INDIANAPOLIS – It was like Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Art Jones knew his left ankle was severely hurt as he sat on the ground with a look of disgust on his face before limping back to the sideline inside the Edward Jones Dome last weekend in St. Louis.
It's happening again.
That was the reaction once word got out that Jones had suffered an ankle injury. Jones has known that he wasn’t dealing with a minor ankle injury. That’s why he has received multiple opinions on his ankle from foot and ankle specialists. And that’s likely why he had no interest in talking to the media inside the locker room on Tuesday.
The player the Colts couldn’t afford to lose in their desire to be a better team against the run could be on his way to spending time watching from the sideline again this season because there’s a very good chance that Jones will have surgery. The worst-case scenario for Jones is that he's placed on injured reserve and lost for the season.
“We know we need him to be out there for 16 weeks,” coach Chuck Pagano said in May. “It was unfortunate that we missed him for some weeks here and there and that he missed time, but we need him to be available. We need him out there, he’s a difference-maker.”
But the injury bug has unfortunately caught up with Jones again. He missed seven games last season with a right high-ankle sprain suffered in Week 2. Jones played in nine games last season, but he acknowledged that he was never fully healthy when he did return.
The Colts gave Jones a five-year, $33 million contract in March 2014 to be their run stopper. All Jones has been able to give Indianapolis so far is 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks in nine games.
There’s no way around it, not having Jones for one game, five games, half the season or the entire season is a blow to a defense what already is suspect. The Colts were 23rd in the league in giving up yards per attempt at 4.3 yards a carry and 18th overall against the run last season. New England rushed for 423 yards against the Colts in two games last season.
Defensive end Kendall Langford, who signed with the Colts last spring, has been a positive addition to the defensive line so far. But the Colts need their others starters, nose tackle Josh Chapman and Montori Hughes, the front runner to replace Jones in the starting lineup, to play beyond their years because they can’t afford to be embarrassed on the ground for the second straight season while Jones is out.