Is Rob Chudzinski not throwing the ball downfield enough in Indianapolis?
T.Y. Hilton spoke his mind on the subject Tuesday, telling reporters that he, Phillip Dorsett and Donte Moncrief have the skill set to take the top off a defense but are not being utilized properly. His main objection was too many short passes and bubble screens.
"That's a new one for me," Chudzinski said Wednesday. "I don't think anybody has ever said I've thrown too many short passes in a game."
It's a strange situation Chudzinski is facing. He has plenty of weapons, but Andrew Luck is still missing. There are certain concessions he needs to make in terms of throw distance and placement while still getting his best receivers -- all of whom are quite short -- the football.
While it may not be this simple, athletes today have a larger forum and aren't afraid of being honest. Wide receivers especially see the massive discrepancy in stats, and watch as someone like DeAndre Hopkins catches 15 passes a night from a rotating cast of quarterbacks that no one would place in their top 15.
And it must be equally frustrating for Chudzinski, who stumbled into an unenviable role. The Colts were a Super Bowl or bust team stacked with a ton of players who need the football.
"Look, we're navigating through some challenging situations right now and working to try to do our best to get what we need to be able to win and also do that and tie that into what our opponent does or doesn't do well," he said. "Attack from a game plan standpoint and tie that into (coach Chuck Pagano's) overall vision of the team and what we need to do from one week to another. I think everybody understands that. At the end of the day, we'll keep working from week-to-week and finding what it is that is going to succeed for us."
It's unbelievable to think we've ended up here. The season started with Pep Hamilton on everyone's head coaching watch list, and the Colts as a lock to be one of the most dynamic offenses in football. Maybe that's just now starting to get to the players.
