Throughout the offseason, the Indianapolis Colts have made it clear they have a massive goal for the running back room: to be a top-five rushing unit in the NFL.
After finishing 20th in rushing yards per game and tied for 21st in yards per attempt, head coach Frank Reich and the rest of the offensive staff have drilled it into the unit that they will do everything they can to have one of the top ground attacks in the league.
There’s still a long way to go before that happens, but Reich is bullish on the group he has in the backfield.
“We love our running back group. You know, Marlon (Mack) has had a great camp. Nyheim (Hines) – we feel like we’ve all gotten better,” Reich told Indy media Tuesday. “Really. That group has really shined in my eyes, in all of our eyes.”
There certainly were improvements made over the second half of the season. As the Colts figured out the optimal starting offensive line, the rushing attack quickly followed suit and wound up being an extremely productive unit.
When Marlon Mack returned in Week 6 from his lingering hamstring injury—also the time the offensive line got figured out—the rushing attack for the Colts was strong.
Overall, from Week 6–17, the Colts had 1,346 rushing yards as a team. That was good for 11th best in the NFL. The efficiency still wasn’t there, though. In those 11 games, the Colts averaged 4.38 yards per attempt—20th in the NFL.
Still, there was some promise shown, and now Reich believes the group is becoming more than a weakness.
“So I think a year ago we were looking at that group and everybody was wondering, ‘Do we have enough at that position,” said Reich. “And I think a year later we sit there and look at that position as, ‘We not only have enough, but this might be a position of strength.’ I mean, that’s the way I feel about it. These guys, I feel really confident in all of them.”
The Colts should have all they need to be a better rushing offense in 2019. Mack is healthy and having a strong camp. The offensive line is healthy and dominant while being led by Chris Strausser and Howard Mudd. Reich is still leading the way as an innovative play-caller.
How high the Colts rushing attack will go is a storyline to watch for the upcoming season, but Reich feels the unit is becoming a position they can lean on with consistency.
