Colts OC Chudzinski surprised by criticism from T.Y. Hilton
After Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton expressed his frustration about the team's play-calling in recent weeks, offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski indicated Wednesday he was somewhat surprised by Hilton's comments.
On Tuesday, Hilton said the Colts needed to take better advantage of their speed at wide receiver, criticizing the lack of deep passes in the team's game plan.
“That’s a new one for me,” Chudzinski said. “I don’t think anybody has ever said I’ve thrown too many short passes in a game.”
Chudzinski added the challenges the Colts have faced of late, including the absence of star quarterback Andrew Luck over the last five games, along with an inconsistent offensive line, have put the team in a difficult situation.
“Look, we’re navigating through some challenging situations right now and working to try to do our best to get what we need to be able to win and also do that and tie that into what our opponent does or doesn’t do well,” Chudzinski said. “Attack from a game plan standpoint and tie that into (head coach Chuck Pagano's) overall vision of the team and what we need to do from one week to another. I think everybody understands that. At the end of the day, we’ll keep working from week-to-week and finding what it is that is going to succeed for us.”
This week may offer Chudzinski a chance to get back on Hilton's good side. The Colts face a Miami Dolphins' secondary that is 27th in the NFL in pass defense, giving up an average of 264.7 yards per game.
If quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is healthy enough to throw it, the chance to go deep may well be there.
