INDIANAPOLIS — With eight games behind them — and eight to go — the Indianapolis Colts are in their bye week right in the middle of the 2018 regular season schedule.
Let's take a look at the unofficial snap counts by the Colts players so far this season, and some notes at each position, courtesy of Pro Football Focus:
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks:
- Andrew Luck: 580 offense (98 percent)
- Jacoby Brissett: 9 offense (2 percent)
— According to PFF, Luck's numbers when facing a clean pocket so far this season? 172-of-247 passing (69.6 percent) for 1,658 yards with 18 touchdowns to four interceptions.
Running Backs:
- Nyheim Hines: 298 offense (51 percent), 8 special teams (3 percent)
- Jordan Wilkins: 154 offense (26 percent), 34 special teams (14 percent)
- Marlon Mack: 128 offense (22 percent)
- Robert Turbin: 22 offense (4 percent), 3 special teams (1 percent)
- Christine Michael^: 3 offense (1 percent)
- Jeremy McNichols^: 2 offense (>1 percent)
— Hines, as advertised, has been all over the field for the Colts' offense so far this season. According to PFF, he's had 246 snaps from the backfield, 18 from the slot receiver position and 33 lined up out wide.
Tight Ends:
- Eric Ebron: 339 offense (58 percent)
- Jack Doyle: 193 offense (33 percent), 15 special teams (6 percent)
- Ryan Hewitt: 122 offense (21 percent), 102 special teams (43 percent)
- Mo Alie-Cox: 82 offense (14 percent), 1 special teams (>1 percent)
- Erik Swoope: 55 offense (9 percent), 49 special teams (21 percent)
— Ebron was also advertised as someone who could line up in multiple spots and be effective as a pass catcher, and that, too, has been the case so far. Ebron, according to PFF, has lined up in more of an inline, traditional tight end spot 119 times, but has been used much more in the slot, with 174 snaps there. He also has 43 snaps lined up out wide. Whatever the Colts are doing is obviously working, as he leads all NFL tight ends with seven touchdown receptions to this point.
Wide Receivers:
- Chester Rogers: 371 offense (63 percent), 25 special teams (11 percent)
- Ryan Grant: 338 offense (57 percent)
- T.Y. Hilton: 336 offense (57 percent), 1 special teams (>1 percent)
- Zach Pascal: 273 offense (46 percent), 102 special teams (43 percent)
- Dontrelle Inman: 100 offense (17 percent)
- Marcus Johnson^: 95 offense (16 percent), 60 special teams (25 percent)
— Rogers has been the Colts' primary slot receiver so far, lining up in that spot in about 88 percent of his snaps on the field — or 326 in all, according to PFF.
Offensive Linemen:
- Quenton Nelson: 589 offense* (100 percent), 40 special teams (17 percent)
- Ryan Kelly: 574 offense (98 percent)
- Matt Slauson^: 376 offense (64 percent), 22 special teams (9 percent)
- Le'Raven Clark: 315 offense (54 percent), 29 special teams (12 percent)
- Braden Smith: 306 offense (52 percent)
- Mark Glowinski: 225 offense (38 percent), 12 special teams (5 percent)
- Anthony Castonzo: 205 offense (35 percent), 11 special teams (5 percent)
- Joe Haeg^: 174 offense (30 percent), 11 special teams (5 percent)
- Denzelle Good: 119 offense (20 percent), 4 special teams (2 percent)
- J'Marcus Webb^: 81 offense (14 percent)
- Evan Boehm: 15 offense (3 percent), 16 special teams (7 percent)
— Both head coach Frank Reich and offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo have sang Kelly's praises in recent days, and for good reason. According to PFF, Kelly has allowed just one sack, two quarterback hits and three hurries to this point of the season. He is PFF's sixth-best overall rated center in the NFL through eight games.
DEFENSE
Defensive Linemen:
- Jabaal Sheard: 433 defense (80 percent), 51 special teams (22 percent)
- Margus Hunt: 393 defense (72 percent), 77 special teams (33 percent)
- Kemoko Turay: 284 defense (52 percent), 24 special teams (10 percent)
- Al Woods: 269 defense (50 percent), 58 special teams (25 percent)
- Al-Quadin Muhammad: 194 defense (36 percent), 13 special teams (6 percent)
- Denico Autry: 187 defense (35 percent), 25 special teams (11 percent)
- Grover Stewart: 163 defense (30 percent), 72 special teams (31 percent)
- Jihad Ward^: 144 defense (27 percent)
- Carroll Phillips: 52 defense (10 percent), 121 special teams (51 percent)
- Hassan Ridgeway: 45 defense (8 percent), 13 special teams (6 percent)
— At Rutgers, Turay had roughly half the number of pass-rush snaps as some of the more highly-touted edge guys in this year's draft class, like Bradley Chubb, Marcus Davenport and Harold Landry. Through the first eight games of his NFL career, Turay has the second-most total quarterback pressures of anybody in the 2018 NFL Draft class with 25, which trails Bradley Chubb — the fifth-overall pick — who has 32. Turay's also done his damage with 31 percent fewer snaps than Chubb (414 snaps), according to PFF.
Linebackers:
- Darius Leonard: 470 defense (86 percent), 6 special teams (3 percent)
- Anthony Walker: 365 defense (67 percent), 86 special teams (36 percent)
- Zaire Franklin: 126 defense (23 percent), 108 special teams (46 percent)
- Najee Goode: 64 defense (12 percent), 188 special teams* (80 percent)
- Matthew Adams: 48 defense (9 percent), 150 special teams (64 percent)
- Skai Moore^: 33 defense (6 percent), 19 special teams (8 percent)
- Tarell Basham^: 9 defense (2 percent), 13 special teams (6 percent)
— Here’s this from PFF, which ranks Leonard as the No. 6 rookie in the NFL so far in 2018: "Leonard currently ranks sixth among the 120 linebackers who've seen at least 50 defensive snaps this season in terms of overall grade, and he's the only linebacker in football who owns a grade of at least 75.0 in both coverage and run defense. Much has been made about Leonard's lofty tackle totals, but if you look a bit deeper into that total it's even more impressive: Leonard leads all linebackers with 34 total stops and his 4.4 missed tackle percentage ranks seventh-best among the 68 linebackers who've made at least 20 tackles this season."
Cornerbacks:
- Kenny Moore II: 415 defense (76 percent), 84 special teams (36 percent)
- Pierre Desir: 405 defense (75 percent), 46 special teams (20 percent)
- Nate Hairston: 404 defense (74 percent), 45 special teams (19 percent)
- Quincy Wilson: 114 defense (21 percent), 5 special teams (2 percent)
- Arthur Maulet: 73 defense (13 percent), 26 special teams (11 percent)
- Chris Milton: 55 defense (10 percent), 124 special teams (53 percent)
- Lenzy Pipkins^: 53 defense (10 percent), 2 special teams (1 percent)
— Moore II, according to PFF, has the 13th most coverage snaps from the slot position in the NFL, but has allowed the fourth-fewest receptions (14) among that group. His 63.1 passer rating allowed ranks second, and his two interceptions are in a three-way tie for the most in the league in that group.
Safeties:
- Malik Hooker: 472 defense* (87 percent), 1 special teams (>1 percent)
- Clayton Geathers: 368 defense (68 percent), 36 special teams (15 percent)
- Matthias Farley^: 151 defense (28 percent), 104 special teams (44 percent)
- Mike Mitchell: 137 defense (25 percent)
- Corey Moore: 44 defense (8 percent), 148 special teams (63 percent)
- George Odum: 14 defense (3 percent), 178 special teams (75 percent)
— Opposing teams simply aren't throwing the ball anywhere near Hooker this season, his second in the NFL. According to PFF, Hooker's 138.0 coverage snaps per reception allowed figure is the highest among all safeties in the NFL. When in coverage, Hooker has been targeted just three times total, allowing two receptions for 36 yards, and picked off the other pass attempt thrown his way.
SPECIAL TEAMERS
- Rigoberto Sanchez: 117 special teams (50 percent)
- Luke Rhodes: 68 special teams (29 percent)
- Adam Vinatieri: 40 special teams (17 percent)
— Sanchez's net punting average of 43.2 is the third best in the NFL, which is thanks to good placement and coverage, as the Colts allow just 4.5 yards per punt return, according to PFF. That also ranks third among qualified punters.
(*denotes most on team)
(^ denotes no longer on Colts' active roster)
