Following the retirement of Andrew Luck, the Indianapolis Colts had high hopes that backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett would step in and keep the ship afloat for the 2019 season.
But when it was all said and done, the Colts failed to make the playoffs with a losing record. Brissett’s struggles in his final eight games of the season were massively exposed, causing reason to believe the front office might replace him this offseason.
And while those struggles from the quarterback position are the main culprit to the losing season, there is also some silver lining to knowing now what the Colts have in Brissett.
Even though general manager Chris Ballard is thorough in his evaluation of the roster, it’s not always as clear cut and dry as it seems. There is a saying that somewhat sums up how that can go.
“Winning erases a multitude of sins.”
When Luck was leading the Colts to a 10-6 season, there was optimism for the future. But even with that enjoyable season, his talents were able to mask some haunting weaknesses that would soon be exposed.
With a talent like Luck, the wide receiver corps doesn’t need to have elite players. He elevated their production to another level. The defense doesn’t need to hold opponents to under 20 points because having an elite quarterback means they will score enough points to win a shootout.
Working on a piece for tomorrow but here are splits for Jacoby Brissett in his first six games vs. his final eight games (excluding Pitt) #Colts pic.twitter.com/wy7WrNd2xh
— Kevin Hickey (@KevinHickey11) December 30, 2019
But when Brissett struggled the way he did in 2019, it opened up everyone’s eyes to just how many exploitable areas there were on the roster. Sure, the biggest one resided under center but that losing season wasn’t able to mask other issues on both sides of the ball.
Now that the Colts have seen a full season from Brissett, they know a few things. They know the depth of the roster might not be as strong as they initially thought, especially at the wide receiver and tight end position.
They know that the defense, while promising and growing, still needs work. They know that the defensive line didn’t create enough consistent pressure, especially from the interior. They know that the cornerback room must once again add another piece.
Some of these things they knew when Luck was the quarterback. Other things they may have found out when Brissett struggled during the final two months of the season.
Having a losing season is never a good thing. Having a quarterback throw four touchdown passes in his final eight games of the season is never a good thing. That’s not what this is about.
But having those struggles from the quarterback position kept some of these issues from being masked.
Now, they are exposed like a nerve. And Ballard can thoroughly and truly evaluate where the biggest holes on the roster are ahead of the biggest offseason as general manager.
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