Derek Schultz: Hope is on the horizon

As the calendar turns to September, you can understand why Colts fans would be a little more apprehensive than amped for the upcoming season.

At any moment, star running back Jonathan Taylor could be packing his bags for Miami, Los Angeles or a mystery location that has yet to reveal itself—the expected conclusion of a weeks-long soap opera that has dominated the NFL news cycle.

The Colts are also in the process of gathering roster crunch cast-offs from other NFL teams, not fully confident in their razor-thin offensive line depth, an underwhelming group of back-end wide receiver reserves, or a young cornerback room with about as much actual NFL game experience as you and I. They have a starting quarterback who is three years younger than the current starter at Notre Dame, a first-year head coach learning on the job, and, as far as we know, Jim Irsay still has ready access to a mobile phone that allows him to click “post” at any time.

Oh, and did I mention their win total projection in Las Vegas is just 6-1/2?

The bar of expectations for this Colts team is so low that it’s hard to tell if it’s even off the ground. Yet on the precipice of a new season, I find their situation to be strangely invigorating.

There are no false promises this time around. No washed out (Carson Wentz) or washed up (Matt Ryan) retread quarterback for Colts fans to have to talk themselves into. No delusional visions of Super Bowl contention or even ascending the AFC South throne, which Indy hasn’t sat on in some time now. Everyone in Indianapolis knows exactly who the Colts are (not very good), where they are (rebuilding behind a rookie quarterback), and where they’re going (nowhere, at least for this season).

And that’s a good thing!

Acceptance is the first step for this franchise to move on to something else—hopefully, something far better than its current AFC also-ran status. We’ve routinely entered each September fooling ourselves into believing the Colts were “close,” despite the team having only one postseason win since the infamous DeflateGate debacle in New England, a stretch that includes six playoff-less seasons and a lot of time spent in the purgatory of the NFL’s middle tier. No more.

Last season’s death spiral was the best possible scenario for a go-nowhere team, forcing the investment in a young quarterback whose best days are in front of him, rather than behind him, and a reevaluation of a franchise spinning its wheels.

Preaching more patience isn’t an easy sell for the Colts, because fans have been extremely patient already. In the last few seasons, they’ve been patient like a Midwesterner navigating a four-way stop with three other stopped vehicles. Patient like the folks who wait in the Costco gasoline line to save four bucks filling up their tanks. Patient like sitting through Jacoby Brissett, Brian Hoyer, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles in the four seasons since Andrew Luck’s retirement. You know, that kind of patient. They’ll have to wait just a bit longer, because, while the losses might again pile up, the Colts at least seem to have direction now instead of pacing around in circles.

On the bright side

If you need to find optimism for this season’s Colts, Indy’s NBA franchise was just in the same spot. Having bottomed out after years of middling finishes, last season’s Pacers lost 12 more games than they won, but they were largely competitive, interesting and entertaining, with Tyrese Haliburton playing the leading role Colts fans hope Anthony Richardson will fulfill. It certainly helps to win, but if we’ve learned anything in this town, the only unforgivable sin for a sports team is to be boring, and this year’s Colts should avoid that designation.

Richardson is nowhere near a finished product, but you can feel the electricity in the air every time he touches the ball. Shane Steichen is a gifted football mind, who produced entertaining and effective offenses with the Chargers and Eagles. He maximized Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers and molded Jalen Hurts into one of the NFL’s best at the position. Now, his lump of clay is the most athletic quarterback prospect in league history. How can you not be excited about that?

Around the coach and the QB, Michael Pittman Jr. is playing for a new contract, and the Colts’ tight-end position group is full of high-ceiling possibilities. Assuming they shed a disgruntled Jonathan Taylor, the Colts can go running back by committee at a position that has become increasingly fungible for NFL offenses in the current era.

Defensively, we could see Indy’s pass rush finally bear some fruit, with Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo each entering crucial third seasons. I mentioned that young cornerback room—seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones has been one of the team’s most pleasant surprises throughout the summer. JuJu Brents, a hometown guy with long arms and big potential, is one of the team’s most intriguing stories. Speaking of stories, how fun would it be to see a Kenny Moore II resurgence in the final year of his contract?

Even without realistic hopes of contention, there’s a strong chance the Colts could be watchable and fun, something they’ve been only sporadically since that fateful night in Foxboro in January 2015.

There are serious questions beyond quarterback and the likely departure of their best player. Can the core of the offensive line—Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Braden Smith—get back to being themselves, or did that unit already hit its peak? Will Indy’s talented pass-catchers at receiver and tight end take the next step? Does the defense get away with relying on a bunch of rookies and undrafted free agents at a critical position like corner? If your sole focus is winning this fall, then all those questions are going to carry significant weight, but I’m taking a different approach.

Instead of wins, what I’ll be searching for this Colts season is reasons to hope. In a race where it feels like the Colts have been lapped, not only by Kansas City, but by franchises like Cincinnati and Buffalo, I’m looking for Indy to get back to speed. I want to believe this team is ready to shake off the shackles of an eight-year slog into mediocrity and realize a future where anything is possible, like we saw for so many years in this town.

With the embarrassment of last year’s second half in the rearview and a highly anticipated new face of the franchise ahead, hope is on the horizon, even if you have to squint to see it. These Colts have the potential to eventually turn that hope into reality. There are miles to go, and roadblocks will appear along the way, but I’m ready to actually enjoy the ride.•

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From Peyton Manning’s peak with the Colts to the Pacers’ most recent roster makeover, Schultz has talked about it all as a sports personality in Indianapolis for more than 15 years. Besides his written work with IBJ, he’s active in podcasting and show hosting. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Schultz975.