Plenty of NFL teams refer to their top two running backs as a 1-2 punch, but the Colts see theirs as something a little different.
Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni said he views Marlon Mack and rookie Jonathan Taylor as a “1-1 punch” because they’re going to be co-starters in the offense in Indianapolis.
“We know we want to run the football. We know a lot of the good running teams in this league and in the past have had good one-two punches,” Sirianni said. “It feels like it’s just a one-one punch though because we have two such exceptional backs.”
Sirianni said he thinks both running backs can do whatever is asked of them in the Colts’ offense.
“They both have exceptional speed, and they both have ability to make you miss, and they both have the ability to break arm-tackles and run with power,” Sirianni said. “They have some different running styles, but again they’re both complete backs. I think that’s a fantastic problem to have, is to have two guys like that you can feed the football to. It’s only going to help our running game.”
Mack and Taylor are both accustomed to being their teams’ primary ballcarriers: Last year Mack had 247 carries for 1,091 yards for the Colts, more than triple the production of anyone else on the team. Taylor, meanwhile, is one of the most productive backs in college football history, averaging more than 2,000 yards a season at Wisconsin. Calling them a one-one punch may make both running backs feel like they can continue to be workhorses.
