Colts’ Philip Rivers, T.Y. Hilton connection growing quickly
Sometimes it can take a while before a new quarterback and a top wide receiver get a rapport with each other. Don’t expect that to happen with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, though.
Despite dealing with a hamstring injury to begin camp, Hilton is back and already making his mark as the leader of the passing game. His connection with Rivers is growing quickly as the veterans showed off just how deadly the duo can be when on the same page.
According to Andrew Walker of Colts.com, Rivers and Hilton connected on several passes in Sunday’s final practice before the pads come on while showing an accelerated rapport for the first time this preseason.
“There was a clear theme throughout the first-team work on Sunday: Philip Rivers to T.Y. Hilton. The two veterans connected on several pass plays throughout the session all around the field,” wrote Walker. “This work is critical for the Colts’ top wide receiver, who missed the first few days of on-field drills and practices as he worked his way back from a minor hamstring issue that put him on the Non-Football Injury list at the start of camp. Hilton’s rapport with his new QB certainly seems to be growing.”
It will be vital for the passing game for these two to get going quickly. Throughout an offseason with limited work together and with Hilton starting training camp on the NFI list, the two veterans haven’t been able to get much work in.
However, some evidence that they are already connecting well came on what is typically a play that needs practice for both players. But Rivers appeared to have no issues hitting Hilton on a corner route for a big gain on Sunday.
“Clear evidence of Hilton and Rivers’ growth came early in the 11-on-11 period, as Hilton broke wide open on one of his vintage corner routes, and Rivers delivered the ball right on the money for what would’ve likely been a gain of 25 or 30 yards,” Walker wrote. “This is the exact play that Hilton and Andrew Luck had gotten so good at to get yards in large chunks; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Even after spending two weeks on the NFI list, Hilton is showing that is no issue right now. He’s quickly finding holes in zone coverage and showing that he hasn’t lost a step in terms of speed.
“This just bears repeating, pretty much every training camp: Hilton is so good at finding and exploiting the soft zones of the defense for easy gains of 20 yards or more,” wrote Walker. “He’s a very instinctual route runner, and has his own unique ways of beating man or zone coverage. While he still has that elite speed to break things open over the top, perhaps this is the area of Hilton’s game that has evolved the most over the years, and explains why he’s seemingly gotten better and better in the red zone, for example; last year, before he got hurt, he was leading the NFL with five red zone touchdown receptions.”
Should we get football without relative hiccups, it should be a fun year to watch Rivers and Hilton connect as the rapport between the two veterans is growing quickly.
