So many questions will need to be answered for the Colts before they kickoff their 2020 season this coming September.
Who will be the quarterback? Will they bring in a lot of free agents? Will Anthony Castonzo be the latest Colts player to retire in the prime of his career?
That sure makes it fun for all of us, but a tall challenge for Chris Ballard.
ESPN’s Mike Wells stopped by The Ride with JMV on Wednesday to talk about all of those very challenges the Colts face in the coming months.
But first – what is going on with Anthony Castonzo?
“The first question is going to be what the hell is going on with Anthony Castonzo? It’s like crickets right now,” Wells told JMV.
“The Colts want Castonzo back. He said at the end of the season that he was going to take some time to think about his future if he was going to keep playing or if he was going to decide to retire during the prime of his career. What happens with Castonzo is going to play a big part with how the Colts approach the offseason.”
So, Castonzo is the first domino to fall in the offseason full of challenges. Sounds like we’ll have to be patient for that one.
Castonzo’s return doesn’t just have a direct impact on the offensive line for 2020. It also effects the quarterback position.
“If the Colts have any interest in Philip Rivers – do they? I have no idea – but one selling point for Philip Rivers is the Colts are one of the best lines in the NFL. You take Anthony Castonzo out of it, and you’ve got to find somebody to protect the quarterback’s blind spot. I just think there’s a lot of domino effects with Anthony Castonzo’s future.”
The title of this article is something for Colts fans to either get excited about…or fear.
They haven’t had to experience an offseason like this for quite a while according to Mike Wells.
“I got a story running tomorrow calling this offseason meaning free agency, trades, and the draft, the most pivotal offseason for the Colts in the last 20 years. I mean can you think of a more pivotal offseason?”
He then explained to JMV about how the Colts have always had direct answers when faced with questions in the offseason.
Think about it.
They drafted Peyton Manning in 1998 so they knew he was their future. After a terrible 2011, they knew they had Andrew Luck. In 2017, they hoped and knew that Andrew Luck would come back in 2018.
Now, there’s no clear answer as we sit here on February 20th.
“Nobody knows what the hell is going to happen with this franchise. That’s why I think this is the most important offseason for the Colts since at least prior to 1998.”
