JACKSONVILLE -- The blueprint, the one offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton envisioned as the Indianapolis Colts added pieces to their roster in the offseason, had yet to be put on full display in the first two games of the season.
An early hole against the Denver Broncos forced quarterback Andrew Luck to fling the ball down field in Week 1. The running game was there against Philadelphia in Week 2, but the passing game lacked consistency.
But at about a little after 4 p.m. ET on Sunday, Hamilton had every right to feel good as he headed toward the tunnel at EverBank Field after the Colts' 44-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The checklist of offensive capability had been accomplished.
A running game? Running backs Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw combined for 122 yards on 23 carries.
Passing game? Luck threw for 370 yards while completing passes to nine receivers.
The Colts had 529 yards of total offense -- their most since Dec. 5, 2004 -- and were 8-of-14 on third down.
Just how Hamilton wanted it.
Of course the Colts put those numbers up against the winless Jaguars (0-3) and they’ll be really judged against playoff teams, but you have to start somewhere, and Sunday was just that -- a start.
“As far as the way the ball was distributed, whatever it was that’s the recipe for us to be successful throughout the year,” tight end Dwayne Allen said. “If we’re spreading the ball and we’re not scoring points then there’s a problem. If the ball is going to only two guys and we’re losing, then that’s a problem. We were able to see today that distributing the ball is the winning blueprint because they can’t guard everybody.”
Injuries last season made Luck’s offensive cupboard pretty bare, so he and Hamilton faced a different challenge this season. They needed to ensure that Luck didn’t lock in on players like T.Y. Hilton and Reggie Wayne because they have the players capable of making defenses pay for keying in on certain players.
The Colts took advantage of the Jaguars playing zone defense by finding the open spots of the field. Six of Luck’s first 12 completions were to his tight ends and he had already completed passes to nine players by halftime. Six receivers had at least one catch for at least 22 yards.
Luck went through a stretch where he completed 13 straight passes, only to have it end when a wide-open Coby Fleener dropped what should have been an easy touchdown in the second quarter.
“I think the nice thing is no one person is going to catch 90 percent of the balls and the other 10 percent of spreading it around,” Luck said. “We realize, they can help get their buddy open, they can help get other guys open. So many playmakers, the ball needs to be in their hand, not in my hands all the time.”
Defenses didn’t have to respect the Colts’ running game last season because they struggled so much in that area. That’s not the case anymore.
Bradshaw averaged 7.2 yards on his nine carries and Richardson averaged 4.1 yards on his 14 carries with both players taking advantage of solid blocking to rip off runs of at least 27 yards each. The run game set up the play-action pass for Luck, as that’s how half of his four touchdown passes came from.
That type of balance -- and so many options -- made it possible for Luck, whose accuracy was off the mark in the first two games, to go 31-of-39.
“I feel good from an identity standpoint,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “We’ve talked about being able to run the football and we have a quarterback who can throw it well and be effective that way. Having success on the ground it opens everything else up.”