Will Indianapolis Colts Meet Lofty Expectations in 2015?

The Indianapolis Colts are used to high expectations.

This is a team, after all, that has missed the playoffs just four times in the last 20 years. This is a team that has 10 division titles since 1999. This is a team that was an annual Super Bowl contender under Peyton Manning and is now led by the most hyped quarterback prospect of a generation in Andrew Luck.

Success is expected in Indianapolis. Playoffs are expected. Division titles are expected.

And now, once again, Super Bowl titles are expected.

Since adding guys like Frank Gore and Andre Johnson in the offseason, the Colts have been a favorite among oddsmakers to win the 2016 Super Bowl. According to Odds Shark, the Colts currently have either the third- or fourth-best odds to win the Super Bowl among all of the major oddsmakers.

In several recent NFL power rankings, the Colts are placed among the top five teams in the league, Yahoo Sports' Frank Schwab, Bleacher Report's Scott Polacek and Businesss Insider's Tony Manfred all have the Colts ranked fourth in the league. ESPN.com currently has the Colts at fifth, while Fox Sports brings them in at sixth.

It's a bit of a different spot for the Luck-era Colts, however.

They've been seen as underdogs for much of the last three years, an up-and-coming team at best. Nobody expected the Colts to make the playoffs in 2012, and the Texans were still the division favorites in 2013. Everybody knew there was potential there in 2014, but it was just that: potential.

Now, the Colts are established. They had one of the most prolific offenses in the league last season, and it took them all the way to the AFC Championship.

But with establishment comes higher expectations, greater responsibility, if you will.

Head coach Chuck Pagano is glad the Colts are in this position, but he says they have to stay focused and keep working in order to achieve their goals, per Mike Wells of ESPN.com:

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Love to be in that conversation. We put those expectations on ourselves day one. We got together back in 2012. Any pressure that I put on myself or on this team or the players put on themselves, shame on us. We're in a great spot and I wouldn't want to be at any other spot. The other end of the conversation, no thank you. This is where you want to be. This is what we've strived to build.

Day one, we talked about building a program for sustained success. We have a lot of work to do, but we love being where we're at. The blinders are on and the earmuffs are on. Total focus on today and getting better today. All the outside noise, we can't listen to it.

"

Veteran Andre Johnson had a similar perspective, despite being on what should be the most talented offense of his career:

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It looks good on paper, but if you don't go out there and execute the plays that you need to execute and stop people on defense and play good on special teams then you're not going to win games. It's not going to just take one side of the ball, it's going to take everybody in order for us to get this done as a team. That's pretty much it. We have to all play together in all three phases.

"

Now, this doesn't mean that the Colts' season is a disappointment without a Lombardi Trophy at the end. Deciding the playoffs with a 12-team, one-and-done tournament allows for all kinds of strange things to happen.

But the Colts do have to at least contend for that Lombardi Trophy. That means winning the AFC South and, ideally, earning a bye. That means winning at least one playoff game and avoiding another postseason blowout, no matter what round it comes in.

While viewed as a Super Bowl contender by the consensus, there is a viewpoint that the Colts belong more on a list of pretenders. If you see Indy's playoff wins over Andy Dalton and an injured Manning as less significant than the decimation by the New England Patriots in the conference championship, you understand.

In 2015, the Colts have a chance to meet their lofty expectations and prove that they will be an annual contender for a long time, a la the recent Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Manning-led teams.

But the expectations aren't just limited to the team. There are plenty of individuals who have a high bar to meet in 2015:

Andrew Luck has been painted as a top-five quarterback and ranked seventh on the NFL Network's Top 100. Expectations for him, which have always been high, just continue to rise.

T.Y. Hilton was one of the 10 most productive receivers in the league last season, and he'll be expected to continue that. Across from him, Johnson is expected to have a bounce-back season in Indianapolis. Meanwhile, rookie Phillip Dorsett's expectations for the season skyrocketed when he was drafted in the first round.

Like Johnson, Gore is expected to bring his strong play to a good situation in Indianapolis.

On defense, Vontae Davis became one of the league's top cornerbacks last season, and there are significant changes in expectations with that label. All the rookie defenders chosen in the draft are expected to become key components of the Colts' long-term plans.

Jonathan Newsome is expected to break out as a pass-rusher, while Trent Cole and Robert Mathis are expected to turn back to the clock for one more year.

At the head of it all is Pagano, who is expected to lead a group of men back to prominence, which he must do in order to get the big-time payday he's aiming for. Pagano is entering the last season of his contract this year, and the results of the season will have a tremendous impact on his next contract, whether it be in Indianapolis or elsewhere.

Jim Irsay is demanding more from Pagano and his defense this season, per Mike Chappell of Indy Sports Central:

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In media jargon, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay buried the lead when he met with reporters following Wednesday night’s practice at Anderson University.

Did anyone else catch his assessment of the defense and coach Chuck Pagano apparently assuming a heavier role in its operation? It seems clear Irsay’s patience is wearing thin with that phase of what virtually everyone considers to be a championship-caliber team.

He mentioned it’s time for the maddening inconsistency that has plagued the defense to cease. He reiterated the need for better play against the run. And Irsay revealed Pagano will take more of a hands-on approach with the defense in his fourth season.

"

We can talk about media and fan expectations until the cows come home, but these are the boss' expectations. These could have a real impact on Pagano and his staff.

Pagano knows this, and part of the preparation for meeting those expectations has been using training camp and the preseason to get tougher. The same old "soft" accusations that plagued the Manning-era Colts have begun to sneak into Indianapolis again, fueled by consecutive blowouts to New England.

In previous years, the Colts have attempted to minimize contact in an effort to stay healthy. But this year, the onus is on performance. Pagano is doing what he has to do to build the kind of team he wants, according to Wells.

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Physical standpoint, the only way I know you can build a mentally and physically tough team is you have to practice and you have to put the pads on and you have to work at it. If you don't do that than you're not going to show up on Sunday and just flip a switch and be a tough, nasty, physical football team.

"

There is a difference with this year's team, from an observer's standpoint.

It's not just the physicality in training camp. Even just a quick once-over of a depth chart shows significant changes.

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

There is depth to this receiving corps that has been noticeably absent in recent years, when an injury to a Reggie Wayne or Hilton could completely derail the offense's efficiency. There's no longer a Trent Richardson around to drag down the run game. There are significant young pieces at every level of the defense, although it's all just potential at this point.

This is the first Colts team in the Luck era that feels like it could compare with one of Manning's teams from 2003-2009.

This is an offense that could break records and should be among the top five offenses in the league (both from an efficiency and production standpoint). It's a defense that was better than most gave it credit for in 2014 with an improved cast all around.

No, it doesn't look like a perfect roster, but it does look like one that could meet expectations.