Indianapolis Colts

USA Today Sports The sophomore slump, while it’s a bit of a cliche thing, it also seems to be quite real. Many young NFL quarterbacks struggle in their second season, or at least go through a rough patch early on in their career after a hot start. When it comes to hot starts as a rookie, look no further than Indianapolis Colts QB Andrew Luck. Coming into the league as the No. 1 overall pick, and widely considered the best pure QB in his class, the expectations were high. But, Luck lived up the hype, and then some. After leading the Colts to 11 wins and a playoff berth, it’s fair to wonder if he can follow it up in 2013. Teams are going to be ready for him this time around, and a decline in production is a real possibility. From a statistical standout he’ll have to top 4,374 passing yards and 23 touchdowns. He does however have a lot of room to improve in completion percentage, as he only completed passes at a 54.1% clip during his rookie campaign. I’m confident he can improve in all of those categories, it’s the 11 wins I’m not sold on. When it comes down to it, that’s ultimately how Luck’s sophomore season will be judged. I think if he can lead the Colts back to the playoffs, that you’d have to deem it a success. There will be talk of Indianapolis winning the division, but I think it’s too early for that. This is still a young team, and while Luck seems to be quarterback with a great mind for the game, he’s got a hard road ahead this season. Odds of Luck having a sophomore slump – 13%. Follow Andrew Fisher on Twitter

Which other city can claim to be so fortunate? We looked at the four major sports and tried to find franchise building blocks 26-years and younger.

Just watching the interviews with some of the guys after todays OTA session, and looking at what guys like George Bremer, Tom James and Mike Chappell are saying on twitter. Sounds like the defense was real impressive (I know its just OTAs, not real football, but it is still encouraging). By the sounds of it, Greg Toler (an acquisition that I am really excited about) was making plays left, right and center. If he can stay healthy, and they can extend Vontae's contract, which I believe runs out at the end of the season, that secondary could become real impressive. I also noticed how complimentary C-Redd was of both Bjoern, Montori and Josh Chapman, who he described as awesome pretty much. On a side note, notable absences were Reggie, who I don't think attended many voluntary workouts last year either, but he is a future HOF, so we can let him off. Don't know why Mathis wasn't there, I'm guessing a little injury or something. I do have a little pit of a pet peeve about new guys not attending though, and this was heightened today with the absence of Donald Thomas and Laron Landry. I think these guys will be great for us, and I'm pleased that Donald has attended most of the other sessions so far this year, but Landrys absence is bugging me, as I want him and Bethea to start building chemistry ASAP. Just some observations from interviews and tweets etc. What do you guys think? Just watching the interviews with some of the guys after todays OTA session, and looking at what guys like George Bremer, Tom James and Mike Chappell are saying on twitter. Sounds like the defense was real impressive (I know its just OTAs, not real football, but it is still encouraging). By the sounds of it, Greg Toler (an acquisition that I am really excited about) was making plays left, right and center. If he can stay healthy, and they can extend Vontae's contract, which I believe runs out at the end of the season, that secondary could become real impressive. I also noticed how complimentary C-Redd was of both Bjoern, Montori and Josh Chapman, who he described as awesome pretty much. On a side note, notable absences were Reggie, who I don't think attended many voluntary workouts last year either, but he is a future HOF, so we can let him off. Don't know why Mathis wasn't there, I'm guessing a little injury or something. I do have a little pit of a pet peeve about new guys not attending though, and this was heightened today with the absence of Donald Thomas and Laron Landry. I think these guys will be great for us, and I'm pleased that Donald has attended most of the other sessions so far this year, but Landrys absence is bugging me, as I want him and Bethea to start building chemistry ASAP. Just some observations from interviews and tweets etc. What do you guys think?

The Indianapolis Colts began their first set of OTAs on Monday, kicking off the beginning of practices for the team and its new faces. With OTAs now officially beginning, one of the bigger things for fans and media alike to start watching out for is how the offense will run. The addition of Pep Hamilton brought in plenty of excitement and buzz around Indianapolis. Back when Hamilton was hired, there was plenty of talk about potential running plays out of the pistol or wildcat formations, and even potentially some read-option plays. Now, a lot of that hype has died down and been replaced with talk of a "No Coast Offense". The idea that of this offensive gameplan is essentially that they would have a playbook with plays from the days of Peyton Manning, plays last year with Bruce Arians, and plays from Stanford back when Luck and Hamilton were there together. While all this talking about what the offensive playbook will look like is all pretty unclear at the moment, one thing that people are beginning to speculate about is a power running game using zone blocking schemes. The big hint about this came from the NFL Draft back in April. The Colts brought in two offensive linemen in Hugh Thornton and Khaled Holmes who are both aggressive guys that could play well in a zone blocking scheme. The additions of both Gosder Cherilus and Donald Thomas also point to this being the case. Regardless, OTAs should now finally bring some of these questions about the offense to light. The team and players will be beginning to run plays out of the playbook starting now, so fans should keep a close eye on what's being reported on the offense. We may not see the whole offensive strategy starting right now, but we may start getting a feel for this offense thanks to OTAs.

See the video above for Andrew Luck's comments after Wednesday's workout.

I would think that the team would assign an intern or some low-level person to read the various blogs and then respond to things like do players have to have a signed contract to participate in OTAs - not something like Grigson is an idiot for trading Shipley - not to discussion questions but to factual questions - seems like the team would want fans to understand how things work or maybe their is a better place to post questions - any suggestions? I would think that the team would assign an intern or some low-level person to read the various blogs and then respond to things like do players have to have a signed contract to participate in OTAs - not something like Grigson is an idiot for trading Shipley - not to discussion questions but to factual questions - seems like the team would want fans to understand how things work or maybe their is a better place to post questions - any suggestions?

It's never too early to plan your Super Bowl LII bid. Leaders in Indianapolis say they want to bid on the NFL's next big game. But does everyone support such a quick return to Indy?

Brett Davis – USA Today Sports Images The Indianapolis Colts were arguably the most inspired team in the NFL in the 2012 season as they were playing for their head coach Chuck Pagano, who was diagnosed with cancer, and behind the #Chuckstrong campaign. That coupled with the great season from rookie quarterback Andrew Luck led the Colts, surprisingly, to the NFL Playoffs. Now the Colts are looking to build off that success and avoid a season of regression that many people are predicting them to have. They will need their offensive line to improve, Luck to continue to develop and grow as a pro quarterback and avoid a sophomore slump, and for their young receivers to be able to help Reggie Wayne shoulder the load. One player to watch in terms of the Colts’ wide receivers is 23-year-old T.Y. Hilton. The little known Hilton proved himself as a big playmaker for Indianapolis last season. In 15 games, he garnered 50 receptions on 91 targets for 861 yards and seven touchdowns. 30 of his 50 receptions also went for a first down and the Colts looked to him more and more as the season progressed. For the 2013 season, Hilton is likely to see his targets increase from last season. In terms of percentage of targets in 2012, Hilton ranked third on the Colts behind Wayne and Donnie Avery. With Avery no longer being on the team, though, that’s likely to put Hilton in the number two receiver spot, unless the team wants to continue to work him in the slot. Regardless, he’s likely going to see a lot more balls coming his way. Hilton has elite-level speed and is hard to catch in the open field. However, he also has solid hands and runs good routes for a big-play, speed receiver. Though he’s still young and has the potential to slump this year, expect Hilton to continue making big plays for the pass-heavy Colts and to have another impressive season. Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.

There’s more than football in Indianapolis. Considering the amazing success that the Indianapolis Colts have enjoyed over the last 15 years or so, it is sometimes hard to recall that this city has only had a pro football franchise for around three decades. Prior to the arrival (and eventual assention) of the Colts, Indianapolis was known worldwide for the Indy 500 race, which will have its 97th run this weekend. Last Friday, some of the new faces of the Indianapolis football franchise got a chance to experience what their city has been known for. The 2013 Colts rookies to a visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and soaked in some of the sights around the home of the biggest race in the world. The Colts were welcomed by Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, and then proceeded to enjoy the excitement of the “Fast Friday” time trials for the Indy 500. The rookies got a chance to kiss the bricks at the Speedway finish line, took a tour of the garages, and even got to take a lap around the track in a pace car. Being introduced to their first professional football contract is a massive engagement in its own right, but being introduced to the magnatude of Indiana’s crowning jewel is nothing short of humbling. These young players got a chance to see some of the sports history of their new city, and there is honestly nothing like it.

The work may slow down in the offseason for the Indianapolis Colts, but it never stops. As the temperature rises outside, the offseason efforts keep on rolling in the NFL. In the past month since the 2013 NFL Draft, the Colts have welcomed in their rookie class, and have gotten them on the field for a rookie minicamp. They have spent time getting their new blood acclimated to their new surroundings and system, and have also signed quite a few of them to their first pro contract. Veteran players have been in and out of the weight and practice rooms throughout the offseason, and now things for the near future are beginning to take shape. Colts players, both new and veteran, are now getting ready for Organized Team Activities (OTAs). The competition will start amping up, as will the drills and the action on the field. Players will not be in pads, but will be wearing their helmets and shorts. These OTAs will mark the first time that the offense and defense will be able to mix it up together. There will be ten OTA practices, putting over 70 players into the process of building the Indianapolis Colts for 2013.