Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Assessing the AFC South + Where the Colts Stack Up In the AFC with Brian Peacock

Episode Date: June 10, 2021

On today's episode, Evan is joined by Brian Peacock -- co-host of the Peacock & Williamson national NFL show on the Lcoked On Podcast Network -- to discuss the Colts' upcoming 2021 season. How do the Colts not only stack up in the AFC South, but as a legit contender overall in their conference?Right now, it's a two-team race for the division between Indianapolis and Tennessee. Especially after the Titans acquired Julio Jones, the race is even tighter. Who holds the edge? Is there any chance Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars sneak up on anyone, too?Closing out the show, Evan and Brian power rank where Indy falls in the AFC hierarchy. Is Indy a legit contender to potentially knock Kansas City in 2021 or beyond? Honestly, they have the right formula in place.All of this, plus so much more, in an jam-packed episode you won't want to miss out on! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back into your latest episode of Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today, as always, your host, Evan Sattery, joined by a very special guest in today's episode. He does amazing stuff for the Locked On Podcast Network. He's the host of Locked On 49ers, but he's also the co-host of the Peacock and Williamson

National NFL Show for us here on the Locked On Podcast Network. It is Brian Peacock. Brian, how are you doing tonight? Evan, I'm doing fantastic. Thanks for having me on, man. I'm Network. It is Brian Peacock. Brian, how are you doing tonight? Evan, I'm doing fantastic. Thanks for having me on, man. I'm pumped. Yeah, no problem. Like I mentioned off the air,

you and Matt have been crushing it throughout this offseason and really throughout the season so far. Colts and Zing, not already on whatever streaming platform you're listening to, go follow the Peacock and Williamson show. They do amazing stuff. They cover the NFL. They talk about the Colts a little bit here and there. The Julio Jones trade directly correlates to this AFC South race, Brian. And let's talk about that first. What was your overall

impression of the Julio Jones trade from the Colts perspective and the AFC South's perspective? Because it's going to be very close now. The Titans obviously are going for it. They have a two to three year window here with Julio Jones, Derrick Henry, AJ Brown, and Ryan Tannehill. How do you feel like that impacts the AFC South overall? Because I've seen some betting sites out there and BetOnline.ag, our partners here at the Locked On Podcast Network, they still have the Colts as the favorites over the Tennessee Titans. Has this Julio Jones trade swayed you at all?

I know you mentioned on the show earlier this week that you still have the Colts as slight favorites over the Titans, but I'm with you that it's super close now with this Julio trade. Yeah, part of me really wants to give the Titans a huge bump here because everybody kind of knew, and I knew, and I'm sure you really knew and your listeners knew how much the Titans really could use another wide receiver. And the Colts are such a solid team and i like the way they've been run so well for a while now but looking at the titans roster i really wanted to initially give

them a huge bump but how much can you give a bump to just one player and one wide receiver so i don't want to overreact to what's going on with the Titans and the Julio Jones trade I think it absolutely helps them I think it helps obviously it opens things up for the run game which I think is massive because they were much easier to defend before Julio Jones shows up so I think that's the biggest thing obviously it helps the quarterback and it probably opens things up for AJ Brown now maybe he won't get peppered forgets and maybe his fantasy value goes down a little bit but it just opens up the entire offense because they were what gonna start christian blake or blake christian i keep forgetting which way his name goes there with two first names um so that was such a huge position

for them to add and it opens up the offense now the question is how much will he play and in the long run could it actually hurt the titans if he doesn't play you know 10 plus games for the next three years because he's got a pretty extensive injury history and he's done really well he's a gamer and he's played through a ton of injuries. But I think when you look at spending resources and dollars on a player, there's an opportunity for him to get hurt again and miss games like he did last year. If that continues for the next few years, then maybe, and who knows, maybe they have to re-up him and even give him a new contract

after this season either way. Maybe it doesn't even work out all that well for the Titans. So when you look at that and look at both sides and how this thing could go i think it's a good move for the titans i think it's it's a bargain for a future hall of fame player if he's healthy obviously but there are still enough questions to where i don't think you can overrate the addition of one player so they do get a bump but i'm not going to give them enough of a bump to put them over the Colts, who I still have as the favorite by a slim margin in this division. This is good to you, Brian, in 2021 and possibly even 2022.

Who knows with Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence, who could be next to Andrew Luck. He's the next generational quarterback to come out of the draft. And Andrew Luck led some really terrible rosters early on in his career to 11-5 records. Trevor Lawrence, who knows, he could do the same there early on for Jacksonville, but I think they're another year or two away. Houston, as we know, Brian, right now, looks like a complete dumpster fire with no direction. The Deshaun Watson melodrama is still ongoing there in Houston. It just feels like to me,

maybe for the next year or two, it's going to be really a two-team race in the AFC South. It almost has to be because I think they're two well coached and the organizations right now are too well run. And there's enough of, even if you're looking at the worst possible scenario for the Colts and the Titans, I just don't see how right now this year, especially the Jaguars and definitely not the Houston Texans who have the worst roster right now in the NFL, especially with you know, their quarterback who could actually come in and

save them and win some games in limbo, might not even play all year in Deshaun Watson. So it's really hard for me to envision anything else than the Colts and Titans coming in 1-2 in this division. And really, without Deshaun Watson, it's hard for me to imagine the Jaguars being worse than the Houston Texans this year. So if you have a few dollars to spend, probably betting on the Texans to earn the number one overall pick in the draft is as good a bet as there is on NFL futures right now for win totals. So for that reason, and look, the Jacksonville Jaguars could turn around quickly. And we've seen it.

When it hits, it hits fast. And teams can turn around quick and they've done some good things I've liked what the Jaguars have done draft wise recently and you get a generational potential quarterback this year and so that's huge and I think Urban Meyer that sneaky son of a gun is smart to choose the Jaguars? To be able to come in and get that quarterback to start off because I am never sold on the conversion of a college coach into the NFL. And I think it was going to be a rough go for Urban Meyer and it still might, but getting a quote unquote generational quarterback, if he turns out to be, that is just a huge boost and really helps everything and helps that run a little smoother. But he's going to find out that he doesn't get to recruit the best athletes at every

position at his current team. And the wins are going to start to get a lot more difficult for him. And I think he probably could have picked a better GM as someone that I've seen work very closely for the San Francisco 49ers and really ruin a Super Bowl caliber roster. Yeah, let me talk to you about that real quick. With Trent Baalke, their GM, Urban Meyer, the head coach in Jacksonville, that's the only thing that's holding me back from Jacksonville kind of being a sneaky near 500 team this year.

They have a lot of young talent over there in Jacksonville. You have Trevor Lawrence who could lift that team up to a near 500 record if all goes well, health permitting. But I think, honestly, the one thing that holds me back with Jacksonville even long term is Urban Meyer because I'm still kind of burned by nick saban going to miami and then a couple years later it's not working out there he goes to alabama and the rest is history and with not immediate success in the nfl i could see urban meyer doing the same thing down the line you know he has trevor lawrence that quarterback like maybe a big college opening comes up again he gets the itch again for a lot

more money and he says you know what this isn't working out in jacksville i'm just gonna go back to the college a little make make hay there but with trent bulky let's talk about him for a lot more money. And he says, you know what, this isn't working out in Jacksonville. I'm just going to go back to the college a little make, make hay there. But with Trent Balky, let's talk about him for a second. He's really, I think he's honestly really not the GM right now. I think Urban Meyer has the full Ross control down there in Jacksonville. What's your overall thoughts on the structure down there in Jacksonville? And that's the one thing that's holding me back with the Jaguars. Yeah, I think Urban Meyer had enough clout coming in to where he could call his shot. And, and he probably wanted someone who's a veteran personnel guy to be his number two,

but know that, look, this is my show. And if I like Clemson players, we're going to draft Clemson players. Right. But when you look at their draft after their first two picks, ACL guy,

ACL guy, Walker little Andre Cisco. And I think there was another um there was another dylan moses who was a priority undrafted free agent wasn't drafted but another acl guy i mean that's hashtag team acl go search that and you'll find old 2012 2013 draft picks for the 49ers and things did not go that well so there was definitely definitely, when I look at this draft, there was an obvious hint of Trenton Balky in this draft for the Jaguars, although I really like Travis Etienne too. I thought he was the best running back in this draft.

I don't know about first-round running backs, and I don't know about them throwing him out there in rookie minicamp as a wide receiver. If they convert him to wide receiver, then that's a wasted draft pick because I don't think Travis Etienne is that good of a receiver. But if they work him at wide receiver and camp, get him better at receiving the ball as a running back, then I'm on board.

And then now we're talking about a guy in Travis ATN who could probably win that job over, over James Robinson, who was a great story last year, but let's be honest, Travis, Travis ATN is just way more talented than James Robinson is. And we'll win that job at running back.

And then as a better receiver for it. Then I'm okay. But if they try to convert him and, and take away his ability as a runner and turn them into some sort of a, a bad receiver, then that just doesn't work out at all. So early returns, I'm still not so sure about with urban Meyer.

So I have some questions and I will take some convincing when it comes to a college coach, even a great college coach, as you mentioned there. We've seen many fantastic college coaches try it out in the NFL, and it's just a completely different beast. And I don't know that he's got the right right-hand man there in Trent Baalke to help him out. But he does have the right quarterback, it looks like.

We'll see how that goes. And maybe in year two of this thing for the Jaguars, 2022, maybe we're talking about a sneaky team there that could do some damage in that division. But in year one, I would not expect that to happen. Last team we should cover on the AFC South before we dive in, a little bit more in-depth to the Annapolis Colts and looking at how they stack up in the AFC overall as well.

What's going on in Houston, Brian? I mean, you and Matt told us on the show before, but Deshaun Watson wants out. He's wanted out for a while there. It seems there's a power struggle internally in the front office with Jack Easterby trying to take over there as the shadow GM, so to say, and just everything's chaotic there. I think they have 53 new guys, or around 40-plus new guys in the roster this year, which is an incredible turnaround. A lot of guys signing one-year deals in Houston as well. What in the world is going on there, Brian? It seems like to me this team could be the first one we've seen in a very long time to truly go instead of 0-16 this

time around, 0-17. I think Vegas actually has the favor to lose all the games this year. Yeah, I don't see how you could favor them in a game this year. You've got Tyrod Taylor, maybe Jeff Driscoll or their third- pick davis mills starting games if deshaun watson doesn't start any games for them a quarterback they will never be favored all year and they might start to get blown out by some teams because you look at this roster up and down and there's some talented players but basically this is a team that i at the trade deadline will probably try to unload some players maybe in the offseason try to unload

some players and you just got to completely rebuild this thing. And their offseason and their free agent period is something I've just never seen before with just the sheer number of players they brought in. And who knows, maybe that competition, maybe adding that many bodies will net them a few players that they can build around for a while and give them some maybe rotational depth and you know some players that are role players that help them out for a while maybe that's what they were going for knowing that they weren't going to be able to get any impactful players and probably that they don't want any impactful players that's going to put them over to help to win any games it's probably better for them that they don't win any games this year maybe that was the goal is to just sign everybody you can and hope you hit on one or two of them that you can maybe help you out down the road when you actually are able to win some games. But this team is a complete disaster.

I can't imagine what David Coley is thinking about his job right now, although he knew kind of what disaster he was walking into. But this is just such an odd situation from the top-down ownership. General management, I think actually their general manager is okay, but is he allowed to do what he wants to do? You mentioned the Easter meat thing. I don't even know if they have an offensive coordinator yet right now. I don't know who that is, if they have one.

So this is a really interesting team and a fascinating team from a standpoint of when someone really tells the story behind the scenes about all this in the future it'll be fun but this is not going to be a fun season for Houston Texans fans and yeah I think the over-unders should probably be something like 0.5 games for them do you know 85% of people who play daily fantasy sports lose? Is it really that surprising? The game is rigged against you. You're playing against thousands of other lineups, not to mention experts who have more tools and more time. You don't stand a chance. Introducing StatHero. It's the first ever daily fantasy sports book

that puts the player in control and winning within reach. Here's how it works. StatHero shows you their lineups and dares you to beat them. It's you versus the house in a head-to-head fantasy matchup. You name your stakes, winner take all. You have the advantage. StatHero is showing you their lineups ahead of time. No one else does that. With my experience with DFS, and it really has been almost just like we're mentioning here with StatHero, a lot more losses in the column instead of wins. And StatHero I think is going to flip the script for everything right now in the daily fantasy sports world. You're in total control here.

StatHero is DFS the way it was meant to be. One on one. Play StatHero now and change the odds. Go to StatHero.com slash locked on. Sign up for free right now. You can get three times back in your first play they're giving you a 300 chance to match that's unheard of go to stat hero.com slash locked on again stat hero.com slash locked on l-o-c-k-a-d-o-n to get started today built bar is the best tasting

protein bar ever they have nine delicious flavors plus the occasional limited time flavor as well there's so many great flavors at Built Bars. It's so versatile. It really tastes nothing like a protein bar. It's like a super sweet candy bar that's healthy for you. That's a special combination that Built Bars come up with right now. It's super healthy for you as well. Most of the flavors have 17 grams of protein, all within 130 calories,

and only 4 grams of sugar as well. It's a great tasting snack that tides your air throughout the day. Order today whatever flavors you like at Bilt Bar and go to BiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKED15 LOCKED15 and you'll get 15% off your first order. Again, use promo code LOCKED15

LOCKED15 for 15% off at BiltBar.com Yeah, that's truly incredible. This is the fall of the Texans over the last couple years and it's going to continue in 2021. But let's hit on the Colts a little bit more in depth now, Brian. And looking at their offseason, the biggest domino, of course, was Phillip Rivers retiring and then trading a conditional first-round pick,

more like a nod is going to convey, unless Carson Wentz really looks like the 2020 version of Wentz, even with Frank Reich reuniting with him from their 2017 season in Philadelphia. What was your thoughts on that trade, trading over a third-round pick and a conditional first in next year's draft for Carson Wentz to get him back in Frank Reich's offense? The scheme, the weapons, the offensive line is a big upgrade, in my opinion, from what we saw last year in Philadelphia to what the Colts have upcoming this year.

It was a risky gamble the Colts were making with Carson Wentz having really a truly awful season last year. But if Wentz does bounce back, Brian, this could be a team that could be a sneaky dark horse candidate in the AFC this year. Yeah, I look at everything that the Colts do through the lens of, did they improve their chances of beating the Titans? Because that's what it's all about, winning this division. And I think for the Eagles to get that conditional first was a pretty good move on their part, and I think

that's what it you know essentially when a team said and maybe it was only the Colts that were able to get to the point where they thought you know we trust Wentz enough we have enough knowledge of him and we trust our coach we'll give you that conditional first round pick and I think the Eagles did really well to get that but when you look at Carson Wentz if he plays to the level he has under Frank Reich in the past and Frank Reich can get him back to that level then I like Carson Wentz over Ryan Tannehill and I think that's a fantastic move and for all the moves the Colts could have made maybe they could have waited and and tried to do something in the draft and move up and do things that way like we saw the Chicago Bears do.

But I don't think there was a lot of avenues for the Colts to do much better than they did with getting Carson Wentz and the potential that he could be the guy that we saw as an MVP candidate under Frank Reich in the past. And I really like a lot of the things that the Colts have done. And I think one of the better front offices right now in the NFL. And one thing that's impressive and one thing that's probably frustrated some fans along the way, and you would know this more than I, Evan, and you probably get that kind of feedback.

I'm sure some fans have been frustrated by the lack of urgency in some cases by this front office and kind of standing pat and doing some things like just trusting the process and building this thing and drafting and developing. And aside from that Carson Wentz move, I'm sure there were some fans that thought they could have done more, maybe attack some different positions differently in the draft. But in the end, I think you'll see that playing it out and making smart move after smart

move, even if they seem insignificant at the time, will net you a much better team in the future. So for that reason, I have to give huge marks to the Indianapolis Colts organization right now. Let's talk about Chris Ballard for a second. I think he's widely known around the NFL, Brian, as one of the more savvy GMs, one of the smartest GMs, and one of the best scouts in the NFL. He's really done an amazing job, and I can't imagine what the Colts would be right now if not for Andrew Luck retiring a couple years ago. And it's kind of incredible the Colts have kept their head above water even since Luck retiring a couple weeks before the season started.

You have Jacoby Brissett playing near 500 football. You have Phillip Rivers on the last year of his NFL career leading to 11-5, even with a bum toe. You throw in Carson Wentz now to the mix, they could improve even more if he does get bounced back with Frank Reich as his play caller, again, like he did in 2017. It seems like to me, Brian, just these moves that Ballard's made, drafting very exceptionally well, you make a couple trades here and there.

And especially from your point of view, the DeForest Buckner trade completely changed the Colts' defense. They were a top- 10 defense last year. Now you draft Quidipe at 21 overall. They could take that leap now with an elite pass rusher on the edge next to Buckner. Ballard just feels like to me, he just feels like he gets it. I think he's doing something too that a lot of really good GMs do is

bringing in the right people. And he absolutely did that with DeForest Buckner. And you could argue that that was an overpay, giving up a first round pick and a huge contract for an interior defensive lineman. But you just know what you're getting in DeForest Buckner. He's going to come play every day. He's going to give you a good rep on every down. He's going to play the run just as well as he plays the pass. You can move him around and move him into the outside if you want to as a big end and rush him from the inside. And he's just a money in the bank for you.

And so for that reason, yeah, I mean, Chris Ballard, he's taken some risks, like that would be one, but he's also really just stayed strong and had a lot of day two picks, which I think is a super smart strategy. Move down when the opportunity arises for them in the draft stand pat when they see a guy that they think is is going to be a difference making player for them so um overall when i look at their drafts and i look at what they've done personnel wise you can't help but be impressed by chris ballard and then even just like

i'm sure he did well in interviews to get that job in the first place and he's obviously had some hits and some misses. But when you hear the man talk and you hear him in interviews and you see some of these vignettes and some of these videos from the draft room, and I just love the way he operates. He just makes you feel comfortable, like, okay, I feel pretty good about this guy running the organization. Yeah, he really has done an amazing job for the Colts he took over in 2017. And now the young infrastructure is in place to where they can take a next step forward, especially if wins can bounce back,

but let's pivot over now, Brian, to how the Colts stack up in the AFC overall. We talked about still, you have them a little bit favorite over Tennessee, even after the Julio Jones trade, let's look at the AFC overall. Let's put Kansas city on their own tier right now.

Cause Patrick Mahomes, I don't know if anyone's going to stop Patrick Mahomes for the time being unless someone can truly just surprise them one year. So they're in their own tier for me. I don't know about you there, Brian, but looking over the Colts against teams like Buffalo, Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, maybe the Los Angeles Chargers this year could be a surprise team in that mix as well.

Where do you feel like the Colts stack up this year with the caveat being Wentz bouncing back? where would you put them on that list of teams uh sorry I don't want to skip the question you just asked and I want to get to that but I was just thinking after my last comment about the jump from Ryan Grigson to Chris Ballard and and Ryan Grigson I probably crushed more than any GM in the NFL. When did, did Grigson take over in 2017? Is that right?

Yeah. Grigson took over in Lux rookie year from 2012. And then he was fired, I believe after the 2017 season and then Bauer took over for the 2017 draft. So, so Ballard did control the 2017 draft and beyond. Okay. That's what I thought.

Yeah. And obviously the 2018 draft is just stellar with Quentin Nelson and Darius Leonard but I just I was blown away by how bad Grigson was and how little he did to help out Andrew Luck and who knows Andrew Luck might still be the quarterback if he's drafting offensive linemen instead of you know four three wide receivers that were going to bounce off of the roster in a couple years like i just head scratching move after head scratching move from ryan grigson so colts fans got to feel much better about their situation there now yeah so sorry i just ryan grigson jumped in my my head and i just it was almost like i can't imagine what it's like i guess i do know what it's like it was similar to 49ers fans and trent balky is what it was like for Colts fans with Ryan Gregson. So I guess I do

know exactly how you guys felt over there. With the ever increasing numbers of makes and models, it is now possible to stock all the parts you need in a traditional chain store front. That's why you need to go to rockauto.com right now. I've used it a lot actually over the last year plus in my car having some issues. A lot of listeners have as well and you should do the same here. Rockauto.com has had family owned business or auto product customers online for the last 20 years. They have everything from engine control modules and brake parts to tail lamps, motor oil, jumper cables, even new carpet. Whether it's your classic or daily driver, get everything you need in a few easy clicks delivered directly to your door. And best-of-all price at RockAuto.com are always reliably low and the same for professionals and do-it-yourselfers.

Why spend twice as much when you get the same parts so much cheaper over at Rock Auto? Go to rockauto.com right now and see the parts you can go for your car or truck. Write Locked On in the How's Your Boss box so they know we sent you over there. They have a main selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need.

Colts fans, go to rockauto.com right now and write Locked On in the How's Your Boss box. Yeah, if you bring up RG around anyone, those are some triggering words from Colts fans. I apologize. No, no. Colts fans can go on a rant for a very long time all the mistakes that he's made. And that's unfortunate because we saw the one year in 2018 where he finally had the offensive line. Quentin Nelson on board there really helped stabilize the offensive line.

He gets touched, I think, 22 times a whole year, 18 sacks. They were on the pace of something special there. And then unfortunately, Andrew Luck hurts himself again before training camp and the rest is history there. It's unfortunate. But yeah, I mean, what do you think there? I mean, just going down that wormhole for a second before we dive back over to the AFC and how the Colts stack up. Where do the Colts would be right now, Brian, if they had Andrew Luck? I mean, I can't fathom it. And plus, he should be a much healthier version of Andrew Luck, right? The alternate reality of Andrew Luck not getting crushed all the time,

playing behind a better offensive line from the start, where they could be right now, they probably would have not been in a situation where they could have drafted some players like Quentin Nelson wouldn't have been there for them, right? So there is some alternate reality there that you have to sort of bend the mind to think okay what would it actually look like because you'd have been better so the picks would have been different because you wouldn't have been in the right spot to draft this player or draft that player but um I mean Andrew Luck was just he was he was a better version to be honest of what Trevor

Lawrence is as a prospect this year. And what that could have been, I mean, it's hard to fathom, but they would be an even better team than they are right now, except for maybe if Grigson would have done a couple of moves better, then Andrew Luck sticks around, but then the rest of the roster would have been worse because it would have still been Grigson. So who knows? Maybe, I don't know, maybe they're better off for it. I mean, that's hard to say that, you know, would you rather have Luck and Grigson or would you rather have Wentz and Chris Ballard? And I tend to just side with

Ballard. And I think the Colts are now in a good spot, so he should be okay. Yeah, I agree with you there. I would definitely take Ballard right now, even though Andrew Luck is the generational talent Chris Ballard has shown. He might be like a generational type GM just with the way he's moved around so far and I think dividends are gonna be paid in a huge way here soon for the Colts but Evan sorry to interrupt you real quick but was there any truth to the stuff about uh you know the friend of the friend that was leaking information that maybe Luck was trying to make a comeback no yeah I we looked into that here on the show and I I think a lot of it was debunked i we do know officially i think it was peter king who mentioned in a story though that the

colts did call up andrew luck before they traded for curse and wentz to make sure like hey like this is jim ursa from the colts andrew like are you for sure for sure for sure retiring i guess andrew gave that that nod like yeah i'm never coming back so they pulled the trigger on wednesday well it would have been incredible though if, like, let's say they pull out the curse of Wentz trade all of a sudden, and Andrew Luck two years later comes back out of retirement. That would have been the biggest story in maybe NFL history. Oh, that would have been pretty amazing because he's still at a prime age for a quarterback. And, you know, what's funny is I bet, I don't know if you've seen any photos of him, but

I always picture seeing this photo of Andrew Luck since I haven't seen him in a while now. And he lost 30 pounds to be all skinny with his big beard and you wouldn't even recognize him. No, hey, I'll send this over to you on our Twitter DMs if you like. I think someone actually saw him at the Chicago airport yesterday. Oh, yes. And he actually still looks in playing shape. So who knows if he's talking to anyone, but I mean, he looks just like Andrew Luck in 2018, which is crazy.

Oh, that's a good, so he's been keeping in shape. Now that's how you know he still wants it. So hey, maybe next off season, if Wentz doesn't work out, you give him one more. God, that would be incredible, wouldn't it? But let's go ahead and go over the Colts and the AFC. We mentioned that they have a slight lead over Tennessee right now.

Obviously they have to play football games in September to see what happens on the field, Brian. But in the offseason right now, how would you stack up the Colts against the rest of the AFC big contenders? That's tough. I still think that whoever it is that does win the AFC South is still just a hair behind some of the best teams in the AFC. And the AFC is pretty stacked at the top with the Kansas City Chiefs,

the Buffalo Bills. I think there are some other contenders that are going to jump up and be much better teams. I can see just about any team in the AFC North being a problem for teams in the playoffs. Big Ben is a big question mark there. But, I mean, I wouldn't want to play the Ravens right now. The Browns are

pretty stacked from top to bottom. To be honest with you, I think there's a chance that any of the teams in the East take a big step. The Jets aren't going to be ready for prime time for a while, but they're kind of on that path that the Jaguars are on, except I like their coach a little bit more and they could jump up very quickly, but that's probably, you know, a year or two away. And then the Chargers, they found their quarterback and year two star quarterbacks if that is indeed what justin herbert is that team can make a huge leap too and who knows maybe aaron rogers is quarterbacking the broncos at some point so i mean this is tough and this is a gauntlet you're gonna have to run once you get in the playoffs so if the better you can do in the regular season maybe get a buy

in the playoffs i mean that'll be huge right now in the AFC. And I still think whether it's the Titans or the Colts that come out of that division on top and maybe both teams make the playoffs, they're gonna have their work cut out for them in the AFC West or in the AFC. And it's really hard for me to pick anybody over the Kansas city chiefs, including the bills right now, although the bills are very, very strong number two. And then again, like I said, I mean, there's Ravens. If Big Ben, his shoulder is okay, then they have one of the best defenses in the NFL in

Pittsburgh. So there's a lot of teams that are going to be tough to beat in the AFC. What do you feel like is the formula here? This is the last thing I'm before I let you go, Brian. I really appreciate the time today. But looking at the formula to beat Kansas City in the AFC, and it's going to be like this for a very long time. Mahomes signing that 10-year contract last year.

But I think really the formula, at least in my opinion, Brian, is ball control, keeping Mahomes off the field, and having a ability to rush with four. And I feel like there's a chance, a slim, slim chance, if Carson Wentz can bounce back, the Colts can be that team. Like there's a couple others as well in the AFC, like Baltimore, Buffalo could be the same thing. But the Colts could be on that list because you might have a quarterback who's at least average and adequate who can drive the ball down the field with Wentz. You have a possible star running back now, Jonathan

Taylor, who finished third in rushing last year behind Jonathan Taylor and Dalvin Cook. And you also have the front four, DeForest Buckner, Quiddie Paye. You have Kamoko Turret you can bounce back to the injury Grover Stewart at nose tackle and you also have Darius Leonard who can run around and space a linebacker this feels like to me Brian like if all goes well if the pieces all somehow fit in place this year or beyond for the Colts they kind of have that formula in place for where they could at least give Kansas City some troubles down the line I think they could I think Quidipe is a huge addition for the Colts.

If he hits, you have to develop his talent quickly, and he's got to find a way to get to the quarterback. DeForest Buckner was on the last defensive line that narrowly beat the Chiefs there in the Super Bowl, in the 2020 Super Bowl, and we saw how bad. I mean, it's pretty much impossible, right, if you're getting that much pressure as they did in this year's Super Bowl, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did against that banged up Kansas City Chiefs offensive line.

So yeah, against any team, and especially a team that is so quarterback driven like the Kansas City Chiefs, if you can harass that quarterback, you have an opportunity to win. But you've got to be able to step on the team's throat when you can so there still has to be an offensive element to it and I love the offensive line that's developing there especially if Eric Fisher can come back and and be healthy for the Colts and if you can run the ball play keep away from the opposing quarterback and then go harass him when he does have the ball and when you know they become super one-dimensional, and you know they're going to be throwing the ball, I mean, that is so huge. So that is absolutely, and the 49ers almost did it.

They did it for three and a half quarters, and then we saw the Bucs last year do it for four quarters, and you can't count on the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line being as banged up as it was last year once they got to the Super Bowl, but I think there are some ways that you can beat that team, and nobody's invincible, especially if you're harassing their quarterback. So, yeah, getting after the quarterback is the number one thing on any team in the NFL.

And the more I follow the NFL, the closer I follow every single team in the league. I am almost never upset if a team drafts a stud defensive lineman that can go get the quarterback because that is so important in the NFL, especially if you already have your passer. Brian, this was so much fun. I really appreciate the time tonight. Colts fans go ahead and follow Brian on Twitter. If you're not already at BD Peacock,

he is the host of Lockdown 49ers and he's half of the Peacock and Williamson national NFL show here on the Lockdown podcast network does great stuff. And this is some great stuff. Went down tonight. Even went down the Andrew Luck wormhole for a little bit. That was a really fun discussion. So, Brian, hey, really appreciate the time tonight, man. Evan, appreciate you having me on, man.

Thank you.