Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
Veteran receiver Reggie Wayne lead by example Sunday to lead the Indianapolis Colts‘ wide receivers yet again. Wayne is entering his 13th season in the NFL all with the Colts, and is showing no signs of slowing down.
After a dismal 2011 where Wayne caught 75 passes for 960 yards and only four touchdowns, a lot of people thought his days were becoming numbered. When Indianapolis cut ties with Peyton Manning for a rookie quarterback in Andrew Luck, those same people said “how will he ever go back to his glory days with a young, unproven quarterback?”
Wayne showed it was just the lack of quarterbacks throwing to him in ’11 as he stepped it up with one of his best seasons ever in 2012. He had 1,355 yards and five touchdowns on 106 receptions. He showed he could lead the Colts back to prominence as Luck’s go-to target.
After his performance against the Oakland Raiders in Indianapolis’ 21-17 victory today in Lucas Oil Stadium, he showed he’s primed for another big year.
Wayne scored Indianapolis’ first touchdown of the year on a beautiful throw and catch in the first quarter. He would go on to have 96 yards and that lone touchdown on eight receptions this afternoon. He led all receivers in today’s contest.
That just goes to show how valuable Wayne is and how good he really is going to be. He’s getting double and sometimes triple-teamed, and still finding ways to get open. He came up big every time Luck needed to find a receiver. Look for Wayne to have a big year.
Eric Smith is the Colts Beat Writer for Rant Sports. He’s covered the team the last four years and is recognized as an accredited member of the media by the team. Follow him on Twitter @ericsportsguru
