One has to hand it to Carson Wentz.
A member of the Indianapolis Colts for one season, the quarterback continued to find new and innovative ways to morph into the ultimate piñata for anyone wanting to swing a verbal stick in his direction.
The line was and remains long.
Never will I be mistaken as a Wentz apologist. He made plays over the course of the season that could best be described as highly questionable (some simply awful). But since football is rumored to be the ultimate of team games, there was plenty of blame to go around.
Didn’t the entire unmotivated Colts team appear flatter than a dime on a train track during its embarrassingly bad 26-11 loss at Jacksonville the final week of the regular season, or did I dream that?
If only we had video of the stirring, Gipper-like pregame talk coach Frank Reich must have delivered:
Okay, guys. Let’s go.
I’ve got goosebumps.
But it was Wentz we blamed. Not partially, but entirely.
Colts fans simply refuse to let go of images of how the Wentz-led Indy defense made Jaguars rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence resemble Peyton Manning in his prime. As for the special teams, they were anything but, muffing a would-be punt return deep in Indy territory late.
Oh, that Wentz. If only he would’ve signaled for a fair catch.
Which brings us to the newly acquired Matt Ryan, the franchise’s third starting quarterback and supposed savior in as many seasons.
While I do believe the 14-year NFL veteran is an upgrade at the position, will Colts fans turn on him if the team sputters to another tortoise-like start? Since the 2014 season kicked off, Indianapolis is 10-17 in the month of September, so the latter is entirely possible. Some would say likely.
This speaks to a larger problem organizationally.
The team’s 2022 regular-season schedule has yet to be unveiled, but by virtue of placing second in the AFC South, Indy is locked into games against runners-up in three other divisions.
Pittsburgh will visit Lucas Oil Stadium, which means Terrible Towels will again threaten to outnumber the selfie-snapping Colts fans rocking their fading Manning, Marvin Harrison or Bob Sanders jerseys. Road games include trips to New England — always a can’t-miss recipe for success — and Minnesota.
Other out-of-division opponents coming to town are Kansas City, led by all-solar system QB Patrick Mahomes; the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and yes, the Washington Commanders, featuring the beleaguered Wentz (who’ll probably throw for 400 yards and five TDs) behind center.
Additional road games for Indianapolis are Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas and the New York Giants.
In the parity-driven NFL, there is no such thing as an easy schedule. Indianapolis, like every one of the other 31 franchises, has its work cut out just to qualify for the postseason, much less emerge as a viable Super Bowl contender.
Providing Ryan with a competent group of receivers via free agency — something Wentz, Rivers and even Andrew Luck before them lacked — should be Step 1. Drafting a left tackle with the team’s second-round draft selection to ensure Ryan remains upright is next.
If management falls flat in these areas, it won’t matter that Wentz is gone, because the results will be the same.
