INDIANAPOLIS -- When Andrew Luck made his surprise retirement announcement in August, the prevailing wisdom across the league was that things might fall apart for the Indianapolis Colts. But those inside the organization didn’t flinch.
They knew what they had in quarterback Jacoby Brissett. That’s why general manager Chris Ballard, while disappointed by Luck's decision, didn’t hesitate to say he believed Brissett could step into the starting quarterback job and keep the Colts competitive. That’s also why Ballard gave Brissett a two-year contract before he even took a snap in a regular-season game.
But no matter what Brissett did during the first five games of the season, the question still remained: Could the Colts be successful when the defenses dared him to throw?