Reggie Wayne: "I Think We Have a Top-Five Offense"

Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne knows a thing or two about playing on a top offense.  He was a major part of one of the best offenses in league history, which the Colts had in the 2000s with Peyton Manning leading the show at quarterback.

Wayne thinks this year's Colts offense could be a top-five unit as well, "as long as we don't shoot ourselves in the foot with the silly penalties, jumping offsides, the mental errors, mistakes like that."  Wayne continued that, "If we keep that down to a minimum, which I know we have the offense that can do that, I think yeah, I think we have a top five offense."

"To be a top five offense, that comes with improving the red zone, getting two more first downs a game, finishing a four-minute offense to seal a game so we can take a knee at the end, getting better in the two-minute. All those things can contribute to being a top five offense. We have to do all those things if we want to get better, if we want to be one of those great offenses in this league. We understand what we need to do and so far, so good. We're taking the right steps."

While Wayne shies away from the comparisons of Manning to Luck, it's clear that to have a top offense in today's NFL requires a good quarterback.  Reggie played with a great one in Manning, and he's now playing with a great one in Luck.  "His leadership each year gets better and better, along with his game. One thing that I love about him is that he hasn't changed," Wayne said of Luck.  "He came in loving the game of football, wanting to be the best, wanting to do everything he can to help the team win and he's still the same way. I really believe he's going to be that dude when it's all said and done. He has that aura around him that shows a team that this is a superb leader. He's worthy of being the first pick of the draft. He's worthy of replacing an all-time great. It's something that we love to have on our side. I'm excited to have him as a teammate. He makes me better."

Reggie Wayne looks great coming back from a torn ACL last year, and he's looking to be a big part of that top offense that he thinks the Colts can have.  "So far so good, Reggie said.  "I haven't had any problems, nothing out of the norm. They still got me on a pitch count but so far so good. Nothing has kept me back, I haven't had any pain. I haven't had anything that would make me worry so hopefully we just stay to that course."

Reggie talked about quarterback Andrew Luck and his reaction to the low pass thrown last year that resulted in Wayne's torn ACL.  It was clear from all angles that Luck was frustrated with himself for throwing the pass low, and Luck kept beating himself up over it.  "After the hundredth time of him saying, ‘My bad,' that's when I told him, ‘Hey, don't worry about that. Let's finish the season up. I'm going to be fine. I'm going to be back out there with you,'" Reggie said Thursday.  "These things happen. It's just football. It's brutal. It tears your body up. I told him, ‘Hey, forget about it. Let's play ball. I'll be fine.' That's all he needed to know. I didn't blame him and I didn't expect him to blame himself. Things happen."

Now, Wayne is back, just like he told his quarterback he would be.  And now, he's hoping to be a major part in a great offense.  He knows that he's going to be limited in the preseason, but he was clear on the point that he doesn't want "my first tackle, my first collision, to be a regular season game."

Reggie Wayne is back.  He looks great, and like I've said, Reggie looks like Reggie.  If the Colts offense can look like some of those old offenses of Reggie's early tenure in Indianapolis, it'll be even better.  And if you ask Reggie Wayne, he thinks this offense should definitely be a top-five offense in the league.  Looking at the pieces that the offense has, he's not the only one who expects that.