Do The Colts Have A Competition For The Backup Quarterback Spot?

INDIANAPOLIS – Unlike the past four seasons in Indianapolis, the backup quarterback hasn’t been decided with the regular season less than a month away. Chuck Pagano confirmed that tidbit on Monday afternoon. Scott Tolzien has the experience. Stephen Morris has the promising outing from Week One of the preseason. It’s a competition between the two for who is Andrew Luck’s new backup in 2016. “Everybody is competing at this point,” Pagano said on Monday when asked directly if Morris could win the backup role. “(Morris) is no different than anybody else out there. Until we make the cut down to 75 and we cut to 53, nothing is given to Scott and we haven’t told Stephen that he is the third.”Both Pagano and Tolzien would like to see the latter become more consistent with his accuracy. In Anderson and on Saturday night in Buffalo, there were throws where Tolzien’s ball placement didn’t allow for receivers to make plays after the catch. Pagano did like how Tolzien handled a sluggish start and the other traits he brings to the quarterback position (intelligence, arm strength and ability to make plays on the run). “Accuracy, we always have to work on that,” Pagano says, “but the decision-making and taking care of the football and extending plays, he did a nice job." Says Tolzien on the need to improve his accuracy, “I think I’m my own toughest critic so I would agree with that.” Where Tolzien dwarfs Morris is in NFL experience. Tolzien has been in the league for six seasons, playing a reserve roll on an NFC Championship team in San Francisco. For the last three years, Tolzien played behind Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. The Colts have always been high on Morris. On Christmas Eve last season, the Colts plucked Morris off the Eagles’ practice squad. Morris has yet to throw a pass in an NFL regular season game, but Pagano was pleased with how the youngster handled a half of football during the preseason. “I thought he did a really good job and it was not too big for him,” Pagano said of Morris going 5-of-9 for 104 yards on Saturday night. “He has come back from the offseason and is a little different guy. His sense of urgency, his focus, his attention to detail, the way he is preparing and the way he is practicing, it all led to a really good performance for him against Buffalo.” Make no mistake about it, unlike past years, the Colts have not settled on a definite backup quarterback. “If (Morris) keeps doing that,” Pagano says, “then it will be interesting to see how that unfolds.”

Do The Colts Have A Competition For The Backup Quarterback Spot?

Intro: The days of Drew Stanton and Matt Hasselbeck being the clear backup quarterback in Indianapolis are gone. Scott Tolzien and Stephen Morris are competing for the role behind Andrew Luck.

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