Zach Hicks on Colts real issue

[HoosierinFL]

While its true the team has probowlers at weird positions that have less of an impact than say, DE and QB, or even LT, I still don't think talent is the problem on this team. It doesn't explain why the o-line has regressed so bad. Losing Castonzo didn't make Nelson go from all pro to mediocre. It didn't make Ryan Kelly bad, or Braden Smith bad.
There is a lack of toughness on this team. I keep beating the dead horse of going back to when the fired DeGuglielmo as the oline coach. He was the guy who focused more on toughness and meanness over technique, and Reich wanted technique. He was the guy who kicked Good off the team because he wasn't emotionally able to play after his brother got killed.

For right or wrong, it was that approach that made this line mean. When was the last time we saw Nelson pancake and teabag a guy? I sure can't remember it.

That this team seems flat and unprepared sometimes, and emotional other times, reflects coaching. I think it explains the history of Reich's record, each year has been the same story.

2018: Team starts 1-5, beating only a crappy Redskins, then went on a 5-0 streak, had a weird 6-0 loss to Jax, then went 4-0 to finish out, then 1-1 in the playoffs.

Everyone just assumed here that the bad start was just an adjustment period for the team and Reich as the new coach.

But then 2019: Colts start 2-2, make a little noise, but never get it going to finish 7-9.

No big deal, that was the Luck retirement debacle and the up and down play of Jacoby Brissett in his tea.

Then we get Phillip Rivers, rookie JT, and a line playing at a high level in 2020: Colts start better, 3-1 (but still lose the home opener to Jax), but have 2 blow out losses mid season to the Ravens (24-10) and Titans (45-26). 11-5 was Reich's best record

2021: reminiscent of 2018, starting 0-3, then win 10 out of next 13 games, and then we get the famous 0-2 finish to the Raiders and Jags.

What I see is a pattern of a team that has periods of really poor play, especially early in the season, followed by periods of improved play, but occasional unexplainable/weird losses or blow outs, esp at critical junctures in the season.

And I'm sure we all remember how many times we've been left scratching our heads at Reich's red zone play calling, decisions to go for it on 4th down, etc that took points off the board, and have cost wins.

To me it falls on Reich. The weird in-game decisions coupled with a team that seems unprepared too often is a coaching problem, not a roster problem.

I wouldn't at all be surprised to see this team go on another winning streak like 2018 and 2021 after the 4th slow start in the past 5 seasons, but even if they do, I expect a similar finish, either out of the playoffs or 1 and done.