The Colts are going to start banking on quarterback Andrew Luck's mobility -- but not in a way that scares the daylight out of coaches, fans and ownership.
"Our guys are doing a great job and we're working on that," Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told the team's official site this week. "We've got athletic guys, speed guys, skill guys on the outside.
"That's tough from a defensive standpoint because it's hard enough covering for two and a half, three seconds. Now when you extend a play, and a guy you think he's going one way and everybody breaks a different direction it's tough."
Think Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, they say, and don't be surprised if Luck rolls out more than he has in the past. While those two things -- rollouts and a Roethlisberger-style offense -- aren't really mutually exclusive, it will be interesting to see what the Colts mean by this come opening week. On one hand, there has been a tremendous push for Luck to alter his style of play and not leave the pocket as much. On the other, Luck knows how valuable it is to suck another defender out of his zone responsibilities to try to bring Luck down in the pocket.
A lot of this will depend on how Indianapolis' offensive line holds up and adapts. The team wisely chose Alabama center Ryan Kelly with its first-round pick and placed his locker right next to Luck's with the hope that audibles, protection slides and checks are seamless by the time the team reaches Week 1.
Colts receivers speaking for the story noted that there were more open opportunities in camp this year with the rollout plays, and maybe that is true. The team has speedy options like Phillip Dorsett and T.Y. Hilton who could be downright impossible to guard once their initial route breaks down and they veer into open space (almost in the way Carolina used their wideouts during last year's Super Bowl run). But like anything else, it comes down to risk and reward. Is it worth Luck getting hit like Roethlisberger or Cam Newton?
