Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - COLTS SQUAD SHOW: Indianapolis Colts MVP and SUPERLATIVES for 2025 season | Expectations vs. Miami

Episode Date: September 4, 2025

It's finally game week for the Colts, but we're handing out preseason awards for the upcoming year with our Colts' Superlatives - MVP, breakout star, best newcomer, and more - on tonight's show! Plus,... what to expect from the offense and defense in the opener against the Dolphins and our final position group preview hits perhaps the weakest spot on the roster. Find and follow Colts Squad Show and Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms: 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LockedOnColtsFollow Jake and Zach's written work on HorseshoeHuddle.com, and give the squad a follow on X/Twitter @Schultz975, @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @allenpinkett, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram!Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!DoorDashWith DoorDash Streaks, you save every Saturday you order — stack it up all season and you could save up to $250. Order this Saturday. Keep the streak alive. Fuel your gameday — only with DoorDash.Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com/lockedonnfl for 50% off your first year.UpsideDon’t let this offer drive on by, download the free Upside app now using my limited time promo code TOUCHDOWN for a limited time 25 cent per gallon bonus! Offers vary by user and location, Go to upside.com for terms and conditions.Click Here to download the app:https://getupside.onelink.me/zlLr?af_xp=custom&pid=barrington&c=barrington_lockedon25&deep_link_value=promo&deep_link_sub1=lockedon25&af_dp=upsideapp%3A%2F%2FYahoo FantasyPresented by YahooFantasy #YahooPartner. Draft now at https://yahoofantasy.com/lockedonnfl.PrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use codeLOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFLfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Colts Squad Show. I'm your host, Derek Schultz, and hold on, I'm getting reports that there's NFL football this week. And I'm Zach Hicks, and I'm finally excited to see Lou Anna Rumo's defense in action this Sunday. I'm Jake Arthur, and my God, we've made it. It's Indiana Jones time, baby. I'm Alan Pinkett, and it's the most wonderful time of the year. Colts Nation rise up. It's the Colt Squad, everything Indianapolis Colts every week.
Starting point is 00:00:36 Covering all the big hits and game-changing plays from the Circle City, the way only the Locked-on podcast network can. It's time to squad up. The Colt Squad Joe starts now. And what better way than Alan Pinkett's beautiful singing voice to welcome you into a new edition of the Colts Squad Show here on the Lockdown Colts Network. Today's episode brought you by Mazda, when you follow what moves you. The unexpected is only at the beginning. And just like there's more to every highlight, there's more to a Mazda vehicle.
Starting point is 00:01:07 Mazda move and be moved. I'm Derek Schultz. I've been a sports talker here in Indianapolis for many years. I'm also a columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal. I'm joined by Nourname Legend, former NFL running back, Alan Pinkett, as always. And you every day, there's no Jake Arthur, our credentialed boots on the ground. And Zach Hicks, everyone's favorite film buff, the dynamic duo from Lockdown Culture, your first listen every day.
Starting point is 00:01:28 we get to talk football today. All right. I mean, we talk football on the show every week, right? But like football, because it's football week. It's happening. Real football. That's right. We're going to do some cult superlatives. So on the doorstep of a new season, we're going to hand out some awards. We're going to pick our MVP, our breakout player, and then also delve into some hot button issues like hot seat.
Starting point is 00:01:50 Who needs to perform? Whose contract year? Jobs on the line, things like that. We'll talk about that. Newcomer of the year. And I went ahead and did this myself without asking him if it was okay. The Ashton Doolin Award, so the guy that'll do the little things this season. And a caveat, you can't name Ashton Doolin for the Ashton Award.
Starting point is 00:02:10 I just say he's still alive and on the team. That's right. In honor of Ashton Doolin, we're going to do that. Plus, our expectations for the offensive defense against the dolphins in the opener, Zach and Jake will give their take there. Alan will chime in too on what you expect in an opener. He's a guy that played seven or eight of them during his NFL career and getting into kickoff at Lucas Loyal Stadium between the Colts and Dolphins. And then our final position group preview, the linebackers.
Starting point is 00:02:36 It's a very small room. It's a very unproven room. And we will dive into that before we exit stage right on today's show. But, boys, let's get into the cult superlatives. And let's start with the biggest one of all. Your most valuable player for this year. I think I went a little bit against the grain with mine. I'm going to listen to what everybody else has to say first, starting with you, Zach, on your Colts 20205 MVP.
Starting point is 00:03:01 Yeah, it's tough here because when we look at just MVP awards in general, it always skews towards one position, especially in the most, in like the last decade or so. So I think just my analytic brain is taking over. We're saying it has to be Daniel Jones this year, you know, and maybe he's not going to have gaudy stats for this Colts team. But for this Colts team to accomplish what they want to accomplish, their quarterback needs to be one of their better players on offense and you know look the Colts are putting all their faith in this 28 year old veteran who is coming back from a down couple of years with the New York Giants. Colts are hoping for him to be that Sam Darnold, that Gino Smith, that next comeback player of the year caliber quarterback
Starting point is 00:03:43 and look if you're going to be competitive in the NFL regardless of how good your team is, your quarterback needs to be your MVP. So I think even if Jones just comes out and has like, you know, what, 25 touchdown, 10-pick season, like nothing too crazy, throws for high 3,000 yards, rushes for a couple hundred. Again, I'm not saying this is like all-world MVP, like league MVP numbers, but this is certainly Colts MVP numbers, considering what we've seen from the quarterback position since Andrew Luck retired, I think that would be good enough for this team to get in the playoffs and good enough to give Daniel Jones his rightful flowers for the season.
Starting point is 00:04:18 So, you know, I know it's kind of just the boring pick here, but look, quarterbacks are the most valuable position in arguably all of sports. So Daniel Jones has to be the colds MVP this year if they want to make the playoffs. I know that was really tough for you, buddy, so I'm sorry you had to do that, but you probably went with the right choice. I figured one of us, you know, someone between Yumi Allen and Derek was going to do that. So I'm going to go one. I'm going to preemptively say apologies to Allen because I feel like I'm probably stealing yours, but Jonathan Taylor. I think this offense has got to be powered by Taylor. and while I agree that the Colts, it better be Jones,
Starting point is 00:04:57 their better payoff and it be Daniel Jones. Jones is going to be pretty reliant on Jonathan Taylor as well. I think Taylor's going to touch the ball a lot this year. They're probably going to look to establish him as their main source through most games. And then once you establish him, that helps Daniel Jones, you know, capitalize on some play action, some big plays in the passing game that way. You keep the defense honest and they're not. just daring Daniel Jones to pass 40 times, which the Colts would love to avoid.
Starting point is 00:05:30 But no, Jonathan Taylor, the last we've seen of him, he is still very much that dude had like 180 yards from scrimmage in that week 18 game last year, the last time we saw him in real game action. He finally played in the preseason a little bit and had a couple big runs. I think it was against the Packers or whichever game it was. But no, they're definitely going to need him. I feel like I keep saying that. He had 1,400 yards last year rushing.
Starting point is 00:05:55 He was in touchdown despite missing three games. So he's still very, very productive. And if you get 17 games out of him, you know, I had a bold prediction in our bold prediction show with Zach. Like, he can lead the league in rushing. We've seen him do it before. He was top four last year, again, despite missing three games and would have been top three if he didn't miss him.
Starting point is 00:06:17 So I think it's possible that this game. guy is one of the most valuable players in the entire league, let alone this team. You know, Jake, I really, really like your pick of Jonathan Taylor. And unfortunately, I didn't pick him as my MVP. But here's an interesting stat that I found. When the Colts ran the ball less than 25 times in the game, their record was, oh, and six. So the importance of a running game is predominant in this Colts offense, but I did take
Starting point is 00:07:02 the easy route because in order for this offense to succeed, you're going to have to have good quarterback play, great quarterback play. In order for them to balance out and be a ball control offense, you're going to have to have quick decision making by a quarterback. you're going to have to have the ball coming out on time to the receivers. The receivers are going to have to do their job. You've got a new weapon in Tyler Warren, but the quarterback orchestrates it all. The running back is sort of a, you know, putting makeup on the whole thing.
Starting point is 00:07:38 The running game is definitely a huge part, but in contemporary professional football, you either have that guy quarterback or you don't have that guy. And if the Colts win this year, it's going to be because of their quarterback play. Yeah, and I completely agree that if the Colts are going to do anything this year, Daniel Jones has to be good. But rising to the level of MVP, to me, that means like star level play, which I just don't know if Jones is capable of. I think Jones is capable of efficient winning quarterback play. But I think that's about the bar, right, that you can realistically set for him. So like I said, I want to get the grain here because I firmly believe that if the Colts are going to do something this year, like not just sneak into the playoffs, but like make the playoffs and maybe even win a game, I think they really are going to need Layatu Latsu to be a star, like a legitimate pass rushing star.
Starting point is 00:08:36 Because so much of the defense to me is predicated on that happening of the Colts having a really affected pass rush. And I don't mean an effective pass rush, like, by committee. We've seen that in past years. Remember 23, like, cumulatively, they were a top five sacks team, I believe. But it was like every guy had nine and a half sacks. And that's great, right? Like, okay, fine. But when it's like in Gakwe and all these other guys that are just kind of compiling stuff,
Starting point is 00:09:00 I don't want that. I want the keep you up at night type pass rush guy. And the Colts haven't had that in a really long time. And Latu has at least flash that. So if he can get home, I mean, we're not worried about him on pressures, right? He pressures all the time. It's just about closing the deal. I think he can really become a top-end pass rusher,
Starting point is 00:09:17 and it'll have a huge effect on the rest of the defense and really the rest of the team. So he's my pick for potential MVP. Yeah, no, I mean, we've talked about a lot on our regular show where this needs to be a huge season for Laatu-Latu. For this Colts defense to work this year, La Jaiatu-Latu needs to be that top 15 pick. He needs to take that big step in year two,
Starting point is 00:09:38 so I completely agree. I had him for a different category. We're going to go over, but I completely agree with you there, Eric. Yeah, I wanted to, I was, as I was kind of doing this out, I think you probably had him for breakout player, right? Which is our next one. And I'll just go again, just to kind of like a snake draft, just like we do in Yahoo fantasy, right? Hey, shout out to our sponsors there. This guy already had a little bit of a breakout last year, but I just, I think Colts fans know that he was good. I don't think he had a breakout as far as nationally. I'm thinking Nick Cross this year takes another step forward. With the veteran improvements in the defensive secondary, when you add Mooney Ward, you add Cam Bynum, I think it's only going to help Cross continue to grow
Starting point is 00:10:22 and continue to kind of go towards that, reaching that potential that the Colts saw in him. I mean, he had a really good year last year, but I think that maybe there's another step even beyond that for Nick Cross, who's still a very young player, considering that this is, what, his fourth year in the league. I like that one. it uh you know you you kind of toil over in your mind like what qualifies is breakout is it
Starting point is 00:10:48 someone everyone already knows what have you so i'm gonna go you know latu with mine i i think like i know that one that one's a little cheap but lot too just makes a lot of sense to me for all the reasons you know you guys already said number one you know he only had four sacks as a rookie so like there's a lot of room for improvement but i haven't heard a single person on the Colts speak as if he's not going to blow up this year. And that goes for Lou Anirumo as well, who I have learned doesn't just throw around rosy feelings about guys very easily. He's very much a coach that players gravitate to and they really appreciate and like,
Starting point is 00:11:27 but he's not just out here pumping up guys left and right like we've heard other coaches speak before. But everything he says about Latu, very, very positive. I mean, he said, I think twice the other day that he thinks he's going to have a hell of a season. And I mean, that's very telling for Lou Anirumo to say that. And they all seem very, very confident that he's figured out these things where he's getting in the backfield, but he's just not finishing with sacks. And I think very realistically last year, he probably should have had at least six or seven sacks, if not for slipping off guys and
Starting point is 00:12:02 plays that he really should have had. So if you include that he's going to improve his ability to get into the backfield in year two, but also to finish some of those plays, I think you're looking at a double-digit sack guy this year. Yeah, no, for sure. And, Alan, I'll let you go with this next one here because I'm going to go on for hours about all this time and probably to close this out. Well, Derek, the best thing about Nick Cross is where's number 20? So I can tell you did some very introspective, deep, deep, you know,
Starting point is 00:12:38 dig into which pick makes the most sense. But my breakout player and I derived this from, listen to you, Zach and Jake, watching practice, my breakout player is
Starting point is 00:12:54 A.D. Mitchell. I think that when you look at the receiver group as a whole, it's a very, very competent receiver group. And you've got, you know, the big strong guy in Pickman, you've got to go deep 50-50 guy and in uh Alex Pierce your slot guy you've got the you know the
Starting point is 00:13:16 you know the quickness you know the type of uh player in Josh Downs and then you had Tyler Warren you know so to me A.D. Mitchell would be that guy that checks all the boxes for what you want out of an entire receiver unit to me he's like a bigger Josh Downs. all right, but maybe a more fleet, Michael Pittman. And then if he gets a chance, you know, with his athletic ability, a better Alex Pierce going for the 50-50 ball. So I say he's just based on what you guys saw in practice. We haven't seen it in a game yet.
Starting point is 00:14:00 But what you saw in practice, if he can replicate what he did in practice. And I also understand he's an all-pro smack talker, so that helps you know some sometimes you need that to get that vibe going you know you get that that that smack talking game going and it accentuates to play unless you make a mistake but but he is my breakout player now he can he can qualify for some of the other categories too but as far as breakout player that's who I chose yeah I would totally say that law two and Mitchell or the two guys, I want to break out more than anybody else this year because I think that
Starting point is 00:14:42 they matter the most to this Colts team getting where they want to be. But the player I'm going to go with is maybe the third guy I put on that, which is Tanner Bordalini at center. Now, it's very, very hard to quantify an offensive lineman breaking out, you know, because you don't really get stats on them. You get the pro football focus grades, but that's really about it that you get when it comes to offensive line play. But true people who like watch the film and see what offensive linemen are doing, you can tell when an offensive lineman has really arrived when he is communicating with the players next to him, when he is making blocks out in space that you just don't see other guys make. And that center position is such a vital piece of the
Starting point is 00:15:19 offense. So you get a really young player coming in here in Tanner Bordellini who now has a veteran quarterback behind him. He's going to help him with those protection calls, help him with, you know, picking up the slack a little bit when it comes to that stuff. And now he can focus on being just an all-out player on the interior being this dominant zone blocker that I think he's going to be being a player in past protection with great eyes and great awareness.
Starting point is 00:15:42 I really was impressed by that last year. As long as the anchoring issues can clean up a little bit as the year goes along or just that he can find some path to survive those power rushers on the interior, I think this can be a top 10 center in football as early as this year. I'm very, very high on Tanner Bordellini.
Starting point is 00:16:00 I think he's got a long future with this Colts team in the NFL in general. And look, when it comes to these smaller centers that are super athletic, I put them on the Garrett Bradbury to the Jason Kelsey scale is what I call them. Garrett Bradbury, a former top pick that just flamed out with the Vikings and Jason Kelsey, a first bowed Hall of Famer. If he can just be a little bit closer to Kelsey than Bradbury, we're going to be in a great place here when it comes to Bordellini.
Starting point is 00:16:26 But I'm really excited about him. Everything I saw this preseason got me really excited about what he can be this year. And I know I might be one of the few people that just goes crazy about offensive line play, but I think Bordellini is just going to be a big asset for this Colts team. Well, forgive me for not being as well versed on all the players, but this would be his first year starting, Tanner Bordellini, his first year starting, and taking a place of a veteran that was there. How many years?
Starting point is 00:16:54 Ryan Kelly's 2017, yeah, 2017. Or 2016, 2016, you're right. Yeah, yeah. So the Colts share your year. sentiment yeah no i mean look if they let ryan kelly walk this off season where like will fries they were constantly negotiating with him throughout the process and they just lost him kelly they were comfortable just letting him go because they had this kid behind him that they trusted and that that's a lot to let a former pro bowler walk in free agency that shows how much
Starting point is 00:17:21 they believe in the 22 year old tanner bordellini to step in and play a big role i'm just looking forward to if you pancake somebody doing the uh italian emoji for bordellini I'm just excited about having the Italian last name there. We'll see what kind of season he has for sure. Our cult superlatives continue with a category that includes the player facing the most pressure to perform. That's next when the Colt Squad Show returns. This portion of the show brought you by Mazda. This is Mazda's moving the game forward, brought you by those who believe it's not just about playing the game.
Starting point is 00:17:58 It's about redefining it because these moments do more than win. They push what's possible. They remind us to go the extra yard and shift into the extra gear and keep moving the game forward. Even though Sunday's game is just one of 17 for the Colts, there could be a moment that is a major impact on a win or a loss. And considering that the Colts could be fighting with the Dolphins for an AFC playoff spot when it's all said and done. The result could be season defining. Every game matters in the NFL. And that's what keeps fans and players alike moving forward, always chasing the next great moment.
Starting point is 00:18:27 When you follow what moves you, the unexpected is only the beginning. And just like there's more to every highlight, there's more to every Mazda vehicle. Mazda, move and be moved. This portion of the show also brought you by Supply House when opening, excuse me, when the opening whistle blows on a new repair. Get your crew moving forward with Supply House. Order today and see parts on your doorstep tomorrow. Over 280,000 plumbing, HVAC, and electrical items from the most trusted, brands in the business. Their real-time inventory and honest lead times keep you from
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Starting point is 00:19:38 That's supplyhouse.com, real people, real service. And we're back on the Colts Squad Show. Thanks so much for joining us, getting you set for Colts and Dolphins coming up Sunday alongside Alan Pink and Zach Hicks and Jake Arthur. I'm Derek Schultz. But for now, we're handing out some 2025 season awards. We've already got our MVP.
Starting point is 00:20:00 and our breakout player, and I just teased it, the player facing the most pressure this year. The hot seat needs to perform. And guys, I went back to that edge room because it's a contract year for Quitty Pay. And even if maybe the Colts aren't in his future, a big payday is from somebody. So I do think, you know, in Pay's defense,
Starting point is 00:20:24 he has had a perfectly fine NFL career. He's a good player against the run and things like that. He has a utility, right? He's just not a game-changing edge rusher, which anytime you draft an edge in the top 15-20, that's kind of what you're expecting to get. So it's not that I've been, you know, necessarily disappointed by pay.
Starting point is 00:20:44 I think his season, I think his career has just been fine. But I think there's an opportunity here for him to really, you know, especially if Latsu breaks out and he's on the other side, maybe he's the beneficiary of some of that attention and can pad some of those numbers as well and take the next step as a player in his fifth year. but Quitty Pay to me is a guy that also needs to perform. I just think so much, and this is probably true for most NFL teams,
Starting point is 00:21:05 but so much defensively is dependent on the Colts really creating a nightmare situation for the opposing quarterback, which they really haven't consistently been able to do very much of. Yeah, no, I completely agree. I'm actually going to piggyback off of yours and go with another player in that edge room, Leotu Latu. I think the hot seat is there for him, and it's not the same level of hot seat as Quitype, because Laiatu Latu is under contract for a couple more seasons, at least up until his fourth year.
Starting point is 00:21:32 This is going into the year two for him. So he's got multiple years left on his rookie deal, and then you have the potential fifth year option as well at the end of this. But the thing with Laiatu Latu is he's not young. He's 25 years old. Like I know that's relatively young, but in the NFL, again, it stands for not for long. If you're not hitting that potential early
Starting point is 00:21:50 or at least getting like what Quitty Pay is doing, well, like you said, has utility is a really good run defender and finishes years with like nine sacks, eight and a half sacks, good utility pass rusher. For Laiatu, he needs to get that 10-sac threshold because for all the pressure that's been on pay as, what, the 21st overall pick, Latu was the first defender taken in his draft, the 15th overall pick as an older edge rusher that was expected to come in and produce, and now he's going to be in a system that's going to make quarterbacks hold the ball a little bit longer, that's going to pressure quarterbacks in terms of just having to think pre and post snap.
Starting point is 00:22:26 So everything is lining up for Layatou Lodji to have a big year. Now he just needs to go out there and perform. You know, he has to Forrest Bulkner next to him. He has some good pieces around him. He needs to be that star pass rusher for the Colts. I know it's a lot to ask of a player in year two, but he's 25, had a good year last year. The Colts are sky high on him internally. Now is the time where Latu needs to emerge.
Starting point is 00:22:47 It doesn't need to be T.J. Watt. It doesn't need to be Michael Parsons, but a bigger step forward. from this past season that he had as a rookie is exactly what the Colts scene is exactly what he needs as well. So maybe his seat isn't as hot as Quitty pays who is looking to get a big contract after this season. But I think it's pretty hot in terms of the Colts expectations of we need you to be a star. You internally expect yourself to be a star. We need you to hit it this year. Those are both pretty good, of course, with Quitty. They may have drafted his replacement this year and JT Tuamolo, and then Lhatu, we've talked a lot about how the entire fate of the
Starting point is 00:23:26 pass rush room is essentially on his shoulders, because they don't have anyone else who's capable of being like an alpha dog pass rusher. So mine, I'll go ahead and pick the elephant in the room. Daniel Jones, most pressures to succeed. Would have been Anthony Richardson if he was the starter. But for Daniel, this is perhaps, depending how this goes, perhaps his final opportunity to be a starter in the NFL. Now, if it goes well and he gets the Colts into the playoffs or has like a really efficient year where, you know, it's, it's his best year since 2022 or something like that, then that could parlay him into being a bridge with the Colts or getting another opportunity somewhere else.
Starting point is 00:24:07 But if this goes bad and he plays as poorly as like half the fan base thinks he might, then it's going to be really hard for him as a free agent to sign somewhere for. for $14 million again, no less the ability to compete to start once again. So I think it's going to go fine. Like with Shane Stike in and with the weapons they've got around him, I think it's going to go fine. But at the same time, we're talking about a guy who, again, may not get the opportunity to be a starter in the NFL again. He'll be on a roster, but how many teams are going to want to be saying,
Starting point is 00:24:43 okay, the Colts put a lot of good stuff around him and he didn't produce. and he's only really done it like once in his career. So he can come into backup, but he's not going to be competing to start. So I think there's quite a bit of pressure on Jones. And again, Stuyken has put a lot of pressure on Jones by picking him as the starter over Anthony Richardson. So there's layers to this,
Starting point is 00:25:07 but no matter how you look at it, there's a lot of pressure on Jones, probably internally as well because, I mean, he's got to look at this as his chance for redemption in the NFL as well. So no matter how you cut it, this guy, I think, has the most pressure in the entire building as far as players go. Hey, so what was the name of that movie where Tom Cruise was the agent and the huge tagline was, show me the money. Jerry McGuire. Yeah, Jerry McGuire.
Starting point is 00:25:36 I was going to say all the right moves, and I knew that was wrong. I knew that was wrong. But I guess the point I'm trying to make was, and I can't remember the name of the guy who played the receiver, but he bet on himself. He did a one-year contract. I see Daniel Jones doing the same thing. He's betting on himself. So I don't think he feels pressure. I think he looks as it as a challenge. But he wasn't my pick for the one on the hot seat. But I think that was a very good pick, Jake, to put it on him because from the outside, we see it as pressure on him to make the right decision. I think in his eyes. It's like, I know I can play quarterback. You know, I just need to be in the right system and give me some better receivers than I had in New York. And I'll be able to show you what I can do. So the hot seat picker, the hot seat pick that I made is the same as the breakout player, A.D. Mitchell. And the reason I picked A.D. Mitchell, because you guys have given him.
Starting point is 00:26:47 so much praise he's done so much at practice you don't get paid for your potential you get paid for your results and you've got to translate what you do in practice to the field and i've got to tell you after watching college football this past weekend the talent level of the receivers is so above par i mean there are excellent guys that will maybe not even be eligible for the draft this year So I think it puts more pressure on current receivers. They got to get damn close to their potential fast because I think they can be expendable because there's just too many in college that you can just go pick up. So I think, you know, it's time for them to stop being an all pro on the practice field and show some moves on Sundays. And that's why I think there's pressure on AD Mitchell.
Starting point is 00:27:45 I like that. I put a lot of pressure on AD to produce more one-liners and quotes when he's miced up because when I'm having a tough morning, I just go back to the Ravens practice and I say, what would Jesus do, mush him? That has become my new favorite thing on Earth to stay. So pressure's on AD to produce more one-liners for me to kind of affirm myself and get through the day. Alan, I just wanted to point this out where you're talking about Jerry McGuire.
Starting point is 00:28:11 Rod Tidwell, Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character, not that I watched that movie too much, I believe was trying to play for a $10 million contract. Yeah. So that shows how long ago that was, right? Like $2.5 million a year where Michael Pittman's making what, like $25 a year with his deal. But yeah, Jerry McGuire, man, a classic.
Starting point is 00:28:31 Newcomer of the year, I think you could go in a lot of ways. I mean, you could choose a rookie, right? But also with the way that the Colts uncharacteristically went into free agency. And this was my obvious pick. To me, it's Charverius Ward. He's like the guy in fantasy. Again, shout out to our friends at Yahoo.
Starting point is 00:28:50 You can start every week regardless of matchup. He's an auto play. You're just like, I'm playing him and I'm living with the result because he's that good. I think it's a luxury to have somebody that caliber. I don't think there's any reason to believe that he can't recapture his all pro form after what some people felt like was a little bit of an off year for him last year. And especially with the way that the bad luck, injury luck, has gone in the cornerback room, Zach, I think, man, they're really thanking their lucky stars that they went out and paid that
Starting point is 00:29:18 guy. Yeah, Traverius Ward was my second option for this award just because having a number one corner in the NFL is so vital. It is so different when you have a corner that you just trust on an island. It allows you to mix and match coverages. It allows you to lock the backside and just leave him on an island there. It is so vital for a defense. But sticking with that defensive secondary, I'm going to go with Cameron Bynum. Cameron Bynum was a guy actually chose as our X Factor for the season on our regular show earlier this week. And long story short with that, if you guys want to see my whole explanation, Jake and I spent like 10 minutes talking about it on the regular show.
Starting point is 00:29:55 But a lot of what Louana Ruan wants to do is disguise, pre and post snap, disguised, disguise, rotate players, move them around. And the next best free safety you can have behind a Jesse Bates, who just takes away the whole deep end of the field, is a safety like Cameron Bynum, who has free experience, has strong experience, has nickel experience. and was an outside corner in college as well. You can trust him to come down and play man-to-man coverage in a pinch. You can have him rob the middle of the field.
Starting point is 00:30:21 You can have him play over the top. You can have him blitz. He can do it all for your defense. And that allows you to disguise things. That allows you to be diverse with your coverages. And again, so much of Lou Anirmo's system is just making quarterbacks think, making them hold the ball instead of 2.5 seconds to 3 seconds to 3.5 seconds in the backfield and give players like Laotu Latun to 4.
Starting point is 00:30:43 Boris Buckner's chance to get a sack. So yeah, I think a guy like Cameron Biden goes a long way towards just disguise coverage and communication on the back end of this Colts defense. And I think he's going to be like the quarterback of the defense back there as a vocal leader, as a fun guy to be around, and also just a guy who helped you disguise everything. Well, I took the term newcomer to be, I took it literally. So I didn't look for a newcomer to the Colts. I looked for a newcomer to the NFL. And I'm really torn. I narrowed it down to two people. And I think I should probably give it to them both. But my first one was Jonathan Edwards as a newcomer. He had a great, had a great preseason. And he got picked on a lot. I mean, I saw his number a lot. But as a rookie,
Starting point is 00:31:37 you know, that is definitely being thrown into the fire when you come in as a DB, as a rookie and he was able to make some plays that the I think he edged out my my second choice for newcomer which is JTT just because JTT can just add so much to that defense you know I think he he plays well beyond his age he's just got a maturity uh that is speaks to me you know like someone like a 10-year vet and I see him being an asset on special teams and just someone that can also help in rushing the pastor. So I'm sorry I came up with two, but they they were pretty much tied for newcomer. I love that. So for me, I've talked about Tyler Warren enough to where you guys know what I think about Tyler Warren. Like obviously he deserves this, but I want
Starting point is 00:32:39 to talk about someone we don't talk a whole lot about. And I've wanted to include him in an award up to this, but Joe Botchy. So Chris Ballard, as long as this goes well, Chris Ballard should hand Joe Botchy, the newcomer of the award, because he so far has saved his butt. They didn't do anything at linebacker this offseason. Zyre Franklin was injured the entire offseason and luckily was able to come back for training camp. But Jalen Carlyze was out the entire offseason nursing his shoulder injury. I was in training camp for a couple weeks before suffering an ankle injury after getting demoted to the second team. And now he's on IR designated to return. But they didn't do anything at linebacker because they were like, we love Jalen Carlis. And obviously Zaira Franklin
Starting point is 00:33:26 was going to start. Well, here comes this who cares special teams guy who's on the team because he has played for Lou Aniruma before Joe Bachi. He is one of the best defenders on the entire team. entire summer. The guy went out and made plays in the passing game every day, like got an interception in the preseason as well, came out and I was assuming the other shoe was going to drop and that he was going to be terrible against the run or something. And he had a rocky start, but I thought he rebounded well. And now I'm pretty optimistic that this linebacker group is going to look good because Joe Bachi is going to compliment Zair Franklin very well. So the fact that they kind of neglected the linebacker position because they loved their injured guys,
Starting point is 00:34:12 it's going to wind up not biting them in the butt because Joe Bachi, I think, is going to come in and kind of save the day. Now, we have to see him in the regular season, but there's nothing more this guy could have done to set himself up for success this year. Again, he came in, was considered just a great above a camp body. We only knew him because we saw he had the connection to Lou Anerumo, but he came out and bawled out every day and has made himself a starter and didn't need to. They had every reason in the world to want to start a Jalen Carly's or a Cam McGrone who's been there for a couple years already. But it's Joe Bachi, the newcomer that Loua and Arumo can trust to, you know, send out signals about the defense to the rest of the entire team. And mind you, Joe Bachi has also been a huge sounding board for,
Starting point is 00:35:04 Zaire Franklin, who, again, wasn't on the field during the offseason, but has been able to quickly acclimate to this defense, in part because of the help he's getting from Joe Bachi. So Bachi has been incredibly valuable to this entire defense so far. And real quick, because I know Derek needs to get us to our next segment, his run defense in the preseason was phenomenal. I'll talk more about it later. But I'll say his run defense in the preseason is a novel, great run fits, physical player, smart player, really excited about Joe Batchie this year.
Starting point is 00:35:33 I mean, outside of, honestly, I'm not saying this to be funny. I'm being serious. I'm every day, right, for Locked on Colts. Outside of Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, I think Joe Batchie, for name mentions on locked on Colts in the last six weeks, might be in the top five, right? Or right outside that group, for sure. I mean, you guys talk about him a lot. And he's deserved to be talked about.
Starting point is 00:35:55 Let's go Rapid Fire. Ashton Doolan Award, this was mine. As Zach knows, it's so critical to have a player at this position that you can trust. know if Zach's been watching preseason film on him, he's been looking at his form and his velocity. I think Spencer Schrader can really be the little guy, the little things guy for this Colts team and come through, make those PATs, make those, in all seriousness, he's got a big leg. And if he can hit more often than not from 45 plus, which is something Matt Gay could not do, at least later in his Colts tenure, I think that that could do a lot for this offense
Starting point is 00:36:30 because, you know, let's face it, I don't think they're going to go out there and be scoring 30, 32 points a game. Yeah, and real quick with mine, Moe Alley Cox, I think, is going to be the little things guy this year, 12 personnel guy who's going to come out here, protect Tyler Warren, let Tyler Warren be the past catcher that he can be, be just a pure run blocker that comes out there and catches a few third and fourth down passes like he always does. But now we're not going to hate him for it because he's actually a backup tight end. I think Moeley Cox is going to be our Ashton Doolan Award winner this season of doing the
Starting point is 00:36:59 little things right. I love this award. Derek made this award just for me. I love it so much. All right, rapid fire, my guy who, again, I'm going from the same cloth as Ashton Duelan a special teamer who's occasionally going to get forced on to offense or defense,
Starting point is 00:37:13 but do it adequately. I'm going Chad Muma. What do we think about that? That's a total shot in the dark because I also wanted to pick Mackay Blackman. But Chad Muma, let's just say he's a quality special teamer for them, like he has been for Jacksonville. But, you know, you need him to get on defense occasionally because, you know, Zaire Franklin or Bachi will get banged up at some point, perhaps.
Starting point is 00:37:36 And then Muma comes in and just plays really well, solid football, doesn't lose you the game. But, I mean, that's what Ashton Doolin is. He's not a star, but he comes in and he gets his job done. It doesn't lose you the game. I'm saying Chad Muma for that one. So I was thinking along the same lines as you, but the Ashton Doolin Award goes to Joe Bachi. Because I think that he will enhance the play of Zaire Franklin, you know, even though Zaire Franklin made more tackles than anybody else last year, he will enhance the play. I think he'll enhance it because, you know, Zaire Franklin will know there's somebody else on the field right by him that knows what the hell is going on.
Starting point is 00:38:25 You know, from a communication standpoint. And doing the little things, Ray, is how he put himself in this position to be a starter when he wasn't expected to do a damn thing. They just, like you said, an extra body in camp. But he showed that he was strong against the run, good against the past, good rushing, good fundamentals, just hard-nosed, tough, good linebacker football player. So that's my choice for the Ashton Duelan Award. Good choices. That was fun.
Starting point is 00:38:58 I'm glad that we ripped that one off from our friends with the Bill Squad Show to take the supporters. I always like handing out those preseason awards, and we'll see how those takes age coming up here in a couple of months. But with a new starting quarterback and a new defensive coordinator, what can we expect from both sides of the ball for the Colts Sunday against Miami? We'll discuss next here on the Colts Squad Show. This portion of the program brought you by Yahoo! Fantasy. We've been shouting them out all day. The NFL season starts this week, and you can already feel the buzz. Fantasy football season is here.
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Starting point is 00:40:48 name leading rusher, Alan Pinkett, and Zach Hicks and Jake Arthur of Locked on Colts. I'm Derek Schultz. Thanks so much for joining us here on this Wednesday night, just a couple of days away from Colts and Dolphins and the NFL opener at Lucas Oil Stadium for both of those teams. And guys, let's talk about what to expect because, you know, it's interesting. You have really a veteran-laden team for the most part at the key positions. And even Daniel Jones, I know that he's a newcomer. He's a new quarterback, but he's a veteran.
Starting point is 00:41:13 But that said, he's new. He has not taken a snap as a Colt in a game. that's counted. And there's a new defensive coordinator now in Lou Anarumo. So even though this is the previous staff, they're going to be, I think, some changes and some tweaks. But, Zach, what are you expecting to be, what are you expecting to see starting on the offensive side of the ball? And let's hope that it's a much different matchup from last year when Anthony Richardson was bad and Tim Boyle was even worse. Yeah, Tim Boyle was definitely worse than anyone who's taking a snap at quarterback in the NFL. Even for anyone who hates Anthony Richardson,
Starting point is 00:41:47 and I think they can agree with that as well. But to look at this Colts offense, I think this is a perfect team for them to get in week one because this type of defensive coordinator are the, this is the type of guys that Shane Steichen struggles with. The non-static defense corners, this is why the Colts went out and got Lou Aniromo, because the Anarumo type of defensive coordinator
Starting point is 00:42:06 is exactly what Stuyken struggles with. When he can get a clear look pre-and-post snap for his quarterback, Stikin is one of the best, most diverse play callers in football, and it's why he destroys the Tampa 2, the Seattle cover 3, and whatever the Steelers have been doing the last couple years. I think they're kind of a mixture of both. But this is why he kills those teams, but he has struggled against the Baltimore Ravens defensive tree,
Starting point is 00:42:29 the Lou Aniromo tree, the Fangio-style tree that is taking over the NFL right now. The more muddy the looks, the tougher it is for his offense, that relies on half-field reads stacked on top of each other in the passing game. And we saw it with Anthony Richardson last year. We saw it with Gardner-Mintu the year before. We even saw it going back to Jay, Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles, how much they struggled against like Dennis Allen, for instance. It was a really, really rough showing against that New Orleans Saints team.
Starting point is 00:42:53 So, yeah, I think this is a really great matchup for him to start off the year because it's a way for Shane Stuyken to one get months and months of film on this Dolphins team, months and months to get ready for this game and just go out here and try to put his best foot forward when it comes to overcoming these woes he's had against defensive coaches like this because Weaver is going to come after him in this game like he did last year against the Colts and when they held the Colts to what 13 points like 16 points I think is what it was in that in that matchup they're going to come after the run game they're going to stack the box they're going to bail late into coverage and they're going to make these receivers have to
Starting point is 00:43:30 beat man coverage and win in space and it's going to be on these Colts players to one get to their landmarks on time and be ready for those quick outlet passes from Daniel Jones and then to create after the catch it's a really great matchup for them though because also on top of this the dolphins are really banged up. So it really is like, as long as you can scheme up guys open, there's no excuse not to win and not produce on offense in this game. But again, traditionally, this is a type of coordinator that gives Shane Steichen some issues. So I'm really curious to see what kind of game plan we see from the Colts.
Starting point is 00:44:04 They want to run the ball. The Dolphins are really good at running the ball or good at stopping the run on defense. So it's going to come down to Daniel Jones and this passing offense, again, against a passing defense that the Colts typically struggle with. Yeah, I think what I would like to see is for Shane to use Miami's strengths against them. Their defensive front is going to be the driving force here. Galen Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, Zach Seiler, like, they got some dudes up front. But if you acknowledge that and the fact that you're probably not going to stop that, you know, use draws.
Starting point is 00:44:39 Use those long developing screens where the line gets up basically up in your grill and then you dump it off. off on the screen and you've already got four defenders past you with nothing but room to run. And then that weak secondary that we're talking about, the Colts have blockers ahead. I would love to see the Colts scream them to death and use those long developing short plays. I think that would be a good recipe for success, just unless you're going to count on, you know, the screen game and you can get as creative as you want. But I think that is kind of a simple solution. is just using those screens and the draws. I really, that's not something we've seen them use a lot of,
Starting point is 00:45:21 but I mean, better late than never. I mean, Zach, what do you think? Do you think that would work specifically with this defense? Yeah, I mean, yeah, work in the screen game, especially when you have a player like Tyler Warren, get the ball to Tyler Warren, let him create in space, utilize the mesh game. I know, again, this style of defense is really good
Starting point is 00:45:39 at dropping that rat defender in the hole and taking away those mesh points. And Shane Steichen loves relying on mesh. And again, this is where the issues come with Steichen versus these type of defenses that like to just be diverse and use defenders in different ways. But I think at the end of the day, it's going to come down to the quick RPO game, how Daniel Jones identifies pressure, free snap, and knows where to get the ball out hot and get the ball out where it needs to go.
Starting point is 00:46:03 And then these pass catchers just making plays. You know, how many 50-50 balls can Ash and Doolan, or Ash and Doolan, can Alec Pierce, when you've got to be thinking, can do one right now. And Alec Pierce win in this game. Alex Pierce is your 50-50 ball guy. Can he turn a couple of those 50-50s into 70-30s? You know, can he really make some big plays in this one and push the Colts over the edge?
Starting point is 00:46:27 So, yeah, I think that this is going to be a big game where, like, look, we talked all offseason about these past catchers being good enough for a veteran quarterback to push them over the top. Can they show that in this game? No drops. Winning 50-50 contested. and creating after the catch, that's going to be vital for this team to have success on Sunday.
Starting point is 00:46:46 Well, when you go to the first regular season game, I'm sure I've talked about it before, about, but there's a certain speed during the preseason, then it gets amped up to a different speed in the regular season, and then it amps up even more when you get into the playoffs. So when you approach that first game, you want to be in your best condition, and you want to be in your best health. When I look at the health that Adolphus, they had 12 guys on the injury list, right? The Colts had one, and it's a dude with his elbow.
Starting point is 00:47:24 So they don't necessarily have the health, so to speak. Schematically, I mean, everybody's on their game, but it's just a big guess right now. So who's going to be the most mental? tough entering the game to carry out the game plan, knowing that it's a game of inches and it's going to be two or three plays that's going to, you know, make the difference in the game. I think that the Colts look pretty good in this matchup. I know that the dolphins, especially Dolphins defense, when they look at the Colts, they say, uh, there's one
Starting point is 00:48:05 weakness, new center, new guard on the right side. That's where we're going to attack. But I mean, you can overcome that. Just run to the left side. But, you know, I don't mean to make it so simple. And then when you think of the dolphins on offense, they are so dependent on Tula. If Tua is not there, they lose. I think maybe they won two games last year without Tua, but they lost a hell of a lot more. They're so dependent on Tua.
Starting point is 00:48:35 And it's a team that relies on speed, speed to burn. So made sense to me, you know, the two corners that the Colts have makes all the sense to me in the world. You want experienced corners out there to deal with all that speed because they're cage you enough to know, you know, the angles that these receivers takes how these receivers can break off certain routes, how they can try and improvise. They've seen it. They've done it. So I think you're a lot smarter in the defensive backfield on the cold side than you are on the Dolphin side. dealing with the quick passes that are going to come from Daniel Jones and the playmakers that the Colts have. But I still, I boil it down to who's going to be the most mentally
Starting point is 00:49:21 tough and in best condition and health to win the first game. Yeah, and it just feels like and it's just one game and the seasons are very long and things can really change from game one to game 17. But it just feels like so critical of a matchup because this isn't, you know, like Arizona in week one or something. You know, no offense to the Cardinals. And it's still be a season opener. We want to see this ridiculous winless streak and for the cold season openers, right, regardless of who they're playing.
Starting point is 00:49:47 But because it's the dolphins, because they're a team that's right there just kind of hanging out in the middle where the Colts are. And I'm sure they're having the same discussion in Miami right now. It just feels like a really, really big game, about as big of a game as you could have in an opener, you know, maybe outside of like a divisional matchup, because, you know, as the coaches and players like to say those count twice. Yeah. Don't you want to be that team that ends this 11-year streak of not winning an opener?
Starting point is 00:50:16 I mean, is that not motivation? It's not a way to keep your job, solidify your position on the squad. And remember the order, you want to win your first game, you want to win your home games, you want to win a division, and then you want to get in the dance and anything can happen. But it starts with the first game. yeah last time the Colts won a season opener it was before Zach could grow a mustache let's not hope it's until he can grow a gray beard that they finally break the street I was growing a mustache back in middle school it wasn't the best looking mustache but I was
Starting point is 00:50:49 growing one back in middle school someone in the comments said subway was still $5 footlongs back when the Colts last won an opener yeah now it's an arm in the leg for those Caleb might be right Caleb might be right thanks to the inflation right our position group previews conclude with perhaps the weakest and most barren position group of them all. But was that by design? Hmm, we're going to talk about that next on the Colt Squad show. This portion of the show brought you by our friends at Fanduil. The NFL season is here and Fandul is making sure you're ready for kickoff with a can't miss
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Starting point is 00:52:08 Download the Fandul app now. Again, Fandul.com. And right now, new customers can bet just $5. And if your bet wins, you get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. That's Fandle.com to place your first $5 bet today. And we're back on the Colts Squad Show for a final time today. I'm your host, Derek Schultz. Alan Pinkin, Zach Hicks, Jake Arthur is here.
Starting point is 00:52:33 Thanks so much for joining. joining us. And of course, Zach and Jake will have plenty of more in-depth Colts Dolphins preview for you every dayers on locked on Colts. So stay tuned to new shows for that. I know they release the show today. If you haven't listened to that one, we're taping this right now on Wednesday. We're streaming this on Wednesday, but Thursday, Friday show as well. And then our Sunday show, I'm going to reiterate this again at the end. Live post-game recap right here. Colts Squad show. Don't miss it. We would love to see you to either celebrate or commiserate, depending on what the result is in week number one. But guys, let's go over our final position group preview. We left this to last because I didn't know if the Colts were going to make some additions. And they actually did make a late edition and Chad Muma, who was brought up earlier on this show. But the linebacker room for our position group preview, let's start with the guy that we're most familiar with because he's been here for a long time now. And it's been really a pillar and a locker room. But Zaire Franklin, the lone holdover from a room that has pretty much completely been turned over.
Starting point is 00:53:28 I understand McGrone's been in here. But as far as roles, he is the only linebacker coming back that is going to fulfill the role that he. he previously had. Look, I know he's been a bit of a polarizing figure because not everybody is happy with the in-season podcast and some things that are said and then how those takes age. But overall, there's no denying, regardless of how you feel about him. Franklin's a very important and productive player. And he's coming off a career year as well. And again, unquestionably a team leader, Zach, I think he's, you know, especially now with this linebacker room being so unproven. I think he's even more important than he's
Starting point is 00:54:05 been in the past. Yeah, I think the pendulum with Colts fans' feelings towards Ira Franklin has swung way too far negative in the past 365 days or so. I mean, we were talking about this guy as one of the core pieces in the locker room, one of the most ascending players on the team heading into last year, and we let
Starting point is 00:54:23 some podcast takes kind of muddy our feelings of him on the field. I'm not saying that there weren't struggles last year, and I'm not saying that he's probably not the all-pro caliber player that his numbers would indicate last year. You know, a lot of those numbers did come from a couple good bounces. You know, I call it puck luck in hockey, but like ball luck in the NFL.
Starting point is 00:54:43 And also a couple of times just, you know, the Colts being on the field so much on defense, where their offense being so three and out that their defense is on the field for more snaps than anybody else. So, of course, you're going to get more tackles. Of course you're going to get more stats piling up. But all this to say, I think Zach Franklin's still a really solid linebacker in the NFL. He's a good run and chase player. He's a physical, aggressive player, makes him plays in the backfield.
Starting point is 00:55:05 I think his past coverage has gotten better every single year of his NFL career. I'm not saying it's Fred Warner level, but I think it has gotten better each year. And as long as you can put a guy next to him that is just more in tune with what's behind him and what's in front of him and a little bit more rangey overall, and you can let Franklin be more of that attacker like the Colts did with Shaquille Leonard back in the day, I think Franklin can be a really, really good asset for your team. he just needed a better complimentary player with him. So I think a player like Joe Bachi could be that this year. I think Bacchie reminds me, again, a lot of it like an Anthony Walker type of player,
Starting point is 00:55:40 which I think is more around what Franklin needs next to him than an EJ Speed, who's kind of the exact same thing as him. So I think this is going to be a really good thing for Franklin this year. I think, again, he's a Pro Bowl caliber linebacker who had a boost in stats last year because a couple good bounces and because of just being on the field a lot. but on top of that, he was really great at forcing fumbles. So maybe he did deserve the All-Pro because forcing fumbles is so big in today's NFL
Starting point is 00:56:07 and getting those takeaways. So, yeah, I think Franklin is just a really good player, man. I don't think that he's, again, like the superstar player, but the next best thing, a really good leader too. And I know a lot of people don't want to say that because of the podcast, but a really smart player that you want to have on your team, I'm a big fan of Zaire Franklin. And again, I think that the pendulum was just swung a little too far on him.
Starting point is 00:56:29 You can come back a little bit from All-Pro, but I think he's still a really solid player for your team. I agree. And I think it definitely will help having someone who plays complimentary next to him instead of, again, EJ. Speed, who when you have two of those guys out there just making the mistakes and making comparable mistakes and being out of position and this and that, like, it's a lot easier to amplify your feelings about them. And look, he's not a perfect player and he does struggle to read the room sometimes. online or in person at the game after the game, you know, shaking hands with an empty, an empty sweet box there, but... I forgot about that one.
Starting point is 00:57:09 Yeah. I mean, he is a player that most teams would like to have. Like, as far as players go, it's not just about tackles, but Zach was kind of getting to this. Like, he's started to fill out his game quite a bit. He's not just a tackle guy. He forces a bunch of turnovers with the force fumbles, recovering fumbles. recovering fumbles he added a couple interceptions last year he has put a lot of studying and
Starting point is 00:57:33 film work into getting himself better in coverage i know he's done a lot of work with kenny more on figuring out how to read offenses better and get in better position to make those plays which we saw directly correlate to those interceptions last year especially the one against minnesota was like he explained afterwards was like a direct result of something he noticed on film earlier in the week. So he's getting better there. Like he was mostly just a run stopper early in his career, but he's a little older, but we also do have to remember he got a very late start at becoming a starter in the league. So he's still rounding out. Like he's probably pretty close to his peak now. But I think if you've got someone who's good and past coverage
Starting point is 00:58:17 next to him, like Abachi or let's say Jalen Carlis rebounds after he gets back from IR and is good and healthy and all that like if you have someone who plays complimentary next to him i think it won't look as bad because like ej speed just had some big gaps and those two doing the podcast together and this and that like and again making very comparable mistakes it was very easy to point a big finger at them and and just say like you're what's wrong with the defense but this guy is a student of the game he studies again he's going to probably say and do some things you don't love from time to time, but as far as being a player goes, most teams are going to want a guy like that on their defense. Yeah, and one thing I just want to add real quick, and then I'll
Starting point is 00:59:01 let Alan dive into it, but look, I'm hiding this at our number 50, at a minute 58 in this episode, because it's a little out there, but everything we loved about Shaquille Leonard, early in the Colts tenure, you got every single bit of that last year from Zaire Franklin, from the antics to the, again, he forced six fumbles last year and had two picks. Sounds, very Shaquille Leonard, Darius Leonard to me, whatever, you know, whatever you want to go with there. And then he racked up the tackle numbers. So whatever your feelings were on Leonard in his early tenure with the Colts, that's kind of what I thought Franklin was last year. Which, again, I think is more of a Pro Bowl than an all-pro caliber guy, which again is the hot take I'm hiding here at the end of the episode.
Starting point is 00:59:42 But I think that's kind of what Franklin gave the Colts last year. And I'm not going to hate a guy for being a productive and good player on a bad defense. Well, number one, he was a pro bowl, so he's got the respect of his peers, you know, being voted to the pro bowl. But he's also all pro. So that means that members of the media that vote also respect his ability. I'm not familiar with the podcast, but I tell you what. Yeah, don't worry about it. Do not familiarize yourself with you.
Starting point is 01:00:14 Do you care what a do says, as long as he's making. plays on the field. So I guess that's where I come from. I know I say that I try to be a good citizen most of the time, you know, Boy Scout, all that stuff. Don't bring attention, undo attention to yourself. But dude made 173 tackles. Now, here's an interesting stat.
Starting point is 01:00:40 The Colts had the most mistackles of any team in the league. So how do you show that up? You've got one go, had the most tackles. But then as a team, they had the most missed tackles. And so that's where I think a Joe Bachi comes into play. And that's where I think your experience in the secondary comes into play. I think you've totally upgraded that defense. It's especially upgraded linebacker with Joe Bachi there.
Starting point is 01:01:08 And you could potentially have, I'm not going to say Joe Bachi is an all pro, but all pro caliber inside, which could really strike some fear into their opposing offenses. Yeah, and the rest of that depth chart, as we wrap up, guys, you know, Jalen Carlisers is not just going to start the season on IR, but flashed a little bit last year, right? And we've talked about Batchie a bunch. You know, Jake had mentioned Chad Muma was a standout key depth piece and special teamers in Jacksonville.
Starting point is 01:01:37 And even if he just brings that to the table, it fills out the depth chart. Cam McGrone's an LC kid. I'm always going to root for the indie guys. And Saguna Lumi and Segulubi and Osse de Jockey. on the jockey on the practice squad as well. Part of that too in the linebacker room. Thanks so much for joining us
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