Hey there Colts’ fans! Here are my thoughts in a relatively quiet June from here at the Colts’ Corral:

ROSTER: The big signing is of course the addition of All-Pro OT Eric Fisher, the former #1 overall pick and the long-time starter at left tackle for the Chiefs. After a solid but unspectacular start to his career, Fisher finally turned it up a notch and had made a few Pro Bowls in recent years. However the big question mark with him was the torn Achilles that he suffered in the playoffs, causing him to miss the Superbowl -- and expose the critical value he had to the Chiefs’ line. Fisher actually looks on pace to maybe be ready for training camp and the season opener, but the signings of young veterans like OT Sam Tevi and OT Julien Davenport mean that they probably can make sure he is ready to go before putting him in. This line has been great for the last two years, but definitely thin after the starters, and all the signings and the 7^th round pick of OT Will Fries might make this the deepest unit on the team as well as the best. This was a great signing and makes the passing on the O-line early in the draft a lot more palatable and sensible to the fan base. Fisher is only 30 and very productive when healthy, and at under $10 million (at most), he is a bargain as a "don’t worry about him" left tackle.

As far as other roster moves, really the only thing they have done is sign their draft picks….except for one curious free agent signing. They signed veteran PK Eddy Pineiro to compete with second year man PK Rodrigo Blankenship – even though "Hot Rod" was solid as a rookie and set the team rookie scoring record. The only knock on Blankenship was his lack of a long leg, but Pineiro really doesn’t offer much of a proven distance edge either.

MINICAMP: The Colts had two weeks of OTAs, and of course there was not a lot of full-speed activity as it was mostly to get used to practicing together once again, and to introduce the new players and rookies to the Colts facility and staff.

All eyes were on 1^st round pick DE KwityPaye, and he did not disappoint. His freakish athleticism was on display, and he also garnered rave reviews for his quick study, his football intellect, his non-stop motor and his character. They may have got a real winner with this kid. The other standout was the emergence of oft-injured DE Tyquan Lewis. The former 2^nd rounder has flashed brilliance, but has not been able to stay on the field. If he can stay healthy and just as productive, he and Paye could make an immediate impact on this defensive front four.

Second year QB Jacob Eason appeared to have taken the typical leap forward in his first full offseason, and looked strong and confident in the minimal activities. He certainly has the inside track to be the primary backup to Wentz, although I think a long-term injury to Wentz might still see the Colts reach out for a veteran option

SCHEDULE: The official strength of schedule calculations show the Colts to have an average schedule, right in the middle of the rankings -- but that is extremely deceiving. For starters, the rankings are skewed by facing the dumpster-fire Texans and the hapless 1-15 Jaguars twice each. But the remaining 13 games are brutally hard. They have the NFC West in the crossover, and all four of those teams are expected to vie for deep playoff runs; in conference they have the AFC East with several playoff teams and a few that are dangerous and vastly improved (like New England). And they have a ton of games against playoff or playoff-contending teams from last year on the schedule with two games vs Tennessee, and road games at Buffalo and Baltimore being obvious challenges. And as an added bonus…when the league added a 17^th game, they gave the Colts the privilege of hosting the defending Superbowl champion Buccaneers. Gee thanks. The Colts have 7 of their first 8 games against teams expected to be playoff teams in 2021, so a slow start by Wentz or a lingering recovery for Fisher could bury the team in a hole that is hard to escape. On the plus side though, they do face a lot of teams that gave up a lot of fantasy points in 2020, so perhaps the newly-designed offense can still put up some solid fantasy stats. But the opposing offenses this year are also pretty tough, so it may be a challenge for the defense to be as statistically productive as last season even if they play just as well.

The team does have two straight interconference home games to start the season after generally starting on the road for much of the last decade, and then they go on the road for three straight tough matchups. They also have an extremely late week 14 bye which could be good from an NFL perspective, but for the fantasy owner who may be in a playoff game that week, this is something crucial to keep in mind. The Colts do have four nationally televised games: @BAL on MNF in week 5, @SF in week 7 for SNF, a TNF home game vs the Jets in week 9 and finally a Saturday night game @ARI in week 16 on Christmas night. The week 15 home game vs the Patriots is listed as a possible flex game as well, so depending on the rest of the season to that point, they might even get a 5^th shot at a night game.

That is all for now from the Crossroads of America. By the time we hear from me again in July, we will be on the cusp of training camp and the injury situation for some of the new acquisitions and key returning players (like WR Parris Campbell) will be a little more clear. Until then friends…..stay safe and GO COLTS!!

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