Although the Colts did win a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning, the team watched as other clubs with less offensive firepower – like the Patriots, Steelers, and Giants – won multiple titles during the 2000s. So after drafting Andrew Luck, owner Jim Irsay was determined to put together a more balanced roster that was capable of holding its own on defense and special teams as well, writes Albert Breer of the NFL Network. This Sunday’s showdown against the Pats is a major test for the Colts, who have been outscored 102-46 in the two Luck/Tom Brady matchups to date. In addition to exploring that game, Breer also touches on a few other topics of note in his latest column at NFL.com, so let’s round up the highlights….
- NFL executive VP of international Mark Waller tells Breer that the league was encouraged by the success of the three games in London in 2014. While Wembley Stadium’s availability in 2015 made it impossible to play more than three games there next year, Waller says he’d be “very disappointed” if there aren’t at least four London games on the schedule in 2016.
- To this point in his career, the Cowboys have kept a close eye on Dez Bryant, but if and when he signs a long-term deal with the club, his status in the locker room will have to change, as will the way the team handles him, writes Breer. As the NFL.com scribe points out: “Players in any locker room keep score by salary and pay keen attention to how their most richly compensated teammates are treated.”
- “Time served” will be an oft-used phrase during Adrian Peterson‘s hearing this coming Monday, according to Breer, who says that fining and reinstating the Vikings running back is one possibility for the league, rather than assessing an additional suspension on top of the games he has already missed.
- Breer suggests keeping an eye on the free agent market for quarterbacks this offseason — while there are no huge names on expiring contracts, prospective free agents like Mark Sanchez, Brian Hoyer, and Ryan Mallett could finish the season as respectable starters.