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How Colts can move on after Andrew Luck's shocking retirement
Colts QB Andrew Luck announces his retirement at a news conference Saturday after the preseason game against the Bears.  Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

How Colts can move on after Andrew Luck's shocking retirement

Andrew Luck’s retirement is a huge shocker. Indianapolis finished 10-6 last season, and after another excellent offseason, the Colts were a hot pick to be the AFC’s representative in the Super Bowl. Here are the ramifications:

What did Indianapolis lose? A total superstar. Think back a year ago. Luck was returning from injury. The Colts had a new head coach in Frank Reich, whom many simply viewed as a consolation prize after Indianapolis was spurned by Josh McDaniels. The Colts used two early picks on offensive linemen in the 2018 draft, but that group was untested. It could have been the liability that it always had been during Luck’s time in Indianapolis, as former GM Ryan Grigson had done a horrific job building around his generational quarterback. 

But what did Reich do? He orchestrated a quick-hitting passing attack that allowed Luck to use his great football mind and didn’t tax his recovering arm or protection. That lasted a little more than a month and worked well.

Then, after Reich realized the offensive line was sound, he had a better feel for the Colts and realized Luck was throwing the ball extremely well. He took off the training wheels. And you know what? Luck, 29, rivaled AFC MVP Patrick Mahomes as the NFL’s best quarterback from that point on. That is how good Luck, who threw for 4,240 yards in 2018, was last season. This is an astronomical loss.

What do the Colts have in Jacoby Brissett? Brissett, who threw for 3,098 yards in replacing an injured Luck in 2017,  is the best backup quarterback in the league. So Indianapolis could obviously be in much worse shape. Brissett was all set up to back up Luck and then go out and test the market, possibly finding a starting job. The 26-year-old is a big power thrower with good accuracy. Brissett, a former Patriot, has learned from some of the best in the business, and he'll have a lot of talent to work with in Indy. Prediction: Brissett won’t be on Luck’s level in this offense, but he'll quickly prove to be a highly capable starting quarterback.

Will Reich have to make changes?


Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Well, we have seen that Reich is extremely adaptable in his short, but highly impressive, stint as Indianapolis’ head coach. Brissett doesn't process reads as quickly as Luck did. Could Reich go for broke and just become highly aggressive with downfield concepts? The protection is in place, and the receiving weaponry is as well. That could happen, but the Colts' running game must be more prominent now. Remember this: As Eagles offensive coordinator, Reich helped Nick Foles fill in for Carson Wentz when Philadelphia won the Super Bowl.

Who else needs to step up? The short answer? Everyone. The Colts must lean more on their running game. Because Marlon Mack might not be able to handle a much larger workload, he could need an assist from Jordan Wilkins. The Colts would also be wise to incorporate Nyheim Hines more as a runner here and there, but especially as a Brissett-friendly option in the short passing game. Indianapolis is loaded with weapons of all shapes and sizes. Reich and Brissett must quickly figure who their favorites are after receiver T.Y. Hilton. Maybe as much as anything, Indianapolis must be sound in the hidden-yardage aspects of the game, namely turnover margin, penalties and special teams. The Colts upgraded their defense over the offseason, and there is a good, young core there. But Indianapolis might play a different style of game now and could be involved in fewer shootouts. The Colts' run defense must be up for a larger challenge without Luck.

How does this affect the AFC South? Obviously the retirement of Luck gives Houston, Jacksonville and Tennessee a far greater chance of winning the South. Houston won the division last year, and even though the Texans lost running Lamar Miller on Saturday night to a possible torn ACL, Houston's offense looks dangerous through the air. In Deshaun Watson, the Texans now have the best quarterback in this division by a wide margin. Jacksonville will be much better this season on offense, but even so, the Jaguars are still behind a Brissett-led Colts offense. Tennessee is balanced, but QB Marcus Mariota must improve. He has more weapons around him than he ever has. Bottom line: The Colts should stay in the thick of the AFC South race even without Luck. But Indianapolis is no longer in the same tier of top AFC teams with New England and Kansas City.

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