Source: Justin Casterline / Getty
The Colts will kick off their regular season on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars and while I never like to play the role of the “bad guy” (just ask my wife when it comes to disciplining our kids) I feel like I need to at least put on my Captain Realist hat (sits in the closet collecting dust next to my college degree and POG collection) and tell you I don’t think the Colts are going to be very good this year.
Have you recovered from that breaking news I just threw at you? Do you need to ice your hip from that scalding hot take I just tossed in your direction?
I don’t think it should be any sort of breaking news that the Colts aren’t going to be major players in this 2023 season. That’s not usually something fans of any team want to hear before a game is kicked off but that’s where we are right now. The wins won’t matter as much as the development of Anthony Richardson and the rest of the 3rd-youngest roster in the NFL make this season.
Can Shane Steichen get the most out of Richardson’s strengths while reducing the impact of his weaknesses? Can the relatively unchanged offensive line chalk 2022’s horrendous performance up to just an off year for everyone? Will the young wide receivers and cornerbacks take a step forward at their respective positions? Who will take the reins of RB1 in you know who’s absence?
A lot of questions in a lot of areas. That’s what will make the 2023 Colts season intriguing for most. Sure, you’d love to see some wins come along with some of those questions turning into answers but we’ll take what we can get in Year 1 of a rebuild.
Sunday at 1pm. The Anthony Richardson Era officially begins for the Colts. There likely won’t be playoffs. There likely won’t be a winning record. But there is a hell of a lot of intrigue and for a franchise that desperately needed a facelift, this’ll do.
