Colts prediction: It's going to be a very ugly year

Indianapolis will open the Anthony Richardson Era Sunday at home against Jacksonville. The young man is going to be special. But the rest of this team? Yikes.

Hope is a powerful thing. It’s why fans head into almost any NFL season believing the unbelievable, like the New York Giants fans, who saw their team finish last in the NFC East two years ago before turning it around and reaching the playoffs last season. Hope, they say, springs eternal.

Except here.

Except in Indianapolis.

After watching large parts of training camp, not to mention three preseason games, I have reached this grim conclusion:

The Colts are going to be awful this year.

I mean, historically bad in terms of franchise history. Maybe not 1-15 in 1991 horrific, but pretty close to that.

The Colts couldn’t reach the upper quartile of the upper quartile with a bus transfer. The Vegas over-under on win total is 6.5 games; I’d take the under and happily start spending my winnings before the season ever gets underway, as it will this Sunday at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Colts win more games than they did in Peyton Manning’s rookie year (3), a team that had Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison, I’ll be shocked beyond words.

This is a 2-15, 3-14 team, best I can tell. (Clip and save and if I’m wrong, feel free to give me grief for time immemorial).

The good long-term news is, the Colts will be in position to draft in the top three next season. If they’re the worst team in the league – good luck with that; the Arizona Cardinals are lurking  – they’ll be able to get a trade haul for USC quarterback Caleb Williams, who will be the first pick in the draft.

If they finish with the second-worst record, they’ll be able to draft everybody’s favorite prospect, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., who would get a chance to play in the same city where his father did so many extraordinary things.

Be prepared.

It’s going to get ugly.

Why…?