' offense, outside of an outlier game in week six, has been a major disappointment in 2022. High turnover and sack numbers have plagued this team, and it has led to the Colts' averaging just 16.1 points per game. This i sues have run so deep that veteran quarterback Matt Ryan was benched after only seven games. Replacing him is second year pa ser Sam Ehlinger. With Ehlinger thrust into the starting lineup, Frank Reich and the Curtis Granderson Jersey Colts' offensive staff had to rework the playbook to fit the new starter's play style. The result may have been the same last Sunday (decent drives that ended in turnovers), but the offense had a much more interesting flair to it against the . There were some new wrinkles added for the new quarterback that were quite unique and interesting in this game. So today, let's dive into a few of these interesting play designs that Frank Reich drew up this past week. The Colts have had some struggles this season in converting short yardage plays into first downs/touchdowns. With a new, and fairly mobile, quarterback in the mix, Reich whipped out a unique short yardage package this past Sunday. The Colts, and Sam Ehlinger, have mentioned a few times in recent weeks that they have studied how the Philadelphia Eagles have used Jalen Hurts as a rusher in these spots. This is a play that looks like it was ripped straight out of that playbook. This is a third and short situation with the Colts lined up in the gun. Ehlinger sends Parris Campbell in motion to get the defense moving pre-snap. The play design is actually just a simple read option wham call. Ehlinger's sole read on this play is the unblocked defensive end on the play side. If that defensive end crashes down, he will keep the ball and follow Kylen Granson to Toronto Blue Jays T-Shirts the outside. If the defensive end hesitates at all, Ehlinger will give the ball up the middle to Jonathan Taylor. On this first call, Ehlinger hands the ball off to Taylor up the gut for a gain of Jaime Garcia Jersey 27 on the play. Faced with another third and short later in the game, the Colts went back to this exact same play call. This time, the play side defensive end crashed downhill, which led to Ehlinger keeping the ball on the outside. He follows Kylen Granson to the outside and is able to get the first down with relative ease. This is an element to the offense that the team just didn't have with a pure pocket pa ser like Matt Ryan. The new age QB can beat defenses with their legs, and Ehlinger is able to do that here for the first down. The downfield pa sing game for the Colts this season has been absolutely atrocious. With Matt Ryan under center, the Colts' averaged a little over one attempt a game with an average depth of target over 20 yards. With Sam Ehlinger at quarterback this past game, he attempted four of these pa ses down the field. The most memorable one of these attempts being a 47-yard completion to Alec Pierce. Ehlinger notices the standout wide receiver has pre s coverage Toronto Blue Jays Hoodie on the outside pre-snap. That means that all Ehlinger has to read post-snap is that play side safety. Scroll to ContinueIf that safety doesn't get depth, Ehlinger knows that he has a shot over the top to Pierce. The safety abandons his deep quarter, which frees up Pierce on the skinny post over the top for a huge gain. This clip is going to hurt a little bit, as it does feature (now) former Colts' running back Nyheim Hines. Still, this is a fun play design that the team should definitely keep in the arsenal going forward. The Colts are in a wildcat formation, with Hines lined up behind the center and Jonathan Taylor aligned next to him. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger comes in motion prior to the snap and is used as a decoy on a fake reverse hand off. Hines keeps the ball here and follows his lead blocker, Taylor, to the outside for a solid gain. The Colts' offensive line gets a decent push here and springs Hines for the chunk run. With Hines now in Buffalo, could this be a formation where Josh Donaldson Jersey we see somebody like Parris Campbell or Deon Jackson take these snaps in the future?The final play that I want to highlight was the Colts' lone redzone score in this game. The Colts have been one of the worst redzone offenses in the NFL this season, only scoring touchdowns at 47.8% clip. They converted one of their two chances this past Sunday with this call below. This read option power shovel call for a score was a beautifully designed play. The Colts are in 21 personnel with two running backs out on the field. Nyheim Hines motions into the backfield prior to the snap and Sam Ehlinger executes the option-shovel with him. Ehlinger is, again, reading that play side defensive end. If the end crashes down, he will hand the ball off to Hines for the outside power run. If the end stays at home, Ehlinger will shovel the ball inside to Kylen Granson for a quick gain up the middle. The defensive end crashes down just enough to signal Ehlinger to hand the ball off to Hines. Hines works around the outside, untouched, for the touchdown on the play. Excellent Jose Bautista Jersey design and perfect execution on this score. The Colts' offense was far from great against the Washington Commanders, but it was at least entertaining! With a mobile quarterback like Sam Ehlinger at the helm, Frank Reich was able to open up his playbook a little bit more in this game. Does this mean that the Colts' offense will be better off with Ehlinger than it was with Matt Ryan? Not nece sarily. Fun doesn't always equate to more succe s, but at least the offense was more entertaining this past Sunday. In this borderline disastrous season, I will certainly take that. Follow Zach on Twitter .
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