The Indianapolis Colts appeared to have a real star on their hands. Vick Ballard was one of the surprising rookies last season, recording 814 yards on the season. He then put up 63 yards in the Colts win against the Oakland Raiders in Week 1 of the current season. He was a key member of the offense, helping bail out Andrew Luck. Now, the Colts will have to move on without him after a freak accident led to an ACL tear and the ending of Ballard's season.
Head coach Chuck Pagano announced via Twitter that Ballard had suffered the knee injury in practice when his leg simply gave out causing the ligament to tear. He was originally listed as limited on the team injury report on Thursday, but has officially been moved to Injured Reserve after the ACL tear was confirmed.
The injury is a big hit to the Colts offense. Ballard was present on 71 percent of the team's offensive snaps on Sunday. Backup Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball seven times for 26 yards while Donald Brown took just one snap, but did not record a carry. The original offensive plan for the Colts was to split the reps between Ballard and Bradshaw, giving the Colts a one-two punch to compliment Luck and the passing game. After leading the team in rushing last season, there was a lot of excitement surrounding Ballard's upcoming season.
Now, the full weight of the run game will fall on Bradshaw. The veteran sat out the entire offseason with a foot injury and has been slow to return. He did rush for over 1,000 yards last season as a member of the New York Giants. If he is healthy, the veteran could be productive. Fantasy owners should beware though; Bradshaw is still not 100 percent.
Brown is the other option for the Colts. The team has toyed with the idea of making Brown the starter at one point in his five years with the team, but he has never truly panned out as a reliable threat. Last season the running back suffered injuries resulting in just 417 yards. His best season was in 2011 where he put up 645 yards and five touchdowns.
The Colts could possibly look to free agency for help, but right now Pagano said he plans on bringing up Kerwynn Williams from the practice squad. The team will evaluate things after this week.
