Colts HC Chuck Pagano referred to RB Vick Ballard as the “lead guy” in their backfield this season.
“It’s always nice to have a couple guys, a change of pace guy,” said Pagano, via ESPN.com. “But certainly at the end of the year with Donnie hurt and the way Vick came on and the way he was running, he was getting the lion’s share of the snaps. At this point, yeah, he’s sitting there as the lead guy.”
Pagano added that Donald Brown “looks fantastic” and could see time as a change-of-pace option in their offense this season.
“Vick is a solid, solid guy; Donnie is a home run hitter,” Pagano said. “If he gets the edge and hits a crease, he can take it the distance. For Vick, look at that last drive of the regular season against the Texans: We got the ball with 9:46 on the clock, we ran 12 plays, 11 runs, and we ended up taking a knee. Vick took the lion’s share of carries on that drive. He just keeps getting stronger, the more carries he has the better he gets.”
Indianapolis hired Pep Hamilton as their new offensive coordinator after Bruce Arians departed for the Cardinals head coaching position. Hamilton runs a West Coast scheme, but it appears as though Ballard could see the majority of carries next season.
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