The Strange Disappearance Of Jonathan Taylor: Why Did The Colts Bench Their Best Player With The Game On The Line?
Jonathan Taylor was the only player to show up to play yesterday for the game at Lambeau Field, then in the 4th quarter with the game on the line the first team All-Pro running back vanished without a trace. JT didn't see a single snap the entire 4th quarter which had people speculate the 2021 rushing yards / touchdown leader was injured, but according the the Fox broadcast no injury was reported. This report was later confirmed after the game by Jonathan Taylor himself. So what in the hell caused arguably the best player on the team to go missing?
I felt like I was taking crazy pills when I didn't see JT on the field for the 3rd & 1 outside of the red zone where the Colts ran the speed option and tossed it to their slowest running back Trey Sermon. I didn't hate the play call for the speed option, but why not have your best RB (and only player playing well on offense) in the game for a running play? Why have your pass catching back in at that time? Was Steichen outsmarting himself while trying to play chess with the Packer's defense?
Colts fans everywhere were having PTSD flashbacks to the play that ended the season last year where Jonathan Taylor was no where to be found.
Hindsight is 20/20, so to give Shane Steichen credit - if the pass from Minshew is clean, Steichen goes down in history as a genius. Tyler Goodson was wide open. Sure, it hit Goodson in the hands, but he's bracing for the hit and trying to catch a bad ball. These plays remind me of the Seahawks deciding to throw on the goal line against the Patriots in the Super Bowl when Seattle's best player (Marshawn Lynch) is ready to go in the back field. Don't overthink it, just feed your best player.
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Not having Taylor in the game while running the speed option made ZERO sense to me. The coach's decision to replace Taylor with Sermon in the 4th quarter while the Colt's went with a more pass heavy offense does at least make some sense. Taylor was the best player that game, but Taylor isn't the best blocker, or pass catcher, and the Colt's did produce their only touchdown in the 4th.
While the play calling and disappearance of JT was strange, and Anthony Richardson is still riding the highs and lows of figuring out the NFL as a QB , the Colt's biggest problem is clearly the defense. The secondary got torched in the first game against Houston, then Green Bay ran the ball down the Colt's throats. The defense figured it out in the 2nd half, but holy shit was that 1st half embarrassing.
With Malik Willis in at QB for the Packers everyone and their grandma knew the Packers were going to run the ball, but the Colts still couldn't stop the run. It's early, there is still plenty of time for the defense to gel, but I'm not holding my breath on them becoming a top defense. I don't think Ballard has done the best job building a secondary, but even if the Colts had the right pieces, Gus Bradley has to do a better job.
This team might look like a mess at the moment, and it looks like Colts fans are gearing up for another incredible season at around the .500 mark, but at the end of the day they can never take away the Week 1 Anthony Richardson bombs we all got to witness.