The Sports Xchange

As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for the start of training camp, the question persists: Can the Colts continue their rapid improvement.

Indianapolis has posted three consecutive 11-5 regular-season records and has won back-to-back AFC South titles. The Colts advanced to the AFC title game last season before being knocked off by the New England Patriots, the eventual Super Bowl champions.

So what do coach Chuck Pagano and company have to do to get better? Well, as good as the Colts have been the last three seasons, there are still areas of concern.

The run defense, for one.

Inconsistent play on both the offensive and defensive lines are two other problem areas.

And will the offseason additions of running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Andre Johnson make the Colts one of the most explosive offensives in the National Football League?

Those are all good questions.

But while Indianapolis appeared to make some strides during OTA and mini-camp work, nobody will know for sure until the pads come on during training camp.

As strange as it sounds, the Colts are still very much a work in progress.

“I think we’ve got a really good football team,” Pagano admitted at the conclusion of offseason work. “(But) we’ve got work to do. We have question marks.

“We’ve got to get in pads. We’ve got to harden our knuckles. We’ve got to develop a mindset once we get to training camp and we can start to bang on each other.”

So what does Indianapolis have to do to get better as a defensive unit, especially against the run. The Colts were gouged last season in losses to New England (twice) and Pittsburgh.

“I think just consistency,” Pagano said. “Guys doing their job down after down and playing consistent football. Obviously, (as) I talked about since day one, we’ve got to stop the run on a consistent basis.

“We’ve got to keep people out of the end zone. We’ve got to play better in the red area. Those are the areas of focus.”

Indianapolis’ offense, meanwhile, may be one of the best in the NFL if all goes well. Adding Gore and Johnson to an already impressive group of skilled players could prove to be very interesting.

“I think this is going to be year three with coach (Pep) Hamilton as the coordinator,” quarterback Andrew Luck said. “So certainly the guys that have been here have a better grasp, understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish.

“It allows for us to speed up that install process during the offseason and get working on maybe very, very specific things of the offense.”

And what does Luck want to get accomplished at training camp?

“That touchdown-to-interception ratio is very important,” Luck said. “Cutting down on turnovers I think is my number one goal for myself as a quarterback going into (the) season, besides winning the a Super Bowl.”

CAMP CALENDAR

Aug. 1: Team reports

Aug. 2: First practice

Aug. 19-20: Joint practices with Chicago Bears

–Team strength: Wide receiver

Even with the decision to part ways with veteran WR Reggie Wayne, the Colts will be able to utilize returning players such as T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Ryan Langford and Griff Whalen along with newcomers Andre Johnson (Texans), Duron Carter (CFL), Vincent Brown (Raiders) and rookie first-round draft pick Phillip Dorsett (University of Miami). There’s a lot of talent at the position and it will be interesting to see who makes the regular-season roster.

–Breakout player: WR Phillip Dorsett. The Colts’ decision to take a wide receiver in the first round of the draft surprised a lot of people. But Indianapolis officials love his play-making potential. He’s got outstanding speed and plays smart. Dorsett was impressive during Indianapolis’ OTA workouts. He might be better than team officials initially thought.

–Work in progress: Defense.

The Colts defense continues to be a question mark.

Over the course of the 2014 season, Indianapolis played well enough to win 11 games. But the defense was up-and-down, mostly down when facing power-running teams like Pittsburgh and New England.

There are some new faces on defense, including former St. Louis DE Kendall Langford, ex-Philadelphia Eagles OLB Trent Cole, former Denver Broncos ILB Nate Irving and ex-Atlanta Falcons S Dwight Lowery.

OLB Robert Mathis, who led the NFL in sacks in 2013, missed last season because of a torn Achilles. Mathis hopes to be ready to go in time for the season opener at Buffalo, but an exact date for his return remains fluid.

According to coach Chuck Pagano, consistency in play will be crucial to any success in 2015.

“Guys doing their job down after down and playing consistent football,” Pagano said. “Obviously, (as) I talked about since day one, we’ve got to stop the run on a consistent basis. We’ve got to keep people out of the end zone. We’ve got to play better in the red area.

“Those are areas of focus. We spent a lot of time in the offseason studying that stuff. We went to work on it during the OTAs and mini-camp. It’s consistency, and it’s playing together and guys doing their job down after down after down.”