Colts' secondary: Let the kids play — results be damned

INDIANAPOLIS — It took just 11 plays of Sunday’s Colts-Jaguars game for the perils of deploying inexperienced players to be underscored for Indianapolis.

It’s third-and-3 from the Colts 4-yard line and Indianapolis is one play away from forcing a field goal.

Receiver Marqise Lee runs a slant from a stack formation on the offense’s right. He finds his way to the back of the end zone where quarterback Blake Bortles hits him with precise pass for a touchdown. Rookie slot cornerback Nate Hairston can be seen trailing Lee, to no avail.

But, as it turns out, Hairston was never supposed to be there.

“I took the blame for that,” said Kenny Moore II, another rookie cornerback. “Nate made a (coverage) call and I should’ve stuck with it instead of doing things my way. I was supposed to stick with him.”

That, in a nutshell, is what can happen when rookies are playing key roles. Seeing how the Colts’ top three cornerbacks preparing to play in Sunday’s game at Buffalo are all rookies, you’d best buckle up.

“It’s happening really fast,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “(In practice), you can stop, blow the whistle and run it again. You don’t get to do that (in a game). And you try to show them everything and put them in every situation that you possibly can, but you’ve only got so many hours in the day and so many snaps that you can take on the field.”

At some point, the real learning has to come between the lines. For the Colts, they’ve now reached that point.

Veteran Rashaan Melvin is still out with a hand injury and is expected to miss his second game Sunday. Another veteran, surprising journeyman Pierre Desir — who had been starting and playing effectively at left corner — suffered a season-ending pectoral tear in the second quarter.

The last men standing, unless and until Melvin returns, are the rookies. Hairston, Moore II and second-round pick Quincy Wilson are, right now, the first line of defense in the Colts’ secondary.

Hairston, who is 23 and played in 11 games, has seen the most snaps of this trio. Wilson, who is 21 and doesn't look like he can grow facial hair, has played in just two games. Moore II has played all but one game but almost exclusively on special teams.

You can view them taking on more prominent roles as an unfortunate development or a somewhat fortuitous twist of fate. Certainly, they’re going to take their lumps. Clearly, they already have. But they also are going to get some trial by fire that could pay dividends down the line.

Seeing how the Colts are 3-9, it isn’t difficult to argue that the future has taken on a greater importance than the present. So, let the kids play — results be damned.

“I’ve only played two games,” Wilson said. “I need to get out there. I need to make mistakes and be in there so I can keep learning. I’m a rookie and I’ve only played in two games. I basically felt like it was my first time out there. I just have to be out there.”

Waking up Monday morning with some film of his own to break down is a luxury Wilson hasn’t had since Week 2, before he aggravated a knee injury that briefly sidelined him and before he was, inexplicably, a healthy scratch for several games.

After watching, Wilson stopped to reflect on his highs and lows. The best play, Wilson said, was his plastering of Lee on the Jaguars’ final offensive snap. Bortles was scrambling and buying time, but Wilson battled and locked down Lee, forcing Bortles to throw the ball away. Wilson’s worst play? He said Keelan Cole’s 32-yard catch in the third quarter earned that distinction.

“I just got beat, to be honest,” Wilson said.

That kind of thing is bound to happen sometimes. But the greatest challenge the young corners are facing is their unfamiliarity with playing together. That’s what led to the touchdown Moore II took responsibility for and it’s going to continue to be an issue until they reach a comfort level.

Playing with new faces “was a big change,” Hairston said, “but it’s not a talent issue. Quincy can play. Kenny can play. That’s, by far, the least of our worries. It’s communication. That’s what we have to get fixed.”

A particular challenge seemed to be dealing with stack formations. You can rest assured the Bills’ coaching staff knows this, too, likely having seen it on tape. The Bills will be facing their own challenges, however, with starter Tyrod Taylor missing practice Wednesday due to a knee injury. The team did not indicate if Taylor, rookie Nate Peterman or reserve Joe Webb would play Sunday.

The situation calls for the Colts' kids to play. And, play, they will.

“They’re more than equipped,” Pagano said. “They wouldn’t be in this building if they didn’t have the tools to go be successful. They don’t have the experience, and that, I think, is what we’re talking about. Mostly it’s just the experience.”

As the Colts’ season comes to a close, these rookie corners will get, perhaps, more experience than they ever bargained on.

Follow Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter and Facebook.

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