Insider: Evolution of Carson Wentz version of Colts offense is likely only beginning – IndyStar

INDIANAPOLIS Frank Reich, Marcus Brady and the rest of the Colts offensive staff have been tinkering with the offense for months now, preparing for the shift from Philip Rivers to Carson Wentz.

Four seasons in Indianapolis has given Reich plenty of experience far too much, some might say in adjusting his offense to a different quarterback. Four seasons into his time in charge of the Colts, and Wentz will be Reichs fourth opening-day starter.

Barring a setback withWentzs surgically-repaired foot this week, the Colts will unleash all of that work on Seattles defense Sunday afternoon.

Thats going to come up on a week-to-week scenario, how defenses decide to play us, Brady said. Were going to be who we are, its what we worked on through training camp, this offseason with Carson and the personnel we have here.

More: Insider: Colts' offense is about to find out how important practice is

More: 3 things to know from Colts unofficial depth chart at running back, corner, defensive end

More: Can Carson Wentz lead Colts back to playoffs? Insiders predict outcome of all 17 games

Indianapolis has worked hard to emphasize the parts of the offense that fit Wentzs skill set. Wentz is far more mobile than Rivers, and Reich has said that the Colts want to push the ball down the field more this season than they did last year, given the strength of the quarterbacks arm.

We already have a chance to kind of get a feel for what flavor, what emphasis our team is going to have with a new quarterback, Reich said. I think weve already been getting that flavor the whole offseason, talking to our team and projecting with our team: Heres who were going to be. Heres the things that dont change, heres the things that are going to slightly change. Always giving a vision for what we want to be, but then allowing it to work out organically.

That last part might be the key.

No matter how much work Reich and the rest of the Indianapolis offensive staff have done this offseason, the reality is that the offense the Colts debut against the Seahawks is likely just the beta test of what it will ultimately become with Wentz at the helm.

If the past three seasons are any indication, the Indianapolis offense is going to take a little bit of time to truly find its identity.

I think that happens naturally, anyway, year to year, Reich said. You never know how defenses are going to play you, and theres a lot of dynamics that go into it.

Dynamics that can change for a lot of different reasons. Injuries and uncertainty on the offensive line stunted the early growth of the Andrew Luck version of the offense; Indianapolis opened that season as a quick, high-percentage, high-volume throwing team with trouble running the football, then turned into a balanced, Run the Damn Ball and fire it downfield for big plays offense when the line solidified and Mack returned to the lineup.

A year ago, Philip Rivers had to learn to play within himself and stop taking so many chances, and Indianapolis had to adjust to the Septemberlosses of Marlon Mack and Parris Campbell, who'd both been expected to play critical roles. Five games into the season, an awful second half in Cleveland helped crystallize what the Colts should be, and the second-half development of Jonathan Taylor allowed Indianapolis to fully realize its vision.

In essence, those two seasons represent the trajectory Reich wants his offense to take.

We want to be growing and getting better on offense, figuring out how to be more productive, score more points, how to use our players strengths more, Reich said. To that end, it will take weeks, it will take a year. Hopefully were evolving through the whole year.

The only time the Colts havent been able to take that step was in 2019.

Forced to adjust the offense on the fly two weeks before the season due to Lucks retirement, Indianapolis got off to a 5-2 start with an offense that forced teams to pay attention to its running game, limited mistakes in the passing game and made a couple of plays here or there against secondaries geared up to stop the running game.

The adjustment that Colts team needed to make midway through the season was obvious; Indianapolis needed to produce more big plays in the passing game, especially against defenses that stacked the box week after week, essentially daring the Colts to go down the field.

Indianapolis knew what it needed to be. Jacoby Brissett simply couldnt get the Colts there.

The Colts are confident Wentz is a quarterback like Luck and Rivers, a passer with the ability to get them to the playoffs as the offense grows around them.

If he has to be Superman, he can do that, running back Nyheim Hines said. If he just has to turn around and hand the ball off, he can do that, too. I think with Carson, hes going to do whatever is required to win the game. Thats what we all feel about him; hes going to do whatever it takes.

Whatever it takes will likely change on a weekly basis, beginning with the season opener against the Seahawks.

And the more time the Colts have with Wentz under center, the more theyll know exactly what the offense needs to be.

Originally posted here:

Insider: Evolution of Carson Wentz version of Colts offense is likely only beginning - IndyStar