2012 NFL Draft: Is April the Time for the Colts to Start From Scratch?

The Indianapolis Colts need a change, and a drastic one now.

Never mind their week 15 win over the Tennessee Titans, the 1-13 start to their 2011 season nowhere near reflects the talent on the Colts' roster nor the recent success of the franchise.

Only so much failure can be placed on the absence of Peyton Manning. The future Hall of Famer doesn't select the talent and he doesn't call the plays, the defensive ones at least.

The Colts need to get younger and better. It's that complicated and simple at the same time.

It's time to start from scratch. 

How can anyone explain the Colts going from Super Bowl runner-up in 2009 to this?

How can the Colts battling the Steelers to a 23-20 defeat in Week 3, and then falling off a cliff four weeks later, 62-7 at New Orleans be explained?

Indianapolis is terrible in more areas than one, and Andrew Luck can only cover up so much, like Manning did in 2010 when he led a banged-up Colts team to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth just to fall at home on wild card weekend.

But taking Luck No. 1 overall next April wouldn't be starting from scratch.

In reality the Colts front office would be looking to replace Manning long-term with a guy that many view as the next Manning, and that's the problem.

What if Luck doesn't pan out? What if he does, but he can't cover for that dreadful secondary? What if the front office builds a franchise around Luck and realizes years down the road when he gets injured that the ship doesn't sail without him at the wheel?

Starting from scratch means the Colts must take a chance on a game-changer like Baylor's Robert Griffin III. 

Just look at how much promise dual-threat Heisman Trophy winners like Cam Newton and Tim Tebow have brought to resurrected franchises in Carolina and Denver. 

The results aren't always wins, but instead the excitement of what can be.

Griffin III is a rare talent. The junior has thrown for 58 touchdowns alone in his last two seasons in Waco, Texas. 

For as great as he was, Manning never won a Heisman Trophy. Luck has never won a Heisman Trophy despite being crowned the next best thing.

And consider the potential if Griffin III could sit behind No. 18 for one or two seasons and pick up on how to run the Indy offense.

Manning is recovering, and before we write the 35-year-old off entirely, remember that he played 13-straight, full seasons from 1998-2010, at an extremely high level before sitting out this season.

Regardless of what direction the Colts take this coming offseason, the future will lay in April's draft. 

An early draft pick is a guarantee, and the first overall selection is all but a lock.

The franchise has hit its low point without question, and to avoid hitting a new one in a decade, perhaps finishing out a season at 0-16, Indianapolis needs to start from scratch.

And it starts under center.