The Indianapolis Colts might have one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL, but 2013 proved that is simply not enough. Andrew Luck is developing into a future star, but the team realizes that a balanced offense is almost more important. After a struggling ground game in 2013, head coach Chuck Pagano remains committed to both Donald Brown and Trent Richardson.
After giving up a first-round draft pick in a trade for Richardson, the Colts were hoping to have the best running back tandem in the NFL. However, that was not the case as Richardson failed to make any impact on the offense whatsoever.
The lack of a run game hurt the Colts against the Patriots. The team managed just 69 yards on 34 rushes, while New England put up 234 yards on the same number of plays. Pagano says that rushing the ball will always be his mantra, calling it the key to winning games in the NFL.
"Will we ever change? No," Pagano said, via ESPN.com. "I don't think it's ever more prevalent. The deeper you go, the further you go in the playoffs, you have to be able to run the football and stop the run. I think statistics alone from this past week are enough to continue to make me be a believer. You're going to have to throw the football sometime, and we have one of the best [with Luck]."
Pagano told reporters in his season-ending press conference that developing Richardson into the running back he has shown he can be will be a priority. The team gave up a lot in order to get the former first-round draft pick and they intend to have him be a featured member of the offense.
Brown led the team in rushing with 33.6 yards per game, while Richardson averaged 32.7 yards per game. However, Richarson's struggles were more highly publicized that Brown's. The realization is that the Colts finished 20th in the league in that category, proving the problem is more than just a personnel issue.
Pagano defended the struggles of Richardson. The running back joined the team in September and was given very little time to adjust. According to the head coach, he will be in Indianapolis for many years to come.
"We all understand how he got here. He was thrown into the mix like that," Pagano said. "So now he has an opportunity to go through an offseason and be with us for a full year headed into 2014 campaign. He wants to be great. He's got all the talent, he's got all the ability. We would never have done what we did if we didn't believe that. We look for him to have a great offseason and have a great 2014 campaign."
