INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts 2014 offseason is upon us and today's news focuses on just that. Bob Kravitz from the IndyStar looks at Ryan Grigson's needs and the third-year of this current regime.
Take a look below at the top pieces fromMonday, January 13th.**Kravitz: It’s on Grigson now**By: Bob Kravitz, Indy Star
The 2014 offseason is upon the Indianapolis Colts and that means Ryan Grigson will take center stage with numerous decisions.
The ball is in general manager Ryan Grigson's court now, just the way it was in Bill Polian's court all those years ago. Like Polian, Grigson has a franchise quarterback. Like Polian, Grigson has some scattered pieces necessary to win a title, like Robert Mathis and T.Y. Hilton, among others. Like Polian, Grigson has a sub-standard offensive line and a porous defense he couldn't patch with an influx of medium- and high-priced free agents.
If Grigson does his job well – that is to say, if he works his 2012 magic and not his hit-and-miss work of 2013 – the Colts should be competing for Super Bowls within two, three years. But Grigson has to get it done; it's the responsibility that comes with being gifted a quarterback like Andrew Luck. These kinds of guys don't often come along, unless you're the most fortunate football city in the country, Indianapolis. If Grigson can't get it done with Luck, he will be deemed a failure, just as Polian was criticized for winning "just'' one Super Bowl with Peyton Manning.
It will be interesting now to see how the Colts attempt to build this team around Luck. Jim Irsay has said in the past that the mistake of the Manning years was to put too much emphasis on the offense, leaving the defense to make do with lesser talents and a smaller chunk of the payroll. In the Luck era, Irsay wants a more balanced team around Luck, a team that can be good in all three phases.
**Third year will reveal where Pagano, Colts headed**By: Reggie Hayes, News-Sentinel
Hayes looks at the third year of the Chuck Pagano/Ryan Grigson regime.
The third year, 2014, will show if the blueprint is right for long-term success, if Pagano and his staff are getting what they want from the players they have in place. The third year, they need to quit flirting with being a Super Bowl contender and become one.
Consecutive playoff seasons and 11-5 records puts them in a great position. They have to seize it.
Pagano's first year produced an incomplete grade due to his fight with leukemia and the fact the Colts were rebuilding almost from scratch. Their 11-5 record was a pleasant surprise. Pagano's second year was hampered by the offense switching to a new coordinator while losing key player after key player. The defense was too erratic for a second season, especially with the stated intent to be a defensively strong team. Yet the 11-5 record was more impressive given the tougher schedule and that first playoff win (vs. Kansas City) was a step forward before the 43-22 loss at New England ended the season on Saturday night.
Year Three is pivotal.
