The Indianapolis Colts were one win away from punching a ticket to the Super Bowl last season. In order to take the next step, they made big splashes in free agency like signing veterans Frank Gore and Andre Johnson to bolster an already powerful offense. Yet, somehow, the Colts look like a complete mess.
After a brutal 20-7 loss to the New York Jets at home Monday night, Chuck Pagano appeared to take shots at both Andrew Luck and Colts GM Ryan Grigson. The Luck criticism was quite harsh:
More Pagano on Luck: He's got to take care of the football. Make great decisions. It’s not that hard. It’s not trigonometry.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) September 22, 2015
Like he did in a Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Luck seemed uncomfortable the entire night against the Jets. He rushed throws and threw into traffic when faced with pressure, which led to three interceptions. Luck also lost a fumble. Through two games, he has a passer rating of 58.9 and has thrown five interceptions compared to three touchdowns.
Pagano made another remark that some have interpreted as piling on Luck further, but it was more likely directed toward Grigson.
Pagano on Luck and #colts leaky O-line: 'Been the case for 3 years now, has it not? Should be more than comfortable dealing with (it).'
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) September 22, 2015
No quarterback should be forced to get accustomed to a terrible offensive line, so Pagano was likely implying that the front office has done nothing to improve it. The Jets didn’t sack Luck, but they were in his face all night. The same was true for the Bills, who sacked Luck twice in Week 1.
Perhaps the reports about growing tension between Pagano and the Colts are fairly accurate. It hasn’t helped that players have made bizarre excuses for not being able to perform. This already has the feel of a make or break season in Indy, and the Colts are off to a 0-2 start. Unless they can string together a few wins starting with the Tennessee Titans next week, worse times could lie ahead.
