Led by Jonathan Taylor, the Colts had one of the best rushing attacks in the league last season.
While the club ended up second in rushing, Taylor led the NFL with 1,811 yards rushing and 18 rushing touchdowns along with 2,171 yards from scrimmage and 20 total TDs.
Bringing an experienced, veteran quarterback in like Matt Ryan should help the offense become more efficient. Ryan has already made his mark in camp by speeding up the practice tempo. But he also realizes how much he stands to benefit from a strong run game with Taylor and Nyheim Hines.
“The game has changed a lot but winning on both sides of the line of scrimmage still counts,” Ryan said in his Tuesday press conference. “The way this team has run the football here for the last handful of years, the back that we have in Jonathan and also as kind of a change-up in Nyheim and what he can do — it’s dynamic.
“It’s great as a quarterback. It helps in so many ways. It helps in pass protection, it creates lanes to throw, it gets [defenses sucked in] on play-action. It does a lot of the things that you like. It also wears down a defense. You will find no bigger proponent of the run game than myself and I’m fired up to play with these guys.”
Ryan also noted that Taylor looks “different” in person when he’s making moves on the field.
“He caught a screen pass, I think it was the first day in the indoor and I just kind of threw it, it was a simple little play, and he made a cut that you just don’t see and his explosion out of the cut to me was an eye-opener,” Ryan said. “You can watch as much tape as you want, it’s different to see it in person.
“As a matter of fact, my brother was up here at practice on Saturday and he was like, ‘Man, it was amazing to watch that guy go through the little ropes they run through at the beginning.’ He’s like, ‘It’s just different, you watch him and the movement is different. Those other guys are doing great behind him but he’s another level.’ He’s special.”
If the Colts can keep their ground game toward the top of the league and Ryan is efficient as a passer, then Indianapolis could make some noise in the AFC South.