Ankündigungen » INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Suddenly

https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Tarell-Basham-Jersey , the Indianapolis Colts are creating a buzz around town.They ran the ball effectively Sunday against one of the league's top defenses, stymied two of the league's premier receivers in back-to-back weeks and ended Houston's nine-game win streak and Dallas' five-game win streak.Earning victories in their last two games could send the Colts back to the playoffs for the first time in four years and they could be a difficult matchup in the postseason, if they make it. "I can absolutely feel a significant difference in the last few weeks compared to the beginning of the year," coach Frank Reich said when asked about the atmosphere around town."Not that I get out very much because I don't, but the little bit I do, the Starbucks in the morning or wherever it may be on a Friday night for dinner with my wife. You can feel the excitement by the fans and it's exciting for all of us here in the building. It's fun to see."It's been a long time coming for a team that seemed like an annual postseason lock for a 15-year span starting in 1999.When the Colts went 8-8 and missed the playoffs in 2015, fans largely considered it an aberration because Andrew Luck missed nine games with injuries.Luck returned in 2016, but when the Colts again finished 8-8 and missed out, the debate changed. Many wondered if the team needed a fresh start and team owner Jim Irsay responded by firing general manager Ryan Grigson.Then with Luck missing all of last season to recuperate from surgery on his throwing shoulder, the Colts staggered to a 4-12 mark, missed the playoffs for the third straight year and coach Chuck Pagano was fired.Many outsiders figured the Colts needed a major overhaul, a perception that was reinforced by Josh McDaniels' decision to back out of a deal to become Indy's new head coach shortly after New England's Super Bowl loss, Luck's lingering rehab and Indy's 1-5 start this season.But general manager Chris Ballard and Reich, Indy's second choice as coach, have put together a winning combination by staying the course.The balanced offense Grigson and Pagano craved for so long finally materialized after Indy (8-6) found two key solutions to its offensive line woes in the draft — left guard Quenton Nelson and right tackle Braden Smith. Luck benefited by turning in the best season of his career and the Colts have overcome injuries to win seven of their past eight."A good leader will get guys to do what he wants them to do and believe in themselves whether you're 1-5 or 7-1 through the last eight games," offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said Tuesday."It's obviously his leadership abilities and then Frank being an example of what we want players to be. What I mean by that, is that we want players to be the same guy every single day. … Frank definitely does that because he is the same guy every day."The defense might be the biggest surprise.After years of languishing near the bottom of the league rankings, first-year coordinator Matt Eberflus has worked wonders.Originally hired by McDaniels and inherited by Reich, with a strong recommendation from Ballard, the Colts made Pro Bowl receivers Amari Cooper and DeAndre Hopkins look ordinary the past two weeks while holding NFL rushing leader Ezekiel Elliott to 87 yards rushing and pitching their first shutout in more than four years on Sunday.They've consistently put pressure on quarterbacks, forced turnovers and against the Cowboys delivered big play after big play with a simple philosophy — run to the ball."Hustle is a learned skill," Eberflus said. "It is the coach's job to stay on it with the player to give him the feedback on every single play. That starts way back in OTAs (offseason team activities, all the way through minicamp and then through training camp every single play."Now comes the hard part — finishing strong.A victory over the struggling Giants, coupled with a loss by either Pittsburgh or Baltimore this weekend, would give the Colts control of their destiny in the season finale at Tennessee (8-6), a team Luck has never lost to as a starter.It's enough to get everybody outside the locker room talking about potential playoff matchups for the first time in four years."We're playing great football," receiver T.Y. Hilton said after Indy's most recent victory. "Right now, you're either the train or you're on the tracks. Right now, we're rolling, so you better get on the train."Notes: Indy put starting defensive tackle Al Woods (foot) and backup linebacker Skai Moore on injured reserve Tuesday. Safety J.J. Wilcox was signed to the active roster, taking the spot of Woods. Former Indiana University star linebacker Tegray Scales was added to the practice squad. This season was a blast to be a Colts fan Tyquan Lewis Jersey , taking us on a ride down the stretch that most could not have expected. In many ways, good coaching and game planning alleviated the need to have top talent in many areas, and allowed the Colts to succeed despite some holes in the roster. With the offseason at hand, it is time for the team to begin the postmortem of this season, looking deeply at all the places they failed or performed below expectations. The front office will then set to work identifying ways to improve on their areas of need both in free agency and the draft. With the right additions, this team could be really good in the coming season.Here are the top team needs for the 2019 season: Wide ReceiverPhoto by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesThe Colts got the opportunity to see first-hand how big an impact an elite group of skill position players can make an offense in their road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. While they have a top receiving threat in T.Y. Hilton, they really have very little behind him both in terms of talent, and also in general in terms of bodies under contract. Ryan Grant and Dontrelle Inman will be unrestricted free agents this offseason, and I would expect to see Grant walk after a disappointing season. With Deon Cain set to return from an ACL tear, there is hope that he could step into a role as the number 2 wide receiver to T.Y. Hilton, but it would be foolish to assume that he can. While he looked incredible during training camp, he didn’t see real game action outside of his brief preseason play before injury, and he’ll be coming back from a significant injury which will likely hamper him to some degree. The Colts will be likely to address the receiver position both in free agency and the draft. It would also make sense for them to attempt to re-sign Dontrelle Inman, who really came on late in the season as a reliable weapon. If they manage to hit on a pickup and have Cain be as good as he looked to start the offseason last year, all the better.Defensive LinePhoto by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesWhile the Colts had a stout front seven against the run, they’ll be losing a couple key players and will need to look at replacements. Both Margus Hunt and Al Woods will be free agents this offseason, and with both men at 32 years old, it is tough to see Chris Ballard re-signing them. If there is one thing you can count on, it is that Ballard will continue to invest in the defensive and offensive lines, as he has repeatedly talked about the importance of winning in the trenches. There is always speculation about getting someone like DeMarcus Lawrence through free agency, but in a league where pass rush is at a premium, it is tough to see Dallas letting him go. Much of the rest of the free agent class of defensive linemen are on the back end of their career, meaning that Ballard will likely look to the draft to replenish talent while possibly signing another Denico Autry, a role player who is a good fit for the Colts’ scheme. Additionally, Jihad Ward, who played 6 games for the Colts before heading to IR, is a free agent and it would not be surprising to see the Colts re-sign him.We should expect both the edge rusher and interior defensive linemen to be a major draft priority for the Colts this offseason.SafetyPhoto by David Eulitt/Getty ImagesMalik Hooker, George Odum, and Ahmad Thomas are the Colts’ only safeties who will be under contract to start the 2019 season at present. That means there are going to be some tough decisions ahead for them. Clayton Geathers and Matthias Farley are strong locker room leaders and are still relatively young, both are 27, but neither is a standout safety. There are some intriguing prospects on the market in free agency at the safety position Ryan Grant Color Rush Jersey , including Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, and most notably, Landon Collins. It is my opinion that if Landon Collins actually hits free agency, the Colts should do whatever they can to bring him in. Pairing Collins and Hooker in the Colts safety room would make it one of the nastiest safety tandems in the NFL. Were I Chris Ballard, I would then go ahead and re-sign Geathers and Farley to be an incredibly talented backup duo. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a player picked up in the middle rounds of the draft to fill a safety position either.CornerbackPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesAt the beginning of the 2018 season, many might have put this position at the very top of the list as the Colts’ most prominent need. While it is still definitely a position in need of significant upgrade, the breakout season for Kenny Moore and an incredible back half of the season for Pierre Desir has alleviated the pressure to upgrade immediately at corner. Additionally, Quincy Wilson came on as the season progressed, and showed that there might yet be hope for him as a starter in this defense. Having said all that, there is certainly a need to add blue chip talent to this cornerback group. Pierre Desir will be a free agent, and while they’d like to retain him, at 28, they need to be considering adding new young players who can grow and develop in this system. There isn’t really an all-star cornerback who will be a big draw in free agency, so I’d look for them to re-sign Desir and invest in a player through the draft to fill out this room in the long term. Tight EndPhoto by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesSeeing the tight end group listed here might be a bit of a surprise. Jack Doyle will likely return healthy, and Eric Ebron had a career year. Mo-Alie Cox really came on as a blocker toward the end of the season and is still a very raw prospect as well. The position looks like a relative strength for the team. However, Jack Doyle will be entering a contract year, and will be 29 to start the season. He very well could be re-signed and play for several more years, but the Colts would be wise to be looking for his long-term replacement. Eric Ebron proved that while he is a deadly red zone weapon, he simply will never be a dominant tight end in the way that someone like Travis Kelce or Rob Gronkowski are able to be. Getting Doyle back to pair with Eric Ebron will make this group a dynamic one, but given Frank Reich’s tendency to use lots of heavy packages and multiple tight ends, it would be almost surprising not to see the team draft one. ConclusionThe good news for the Colts is that their areas of need line up really well with strengths of this year’s draft class. That is GM Chris Ballard’s preferred means of roster replenishment, and it seems as though the talent is going to be there for him to pull from. In fact, according to The Draft Network, interior defensive line, edge defender, and wide receiver are the deepest positions in this draft. That is great news for the Colts, and if they can have another draft class like the one they had in 2018, we can expect another really fun year.