Indianapolis Colts: 5 Reasons Curtis Painter Should Be Starter

It's time for Kerry Collins to take a seat on the sidelines, healthy or not.

While Curtis Painter hasn't done much to impress either fans or the coaching staff, he should be the guy behind center next Sunday.

Here are five reasons that Painter should get the start on Sunday, or better yet, why Collins shouldn't.

Who Know the System Better?

Curtis Painter knows the system better than Kerry Collins.

When word came out that Collins was being brought in to start for Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne was less than pleased.

Wayne mentioned to the Associated Press how intricate the offense is. He said that the playbook was extremely difficult to learn, and he added how Curtis Painter deserved to be the starting quarterback.

While Painter hasn't gotten much experience playing behind Peyton Manning, he has been with the team since being drafted in the sixth round in 2009.

It is doubtful that Painter will be the heir apparent to Manning, but he could at least run the full playbook.

Kerry Collins Isn't Cutting It

The most pressing reason to make an immediate switch to Curtis Painter is that Kerry Collins simply isn't getting the job done.

Collins has had only two seasons in a long career with a lower completion percentage than the 49 percent he's posted with the Indianapolis Colts.

Both seasons came when Collins played just four games. 

One of which was with the Carolina Panthers in 1998, where he attempted 162 passes with a 46.9 completion percentage. The other was in 2006, his first season with the Tennessee Titans, where he attempted just 90 passes and completed 46.7 percent of them.

Collins also has posted a dismal 4.91 yards per pass attempt, a career low.

Through three weeks, Collins is dead last in QBR (ESPN's new comprehensive quarterback rating). While Collins has improved in the rating each week, from a laughable 2.9 in Week 1 to an extremely low 22.4 in Week 3, Collins' average of 18.6 makes him the worst in the league behind Matt Cassel, who has a 22.3 QBR so far this season. 

Should Painter Stay Around?

How else will the Indianapolis Colts know if they should keep Curtis Painter around as a backup?

In his first season with the team, Painter was horrendous.

Painter played in two games and he completed only eight passes on 28 attempts (28.6 completion percentage), with two fumbles and two interceptions.

Painter didn't take a single snap in 2010 and coach Jim Caldwell was obviously hesitant to play him this season. If the team's front office had any confidence in him they wouldn't have signed Kerry Collins.

If Painter isn't good enough to get in the game, why keep him around? It isn't worth having a player on the roster that the coach is afraid to play, and the team needs to find out if a quarterback should be the team's number one draft priority.

With as bad as Collins is playing, shouldn't the team at least see if Painter can do any better?  

The Sunday Night Game

After Kerry Collins left the game in the fourth quarter with a concussion, Curtis Painter came in and had some highs and lows.

Painter missed Pierre Garcon for what would have been a long touchdown and fumbled late in the fourth quarter to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a 20-13 lead (Troy Polamalu picked the ball up and ran it in for a score), but Painter's play wasn't all bad.

The fumble came on a play where James Harrison easily beat Anthony Castonzo and had a quick, open shot on Painter. And Painter made a few solid throws, too. 

After the fumble, Painter came back and led the team on a 80-yard touchdown drive to tie the game. Painter connected with Pierre Garcon on two deeper throws (18 and 27 yards) and targeted five different receivers on the drive.

Painter had a better completion percentage than Colllins and almost as many yards in a fraction of the time.

What Is There to Lose?

The Indianapolis Colts have started the season 0-3 and Kerry Collins is leading the dullest passing attack  in the NFL. So why not make a change?

Collins was supposed to ease the transition and keep the team afloat while Peyton Manning's neck healed. Well, the offense is drowning and the playoffs already seem to be out of reach. 

Now that it looks like Manning isn't coming back this year and Collins has failed miserably, it is time for Jim Caldwell to make a move.

Even if Painter doesn't play very well, could the offense get any worse?