Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 5/20/19: Top 5 Colts draft picks during Manning and Luck eras with Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue

Episode Date: May 20, 2019

Who were the shining stars from the most important eras of Indianapolis Colts football? It's time to settle that on today's episode with Stampede Blue's Zach Hicks as we discuss the top five players drafted during the Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck eras.Bill Polian is in the Hall of Fame for a reason, especially when you realize all the homegrown talent that succeeded long-term in Indianapolis. From Manning to a dynamic receiver and pass rush duo, the Colts were at the peak of their powers with all the firepower on both sides of the ball.During Luck's career with the Colts, it didn't start off well with elite talent surrounding him as Ryan Grigson fumbled away the first five or so years of his career before Chris Ballard saved the day. Outside of Luck and T.Y. Hilton, who makes the cut for best selections during this timeframe?Follow along with your own lists for both eras and leave them wherever you're listening at! This was definitely a fun episode to reminisce on the good old days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome into Locked On Colts, partly Locked On Podcast Network. Today's audience is Evan Sutter. I'm joined by a very special guest today, Zach Hicks over at Stampede Blue. It feels like it's a monthly spot for you now, Zach. It's your third time on. I appreciate it, Zach. Yeah, man. Am I your most appearing guest on here now, or has anyone else got me beat? No, I think you might be laughing some folks now. There we go. There we go. yeah, pleasure coming back on, man. And I love coming on here and talking Colts with you. Yeah, appreciate it, Zach.

We're going to dive into a really fun subject for you guys today. And it's the top five Colts players from the Manning era and the Luck era. I want to do this fun little exercise here against the offseason. It's going to be doing some fun episodes here to pass the time. And I'm glad Zach was able to join us today because I know Zach like me has really lived through both eras and really seen the ups and downs of each era but I think we should start off here with the Peyton Manning era obviously we're both going to Peyton Manning number one on our list but outside of Peyton Zach I'll give you the floor here you can start from number five up yeah so if we're talking uh just the

Peyton Manning era here um starting from five up I mean uh Reggie Wayne I think would come at number five for me uh you know 30th overall pick in 2001 uh I mean Reggie Wayne was just everything for this team uh just from a mentor standpoint towards T.Y. Hilton and guys like that later in his career and then early on in his career just uh, you know, all over the place, just was a great player. Sorry about that. Was just a great player and did so many things great for this team. So Reggie Wayne would be my fifth guy there.

Yeah, I'm actually going to – I think Reggie's up on my list at four here, but I'm going to go with a guy in Robert Mathis, who is very much just one of my favorite Colts. And I know a lot of people's favorite Colts in the last five or so years, when he put up some insane numbers to near the peak of his career. But when you just imagine about Freeney and Mathis, those two guys together, can you,

I mean, when you think more about it, just, it feels like those two guys were like the, the modern day of what every NFL team wants, because you think Freeney and Mathis in the early 2000s but then now everyone wants their own Freeney and Mathis yeah I mean those those guys were just great and you know we'll get to Freeney and Mathis here with with higher up on my list here but it's so underrated to talk about you know you get two of maybe the top 10, top 15 pass rushers

in the history of football were on the same team at the same time together, along with having one of the best quarterbacks on the same team. And that was a big reason why the Colts had so much success in the Peyton Manning era. Not to get too off topic here, but I wanted to ask you just how you feel Chris Ballard is doing to get to that point where they have that elite defense and they have the quarterback, obviously, the Andrew Luck, but do you feel like maybe Chris Ballard is following that

Pullian path, so to say? Oh, yeah, certainly. I mean, I think when you look at a lot of what Ballard's doing, it does follow a lot of what Bill Pullian was doing, you know, maybe not exactly building the exact type of team, but what he's looking for in players, you know, looking for leadership, the off-field stuff, and then on the field, looking for those athletes, looking for guys that they can groom, guys they can turn into future all-pros, kind of like, you know, what we saw this last year with Quentin Nelson and Darius Leonard.

You know, he's just doing a great job of finding talent right now, and on and off the field, these guys have been just excellent additions to the city of Indianapolis. And that's a lot of what Bill Polian did. And that's a lot of what we saw kind of go away when Ryan Grixen was there in charge. So it's definitely great to see him kind of go back to the glory days, I guess, of the Colts here in the early 2000s. Yeah, he's really dipping back into that with Polian. He relied a lot on the draft to find his guys. And Chris Bowers so far is really doing an awesome job of finding guys in the draft and

building them as foundational core pieces. But next up on the list for you, Zach, number four. Yeah, so this might surprise some people. And I understand that people are upset that I ranked him over Reggie Wayne. But Bob Sanders in 2004, I think he was the 44th overall pick. You know, he didn't play a lot of time. He didn't play as many years for the Colts. But when he was on the field, he was one of the best safeties in the entire league.

I mean, he transformed the defense. He was a defensive player of the year one year. I think he was two-time first-team All-Pro. And the year they won the Super Bowl, he was arguably the second most important player on the team. You know, he missed a lot of games that year. I think the Jaguars had 400 yards rushing in the season finale, 400 yards rushing in one game in the season finale against the Colts. And in the playoffs, they didn't even allow over 400 total yards throughout the entire playoffs

there. That's a big reason because Bob Sanders came back. So he's a huge catalyst why they won that Super Bowl that they did win. And when he was on the field, he was one of the best players in franchise history. So Bob Sanders comes in at number four for me. Actually, this might surprise people. I hope I don't get much hate for it, but I actually didn't put Bob Sanders on my list of my top five because I feel like injuries played a big part in that. I feel like, is it safe to say, Zach, that even with Bob Sanders playing a limited amount of time, he did? I think there's actually a legit case for him to be a Hall of Famer. Do you think there is a case for him, or what do you think?

It's difficult. Again, just because he didn't really play much. But man, when he was on the field, like I said, he was one of the best safeties to play in this league when he was on the field. I mean, he played, what, three healthy seasons. In those three healthy seasons, he got two first-team All-Pros, Def defensive player of the year. And then when he had a healthy playoff run, he was the catalyst on a defense that won a Super Bowl. So it's hard to – I'm never going to argue against him making the Hall of Fame.

It's just he didn't really have the production standpoint. That's a huge part of making the Hall. But, man, he was so good. I mean, just all over the field despite his size. Just a great all-around football player. And he did so much. Like, Freeman Mathis did a lot for that defense, which we're going to talk about here in a second.

But, man, he was just unreal. And that's why he would become at number four on my list. Yeah, I'm right there with you as far as Bob Sanders and his impact. And, man, if he would have stayed healthy, I think he would have been an easy Hall of Famer. I think a multi-time defensive player of the year with the track he was on and how productive he was in the limited time. It was just amazing to see him.

What he did for the Colts, helped him win that Super Bowl in 2006. But next on the list here for me at number four, it's actually Mathis' guy as well, Dwight Freeney. I imagine you're going to hit on Freeney and Mathis as well here soon. So what do you think about Dwight Freeney on here? Because I have Mathis and Freeney. What's your thoughts on those two? I mean, we already hit on Mathis here, but also Dwight Freeney on here? Because I have Mathis and Freeney. What's your thoughts on those two? I mean, we already hit on Mathis here, but also Dwight Freeney.

Yeah, so just to kind of spoil the rest of my top five here, just because you've already brought them up, Mathis would be my number two guy in the Peyton Manning era, and Freeney would be my number three. Yeah, and Freeney would be my number three. And the main reason with Mathis being higher than Freeney and Mathis being higher than Bob Sanders and Reggie Wayne, the big reason for that is mainly because, I mean, just on the field,

just the longevity of what he did was great. And also, you know, what he – like the way I looked at it, you know, when you draft these guys, it's not just what they did on the field, but off the field, the way that he mentored guys, the way that he stuck around with the team for a couple years, the way he's really helped even these younger guys grow, just his overall addition to Indianapolis has been great. And then also in the Peyton Manning era, him and Freeney were just the perfect one-two punch. I mean, like I said earlier, it really helps having two of the best pass rushers in the history of football playing on the defense.

Even if everyone else isn't that great, you have two of the best pass rushers in history. So, yeah, you could flip-flop them anyway. They were two all-time great, easy Hall of Famers. I mean, they were outstanding players. But, yeah, Robert Mathis is my number two, and Dwight Franey is my number three. I feel like this is an easy question to answer here, but I'm trying to think of other teams around the league or their history. Has anyone really had as much of a successful pass

as you can do at the Colts have with Franey and Mathis? I don't think so. I don't think so. I think all time. I think they're right next to each other all time in career sacks, and I think they're both in the top ten. I'm sure somebody listening could stat check that, or even right afterwards we could stat check that.

But I think they're both in the top 10 all time uh for sacks and uh yeah i mean they're both up there for strip sacks as well i mean just so many turnovers they caused all the pressures they caused i mean again it's just huge having that when you have arguably a top three top five quarterback of all time on the other side of the field it really helps to have two of the best pass rushers in history. It really takes a lot of pressure off Peyton Manning. It really takes a lot of pressure off the corners and the defensive backs that the Colts had, and a big reason why they had so much success there in the early 2000s.

Yeah, absolutely. Those teams were the heyday of this team, and what made the Colts a successful franchise they are today. But number three on my list might be a surprise to some people. I actually have Reggie Wayne at three just because I feel like he's criminally underrated as far as receivers in NFL history. I'm going to have Marvin, spoiler alert, I'm going to have Marvin at two. But I feel like Reggie Wayne is a guy, I mean,

even in the Andrew Lucker at the end, he was a guy who consistently produced. He was always getting open. He was always really producing at a high level. I just feel Reggie Wayne is a guy with really consistent hands too, Zach. What's your thoughts on Reggie? Yeah, Reggie was outstanding. Just all around, just even early in the Andrew Luck era. You know, if we want to count him there, Andrew Luck's first year and first part of 2013 as well.

He was excellent late in his career. But early on in his career, just playing alongside Marvin Harrison, playing with Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne was really underrated, just criminally underrated, and was one of the better players, one of the better receivers I've ever seen playing in the NFL. So yeah, I don't doubt you at all for putting as high as you did. We'll probably get to it later, but how would you rank a guy like ty next to reggie wayne i know he has to play probably about six dozen warriors poke similar number but do you think ty is on a path where he could exceed or really be on that reggie wayne type of level yeah no he i mean statistically

he can definitely get up there uh the biggest thing and i was actually telling my friend about this the other day uh the biggest thing about ty is he's not a complete receiver and i don't think anyone's really going to argue that he's this complete receiver. You know, he's not some big-bodied guy who can go up and catch passes in traffic. And he's not also – and he's not, like, the quick, shifty guy that brings with, you know, that catch in traffic. But the things he does well, you know, he does at such an elite level that he's basically unguardable.

You know, the things that he does well, you know, with his speed, his route running, his deep ball acumen, he's just so good at those few things that it makes him such an elite receiver. I think statistically, he'll definitely be up there with a guy like Reggie. I just think that Reggie had a lot more nuance and a lot more completeness to his game. I think statistically, for sure, he could definitely be up near those guys when he's done. I think we've already hit on your guys at three and two with Franny and Mathis, and I also had Reggie Wayne at three.

So my number two is Marvin Harrison. Zach, what was your thoughts? Maybe give us your favorite Marvin memory. Yeah, so Marvin I didn't put in my top five because I think I looked at it from draft picks after Peyton Manning, and he was right before Peyton Manning, so I probably just read the whole thing wrong here. But, yeah, Marvin Harrison, man, and there's, there's so many moments. I mean,

him and Peyton Manning were just so great together. I mean, I think what, their number, are they, I think they're still number one in terms of quarterback to receiver touchdown connections in NFL history. And yeah, they, I mean, that was just a big reason. And again, why the Colts were so successful in those early moments. I mean, I don't really have a particular moment that stands out. I actually didn't even grow up a Colts fan.

I just was kind of watching the Colts as a Redskins fan. I followed them a lot. But, man, there's a thousand moments. He made so many toe-tapping catches on the sideline. I know every kid, including myself, you know, we would all toe-tap on the sidewalk or something like that, playing backyard football, pretending that we're Marvin Harrison. Yeah, I mean, it was just fun to watch him for sure. Yeah, Marvin and Peyton, that 1888 was definitely some fun memories there.

And if we want to take Marvin off the list here, we're just going to stick with guys after Manning. A guy who I consider, Zach, was Dallas Clark. What do you think about that? Yeah. Yeah, no, Clark was actually the guy who I would have just out if we're talking about guys drafted after Peyton Manning. He was just so consistent, so reliable in the middle of the field there. Yeah, I mean, he was just a great player along with these other weapons that he had. Other guys I consider too, like, you know, Adai was another

guy that I consider, just Adai. Jeff Saturday, for sure, was an undrafted free agent guy. Just a lot of talented players in that time. And there's a big reason why they won a Super Bowl there, and they won so many games. I think the most winning team from 2000 to 2010 by, like, a wide margin. And, you know, guys like Peyton and Dwight and and Mathis really helped but all these other guys as well are just uh were huge reasons why they won so many games yeah it's incredible when

you just look back on it how well Bill Point did drafting during that time during the peak years of Peyton Manning and they really capitalized on it hopefully Chris Bauer I think he's really on that track of doing the same or just hitting on drafts and building really well around Andrew Luck here but we'll just talk real quick about Peyton Manning. I know he's the greatest quarterback in franchise history, but what's just your thoughts on Peyton Manning as a quarterback and NFL history? And I know he's viewed as a top-five guy,

but I just feel like the longer we get away from the Peyton era, the more I realize just how much we should value him. Yeah, the biggest thing with Peyton uh you know the biggest uh I remember the the biggest thing that was holding him back the people that were saying that I should take Ryan Leaf over him uh was they didn't have the greatest arm and you know honestly when you when you look back his arm wasn't you know like Aaron Rodgers level man his mind was just a different level uh just how prepared he was at all times, how much he was reading defenses. Like, he knew what play call defense was making before the play, just from formations and

how much film work he did. And I think that's a really underrated aspect of his game. I don't think we're ever going to see a guy at the level that he was when it came to preparation, film study, and even just mental acumen there as a quarterback. So, I mean, you can throw in all the greatness of talent-wise and all the accomplishments he did, but just from that aspect, just from understanding the game and just being as savvy as he was, he was just on another level, and that's why he's broken so many records.

That's why, you know, according to a lot of people, he was going to be the greatest quarterback of all time. He really changed Indianapolis, you know, according to a lot of people, he'd be the greatest quarterback of all time. And he really changed Indianapolis, you know, forever. You know, he was the guy in Indianapolis, even when he left, you know, that he was still in every Colts fan's heart. It was never a guy they looked down on at all. He was just just a great guy, great quarterback and did so much for the city of Indianapolis. Yeah, absolutely. Payton is definitely a legend in this industry and with the Colts. Maybe before we go on here to our next section with Andrew Luck,

I just want to get your thoughts just from your vantage point of that whole situation when Peyton ended up leaving the Colts. Do you think in your mindset that you would have kept Peyton there? What would you have done? Would you have done exactly what they did? You had to. You had to do what they did. You never know if Peyton Manning was going to come back from that neck injury. I never knew

how he was going to be when he came back. For all we knew, he could have came back the way he was when they won their last year bowl with the Broncos, where he could barely throw a 20-yard pass. They knew that he had a very short time limit left in his career, and they felt like the best thing to do was to, you know, basically suck for luck, you know, for one of the best quarterback prospects in the history of the NFL. So when it all happened, it happened in a great time. You know, if it happens another time, if it happens in 2013, for instance,

do you think they really do that? Probably not, because then you'd be sucking for ej manual or whoever went first quarterback wise in that class but uh you know it all happened at the right time and and they got uh you know a superstar they got a top five quarterback uh the next draft class so you kind of had to do it it sucks so you had to move on from a guy like payton but uh for the longevity of your franchise, you had to make that move and get Andrew Luck. Totally agree with you there. I would have done the exact same thing, and I'm right hand in step with you there. Moving on here to the Andrew Luck era, I tried to make a list here of my top five, and it kind of shows you just with the Ryan Griggs era, just, man,

this is actually something to make. What do you think for your number five Raw, Zach? So number five, I'm going to start with Anthony Costanzo. It's really hard in today's NFL to get a guy who is just a consistent left tackle for a long time, and that's what he's been for almost a decade now. He's been just a very consistent, reliable starter. Outside of last year, he really never had any injury issues. He's always been an above-average starter. So, yeah, Anthony Costanzo is definitely my top five.

I'm actually right there with you as well, Zach, with Anthony Costanzo at five. And I guess I should hit on another guy here, just with consistency that Costanzo brought. Did you ever consider Pat McAfee in your top five? No, I actually didn't put him on there. No offense to Pat McAfee, he was great, and he was one of the best punters to definitely do it. It's just I think that other positions have a bigger impact.

Not saying that punters don't have an impact, as punters do. I just don't think his impact is as big as guys like Estonzo and then T.Y. and Luck that we're going to get to here in a minute. But, yeah, I don't think his impact is as big as guys like Estonzo and then, you know, T.Y. and Luck that we're going to get to here in a minute. But, yeah, I don't think his impact is as big as those guys. No, no, no. He was more of the entertainment off the field during the tough times, during those rough periods there. But number four for me on my list is actually Darius Leonard.

And I might be surprising people because he's just one defensive rookie of the year, but the guy who I haven't ranked ahead of him I think is for a good reason. But Darius Leonard is on a path. I was looking up on Pro Football Reference, Zach. The only guys that put the number that he did as a rookie were Patrick Willis and Luke Kuechly. Those two guys are going to be future Hall of Famers. So he's definitely on the right track.

Yeah, no, I would 100% agree with you there. He's actually my number four as well. Just because, like, the guys I have ahead of them, I feel more sure about their career outlook. I'm not saying I'm doubting what Darius Leonard could be. It's just, you know, there's more potential for it to not be as great going forward. But just starting from that rookie season, he was outstanding. I mean, he was the heart and soul of the defense

that really needed someone to be the heart and soul. And we saw – I always bring up the Dolphins game. The Dolphins game, the first series of the game, he comes out with a knee injury for the first series, and the Dolphins went three plays right down the field, like 20 yards a play, and scored a touchdown. The rest of the game, I think Danley scored, like, another touchdown, or it was like on a Hail Mary type pass.

He's just the whole defense. He made so many plays. He was a perfect fit, and he refused the defense. If he continues even at the quarter of a rate that he did last year for the Colts, he's going to be an all-time great. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this, Zach,

with adding in Bobby Okereke, and now you added Anthony Walker to that mix, Ben Banigou as well. Do you think the Colts have one of the more underrated linebackers in the NFL? It's definitely intriguing. You know, I'm not going to say it's like a top-ten group or even an underrated level because you haven't really seen what a lot of these guys can do.

But it's definitely a really intriguing group. You know, it's a lot of athletes, a lot of length what a lot of these guys can do. But it's definitely a really intriguing group. You know, it's a lot of athletes, a lot of length, a lot of speed. It's going to be really interesting. And, you know, I'm not there yet saying they're a really good group or even underrated group yet. I just think that they're a really unknown group. But it's an excitingly unknown group, you know, just from their length, just from their speed.

And it's going to be really fun going forward with these guys. Yeah, they're going to be, I guess, more mixing in some Seattle influences there. I know you had a story coming out with the kick-step theories on Stampede Blue, your student, talking about the technique that the Seahawks use with their cornerbacks. But let's move on here to number three. I feel like I'm at the same top three here,

but Quentin Nelson's my third guy. What's yours? Yeah, I think we're going to have the same exact top five here. Quentin Nelson's my number three as well. Almost was my number two just because of his impact. Just changed the entire offensive line. People can argue what the evaluation of a guard is, but he's done so much for the offensive line, just from sense of responsibility for your man, sense of responsibility to come to work,

sense of responsibility to put your guy in the dirt. He just brings that whole mentality and that big aspect of his game to the whole offensive line. And even guys like, you know, Mark Lewinsky, who has kind of been journeyman at this point in his career, can come in and be an effective starter just from that mindset that Nelson kind of started up front. He was just an outstanding player,

and he definitely deserved that first first team all pro last year yeah absolutely he was mauling guys out there like jadavion clowny multiple times in that wild card game that was super fun to watch there he was watching their name tape too just man he was just destroying folks when he was pulling around or getting guys in there bulleting inside it's just really fun to watch an offensive lineman tape where i feel like the most viral guy i feel like in a while it's quentin nelson with some highlights but let me think about just let me ask you this Quentin Nelson question if you take Quentin Nelson off the offensive line here and just you keep everyone else though so just a replacement level starter for Quentin Nelson

do you think this offensive line is close to where they are without him? No I don't think they are I think he's a very pivotal part part of this offense you know I don't think they are. I think he's a very pivotal part of this offense. You know, I don't think the offense is where they are without him. I'm not saying he's, you know, he's a guard. So his impact is, it's going to be great, but it's still not as great as like a left tackle or a quarterback or even a superstar receiver. But just everything that, again, that he brings to that group, you know, he brings that mindset that is infectious. We've seen quotes from his teammates at Notre Dame, from coaches, from Colts coaches, from Colts teammates. It's just

a very infectious attitude that he brings in on and off the field. It really shaped that offensive line. I'm not saying it's the sole reason why they made the big jump last year, but it definitely is a big reason why they were able to jump up from a you know, a basement dweller in terms of offensive line play to one of the top five

groups in the league. Yeah. That trade that Chris Bauer called for the Jets, Mike McKagan, the guy who made the trade last year, he got fired yesterday. So it kind of shows you, I think just how much Chris Bauer won in that trade overall,

but number two on our list, I think, like you said, it's going to be the same for the next three or four guys. I think we had the exact same top five like you mentioned there number two T.Y. Hilton I think that's really the pick where Ryan Gregson got the most lucky there yeah and it was actually funny I remember uh before this before I was even into football well I was into football but I wasn't really into scouting or writing football I was just a little

kid and I watched uh Florida International versus uh Louisville I think on TV I don writing football. I was just a little kid, and I watched Florida International versus Louisville, I think, on TV. I don't know why I was watching that game. And this little number four receiver, Florida International, was just tearing Louisville up. I think he had like four catches for like 190 yards and two touchdowns. Just had a huge game. And then I remember when the Colts took him in the next draft,

I was like, this guy is going to be legit. I didn't know if he was going to be like a kick returner, a little slot guy, but just how much he's developed his game from even then. You know, he had that speed. He has the quickness. He has the route running, but he just maximized it so well. And he is, you know, you can arguably say he's the best at what he does with those, those traits. You know, he, he definitely maximized his ability and he's one of the best receivers in football because of it.

So, you know, again, not the greatest in terms of height, not the greatest in terms of hands even or anything like that. Doesn't even really create that much yards after contact or after catch, but he just knows how to separate, knows how to get open, and knows how to catch those deep passes. And that's why, you know, if he keeps up this rate that he's going right now, he's going to be a Hall of Famer. Yeah, he's totally on the Hall of Fame path.

And I was perusing on Perk Ball Referencer this week, and I tweeted this out, that he's – T.Y.'s only one of four guys in their first 17 to at least 500 catches for an average of above 16 yards. The other three guys were Calvin Johnson, Randy Moss, and Jerry Rice, which is pretty incredible that he's on that path. But do you feel like T.Y. is maybe one of the most underrated receivers that the NFL has had in a while because you talk about I mean for obvious reasons you talk about Odell you talk about DeAndre Hopkins Antonio Browns of the world Julio Jones of the world but

no one ever talks about T.Y. Hill and and that's just surprising. Yeah, and the biggest thing, again, I think the big reason is he's just not a complete receiver. And people use that as a big, you know, a way to knock him, but that's not really fair. You know, he doesn't have every trait that guys like Odell Beckham or Julio Jones or even Antonio Brown really have. He doesn't have those traits. But what he does, like I said, he just maximizes what he has, and he's turned that into a legendary pace. And I think last year, especially, as people watching the Colts closely like you and I, that was one of the most fantastic seasons I've seen from a receiver. Not because he was producing at this elite, untouchable rate,

but that he was producing so well and he was still the number one receiver without practicing like the whole last two months of the year. I think that was one of the most remarkable seasons I've seen from a receiver just to come in day in, day out in a lot of pain, you know, with not even much receiver help either. You know, the number two receiver was Chester Rouser, Zach Pascow. It wasn't great, but he was still coming in day in and day out, and he was producing, barely able to walk throughout the week.

And I think that was just one of the most admirable things I saw about that whole team last year. And, again, that's an infectious attitude. You know, you see a guy just grinding through it the last two months of the year, and that really helps your team, you know, put together a win streak like that. But, yeah, he's 100% one of the most underrated players in this league yeah absolutely I'm right there with you and we should go on to our final guy on the list here an obvious one Andrew Luck number one in the Andrew Luck era what do you think just about when you look back on it this guy might have never played a game last year and with how badly he was mismanaged under Ryan Bergson with no offensive

line he was sacked over 150 times in five years like it's just crazy to think about just how much damage they allowed him to take to that point but just what does it say that Andrew Luck I think now going back off that shoulder injury Zach that he's maybe playing the best he's ever done yeah he's definitely getting the healthiest that he's ever been, especially after last year where he was barely touched. It was a great season for him last year, and we kind of got to see what he could be. You know, I don't even think he was 100% yet last year because he had moments where he really couldn't put a lot of strength in the ball. So I think we're going to see 100% Andrew Luck this next year. And again, if he has the same offensive line production,

it might even be better with guys like Howard Mudd and Chris Strasser teaching these guys up. But, yeah, I think that he could even have a better season this next year. And I'm sure he's very happy about it. I think the biggest thing about having a guy like Andrew Luck, you know, the talent's great in ways that doesn't feel as outstanding. But just going from a guy like Peyton Manning, who it's so hard to come after, you know,

going after an all-time great personality, an all-time great quarterback, all-time great football player, to come in and be just kind of your own guy, to kind of be a leader in your own regard, be yourself off the field. You know, he had really hard footsteps to follow, and he kind of came in with full graces. He led the team to, you know, three straight playoff appearances to start off his Colts career, and that's insane. He's just been a really great player for this franchise. If he

can stay healthy these next couple of years and the offensive line keep him upright, he's going to put up some great numbers and hopefully lead the team to a Super Bowl like Peyton did. Let me ask you this as a close thing about Zach. I know this is the best team Andrew Luck's ever had coming into this year. Do you feel like there's a case to be made that he should be an MVP favorite for next year? Maybe not favorite, and I don't say that lightly just because what we saw from Pat Mahomes last year is just unreal. I mean, it was on another level, what Pat Mahomes was doing.

I know he's losing some weapons and he's losing some things here and there. But still, I don't want to go against a guy who was doing the crazy things he was. But, you know, Andrew Luck should be in the top five. You know he's going to put the stats. You know he's getting better weapons. You know they're going to probably be a winning team this year. So, yeah, he has everything to make an MVP candidate for sure. Alrighty, folks.

That's it for our episode today. If you guys want to follow along and make your own top fives, do this review on iTunes with your list, and I'll be sure to read them all from the show. You guys can go follow Zach on Twitter if you haven't already. He's over at writing at Stampede Blue. Add Zach Hicks to Zach. Appreciate it as always.

Yeah, of course, man. Thanks for having me on. If you guys want to see some cool content going forward, I will be continuing with my film room series. Guys like Jihad Ward will be my subject on film rooms going forward. Kari Willis will be up there pretty soon. But I'm also going to be kind of branching out a little bit, doing some scheme stuff,

talking about how the Colts are trying to mimic the Seahawks scheme. So if you're really into football, if you're really into the Colts football, definitely follow along at Zach Hicks too on Twitter. Awesome. Thanks again, Zach. And we'll talk to you guys next time for our next episode.