Insider: How Michael Pittman Jr. matured and became a No. 1 receiver for the Colts

NASHVILLE - Michael Pittman Jr. smelled blood in the water on a day when his team needed him to go for the kill.

The Colts’ No. 1 receiver lined up inside on 2nd-and-goal in overtime with his team trailing the Titans by three. He stared into the eyes of two Titans defensive backs and watched the fear flicker back and forth between them.

The ball snapped, and Pittman realized he was seeing the future unfold in that moment. The two defenders switched assignments, with the outside man changing to Pittman and the inside one moving to Alec Pierce. Pittman faked as if he was running and out and then cut up the seam, where a pass from Gardner Minshew floated into his hands.

Pittman tossed the ball high into the Tennessee crowd, with not a care in the world for where it might land.

"The first thing that crossed my mind was, 'Is this fine $2,000 or $6,000?'” Pittman said after the 31-28 victory. “And I just said, 'Eff it,' and threw it up anyway."

This was the latest Pittman explosion of energy, but it was different than all the others.

This is a man letting go.

In his fourth season and a contract year, Pittman is no longer trying to become something. He’s arrived -- as a true No. 1 receiver, the engine of a passing game that is pushing for the playoffs, as a team's fuel pump of energy now in sentient control of his own dial.

He's the type of cornerstone player this franchise extends.

"My confidence is just building," Pittman said. "In the past, I've always been confident, but I thought that I have my certain routine and if I stray of off it, I'll have a bad game.

"Now, I could take an Uber here and I feel like I'll pull my cleats on 10 minutes before and I'll still go insane."

Just one year ago in this building, Pittman lost that battle with himself. The Colts were 3-2-1, trying to avoid a sweep by the Titans when the passing game couldn't make anything happen. Matt Ryan separated a shoulder, and the Colts compensated with shorter routes. Pittman fumbled late to end any hopes of a comeback.

The next week, the Colts benched Ryan for Sam Ehlinger, and Pittman fumed through a loss to the Commanders. He dropped a late pass and stormed home in a fury.

He knew at the time what the problem was. Finding a solution was the challenge.

"I let my emotions get the better of me for most of that game," Pittman said that week. "That's what happens when you get emotional. You're not really playing like yourself."

This year, the focus, accountability and temperament are all aligning. When he does have a slip -- like when he questioned his role in the offense after a Week 7 loss to the Browns -- he masters the response and turns the moment into a solution. He's caught at least eight passes in all five games since that moment.

"I think his mindset is exactly in the right place," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said.

Pittman's passion is still there, distilled into those physical runs and the way he pops up on his feet after a crushing hit. But the valleys are mostly gone from his game.

MORE: 10 thoughts on the Colts' thrilling OT win over the Titans

GO DEEPER: The multiple personalities of Michael Pittman Jr.

To beat the Titans on Sunday, he piled up 11 catches for 105 yards and a touchdown despite not catching a pass in the first quarter and a half. It was his third 100-yard game, keeping him on pace for a 1,200-yard season in 17 games.

Two changes have become key to the maturation.

One came in spreading out his emotional fire to four days a week -- three practices and game day -- as opposed to just Sundays. Whereas he used to slip into a hair-on-fire alter ego on game days that was the inverse of his typically light and goofy self, he's now owns a less radioactive version that can push it whenever he's on the football field, giving him a more natural pulse of his strongest emotions.

"I've been really proud of the way he's been practicing," wide receiver Alec Pierce said. "He's been really intentional with his practice habits, finding things he can get better at. ... He started doing that last week and he got Player of the Game. You can just tell he's getting that much more separation by owning those details."

It's something Reggie Wayne has been on Pittman about all season but especially after he called for more of a role after that Week 7 loss to the Browns. A former six-time Pro Bowl receiver himself, Wayne wanted his pupil to earn the trust and opportunity he sought in more technical and structured ways. To become the type of player a quarterback wants to force-feed.

"We all know he's not a blazer, right? But like, when you're not a blazer, your route-running and your hands have got to be exceptional," Wayne said. "That's where I come into play. I'm a realist. I wasn't a burner, so that means everything else has to be extraordinary. That's why I'm working on him with those types of things until he gets a running coach. ... I think he's come a long way, to be honest with you."

That more intentional preparation has created a match with Shane Steichen, who is proving to be one of the top play callers in the NFL. He's an aggressive soul whose wheels of his mind are always spinning in search of new ways to unlock a defense. The more versatile players can earn greater emphasis in his game plans, and that's where Pittman has gotten.

It's also fueled the other major shift in Pittman's approach, which comes on game day.

"When I was a younger player, I used to think, 'Oh, I have to eat this. I have to wake up at this time. I have to do this at this time,'" Pittman said. "Now, I just show up and play and I'm relaxed. I don't really sweat small things because I know that I've got it."

In the process, Pittman has shifted from a volatile young player to the wise one in a room of younger teammates.

"It's just the things he can do in the game -- physicality, making the tough catches, setting up defenders and finding intricate ways to get open," Pierce said. "Those are the things I study from him. I love being his teammate."

By general manager Chris Ballard's standard, it's the type of player he builds his team around. The Colts general manager often likes to say that "the locker room knows" when it comes to contracts. When he extends a player, he's sending a message to his younger players that those are the traits he wants them to develop.

All of Pittman's are turning up aces right now.

"I love Pitt. That freaking dude loves to compete," Ballard said back in training camp. "... I don’t mind guys that are emotional and care because they want to win and guys that want the ball. That stuff doesn’t bother me. I would rather have a guy like Pitt who wants it and wants to win and does all the little things competitively right instead of a guy that just accepts what his role is."

Now, Pittman doesn't just hate to lose. He's finding intentional ways to avoid it. The Colts fell down by two scores against the Titans while he had zero catches, but he stayed the course in order to catch a number of key first downs.

This ascension could make him the type of receiver who can sign the next big contract, much like Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown have. Pittman has made it clear that he's gunning for the best deal he can get, even referencing Jonathan Taylor as a model for how to do so.

But it can be a price worth paying when the lessons he's mastering are all the ones those around him begged him to learn.

"Sometimes, I might have a bad game. So hopefully everybody doesn't crucify me when it happens," Pittman said with a smile. "It's going to happen. It happens to everybody."

"... Of course, I want to stay humble and grateful, but I really feel like I'm playing good ball right now."

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: How Michael Pittman Jr. matured and found his consistent self