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New Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton vowed to make the team more balanced on that side of the ball. He said quarterback Andrew Luck, whom he coached in the same role in college, threw the ball too much last year and thought he’d thrive more with a balanced attack that would keep the defenses guessing.
Indianapolis brought in a fullback this offseason and kept saying they were going to show a different offense in 2013. After a 44-20 drubbing in the first preseason game where the Colts threw the ball 47 times and only rushed it 16 times for 72 yards, most were saying, “yeah right”.
This looked like the same offense as 2012, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After the last two games though, the offense looks much more balanced, which has led to two victories where they could do whatever they wanted after not being able to do much against the Buffalo Bills in the first game.
In the last two games combined, the Colts have rushed 67 times while passing 62 times. That’s a big difference compared to the past. In fact, when was the last time a Colts team could say they’ve rushed five more times than they passed in two games combined?
They’re doing this with effectiveness too. The Colts rushed 33 times for 88 yards against a very tough New York Giants defense last Sunday. They also passed the ball 28 times, with two of the touchdowns coming from the air. The ground game set up big plays through the air, which in turn has kept Luck standing up and not getting hit.
Against the Cleveland Browns on Saturday night, they were as balanced as they can get. Indianapolis rushed and passed 34 times each. Again, the balanced attack kept the defense guessing and kept Luck on his feet. Indianapolis rushed for 149 yards while passing for 215.
If they can continue this trend and have success doing so, it could be a very special season for the Colts. A balanced attack with one of the league’s best quarterback’s is a very scary combination.
Eric Smith is the Colts Beat Writer for Rant Sports. He’s covered the Colts the past four seasons and recognized as an accredited member of the media by the team. Follow him on Twitter @ericsportsguru
