Tag: Colts

NFL team win total best bets: How many games will the Indianapolis Colts win in 2020?

Assessing the Indianapolis Colts’ projected win total for the 2020 NFL season, with best bets for their Over/Under.

How many games will the Indianapolis Colts win in the 2020 NFL season? We look at BetMGM‘s projected win total and the Over/Under odds, while looking back at the 2019 season and key offseason roster changes.

Indianapolis Colts’ 2019 season

The Colts limped to a 7-9 finish last season, good for third place in the AFC South Division. While they finished 3-3 straight up inside the division, and a respectable 5-3 SU at home, they struggled with a 2-6 SU mark on the road. They went 7-7-2 against the spread with the Over outpacing the Under 9-7.

Indianapolis Colts’ 2020 offseason changes

The Colts will have a new signal-caller, as QB Philip Rivers begins his journey in Indianapolis after 16 campaigns with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers organization. It wasn’t a change, but the team was able to retain OT Anthony Castonzo on a two-year, $33 million deal, giving Rivers some nice protection. The other big free-agency splashes for Indy was CB Xavier Rhodes and TE Trey Burton.

The Colts did not have a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft after trading for DL DeForest Buckner, but they still had a strong draft. They selected WR Michael Pittman Jr. (USC) and RB Jonathan Taylor (Wisconsin) in the second round while nabbing S Julian Blackmon (Utah) in the third. They added a potential backup with QB Jacob Eason (Washington) in Round 4, while selecting OL Danny Pinter (Ball State) in the fifth.

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Indianapolis Colts’ 2020 opponents

HOME (*-AFC South Division game)

Houston Texans-*, Jacksonville Jaguars-*, Tennessee Titans-*, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets

AWAY

Jaguars-*, Texans-*, Titans-*, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers

Indianapolis Colts’ 2020 win total: Best bet

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Wednesday, May 6 at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Projected wins: 8.5 / OVER: -164 / UNDER: +135

The Colts are middle of the round in terms of strength of schedule for the 2020 season, as their opponents posted a combined record of 128-127-1 in 2019, or a winning percentage of .502. They should have some success against the Jaguars inside the division, but battles against the Texans and Titans could be difficult.

Their non-division schedule is so-so, particularly on the road with several winnable games, but home games against the Packers, Ravens and Vikings are difficult. As such, the UNDER 8.5 wins (+135) is rather attractive, as the Colts should be a .500 team at best.

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Retired Saints fullback, old SMU teammate Zach Line helped recruit Margus Hunt

The Saints added a veteran in Margus Hunt, who said his chat with retired Saints fullback and old SMU teammate Zach Line helped win him over

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The New Orleans Saints have been known for the pipeline that runs to Columbus, Ohio, funneling Ohio State Buckeyes star talents like Malcolm Jenkins, Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple down south, but the team has an even stronger connection running out west, into oil country — where the SMU Mustangs play in Dallas.

In fact, former Mustangs now outnumber the three Buckeyes in New Orleans (with Bell and Apple trying their luck in free agency). Punter Thomas Morstead, long snapper Zach Wood, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders were recently joined by another familiar face in defensive lineman Margus Hunt.

While Morstead only played with Sanders in college, during the 2008 season, Hunt joined the squad during Sanders’ senior year in 2009. So did former Saints fullback Zach Line, who retired earlier this year. Line and Hunt were teammates for four years at SMU, and remained close enough all these years later for Hunt to ask for advice when the Saints expressed interest in him as a free agent.

“The first thing I did was reached out to Zach Line,” Hunt said during his introductory conference call with New Orleans media. “I have a great relationship with him and he told me so many positive things about the organization and the locker room and everything. He told me basically if this is serious, by all means take it because you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity.”

Hunt was drafted highly by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2013, and had his best year as a pro with the Indianapolis Colts in 2018. While he’s comfortable with his scheme fit in New Orleans as a versatile lineman who can play anywhere from nose tackle to defensive end, Line’s praise for the Saints team culture won him over.

He continued, “Well, for me right now too, with being married with two kids, he just said from that point of view it’s very family-oriented. They do a huge deal about family and kids and everything. That was one of the reasons.

“Another one was obviously the locker room. Great guys, all pros, they do the right things. They work hard, practice hard. They teach each other hard and they work every day to get to that title. That was one of the big things.”

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Don Shula – Was Notre Dame his one-time dream job?

I had no idea Don Shula once dreamed of playing and coaching at Notre Dame. I found that out today after the coaching legend passed away.

Don Shula passed away Monday morning at the age of 90.  He leaves as accomplished of football coach as the NFL has ever seen with a record 328 career regular season wins and a two Super Bowl titles to his name.

Shula attended John Carroll University where he played football before getting drafted in 1951 and playing seven seasons in the NFL. From there he went to the college ranks to get a start in coaching.

Shula headed the defensive backs at the University of Virginia in 1958 before doing the same at Kentucky in 1959.  From there he leaped to the NFL where he coached the Lions defensive backs for a year before running their defense in 1961 and ’62.

He would then become the youngest coach in the history of the NFL at the time when he got the head coach job of the Baltimore Colts in 1963 at 33 years old.

All Shula would do was lead the Colts to a 71-23-4 record in seven seasons, winning the NFL Championship in 1968 before suffering a stunning upset to Joe Namath and the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.

Shula was out of a job after the Colts went 8-5-1 but he quickly landed in Miami in 1970 where he’d stay until his retirement in 1995.  His 328 career wins are the most all-time and he led the Dolphins to a pair of Super Bowl championships while getting there and falling three other times.

In reading about Don Shula today though I was left wondering an all-time sports “what if?”

This from a lengthy Gene Wojciehowski piece in 2007 on ESPN.com:

A Notre Dame alumnus, presumably speaking on behalf of the university, once approached Shula in the late ’60s, early ’70s about coaching the Fighting Irish. It had always been Shula’s life ambition to play and someday coach at Notre Dame.

“But after I got into the NFL, I didn’t want to go back into college coaching,” he says.

I had no idea about this ever being a thing before reading and researching about Shula a bit today.  The timing is certainly interesting if you know anything about Notre Dame or Don Shula.

It wouldn’t have made sense for it to be late sixties considering Ara Parseghian nearly took Notre Dame to a title in 1964 before ultimately winning one in ’66 which put Ara on anything but a hot seat.  After Parseghian left in 1974 then was Shula the first choice to replace Ara instead of Dan Devine?

It would be next to impossible to ever bring a more hyped up coach than Shula would have been in 1974.  All he’d done in the three years previous was win the last two Super Bowls and appear in another.  I also get why Shula couldn’t go to the college ranks after the start he’d had in his NFL run – it’d have been like if Bill Belichick left the New England Patriots for Notre Dame in 2005.

Yeah, not happening.

I think it’s safe to say things worked out more than alright for Shula afterwards, even if he never did win another Super Bowl.  He’d appear in two more while heading the Dolphins and ultimately retire with more wins than anyone that ever coached the game.

And I know some people look back at the Dan Devine era as a disappointment but replacing a legend like Parseghian is a nearly impossible task.  Devine only lasted six seasons at Notre Dame but went 53-16-1 in that time, winning a national championship in 1977.

RIP to a football legend.

NFL comparisons for the four drafted Badgers

NFL draft season is full of aimless comparisons with every quarterback coming out of college being projected as the next Tom Brady…

NFL draft season is full of aimless comparisons with every quarterback coming out of college being projected as the next Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers and every edge rusher as the next Jadeveon Clowney or Von Miller.

These comps are what makes draft season so special, as no matter what NFL team you root for every high draft pick your team makes is immediately compared to the best in the league at the position.

Here at BadgersWire our comps are a bit more on the realistic side, and should give a good idea as to what to expect from the four drafted Badgers, Jonathan Taylor, Zack Baun, Tyler Biadasz and Quintez Cephus as they begin their NFL careers.

 

Jonathan Taylor

Syndication: Milwaukee
Oregon’s defense will attempt to keep Wisconsin star running back Jonathan Taylor from ripping off any big gains in the Rose Bowl. Credit: Rick Wood-Imagn Content Services, LLC

NFL comparison: Nick Chubb

Well, yes, we are comparing Taylor to the Cleveland Browns’ Pro-Bowl running back Nick Chubb.

The comp makes sense, though, as Chubb is an impressive blend of power, vision and speed whose running style reminds me so much of Taylor’s, especially in terms of their breakaway speed and ability to always fall forward and move the chains.

Furthermore, Chubb has developed into a formidable receiver out of the backfield with 56 receptions and 427 yards during his first two NFL seasons.

This is how Taylor’s receiving game will project to the next level, as he isn’t at the level of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and other guys who can call receiving as one of their biggest strengths, but he still has the ability to produce when called upon in that area.

Taylor’s ceiling will obviously have a lot to do with how the Colts choose to use him, whether they decide to limit his touches due to his college workload and, overall, whether the former Badger continues to stay healthy.

The most likely scenario, though, is Nick Chubb-like production behind an elite offensive line in Indianapolis.

Taylor | Baun | Biadasz | Cephus

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Jonathan Taylor has a new jersey number with the Indianapolis Colts

Taylor will be making a jersey number switch at the next level

[lawrence-newsletter][lawrence-related id=17289,17169,17199]Earlier today, the Indianapolis Colts announced the jersey numbers for their 2020 draft picks. Former Wisconsin running back Jonathan Taylor is making a switch out of necessity. After wearing the number 23 throughout high school and at Wisconsin, the second round selection is going with number 28 in the NFL.

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Sneak preview. 👀

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The number 23 was already taken in Indy by Colts CB Kenny Moore II. Time will tell as to whether Taylor sticks it out with the new number, or if he goes back to his original 23 when he has the chance.

A look at Rodrigo Blankenship’s Georgia career: Thank you for everything, Hot Rod

A thank you to former UGA football K kicker Rodrigo Blankenship for an incredible career at the University of Georgia.

What an unbelievable, unexpected career it has been for Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. What all started in 2015, the graduate senior has slowly but surely taken the college football world by storm with his mustache, rec-specs and superior kicking ability.

Now, he has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

Rodrigo, more commonly known as ‘Hot Rod’, is not your average looking NFL kicker, or collegiate kicker for that matter.  But that only adds to the hype when you put up numbers like Blankenship has during his time in Athens.

Blankenship attended Sprayberry High School in Marietta, GA.  He graduated in the 2015 class and did a red-shirt year as a preferred walk on his first year at UGA.

In the 2016 season, Rod hit 14/18 field goals attempted, along with going a perfect 26/26 on extra points. He led the team in scoring, was named to the All-SEC Freshman team and solidified Kirby Smart’s respect for the specs.

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In 2017, Blankenship went 20/23 on field goals and 65/65 on extra points.  In the game at Notre Dame, Blankenship hit a 26 yarder early on to tie the score at 3-3. Then with 3:34 remaining in the 4th, down 19-17, Hot Rod hit what would be the game winner, securing the Bulldogs 20-19 road win in their first matchup with the Fighting Irish since the 1980 National Championship.

Blankenship announced to the team that he was officially ‘on scholarship’ after that Notre Dame road win.

And that’s really when the love affair between Rod and the DawgNation began.

Later that season, Blankenship helped the Dawgs to a Rose Bowl victory, going 2/3 on field goals that game, including his 55-yarder that set a Rose Bowl record. Blankenship went 6/6 from extra points, tallying a total of 12 points in Georgia’s biggest win in nearly 40 years.

And nobody could forget the legendary picture that was taken before that game with Atlanta rapper Quavo.

Blankenship hit what could have been a 51-yard game winning field goal, giving the Dawgs the lead in overtime in the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship, but Georgia fell just short to the Alabama Crimson Tide.

In the 2018 season, Blankenship hit 19/23 FGs and was again perfect from extra point kicks, going 65/65.

Blankenship made history in the first game of that season, setting the consecutive extra-point record for Georgia school history with 120 straight in a 41-13 victory over Vanderbilt, beating Blair Walsh’s previous record of 119.

He was named All-SEC second team following the 2018 season.

Hot Rod went 27/33 in 2019, once again hitting all 46 of his extra points. He helped the Dawgs to a Sugar Bowl Championship and won the Lou Groza Award as the top collegiate kicker in the country.

Blankenship finished his career at Georgia hitting 80/97 field goal attempts (82.5%) and scoring 440 points for the Dawgs. He never once missed an extra point attempt (200/200) during his four years in Athens, and is the all-time points leader in Georgia football history. Yes, he reigns supreme in that category over the likes of Herschel Walker, Matthew Stafford, Nick Chubb and every other player to strap it up for the red and black.

Hot Rod will go down forever as one of the greats in Georgia football history, holding records that will not be touched for a long time.

The Georgia Bulldog community will miss him dearly, as it is time for Rodrigo to pursue his NFL journey.

Quality kickers can often be overlooked when building an NFL team.  Colts fans, and all NFL fans will soon learn to respect the specs.

Report: Georgia football K Rodrigo Blankenship signing undrafted free agent deal

Georgia football K Rodrigo Blankenship has signed an undrafted free agent deal.

Oh Rod, how we hate to see you go. But how happy we are that your NFL dreams are coming true.

Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship did not get drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, but per a report from Tom Pelissero of the NFL, he has signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

Hot Rod, as we call him, is the arguably the greatest kicker in Georgia history, and one of the best to ever do it in the SEC.

The 2019 Lou Groza Award winner for the NCAA’s top kicker, Blankenship is The University of Georgia’s all-time leader in points scored.

Blankenship finished his career at Georgia hitting 80/97 field goal attempts (82.5%) and scoring 440 points for the Dawgs. He never once missed an extra point attempt (200/200) during his four years in Athens.

Rod is cool under pressure, can hit from probably 60+ yards, boots all his kickoffs through the end zone and, my favorite, rocks the glasses during the game and refuses to take off his helmet for post-game interviews.

And this is a direct message to Colts fans….you better treat Rod well. He deserves it.

Colts picks from 2020 NFL Draft

Rd. 2, Pick 2: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC.
Rd. 2, Pick 9: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin.
Rd. 3, Pick 21: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah.
Rd. 4, Pick 16: Jacob Eason, QB, Washington .
Rd. 5, Pick 3: Danny Pinter, OG, Ball State.
Rd. 6, Pick 14: Robert Windsor, DT, Penn State.
Rd. 6, Pick 32: Isaiah Rodgers, CB, UMass.
Rd. 6, Pick 33: Dezmon Patmon, WR, Washington State .
Rd. 6, Pick 34: Jordan Glasgow, ILB, Michigan

Rd. 2, Pick 2: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC.
Rd. 2, Pick 9: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin.
Rd. 3, Pick 21: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah.
Rd. 4, Pick 16: Jacob Eason, QB, Washington .
Rd. 5, Pick 3: Danny Pinter, OG, Ball State.
Rd. 6, Pick 14: Robert Windsor, DT, Penn State.
Rd. 6, Pick 32: Isaiah Rodgers, CB, UMass.
Rd. 6, Pick 33: Dezmon Patmon, WR, Washington State .
Rd. 6, Pick 34: Jordan Glasgow, ILB, Michigan

Colts picks from 2020 NFL Draft

Rd. 2, Pick 2: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC.
Rd. 2, Pick 9: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin.
Rd. 3, Pick 21: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah.
Rd. 4, Pick 16: Jacob Eason, QB, Washington .
Rd. 5, Pick 3: Danny Pinter, OG, Ball State.
Rd. 6, Pick 14: Robert Windsor, DT, Penn State.
Rd. 6, Pick 32: Isaiah Rodgers, CB, UMass.
Rd. 6, Pick 33: Dezmon Patmon, WR, Washington State .
Rd. 6, Pick 34: Jordan Glasgow, ILB, Michigan

Rd. 2, Pick 2: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC.
Rd. 2, Pick 9: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin.
Rd. 3, Pick 21: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah.
Rd. 4, Pick 16: Jacob Eason, QB, Washington .
Rd. 5, Pick 3: Danny Pinter, OG, Ball State.
Rd. 6, Pick 14: Robert Windsor, DT, Penn State.
Rd. 6, Pick 32: Isaiah Rodgers, CB, UMass.
Rd. 6, Pick 33: Dezmon Patmon, WR, Washington State .
Rd. 6, Pick 34: Jordan Glasgow, ILB, Michigan

3 things to know about Colts new CB Isaiah Rodgers

Things to know about the Colts new CB.

The Indianapolis Colts traded up to the No. 211 overall pick to draft cornerback Isaiah Rodgers from UMass. This hard-hitting cornerback is great at reading quarterbacks and his timing in the secondary is impeccable.

Here are three things to know about the new Colts CB:

1. Surrounded by good company

Rodgers’ favorite player growing up was Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who happens to be his cousin. He mirrored his game to Rodgers-Cromartie’s and used his home gym in Tampa to train during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also been in contact with UMass alumni James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.

2. Multi-faceted player

While Rodgers is a very underrated cornerback, he is also a highly skilled kick returner. He was named to the Pro Football Focus All-America First Team as a returner and was an All-ECAC selection as a returner and corner. He ranked No. 1 among all FBS players with 53 returns for 1,295 yards.

3. Does not let size limit abilities

At 5’10” and 170 pounds, Rodgers is somewhat undersized for his position. He uses that as motivation to compete with anybody at a very high level. His speed and ability to make people miss makes up for his lack of size and he should be a nice depth player and special teams weapon for the Colts.