Colts Front Office, Coaching Staff are Wasting Andrew Luck's Generational Talent

The Indianapolis Colts played up to expectations against the Denver Broncos. On a typical Week 1 in the NFL, where the upheaval makes it feel like we are constantly re-adjusting to the new truth, it was nice to kick back and meet your old friends on Sunday night who hadn't changed a bit.

Last year we learned that, for all intents and purposes, Andrew Luck was saddled with a team that wasn't worthy of his talents.

The 2013 Colts had Robert Mathis, who was in the conversation for defensive player of the year, a speedy passing-game weapon in T.Y. Hilton and a good cornerback having his best season in Vontae Davis. They surrounded that core with a gaggle of replacement-level talents and a coaching mantra that hasn't been relevant since the 1980s.

And Andrew Luck willed it to the playoffs anyway. Because that's what Andrew Luck does. 

And so, this game wasn't a surprise. This script could have been written out by a snarky Colts fan in a Starbucks on Friday. 

Head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson spent the offseason trying to build a team that could run the ball and stop the run.

They brought in D'Qwell Jackson and Arthur Jones rather than chasing a good safety or pass-rusher. They selected offensive lineman Jack Mewhort with their first pick in the draft, after trading their first-rounder in the class for Trent Richardson.

But it appears all for naught as the Colts handed the ball off only nine times to their running backs and managed a total of 35 yards from Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw on the ground.

The Colts held Montee Ball to 2.9 yards per carry, and the Broncos as a whole to 3.2 yards per carry. Indianapolis trailed at halftime, 24-7, because stopping the run doesn't really stop offense in the 2010s, especially since the Indy pass rush was as AWOL as the suspended Mathis. 

And the Colts tried to establish the run.

Richardson ran the ball six times for 20 yards, which is exactly what should have been expected given all the available data we have on Richardson. The interior of the offensive line, which was already on shaky ground before the preseason, couldn't play above its talent level or experience. The highlight reel from this game consisted of the worst quarterback sneak attempt of the decade. 

So, once that dichotomy fails—as it usually does against good teams—the Colts turned to Luck to make things interesting. And he did. 

Somehow, despite coming away from two earlier red-zone trips with just three points, Indianapolis made it interesting. A pair of Luck touchdown drives and a recovered onside kick brought the Colts to within seven before a climactic pass breakup by Bradley Roby stopped Indy on fourth down. 

All this game did was reinforce what we already knew about this year's Colts: They will win in spite of their philosophy. They nearly beat the Broncos without Mathis on what was clearly not their best night. 

The Colts aren't in Denver's class, despite the score. This is a team that could easily lose six or seven games in a down division this season—especially if Mathis finds his 2013 form has been lost to the sands of time. 

But it doesn't matter. The Colts have something no other team has. The Colts have Andrew Luck, and that means they have a chance in any game they play, no matter how antiquated the philosophies they use are.

Imagine the dynasty that could commence if they actually surrounded him with a team worthy of his talents.

Rivers McCown is the AFC South lead writer for Bleacher Report. His work has also appeared on Football Outsiders and ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter at @riversmccown.