Behind Enemy Lines: One-On-One With Horseshoe Heroes

This week, I get to chat with Evan Reller from the Indianapolis Colts FanSided Site Horseshoe Heroes and get his take on the state of the Colts.

For the fourth straight season, the Denver Broncos and Indianapolis Colts will face off. The Broncos have not had a lot of success as of lately, as the team is 1-3 in the last four meetings against them.

The only win the Broncos have recorded was in the 2014 Season Opener on Sunday Night Football, and even then it was a close win.

Of course, it has not been easy for the Broncos to get a win against their AFC South opponents. While the series favors the Colts only by one game 13-12, the team in blue and white have had the advantage in the series recently.

Both of these teams have been in the heat of the playoff discussion and the faces of the AFC the past couple years. So, we can always expect a hard fought game whenever these two teams get together.

So, we must ask. What have the Indianapolis Colts been up to?

In order to answer some of those questions, there is one guy that might have those answers here on the FanSided network.

Evan Reller is an editor over at Horseshoe Heroes, which covers the Colts. So, we go behind enemy lines to see what has been going on with the organization during the offseason and take a look at this matchup.

The Colts gave Andrew Luck a big time contract in the offseason. (six years, $140 million) Do you believe that he is worth that big of a contract?

Absolutely. When healthy, Luck can be one of the best QBs in the NFL and he proved that against the Lions Sunday.

The problem is more of a philosophical one as the Colts seem intent on running an offense that doesn’t play up to his strengths most of the time. They really only switch to a vertical passing attack after getting down early and being forced to do so.

If they ever fully commit to that switch, Luck will lead the league in passing.

Do you believe that a healthy Andrew Luck gives the Colts a chance to compete for the AFC South Division and possibly win it?

Definitely, because Luck is the best QB in the division by a fairly wide margin. He’s going to have to carry the team this season though and will need to play at an MVP level for them to make the playoffs.

The issue is going to be the defense which was criminally bad last week (but should get healthier in the near future).

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The Colts have taken three of the last four games from the Denver Broncos. What do you believe is the reason behind the team’s success against them?

In 2013 it was Robert Mathis having the best season of his life. In the past two meetings it was more about facing an injured Peyton Manning than anything else.

The Colts basically dared him to throw deep and he wasn’t able to do so. Last season, Luck played his best game of the year at home against the Broncos and will need to replicate Week 1 of 2016 to pull off a road win in Denver.

The Colts are coming off a last second loss to the Detroit Lions. What do you believe they need to do to adjust before their game against the Broncos?

They need something resembling a competent defense and a commitment to the vertical passing attack at which Luck excels.

The Colts secondary was beat to hell last week and it is unlikely to be much better in Denver. That said, a lot of the damage was done on underneath passes and the linebackers (who are regular starters) played terrible.

They’ll need to have something close to an actual pass rush against the Broncos if they want to get stops this time around, but I’m not holding my breath.

What are your expectations for the Colts this season?

It’s tough to say right now. With so many injuries on defense it isn’t easy to gauge what this unit is capable of. Those injured starters should start trickling back into the starting lineup but if it isn’t soon the Colts will need a monumental late season push to get back into contention. I could see anything from division title to at worst 7-9 this year.