Things are taking a turn for the worst in Indianapolis, and one of the Colts' stars hasn't done much to change that.
Well, he hasn't done much on the field. But off the field, T.Y. Hilton decided to use his words to assign blame on a group of his teammates after the Colts' latest loss Sunday -- a 27-0 defeat at the hands of the Jaguars.
"We (were) winning our matchups," Hilton said of he and his fellow receivers, per the Indianapolis Star's Gregg Doyel. "The O-line just got to play better."
Yes, Indianapolis' offensive line struggled mightily, giving up 10 sacks Sunday. Statistically, no group has been worse at protecting the quarterback (the Colts are 32nd in the NFL in sacks allowed with 29). No one will discredit that. But in a sport in which themes of brotherhood and camaraderie are so prevalent, they end up getting painted onto walls in teams' facilities and locker rooms, this is a cardinal sin. No good teammate throws fellow teammates (emphasis on the plural form) under the bus, especially not less than halfway through the season.
It also isn't a good look for Hilton to deflect blame toward the linemen when he's tallied just three receptions combined in his last two games for a paltry 46 yards.
Perhaps it was Hilton speaking out of frustration. Or perhaps the Colts, at 2-5 and without their franchise quarterback, have already passed the point of caring and are ready to let the criticism of others fly.
"As far as receiving, nothing can change," he said. "We got to take some pride up front and block for him. What if we put them (the offensive linemen) back there and take those hits?"
Either way, it doesn't look good for Chuck Pagano's locker room, or his team's offense, which was shut out Sunday.
