The Indianapolis Colts once again have a significantly below-average defense -- in fact, according to the numbers it's downright bad.
Through four games in 2016, the Colts rank 25th in yards allowed per game, 30th in points allowed per game, and 30th in Football Outsiders' defensive DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average, which adjusts performance for down, distance, and opponent).
They do not do anything well defensively. They're 18th in rushing yards allowed per game and per attempt, and 26th in rushing defense DVOA. They're 24th in passing yards allowed per game and per attempt, 26th in opponent's quarterback rating, and 29th in passing defense DVOA. They're 18th in DVOA against passes to the left side of the field, 28th against passes to the middle, and 31st against passes to the right. They're 16th against deep passes and 32nd against short passes.
They're 25th in adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders, indicating they are letting running backs get way too far down the field before first contact. They're also 24th in adjusted sack rate and 27th in the percentage of drop backs on which they have generated pressure, indicating that they are rarely getting to the opposing quarterback.
What's the issue? Well, general manager Ryan Grigson says the blame lies at the feet of Andrew Luck.
Grigson: "When you pay Andrew (Luck) what we did, it's going to take some time to build on the other side of the ball."
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 7, 2016
This, to be blunt, is complete and utter nonsense.
Yes, Luck's five-year, nearly $123 million contract is huge. Yes, he counts against their books for $18.4 million this season. But this is also the first year of Luck's deal. He's been in Indianapolis for four years, during which time the Colts paid him a grand total of $22,107,998, according to Spotrac. That is a massively below-market deal for one of the NFL's best quarterbacks.
The Colts could -- and should -- have used that time period where they had Luck on a discount to build up a quality defense. They didn't. Ryan Grigson didn't.
THAT is why their defense is bad. Not because Andrew Luck is finally compensated at the level he deserves.
It's not like the defense is just now getting bad because the Colts had to cut ties with quality players due to an $11 million(ish) leap in Luck's cap hit from last year to this year. This is a bad defense that has largely been bad for four years and has topped out as basically average. That's not on Luck, it's on the people that have been responsible for building the defense and that have failed to do so.
