Indianapolis Colts Coordinator Bruce Arians Is My AFC South Crush of the Week

Bruce Arians isn't used to being loved, at least not by fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

From what I saw at the Indianapolis mini-camp, he's going to have to get used to a lot more warm-fuzzies from Colts nation.

Minicamps are rife with hyperbole and overstatement, especially about quarterbacks and receivers. After all, anyone can look good when the defense isn't allowed to hit.

For a team with a new offense, however, minicamp can give you a peak into what's to come. For the Colts, it's a return to an old friend: the Ace.

The Manning-Moore Colts used a two tight end package called Ace with great effectiveness for years before abandoning it for a three-wide look. The offense that Arians has put together for Andrew Luck looks to use a lot of those Ace sets.

Teams are wise to put their best players on the field as much as possible, and for the Colts, it looks like they know that their best players are Donald Brown, Coby Fleener, Dwayne Allen, Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie. Repeatedly, the Colts used Fleener and Allen in creative ways.

Fleener is huge, but looks more like a wideout than a tight end. They frequently split him wide, much the way Dallas Clark used to operate. They moved Austin Collie in and out of the slot, and had Allen up on the line or into the backfield.

Under Arians, the Colts will look to create confusion for opposing defenses by running different formations and shifts from a single personnel package. The end result could well be an offense that resembles the early offense used by Manning back when Arians was his quarterbacks coach.

There has been a lot of change in Indianapolis, but the continuity of thought with Arians and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen to the early days of Moore and Manning should serve the organization well.

So hugs and kisses, Bruce. By restoring the Colts' offense to the Ace look fans knew and loved, you are my AFC South Crush of the Week.