Midseason Awards for the Indianapolis Colts
Through the bye week, the Indianapolis Colts have had their ups and downs.
Via a 6-3 record, one could surmise that there have been more ups than downs. Despite starting the season 0-2 and giving up 51 points just two weeks ago, the Colts are in a good place. Indianapolis leads the AFC South by two games, has a top-five offense in the league and has shown the potential to be one of the league's elite teams.
No, the young Colts aren't quite there yet, but a win over the New England Patriots in Week 11 and a strong stretch to end the season could put them in favorable position for a bye in the playoffs.
There are quite a few reasons why the Colts are where they are, including the following 10 awards.
MVP: Andrew Luck
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Come on, don't look so surprised.
The easiest award to hand out for the last three years, Andrew Luck runs away with the Most Valuable Player award this season. He has taken on even more of the Colts' offense than he has in the past, and with excellent results.
Luck is on pace for the second-most pass attempts in NFL history, all while staying in the top 10 in most rate statistics. A high-volume passing attack that stays efficient and scores more points than any other team in the league: No matter who your opponents have been, that's impressive.
Non-Andrew Luck MVP: T.Y. Hilton
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Maybe it's kind of a cop-out to even have an MVP section with Luck as your quarterback.
So in case the Colts fanbase is rocked by another earthquake, let's honor the in line for the MVP: T.Y. Hilton. There are others that could contend for this award, namely Vontae Davis, who's been the defense's MVP, but I think what Hilton has done has been more difficult.
Hilton is on pace for 100 catches and 1,666 yards, something that's only been done six times in the history of the NFL. He's been phenomenal both before and after the catch, able to be a deep threat or a possession receiver. Luck has complete faith in him, and isn't afraid to throw jump balls to him in the end zone.
Without Hilton, the Colts would lose their primary deep threat on offense and their No. 1 receiver. The team has a wealth of receiving targets, but make no mistake, Hilton is by far the most valuable.
Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Hilton has a catch rate of 70.9 percent, 24th out of 110 receivers. That wouldn't be remarkable, but Hilton also averages 16.8 yards per reception, which is very high for starting receivers (13th out of 110).
Just one other receiver in the league has a catch rate of over 70 percent while averaging at least 15 yards per catch (Kenny Stills, New Orleans), and he has less than half of the targets Hilton has had.
Worth the Money: Vontae Davis and Pat McAfee
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The Colts have signed several big contracts over the last few years, as they've had cap space to burn after purging the roster when general manager Ryan Grigson was hired.
When it comes to big contracts, it's often best to spend on internal free agents rather than bringing in expensive external free agents. Both Vontae Davis and Pat McAfee have proved that yet again this season.
Davis is the Colts' defensive MVP and one of the top three most important people on the roster. He's having a Pro Bowl year, with potential for the All-Pro team. He allows the Colts to be extremely flexible with their blitzes and where they move their safeties, two of the most important parts of the Colts' improved playcalling. He's well-worth $36 million over four years.
While punters don't get much play from the media, it's worth noting that the Colts' punter has responded beautifully since signing a five-year, $14.5 million contract. He has the second-highest net average per punt in the league and has consistently pinned opponents deep while avoiding touchbacks. The Colts special teams are ranked fifth in the league by Football Outsiders' DVOA, with the Colts' punting metrics being the second-best in the league.
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Still Work To Do: Arthur Jones
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While Davis and McAfee have more than lived up to their expensive contracts, defensive lineman Arthur Jones has not.
Jones, who has been hurt for seven of the Colts' nine games, has struggled with nagging injuries this year, and even when he has been in the game, other linemen have outshone him. Jones has been serviceable in the run game when he's played, but he's failed to get any appreciable pass rush at all, something he was supposed to help with this season.
Having spent almost their entire external free agent spending money on this five-year, $33 million contract, the Colts need production from Jones. And not just against the run, but in pass rush too.
Fan Whipping Boy: LaRon Landry
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Every year, fans have somebody that they simply loathe and blame for pretty much everything. I like to call it the annual Tim Jennings award.
Sometimes the whipping boy deserves it, like Samson Satele in 2012. Sometimes it's just bad luck on the player's fault, as he gets branded unfairly early on. This was kind of the case with 2013 winner Stanley Havili, who was seen as a symbol of offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's run-first mentality.
But this year's winner has earned his whipping boy status: LaRon Landry.
Landry has talent, but he's been so inconsistent at safety for the Colts that there wasn't much worry about him being suspended for four weeks for performance-enhancing drug use. Landry never seemed to buy in to the Colts' philosophies as others did, and he's perceived as a loner in the locker room.
It's possible that Landry could rebuild his image, but it would take some exceptional on-field play after a year of mediocre play at best, a suspension and a backup who's made a more positive impact in Sergio Brown.
Most Improved: Greg Toler
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While Toler may not be the most improved based on pure talent and ability, he's been healthy all year (crosses fingers, knocks on wood) and is playing very well opposite Vontae Davis.
Toler gets picked on a bit—which can happen when you're opposite somebody who's playing well enough to be considered for All-Pro honors—but Toler has had generally solid coverage throughout this season.
Last season, Toler went through long stretches of getting beat consistently, but this season his allowed receptions are more spread out and are often the case of poor pass rush or a quarterback hitting a tight window.
He's getting burned less and is still making plays—his five pass breakups are 14th out of over 100 corners, per Pro Football Focus.
But Toler does need to work on one thing: Tackling. Toler has missed eight tackles and has allowed the second-most yards after catch among all cornerbacks in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.
Rookie of the Year: Jonathan Newsome
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This is one of the more difficult choices, as the Colts have several rookies producing but not one standout.
Jack Mewhort has started at left guard for most of the year, and while he hasn't been exceptional, he hasn't stuck out for bad reasons either.
Donte Moncrief has given the Colts another deep threat on offense, although he hasn't played too often.
Undrafted rookie Zach Kerr has been great against the run and has earned a rotational role on the defensive line, while undrafted center Jonotthan Harrison has earned the starting center job.
But I am going to go with fifth-round pick Jonathan Newsome. The outside linebacker has been one of the bright spots in the Colts' pass rush and is on pace for a better year than Robert Mathis (also a fifth-round pick) had in his rookie season.
Newsome has three sacks, tied for second on the team, in just 128 pass-rushing snaps, per Pro Football Focus. Throw in two more quarterback hits and seven hurries, and you have the fourth-most pressures for any rookie 3-4 outside linebacker.
It's not your typical Rookie of the Year material, but Newsome has flashed potential to be a future pass-rushing threat, which would be an astounding addition to this team if it panned out. Until Moncrief starts playing more or Mewhort strings together a few strong games, Newsome stays as my most impressive rookie.
Best Moment: Reggie Wayne's Big Day
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The Colts haven't had a lot of great moments as a team, having lost their closest games and participating in a lot of blowouts.
So, for my money, the best moment so far this season was veteran Reggie Wayne's big day against the Tennessee Titans in Week 4. Not only was it the Colts' first home win of the season, but it was a bit of a homecoming for Wayne, who had caught just three passes for 28 yards in the Colts' home opener against Philadelphia.
Wayne is loved in Indianapolis, truly loved in a way most players never even dream of. So for him to help lead the Colts to their first home win (and back to .500 after starting 0-2) with seven catches for 119 yards and a touchdown was special, especially because of how he did it.
One-handed catches were had, tough grabs in traffic, key third downs. You name it, Wayne did it on that day, a vintage performance by the 14-year veteran. Wayne hasn't been as productive this year, both because of the emergence of other receivers, age and an ACL tear perhaps catching up, but he still has his moments.
And when the entire Lucas Oil Stadium was chanting "Reg-gie, Reg-gie, Reg-gie" on Sept. 28, it was one of the best moments of the season.
Coach of the Year: Chuck Pagano
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I wanted to give this award to defensive coordinator Greg Manusky for his exceptional job of play-calling and scheming pass rush this season. I also wanted to give it to offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton for flipping his offensive focus and crafting one of the best offenses in the league. I wanted to give it to special teams coordinator Tom McMahon for coaching one of the best special teams units in the league and working with Pat McAfee to help him have an All-Pro worthy season.
But in the end, if the entire coaching staff has done a good job, it's only fair to look at the head coach and give him credit for managing an exceptional first half of the season.
Pagano's staff has been extremely effective, both from a play-calling standpoint and from a player development standpoint, with key players like Bjoern Werner, Greg Toler, Sergio Brown, T.Y. Hilton, Anthony Castonzo and others making big strides this season.
As a game-day coach, Pagano has improved immensely, becoming more aggressive in the right spots and trusting his passing offense more and more. He's loved in the locker room and has managed to get just about everybody in Indianapolis to buy into their team identity. He's had his struggles in the past, but Pagano has clearly raised the bar in Indianapolis this season.
Biggest Question Mark: Defensive Consistency
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If there's one thing the Colts must improve before the playoffs, it's their defensive consistency.
After great performances against teams like the New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, it was difficult to watch them get lit up by Pittsburgh, Denver and Philadelphia, or even allowing a team like the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Houston Texans to put up more than 20 points.
The Colts have outperformed their level of talent this year, and it's probably not sustainable over a whole season, but if Manusky can call blitzes at the right times and the Colts can continue to manufacture pressure, the defense has a chance to be well above average. With Luck on the other side of the ball, that's more than enough to make a deep playoff run.
But that consistency needs to start showing itself, and it will start in Week 11 when the red-hot New England Patriots come to town.
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