WESTFIELD – The greatest sign of how this year’s training camp could be different at Grand Park Sports Campus came when Jonathan Taylor entered the media tent Wednesday morning. The veteran running back wore a wide smile and a t-shirt featuring the likeness of quarterback Anthony Richardson during his days at the University of Florida. Optimism springs eternal throughout the NFL on camp report day.
But a happy and healthy Taylor paired with a hungry and healthy Richardson provides a powerful engine for Indianapolis Colts fans’ dreams. “It’s almost like when you go to take a test,” Taylor said of his confidence heading into the 2024 season. “When you know you haven’t been studying, you kind of have that seed of doubt.
But when you know you’ve had a full offseason of preparation – the time, the sweat equity you put in – you just can’t wait to go and attack it.” The Colts haven’t generated a lot of national buzz after following up a 9-8 season in the first year under head coach Shane Steichen with a relatively quiet offseason. Veteran quarterback Gardner Minshew – who went 7-6 in 13 starts in place of Richardson – got $15 million in guarantees to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders and has been replaced by veteran Joe Flacco.
Beyond that, Indianapolis’ offseason included a host of re-signings – most notably wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. – and a pair of highly touted draft picks. The Colts took the first defensive player off the board -- UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu – with the 15th overall pick and followed in the second round with Texas wide receiver AD Mitchell.
Both have a chance to play significant roles as rookies. While the hype has been minimal outside of the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, the team has displayed a quiet confidence since offseason workouts began in April. The goal now is to build on that foundation with a solid summer.
“In terms of the team, we’ve got a long way to go, all right,” Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard said during his annual pre-camp media availability. “We’re just starting out. No games are – haven’t played any games yet.
We’ve got a lot of work to do. I think we’re a talented team, but we’ve got work to do, and we’ll get to work. “No, you can’t win in this league without the preparation that needs to be put in during training camp.
OTAs is great, and it’s great work, but it’s different when you put the pads on. So we’ve got to earn it, and we’ve got to go to work.” The Colts are fueled by the memories of the way the 2023 season ended.
Trailing the Houston Texans 23-17 with 1:06 remaining and facing fourth-and-1 at the visitors’ 15-yard line, Minshew’s pass intended for running back Tyler Goodson fell incomplete in the flat – ending Indianapolis’ final chance at victory. When the Tennessee Titans upset the Jacksonville Jaguars a day later, the Texans were crowned AFC South champions. Houston went on to beat the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round while the Colts were left with another offseason of reflection.
Indianapolis hasn’t won a division title since 2014, and it hasn’t earned a postseason victory since 2018. A current streak of three straight seasons without a playoff appearance – including two final day losses in win-and-in scenarios – has the franchise feeling a bit restless. “We haven’t won the AFC South since I’ve been here, man,” seventh-year linebacker Zaire Franklin said.
“They always like to bully an organization every so often and post this team hasn’t won a playoff game since whatever, whatever. And it’s been too long. It’s been too long.
“We gotta get to the dance. It was (15) yards away from the division title last year, and that’s something I haven’t forgotten about. And the beauty of it and the irony of it is everybody gets to start at the bottom of the mountain all over again.
So I’m just looking forward to our journey.” With Houston first up on the regular season schedule in September, the Colts won’t have to wait long for a chance to erase any lingering bad taste. But Franklin emphasized the opponents remain nameless and faceless as Indianapolis focuses on its own work.
As that work begins again in earnest, its important not to allow the near miss of 2023 to linger too long. The mindset is to reset, refresh and reload. “I mean, it definitely hurt, you know what I’m saying?” defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said.
“We were a couple plays away from winning the division and going into the playoffs and making a run, so it definitely stung. But you can only hold on to that feeling for so long. “I mean, it’s definitely a scar for sure.
But you just gotta learn from it and remember that feeling and continue to go into this next season just with a lot of juice and just remembering that moment and how it felt and how you don’t want to feel that again.”.
