puts it all together, tears the league an absolute new one, and we go to the playoffs on a high, and have a miracle run to Super Bowl LIII. Hey, I did ask for the ABSOLUTE best-case scenario. More likely, we nick a wildcard spot.

And what's the worst-case scenario?

George: Luck gets hurt, we all cry.

Elijah: We don’t win at least 6 games...I’ll feel bad if we don’t at least do that.

Ben: Andrew Luck is sacked in the first offensive series in our first game and doesn’t get back up.  Brissett comes in and tries to pick up the pieces, but all of the hype and all of the preparation around Andrew Luck being healthy stunts the worst-case scenario plans and the Colts drift off into insignificance, facing another losing record and a struggle to win more than 3-4 games this season.

Kay: First overall pick 2019.

Stuart: Andrew Luck gets hurt early, the offensive line implodes, the defence lets in about a million points a game and we meander to another 4-12 season.

After a year out, can Andrew Luck still be the same Andrew Luck?

George: For sure, hopefully even better.

Elijah: Yes I believe he can be, will just take him time.

Ben: The jury is out.  I think his brain is still very much football, but there are other factors that will change his performance and that will be the O-Line.  They need to protect Luck and allow him the time to do his thing.  He is being encouraged to change the way he plays and he will need time in the pocket to allow for this.  If the O-Line doesn’t protect him, we either won’t get the best out of him, or worse than this, he’ll get injured again and we’ll have another bad to mediocre season.

Kay: Better, but rusty early on.

Stuart: Honestly, I still believe in him. He has looked very good in training camp, and I think he will be great in the regular season. If the offensive line can keep him upright and healthy, I think Luck will have a superb season and prove a lot of doubters wrong.

Predict your record for this season, and how far (if at all) you will go in the postseason.

George: 7-9, maybe wildcard berth.

Elijah: I want to believe that we go 9-7 and make the wild card...but that is VERY hopeful. If we do make the playoffs, I say we don’t make it past the first round:-(

Ben: I would like to hope that the Colts will make the post season and I think it is entirely possible.  It all depends on which Texans decide to turn out this season and how the Titans adapt to a new HC and a new scheme.  The Jags are obviously the favourites for the division, but there is also a possibility that they turn back into the same Jags we have known for seasons before.  I think it would be naïve to suggest that we could win the SB, but I would like to still be watching the Colts in January.

Kay: 6-10, no post-season.

Stuart: IT’S COMING HOME.

Seriously though, I'm torn between seven and nine wins, assuming Luck plays the entire season. I'll go the optimistic nine wins and a wildcard spot, going out in the Wildcard Round. If we're very lucky, we'll get to the Divisional Round and have the old traditional heartbreaking January loss in Foxborough. But we're still several pieces and positions (running back, wide receiver, cornerback and potentially a pass rush) away from a Super Bowl run. For now, I reckon we go 9-7. Maybe get a wildcard spot. No further than that though.

Tell us who you think will be lifting the Lombardi Trophy in Atlanta on February 3rd next year?

George: Minnesota Vikings

Elijah: Hard to say right now, I would say maybe, and this is a strong maybe, but the rams might be able to do it if their defense is good enough, and I’m excited to see the Goff and Cooks connection.

Ben: I think the Vikings are very strong this year, a strong D-line and a decent QB (if not slightly over-rated)  I would not be surprised to see the 49ers competing for it and the Rams.  I think my dark horse suggestion would be the Ravens.  I think they will either go all the way or fall quickly.

Kay: Vikings.

Stuart: Hate to say it but it'll probably be the Empire again. Darth Brady and Emperor Belichick lifting the Lombardi again. Oh, joy. On the plus side, that might accelerate the departure of Brady and finally open up the conference to the rest of us. It'll be like LeBron leaving the Eastern Conference. God bless our utterly terrible AFC Conference. In the meantime, the Pats probably win it against...the Rams, maybe?

Anything else you’d like to promote?

Elijah: I really think it’s cool how I have met @george3796 @stvstheworld @cburks2 on twitter through our love of football and the colts, it’s great to see such great people come together and become friends on twitter. These guys are truly awesome and seem to only want to see good in the world. I have never met them in person, but I know that these are the people that make the world go round, and are always trying to do what’s right in life.

Ben: Thanks for giving me the chance to answer your questions, happy to contribute again if needed.

Stuart: It would be way too self-promoting to promote Go For it on Fourth on a Go For it on Fourth article, so instead, I'd like to talk about how important it is to discuss mental health. If you're having any mental health problems, speak to those closest to you. Speak about it. We need to remove the stigma of mental health, and let people talk about it as much as possible. It will save lives. Support those closest to you, and be as kind as you can to those around you. Be the best person you can be. Be the most supportive person you can be. Treat everyone you can with as much tolerance as you can. And help those who need it the most.

I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who's participated in this for every single team, it's much appreciated! And I hope you do tune into Go For it on Fourth all season! (hey, I broke my own rule there!)

Oh, and watch and support Scottish football. It’s potentially the greatest thing on the planet. It’s batshit insane and you will not regret following it. Forza Dundee United.

Go Colts.