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This week's question from Marshall Faulk deals with the Indianapolis Colts' unsung hero this season. In other words, who is the player who has been great regardless of the fact that he might not be getting as much attention? For the Colts, I think there is one unit that is certainly noticed by fans but that could be full of unsung heroes: the special teams unit. Most of the time the special teams units go unnoticed by fans, but in Indianapolis it's a bit different, as the two kickers are among the fan favorites and the "Fourth Down Army" has taken a hold of the team. Furthermore, one of the absolute fan favorites on the Colts is punter Pat McAfee - and is it possible that a player so well liked among fans could actually be the unsung hero this year? Absolutely.
There are these type of players all over the squad - players who don't get the credit they deserve - and we could spend time talking about a lot of them. But one unsung hero for the Colts has certainly been McAfee. The Colts' opponents this year have the worst starting field position in the NFL, with the average drive starting at the 22.76 yard line (per Football Outsiders). That's mostly due to McAfee, as he leads the league in touchbacks and is averaging 47.4 yards per punt, with 18 (of 39) punts pinned inside the 20 and just 2 touchbacks. That is a huge help to the defense, as their opponents have to go further than against any other defense in the league, on average. Of course, last week they couldn't stop the Patriots no matter where New England started, but overall this year the field position has been a big help to the defense that most people haven't noticed. And if you want to go even further, he's successfully converted all three of his onside kick attempts this year (even recovering one of them himself) and serves as the holder for field goals and extra points for Adam Vinatieri, who is a perfect 22-for-22 on field goals this year.
Pat gets a lot of attention because he's a genuinely funny guy who is very active in the Indianapolis community and is a good dude who gives a lot back to the community, but I don't think he gets the attention as much for his on-the-field exploits, which he should. He's been terrific this year and he's certainly an unsung hero for the Colts.
With that said, however, I know that there are several players who don't get the credit they deserve for the Colts, so who do you think the unsung hero has been this year?
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