Colts HC Chuck Pagano today on WR T.Y. Hilton's development:
T.Y Hilton said the game is slowing down for him. Do you see that with the other second-year guys?
“Yeah, just from a mental standpoint, especially like on the defense and for a guy like T.Y., when you know exactly what to do, where to line up and there’s no guesswork and all that, you can play a heck of a lot faster. You can see it on the defensive side of the ball especially because coming in and going from a 4-3 to a 3-4 multiple scheme, all those guys from a terminology standpoint, a communication standpoint they are going to play so much better and so much faster just because they’re not thinking. T.Y.’s not thinking. He played fast and you could see him the middle towards the end of last season really take off. He came in in the offseason and picked up right where he left off and he just keeps arrow up, trending in the right direction. He is a talented, talented guy. He is going to become an elite guy just because of what you just said. He feels very, very comfortable with the play call and he spends time. He’s here all the time. Guys take off to go to lunch, go do this, go do that. He may go eat but he’s right back in the meeting room. He’s right back studying his iPad. He’s learning what to do so he can play fast.”
In the final nine games of his rookie season, Hilton averaged 3.6-68-.67 (#11 WR numbers) and that included a weird one-target goose egg against the Jaguars in Week 10. He should take over for Donnie Avery as the Colts' WR2, though the Colts did sign Darrius Heyward-Bey in free agency and DHB was running ahead of Hilton before a knee injury. The injury may open the door for Hilton to run away with the job.
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