Pep Hamilton walks into an almost-perfect situation as the Indianapolis Colts' new offensive coordinator.
He takes the reins of an offense led by one of the best young quarterbacks to come into the NFL in years. He succeeds a man in Bruce Arians who did an expert job developing Andrew Luck during a standout rookie season. The Colts finished 11-5 last season, made the playoffs and are well set up for an extended run of success.
At a time when being an accomplished offensive coordinator will put you in contention for any open head-coaching job, Hamilton steps into one of the best gigs in the business.
It remains to be seen how much the Colts' offense will change under Hamilton. Arians used an aggressive, downfield approach, allowing Luck to average nearly 13 yards per completion this season. Hamilton ran a version of the West Coast offense at Stanford, and he said during a conference call Monday that he will bring elements of that approach to Indianapolis.
"It'll be a variation of the West Coast (with) West Coast principles," Hamilton said last week, via The Indianapolis Star. "The short, efficient passing game, a high completion rate.
"But I enjoy watching our guys just come off the ball, the guys up front, and trying to knock the opponent back. I'm a big believer of the power-running game and ... I think that ultimately opens up your passing game, the play-action passes."
Hamilton's comments could lead to some trepidation from Colts fans who don't want him to fix something that doesn't need fixing. But it's natural for Hamilton to put his own stamp on the offense, and his prior experience with Luck at Stanford could take the offense to even greater heights.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.
