Full Indianapolis Colts Midseason Awards
It doesn't really seem like anybody should be getting an award in the Indianapolis Colts headquarters.
The Colts, who have defined disappointment in a 3-5 start this season, have had systematic failure from the top down, with nobody escaping the wide arm of blame.
Of course, nobody said these awards have to all be positive.
The one person who certainly won't be on the list of award recipients, however, is former offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who was fired Tuesday night, per Colts.com.
Hamilton has already received his fair share of punishment for the putrid first half of 2015. Everybody else, however, is fair game.
Offensive MVP: Frank Gore
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When your offensive MVP is a running back averaging 4.3 yards per carry (23rd among qualifying runners), a 44 percent success rate (25th) and negative-4.7 percent DVOA (22nd), you know things aren't going so well for your offense.
That's not a slight to 32-year-old running back Frank Gore, it's just an observation.
That being said, Gore really has been impressive since coming to Indianapolis. While he does lack the open-field burst to be a true big-play threat, Gore's vision and ability to squeeze through minuscule holes has been invaluable for the Colts rushing attack.
Indianapolis has lacked a running back with this kind of vision since Joseph Addai's career tanked, and it's helping. Gore is on pace to be the first back in Indianapolis to gain over 1,000 yards since Addai's 2007 season.
Gore was particularly critical in the Colts' three wins over divisional opponents, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and scoring three touchdowns (and gaining 279 total yards) in the three contests. If the Colts passing offense gets back on track, expect Gore's production to become more efficient as well.
Defensive MVP: Henry Anderson
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General manager Ryan Grigson doesn't have a lot of wins on his list of defensive draft picks over his career.
Of course, it didn't help that he only had two top-150 defensive picks prior to 2015, and those were Bjoern Werner and Josh Chapman.
But Henry Anderson, the defensive end out of Stanford, has a chance to reverse the Colts' fortunes on that end. Needless to say, he's also the Colts' Rookie of the Year.
Last week, Anderson was ranked third overall on Pro Football Focus' list of Rookie of the Year candidates for the entire league, and it's well-deserved. Anderson has been the best player on the Colts defense with Vontae Davis struggling, and he's almost single-handedly revitalized the team's run defense.
The Colts are 14th in rushing DVOA this season despite losing Arthur Jones to injury and Cory Redding and Ricky Jean Francois to other teams. That's because of Anderson, who has 21 run stops, the third-most of any defensive lineman in the league, per Pro Football Focus.
Anderson is a stud, and looks like he will be for a long time. He's been one of the few truly bright spots of the 2015 season.
LVP: Andrew Luck
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Oh, how a year changes things.
Just last season, Andrew Luck was the premier young quarterback in the league and was three years into a career of carrying the Colts to 11-5 seasons and playoff victories.
But in 2015, it's been the exact opposite script.
Luck's erratic play has led to some of the worst quarterback stats in the league, and the Colts offense, which was supposed to be one of the league's elite units, has suffered as a result.
Dead last in interception percentage, second-to-last in yards per attempt, second-to-last in passer rating, third-to-last in QBR and third-to-last in completion percentage, Luck is in poor company this season.
Sure, there could be others partially to blame for his struggles, such as his coaches, poor efforts from his receivers and a variety of undisclosed injuries. But no matter the reason, or combination of reasons, Luck's poor play is killing the 2015 Colts.
It's already gotten one coach fired, and if it doesn't turn around soon, the entire season will be lost. More jobs are sure to follow.
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Most Improved Player: Jack Mewhort
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This award came down to two candidates, both of them draft picks from the 2014 class.
But in the end, Jack Mewhort edged Donte Moncrief.
Though the second-year wide receiver has been impressive, scoring five touchdowns in eight games in a bad offense, Mewhort has been as close to dominant as any Colts lineman, especially after being moved back to his more natural fit at guard.
Mewhort wasn't particularly bad at right tackle, but he's been one of the league's best guards over the last six weeks. Pro Football Focus has him ranked ninth overall for the season, with positive grades in all areas.
While he didn't have a bad rookie season, Mewhort was average at best last year, and launching into the upper echelons of the league's guards is a huge step for the former Ohio State product. If he can continue that kind of improvement, he'll quickly be one of the Colts' top players.
If Anthony Castonzo ever returns to form, the Colts could have a top-notch left side of the line.
Biggest Surprise: Billy Winn
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When the Colts cut Josh Chapman and Montori Hughes in the preseason (directly after losing Arthur Jones for the entire season to injury), the team knew it would be a group effort to replace them in the middle of the defense.
Rookie David Parry has done a decent job, particularly for a fifth-round rookie, but it's been more than just him filling the void. The Colts traded a conditional 2017 pick for Billy Winn, a former sixth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2012. Winn was on the roster bubble in Cleveland, but has fit in nicely in Indianapolis.
Winn has played mostly defensive end, although the Colts' varying schemes give all players a variety of duties. While he hasn't been the same run-stuffing force that Henry Anderson has been, Winn's seven stops in 70 run-defense snaps is an exceptional ratio, per Pro Football Focus.
In addition, Winn's play, along with others, has opened up space for the linebackers to do their job in the run game. Jerrell Freeman and D'Qwell Jackson are the top two starting linebackers in the league in run stop percentage, per Pro Football Focus.
The Colts pass rush still needs to get in gear, but the run defense has been much-improved with an upgraded defensive line.
Biggest Disappointment (Not Named Andrew Luck): Anthony Castonzo
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We've already discussed how Luck has disappointed this year, but the Colts wouldn't be in this bad of shape if their other top-flight players weren't underperforming.
The Colts are a top-heavy team. When those top players don't perform, the team suffers dearly.
Vontae Davis. T.Y. Hilton. Anthony Castonzo. Arthur Jones.
All four players signed big contracts over the last year-and-a-half. Jones is out for the season. The other three have not played anywhere close to the levels the Colts are paying for.
But at least Hilton and Davis have injuries that are impacting their play.
Castonzo? He's just not been the player the Colts hoped he would be.
To be fair, Castonzo's performance has fluctuated every season in the NFL. Consistency has never really been one of his strengths. Not to mention, he still has a positive grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 17th out of 78 tackles.
The Colts routinely put Castonzo on an island, and he's often up to the task. But he's also produced a lot of negative plays this season. His eight penalties are the most of all tackles in the NFL, while his three sacks allowed this season is already one more than he allowed during all of last season.
Still, positive signs exist. Castonzo was phenomenal during the Colts' loss to Carolina on Monday, with Pro Football Focus handing him a positive-7.3 grade and crediting him with zero pressures allowed. Hopefully this is a sign of a positive trend for the fifth-year tackle.
Most Memorable Moment: The Snap-Fu
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Ah yes, the infamous fake punt.
The embarrassing attempt at deception backfired horribly during the Colts' Week 6 showdown with the New England Patriots, and it was a perfect example of the team's coaching struggles this season.
Huge underdogs against the Patriots, head coach Chuck Pagano knew that he had to be aggressive and take chances to give his team a needed edge.
Unfortunately, the execution of that aggression was a little off.
The play was poorly designed, poorly executed and never should have been called in the first place, since the player who practiced all week to be the center, Clayton Geathers, was hurt and couldn't participate, as Pat McAfee told The Bob and Tom Show (via Steve Andress of Colts.com).
This is what best represents the Colts' disastrous start to the season, and if the team doesn't get things turned around, it will define all of 2015.
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