Michael Pittman Jr. hints at frustration with role in Colts’ offense

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) during the day’s Colts camp practice at Grand Park in Westfield on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. Photo Credit: Robert Scheer/IndyStar via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. mad a huge play late in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, but it sounds like the veteran wishes quarterback Gardner Minshew would have looked his way more often.

Pittman caught a pass over the middle late in the fourth quarter and broke a couple of tackles en route to a 75-yard touchdown. The score gave the Colts a lead with 5:38 remaining, but they lost 39-38 when they failed to stop Kareem Hunt on 4th-and-goal at the end of the game.

Pittman finished with 83 yards and a touchdown, which many would consider a productive day. However, he had just one catch other than his 75-yard score and was targeted a total of 5 times. He admitted he was frustrated after the game.

“They just didn’t target me today, for whatever reason, via Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star. “Maybe I’m not a big part of the offense. … It was frustrating. I was frustrated. I was just trying to keep my composure to myself and not try to project that onto anybody else.”

Pittman added that he views himself as a big-play threat and is “just trying to show the coaches that I’m out there, too.”

Rookie wide receiver Josh Downs led the Colts on Sunday with 5 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown on 6 targets. Pittman still leads Indianapolis with 42 receptions for 489 yards on the season. He also drew a whopping 14 targets and had 9 catches in last week’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If you go by the numbers, the Colts have called Pittman’s number quite a bit this season. The former USC star, who is in the final year of his contract, obviously feels he could be doing more.