Colts RB takes shot at Carson Wentz while praising Matt Ryan

Indianapolis Colts running back Nyheim Hines is all-in on Matt Ryan being the team’s starting quarterback over his much-maligned predecessor Carson Wentz.

If the Indianapolis Colts are going to win the AFC South for the first time since 2014, it will be because Matt Ryan is a massive upgrade over Carson Wentz at the quarterback position.

The future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and the greatest player in Atlanta Falcons franchise history made his way to Indianapolis to replace an ineffective Wentz under center. Wentz returns to the NFC East as a member of the Washington Commanders. While Ryan is on the back nine as a professional, running back Nyheim Hines is all-in on “Matty Ice” being the guy.

“He’s not missing the lay-ups,” said Hines to the Indianapolis Star about Ryan’s accuracy out of the backfield.

“Every year, it’s all dependent on what the quarterback likes, his accuracy. Matt is checking all the boxes. It’s been like playing with Andrew (Luck) or Phillip (Rivers),” Hines also added.

Ryan and Rivers will both be enshrined in Canton one day. Had Luck not retired before his 30th birthday, the former Colts starting quarterback was certainly on a hall-of-fame trajectory as well.

Hines’ Colts quarterback comments are as praiseworthy of Ryan as they are as damning of Wentz.

Nyheim Hines praises Matt Ryan’s accuracy, while digging at Carson Wentz’s

Look. Ryan and Wentz were both top-three picks in their respective NFL Drafts for a reason. They had the look of a franchise quarterback with all the attributes a team could ever want out of their signal-caller. However, only one of them will be remembered fondly in the seasons after they hang up the spikes. Ryan carried a bad franchise for years, while Wentz road the coattails of a good one.

Ryan may only play a few more seasons in the NFL with the Colts before calling it up a career and probably going into broadcasting because he would be so good at that. However, one more great playoff run will remove all doubt from his biggest critics’ minds. A fifth Pro Bowl and a few more statistically strong seasons get him into Canton. As for Wentz, he is on his last leg as a starter.

It serves both quarterbacks to win, and win big this season. Wentz still has time to reshape the narrative surrounding him. As for Ryan, time is not on his side, but a renewed sense of competitiveness could give the Colts their best run of seasons since the early Luck days in Indianapolis. Regardless, guys like Hines have very been impressed with their new quarterback.

Look for Ryan to make the easy completions look easy while running the Colts offense this fall.