Clear to partly cloudy. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is followed by Houston Texans linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo during the second half Sunday in Houston.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor is followed by Houston Texans linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo during the second half Sunday in Houston.

INDIANAPOLIS – Marv Levy’s Buffalo Bills perfected the no-huddle offense more than 30 years ago.

Looking to take full advantage of the skillset of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, Levy went to a full-time hurry-up offense for the first time against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 30-23 victory on Dec. 2, 1990.

What followed was an unprecedented run to four consecutive Super Bowls and – arguably – the birth of the modern pass-happy NFL.

Often lost in the retelling, however, is the contribution of Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas. During the first full season of what became known as the “K-Gun” offense, Thomas led the NFL with an average of 4.9 yards per carry.

From 1991-94, arguably the height of the attack, Thomas rushed for 5,302 yards and 29 touchdowns on 4.3 yards per carry.

That production allowed the offense to remain balanced and kept defenses honest, paving the way to extend what traditionally had been a two-minute drill for a full 60 minutes.

Even today, it’s rare to see the run game become a significant element in a hurry-up attack at the NFL level.

But it’s likely no coincidence a Levy disciple – Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich, the backup quarterback in Buffalo for a decade – is finding success on the ground at tempo.

On the Colts’ game-tying touchdown drive during the fourth quarter Sunday at Houston, running back Jonathan Taylor carried the ball on four straight snaps – gaining 49 yards and setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman Jr.

“I think it’s the trust that we have, especially with the guys up front, on being able to identify who we need to (block), where’s the point at and being able to do that rather quickly to still be able to execute perfect blocks — as well as just being in shape and being in condition,” Taylor said of Indy’s success running the ball in the hurry-up. “You gotta be a well-conditioned team in order to be able to go up-tempo, to be able to run the ball consistently play after play after play.”

The Bills’ ability to run the ball created impossible choices for defenses unaccustomed to playing at pace.

Stay in the nickel package, and Thomas could carve his way down the field with little resistance. Come out in base defense and risk Kelly picking his way through the defensive secondary.

It was like nothing the NFL had seen before, and it was often unstoppable.

Much has changed in the last three decades, including the evolution of the hybrid linebacker-defensive back who can allow teams to defend the run and pass equally without substituting.

It’s unlikely the K-Gun would still work for a full 60 minutes.

But Taylor’s superb running ability, backup Nyheim Hines’ proficiency at catching the ball out of the backfield and new quarterback Matt Ryan’s mastery of the no-huddle offense could give Indianapolis a unique opportunity to force the tempo at any point in a game — regardless of the score, time on the clock or situation.

“I think most teams probably do go a little bit more throw (in the hurry-up), but when you go fast like that, you don’t give the defense a lot of chance to line up,” Colts center Ryan Kelly said. “So they’re getting tired. They’re getting double-teamed over and over again, linebackers having to make tackles, get up. So I think it just goes to show you that it’s such a positive, and then to have JT back there running, he can continue to keep getting up and keep going and going and going. (It’s) just awesome for everybody.”

Indianapolis used tempo to erase a 17-point fourth-quarter deficit and avoid a loss against the Texans. But it doesn’t have to be a late-game gimmick.

The fact the Colts haven’t won on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars in eight years is well publicized. A common theme in those losses has the been the Jaguars’ ability to drag the game into the mud and make Indianapolis fight for every blade of grass.

Perhaps an early hurry-up drive this week could get Jacksonville’s defense on its heels and spread things out in much the same way it did in the fourth quarter against Houston.

Going to a full-time no-huddle likely would create as many problems as it solves — including the possibility of wearing out your own defense as well as the opponents’ — but judicial use of up-tempo concepts fits well with Ryan’s game.

“We’ve talked about it the whole offseason,” Reich said. “For us, we look at it as a tool that you have in your tool belt. Sometimes when you’re struggling a little bit, hey, let’s go no-huddle for a couple of series. It can give you a spark.

“It can also backfire. (But) with a guy like Matt, certainly, that’ll remain kind of in the tool belt for when we can hopefully break out when needed.”

There’s no question Ryan thrives in the controlled chaos of the no-huddle attack.

His quick mind and decision-making are tailor-made for the offense, and — at least against the Texans — the increased pace helped to get more skill-position players involved. Wide receivers Parris Campbell, Ashton Dulin and Mike Strachan and tight end Mo Alie-Cox were among the players with big receptions during the fourth quarter and overtime.

When Reich decides to pull the up-tempo tool out of his utility belt, he can rest assured the offense is completely comfortable behind its veteran quarterback.

“I feel like we can use that to our advantage,” Strachan said. “We have a lot of options in our toolbox. So I feel like that could be something we use to our advantage, especially with Matt being the QB. He’s really smart, really detailed.

“He understands the game on another level. So he’s able to get us going, too, on another level.”

Following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, Prince Charles was named king. It’s a position he’s prepped his whole life for. Do you think he will do a good job as king?

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