NFL Gets It Right with Indianapolis Colts' 5 Pro Bowlers
The NFL's Pro Bowl honors were announced on Tuesday night and the Indianapolis Colts made out pretty well.
Five Colts were announced as Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday, the most since the 2010 Colts sent Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Jeff Saturday, Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney.
While there was definitely potential for snubs from the Colts, all of the deserving Indianapolis players were honored in 2014. T.Y. Hilton, Vontae Davis and Pat McAfee each picked up the first Pro Bowl honors of their careers, while Andrew Luck and Adam Vinatieri each earned their third trip.
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While there could be some discontentment with the Pro Bowl alternates from Indianapolis, the NFL coaches and players got this one largely correct.
Andrew Luck
While this is Luck's third Pro Bowl, officially, the third-year quarterback will go as a completely qualified first-team selection this season after being an alternate in the past two years.
With one week left in the regular season, Luck is third in the league in passing yards and second in passing touchdowns. He's taken on a heavier load than any quarterback in the league, tied with Drew Brees for the league's highest dropback total at 662 despite having a lower total amount of snaps.
The Colts had an arguably worse rushing game than they've had in years, but Luck still managed to lead the league as a passer for most of the season.
| Average | -4.6% |
| Average Ranking | 17.6 |
| Worst (Year) | -13.2% (2014) |
| 2014 Stat | -13.2% |
| 2014 Ranking | 25 |
Carrying a one-dimensional offense is much more difficult than some may make it out to be. There's a reason why the best passing offenses (NE, DEN, GB, NO) contain a strong complementary run game to go with a top-end quarterback.
Sure, Luck's numbers have dipped dramatically as of late, causing some hand-wringing among some media, as noted by ESPN's Field Yates (subscription required). Luck has the highest amount of turnovers in the league and his efficiency stats have dropped down to around 10th after recent struggles.
But the truth is Luck was a top-five quarterback for the vast majority of the year, and still is easily in the top six or seven. His efficiency numbers were bound to drop eventually with the load he's carrying, and the entire Colts team has become increasingly sloppy as their playoff spot solidified.
Luck is just 99 yards away from Peyton Manning's franchise record and has the second-highest touchdown total ever. It's been a historical season for No. 12, and his Pro Bowl recognition is completely deserved.
T.Y. Hilton
The Colts needed somebody to step up into the No. 1 receiver role with Reggie Wayne turning 36 and coming off of ACL surgery.
T.Y. Hilton did just that.
Hilton showed the signs at the end of last season with Wayne sidelined, but he made the leap to the consistent, versatile weapon the Colts needed in 2014.
Despite playing just 14 games, Hilton is currently fifth in receiving yards and 12th in receptions. His 82 catches for 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns marked the eighth 80/1,300/7 season in Colts history (Reggie Wayne twice, Marvin Harrison five times).
Hilton's advanced metrics are there as well, ranking ninth among WRs in Pro Football Focus' grades (subscription required), ninth in Football Outsiders' DYAR and seventh in Advanced Football Analytics' Expected Points Added.
He's been consistent as well, with 12 games of 50 or more receiving yards in just 14 games. The talented Denver and New England secondaries were able to hold Hilton to just eight catches for 65 yards, but Hilton averaged nearly 107 yards and 0.6 touchdowns in the other 12 games.
Watching Hilton and Luck connect this season has been a thing of beauty and was reminiscent of the Manning-to-Harrison days. To see Hilton get a Pro Bowl invite in his third season, one year before Harrison did it, was something special.
Vontae Davis
Much like Hilton, Vontae Davis took the leap in 2014. He's been the Colts' practical No. 1 corner for the last three seasons, but this was the first year that he felt like a bona fide No. 1, a guy who could stack up with the rest of the league's top cornerbacks.
While Davis isn't on the elite level of Richard Sherman or Darrelle Revis, he compares favorably with just about any other cornerback in the league.
With one game remaining, Davis sits as Pro Football Focus' second-highest graded cornerback, trailing only Denver's Chris Harris Jr. (Revis and Sherman rounded out the top four). Davis also finished with the league's lowest passer rating against at 39.1.
Pro Football Focus' signature coverage stats tell the same story, as Davis was in the top six in both yards and receptions allowed per coverage snap.
The talented defensive back was good last season, but gave up too many scores (eight touchdowns, third-most in the league), only produced one interception and was susceptible to allowing big plays over the top. He responded by allowing zero touchdowns in 2014, grabbing four picks (and forcing a fumble) and getting beat over the top just twice all season.
Pro Football Focus also had Davis with just two missed tackles all season, making him the third-most efficient tackler among cornerbacks.
Davis was the linchpin of the Colts defense, as his dependable press-man coverage on the outside allowed the Colts to disguise coverages and blitzes that would have been suicide otherwise. The Colts didn't have to worry about not having safety help over the top of Davis, and it made them much more versatile.
While fans may not have realized just how good of a season he was having (he finished outside the top 10 in fan voting, per NFL.com), opposing coaches and players respect his work in 2014 and he rightfully picked up his first Pro Bowl honors.
The Best Specialists in the NFL
The Colts' pair of outstanding specialists both earned their Pro Bowl spots in 2014, with Pat McAfee and Adam Vinatieri each having a valid argument for being the league's best at their respective position.
McAfee has been a premier punter for the last three seasons, even if he did get snubbed from the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2013. But in 2014, he took it to another level.
McAfee is second in Pro Football Focus' punter grades, trailing only St. Louis' Johnny Hekker, whom he has beat in both average and net average. He's second in the league in net average (43.0) and is one of just four punters to average at least 47 yards per punt (47.1).
But McAfee also handles kickoffs for Indianapolis, and he does it better than anybody in the league.
McAfee's 18.6 grade on kickoffs from Pro Football Focus was the best in the league, as was his 69 touchbacks and average distance of 72.5 yards per kickoff.
Throw in his well-documented ability to take down opposing kick returners and his top-notch celebrations and you get what Bill Barnwell of Grantland calls "the best specialist in all of football."
Adam Vinatieri is McAfee's partner in crime, and all he did was make 100 percent of his field goals this season, the only kicker in the league to do so (not counting Garrett Hartley, who kicked two field goals). No, Vinatieri doesn't do kickoffs, but his leg is still strong enough to knock 'em down from long range (3-of-3 from 50-plus).
Football Outsiders notes that the Colts picked up a league-best 10.7 points above league average on field goals and extra points, thanks to Vinatieri's incredible consistency.
Whether it's the young gun finally getting his first honor or the league's oldest kicker adding to his Hall of Fame resume, the Colts are in the best hands possible when kicking the football.
Alternates and Snubs
For the Colts, safety Mike Adams and inside linebacker D'Qwell Jackson picked up alternate spots at their respective positions.
Adams is very deserving, and an alternate spot is the perfect way to reward him for a solid season. Adams isn't a top-level playmaking safety in coverage like Seattle's Earl Thomas or New England's Devin McCourty, but he's often in the right place at the right time, rarely making mistakes. He finished with Pro Football Focus' third-highest grade in coverage because of his dependability.
Without Adams' emergence, the Colts secondary would be a mess. While Vontae Davis is the most important part of the defensive backfield, Adams is the key veteran that keeps the group in sync.
Jackson, on the other hand, got this spot by name recognition more than play on the field.
The Colts inside linebackers have been a weakness all season, whether it was in pass coverage or against the run. Jackson is the biggest culprit.
The veteran linebacker was Pro Football Focus' 50th-ranked linebacker out of 60 qualifiers. He's allowed the second-highest passer rating of any linebacker in coverage (140.6) and the fifth-highest completion percentage (86.0 percent). He's also allowed the third-most touchdown passes of any inside linebacker (five).
Jackson brings a needed veteran presence to the Colts and is a solid tackler, but doesn't do enough good things to offset his weaknesses.
If there was another Colt that deserved to be an alternate, it's left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who's had the best year of his career in 2014.
Castonzo is currently ninth overall in tackle grades from Pro Football Focus, including a ranking of sixth in pass protection. He's been very consistent throughout the year, with just two games of negative pass grades. After giving up 10 sacks in 2012 and four last season, Castonzo has given up just two sacks in all of 2014.
While Castonzo has the best grade of any offensive Colt, he's not the team's best player (that would be Luck). He has been, however, their most consistent and reliable. He is the only Colt to play every single snap of the season, per Pro Football Focus. On an offensive line that has given Colts fans ulcers this season, Castonzo stands alone as the redeeming quality.
Overall, the NFL's coaches, players and fans got it right when it comes to Indianapolis, and it's a sign of good things ahead with the team's cornerstones earning their keep. After signing big contracts this offseason, Davis and McAfee rewarded the Colts' trust with their best years yet.
And Luck and Hilton, the next two players who will merit big-time contracts, have shown why the Colts have one of the league's brightest offensive futures.
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