INDIANAPOLIS — Questions persist for the Indianapolis Colts with the regular season looming.
Among them:
*How will defensive coordinator Gus Bradley resolve the uncertainty at safety? Julian Blackmon is a given, but the Colts still are trying to determine if Nick Cross is reliable enough to be his running mate. With Blackmon sitting with the other starters Saturday night against Arizona, Cross worked at strong safety and Rodney Thomas II at free safety.
*What’s the pecking order at tight end behind Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson? And how might a toe injury impact 2022 third-round pick Jelani Woods’ pursuit of a roster spot?
*Where do the Colts turn for their swing offensive tackle if Blake Freeland continues to struggle? Last year’s fourth-round pick endured a rough game at left tackle against Arizona. On consecutive plays, Freeland tripped while backpedaling into protection which allowed a sack of Jason Bean, and was flagged for holding, which wiped out a 23-yard completion.
On the heels of the 21-13 win over the Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium, here’s another one:
*What’s up with Matt Gay?
After converting his first field goal attempt of the preseason — a 35-yarder against Denver — he’s developed a nasty case of the wide-lefts. Gay pulled a 54-yarder against the Broncos and did the same with 53 and 44-yard attempts against Arizona.
So, Shane Steichen, do you have any concerns?
“I don’t. I really don’t,’’ he said. “He’s a pro.
“I think it’s going to be just fine. We’ll be fine there.’’
There were extenuating circumstances Saturday.
Rigoberto Sanchez, the normal, sure-handed holder, was with his wife Cynthia at a local hospital as she delivered the couple’s second daughter.
Rookie kicker Spencer Shrader stepped in. According to Gay, Shrader had never held prior to Saturday.
“I probably would have dropped a couple of snaps, not be able to get the ball down,’’ Gay said. “So, all credit to him and his athleticism to come in and put the ball down and hold.’’
A new holder, and a rookie at that, could mess up the snap, placement, kick mechanics. But Shrader appeared to give Gay a solid placement on both field goal attempts.
“The ball’s down, I’ve gotta make the kick,’’ Gay said. “I’ve gotta be better than I was tonight regardless of all situations.’’
Gay said everything leading up to the errant kicks was fine.
“I mean, all pregame, halftime,’’ he said. “Kicks were really good. I take some confidence from that.
“The ball’s down, I’ve gotta make the kick regardless of who’s the holder or what’s happening.
General manager Chris Ballard showed a commitment to solidifying his kicking game last offseason by signing Gay to a four-year, $22.5 million contract. It included $13 million in guarantees, and at the time, his $5.65 million per-year average ranked No. 2 among kickers.
Gay earned the big payday by knocking down 74-of-80 field goal attempts (92.5%) in three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. He was 12-of-14 in the playoffs.
There were no issues early in Indy. Gay opened 16-of-18 last season, including a historic visit to Baltimore in week 3. In the 22-19 overtime win, he hit all five field goal attempts, and became the first kicker in NFL history to nail four 50+ yarders: 54, 53, 53 and 53. His 53-yarder with 57 seconds remaining sent the game into overtime. His 53-yarder in overtime ended it.
But after the efficient start, Gay’s accuracy waned a bit. He closed the season 17-of-23. It’s worth noting his eight misses, which tied a career high, included four that hit the upright and another, a 60-yarder, that was blocked. Five of the eight were 50+.
Tack on the first two preseason games, and he’s hit just 18 of his last 27 attempts. That’s 66.7%.
And that’s not nearly good enough for a team that aspires to compete for its first AFC South championship since 2014.
After Gay’s miss against Denver, special teams coordinator Brian Mason insisted his kicker had to “trust a little bit better and just attack the ball."
“He was trying to just kind of finesse and place the ball a little bit, and he knows that," Mason said. "That’s just a little thing that he can clean up mentally — just to go attack the ball and swing all the way through it, instead of just trying to make sure that he perfectly places the ball.’’
The Colts’ 9-8 record in 2023 was built by going 6-3 in one-possession games. They were 3-1 in games decided by three points or fewer.
It’s difficult to compete for a division title or wild-card spot with an unreliable kicker. The Colts saw any chance of reaching the playoffs in 2019 sabotaged by kicker Adam Vinatieri’s season-long struggles, which were aided by a knee injury.
“I just have to be better, especially going forward getting ready for week 1, going into the regular season,’’ Gay said. “For this team, I’ve gotta make kicks.
“I’ve got to do my part.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.