Colts are Noticeably Absent from ESPN’s Top 100 List

The Colts have a very young, very inexperienced roster that is largely being underestimated by the NFL as a whole. It hasn’t been greatly surprising to see analysts who are unwilling to give the Colts much if any chance at all to make an impact in the coming season.

However, while there are many spots on the roster that have questions surrounding them, there are a couple that don’t. Andrew Luck has looked like himself this preseason, making great throws, showing his excellent pocket movement, and even exhibiting a willingness to run when the possibility presents itself, but slide when prudent rather than take big and unnecessary hits.

At peak form, you’d be hard pressed to find 5 quarterbacks who are better than Andrew Luck. That is why it was so surprising to see that no Colts made ESPN’s top 100 list heading into the 2018 season.

There seems to be a healthy dose of skepticism about whether or not Luck is going to be able to play like himself. A month ago I might have understood that sentiment. However, the evidence is now on film to be seen that the guy is back. His accuracy and ball placement have been as good as ever and on full display.

Regardless, if the fact that his fastball doesn’t seem to have snapped all the way back yet bothers people, I suppose I could understand that. However, there are fourteen--yes, *fourteen* other quarterbacks who made this list. The level of absurdity and disrespect here is just silly.

But let’s just say that is fine. We understand. He is returning from injury and you just aren’t sure he can be as good as someone like Cam Newton or Alex Smith. Personally, I’d say you don’t know much about football, but you have a right to your deeply flawed view.

What is not forgivable is the treatment of receiver T.Y. Hilton. There are also fourteen wide receivers on this travesty of a list. Somehow, the 2016 receiving yards leader, the guy who has, across the length of his career, averaged 1,137.8 yards and 5.7 touchdowns per season as well as 15.8 yard per reception, is not fit to compare to guys like Adam Thielen, Tyreek Hill, and Jarvis Landry. Larry Fitzgerald, who will be 35 when the season kicks off, rounds out the bottom of the list, but no Hilton is to be found.

The absence of these two from this list is nonsense. Proof that recency bias rules the NFL and those who write about it, and that after just one year, people have forgotten how incredible the Andrew Luck to T.Y. Hilton connection has been since 2012.

I don’t expect this list to hold up well in the coming season. What Colts fans can and should take away from this kind of slipshod analysis is that the national media cannot be relied upon to give you an accurate picture of what this team is capable of. When you hear them talking about how bad this roster is, remember lists like this. There is plenty of reason to have hope for this team in the coming season, even if many are too shortsighted and uninformed to see it.