It’s been a slow few weeks for Indianapolis Colts rookie wide receiver Alec Pierce. He has only 4 receptions in the last four games, and he hasn’t registered a catch in two of the three contests since Parks Frazier took over as Colts offensive play-caller under interim head coach Jeff Saturday.
But Frazier and the Colts haven’t lost faith in the rookie wideout.
During his press conference on November 29, Frazier acknowledged the fewer opportunities Pierce has received in recent weeks and implied that the second-round pick still has a substantial role in the Indianapolis offense.
“He hasn’t gotten as many touches, but I wouldn’t say that’s a knock on him,” Frazier said. “I think that’s just kind of the way the ball has gone.
“But I definitely think he’s a guy we want involved in our offense, and we’ve got to find ways to get him the ball.”
The Change of Indianapolis’ Offense in November
The pass catchers on the Colts offense aren’t household names, but the unit has a fair amount of potential playmakers who can shine at any moment.
Case in point, rookie tight end Jelani Woods emerged as the team’s leading receiver in Week 12. Woods broke out with a game-high 8 receptions and 98 receiving yards.
Michael Pittman Jr. is always going to be the top option in the Indianapolis passing game. After that, Pierce is among many players who can contribute, and right now, the rookie just isn’t seeing as many chances as his teammates.
“We love Alec [Pierce]. We think he’s developing nicely,” Frazier said. “We think he’s a really good route-runner. Reggie [Wayne] has done a great job with him just developing his patience at the line of scrimmage and those fundamentals for him.
“I just think that obviously we have a lot of targets that we want to get involved and get going and think that – I’m speaking for the past couple weeks – we’ve spread the ball around a decent amount.”
One of the options that has moved ahead of Pierce in recent weeks has been Parris Campbell. Both Pierce and Campbell had nice games against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6, but quarterback Matt Ryan attempted 58 passes during that matchup.
Obviously, that’s not going to happen every week, so the 18 combined targets Pierce and Campbell received in Week 6 has proved to be an aberration.
In the five weeks that followed after the Jaguars matchup, Campbell became a lot more involved than he was in September. That’s continued under the new coaching staff.
That has meant fewer passes going to Pierce, who is averaging 3.8 targets in the last six games.
How Colts Plan to Get Pierce More Chances?
The other issues the Colts are likely experiencing in getting more targets to Pierce are along the offensive line and behind center.
Pierce leads all Indianapolis receivers who have at least 4 catches with a 15.1 yards per catch average. He’s clearly become the offense’s best deep threat.
But to throw the ball deep, an offense needs enough protection to have time for receivers to get downfield. That simply hasn’t been a luxury the Colts have experienced this year with their struggling offensive line.
Ryan’s arm could be an issue as well. Indianapolis radio hosts Kevin Bowen and Jake Query of 107.5 The Fan have argued on their show this week that Ryan’s arm strength doesn’t look quite the same as it was at the beginning of the season.
It’s possible that Ryan still hasn’t completely healed from his shoulder injury in October. He’s also 37. A dip in arm strength could mark the beginning of the end for the veteran quarterback.
Older quarterbacks with unhealthy shoulders behind poor performing offensive lines are going to struggle getting the ball to deep receivers in the NFL. But Pierce has proven to already be a quality weapon in the league, so the Colts must find a way to get him more opportunities.
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Colts Coaching Staff Sends Message to Rookie WR Alec Pierce