Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - COLTS SQUAD SHOW: TRENDING UP | Encouraging Signs Daniel Jones Will Be Ready To Start The Season

Episode Date: May 29, 2026

Daniel Jones went through drills and looked like his usual self - will he be ready to start Week 1 after all? Plus, Anthony Richardson addresses his trade request, Shane Steichen claims the backup quarterback competition is a "50/50" battle, and we look at the biggest Colts' "what if?" players in the wake of Parris Campbell's retirement.  Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms:  🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/  📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQ  Give the squad a follow on X/Twitter @Schultz975, @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, @allenpinkett, @LockedOnColts, and @ColtsOn_SI, as well on TikTok and Instagram!  Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More  🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/lockedoncolts  Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Square If you’re starting a business, or running one that deserves better tools, Square helps you sell, manage, and grow without slowing down. Right now, you can get up to $200 off Square hardware at https://square.com/go/LockedOnNFL. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men. 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) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the Colts Squad Show. I'm your host, Derek Schultz, and I can't do sprints even with the healthy Achilles. And I'm Zach Hicks, and I'm just excited we can put all of the will Daniel Jones start the season, talks to rest, at least seemingly. I'm Alan Pinkett, former Euler, and Daniel Jones is just saying, what Achilles injury. Colts Nation rise up. It's the Colts Squad, everything Indianapolis Colts every week. 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 Squajo starts now. Welcome to the Colt Squad Show. I'm Derek Schultz, long-time indie sports talker and columnist for the Indianapolis Business Journal. I'm joined by a Notre Dame legend who's got his Kelly-ish

green on and longtime NFL running back Alan Pinkett, along with Locked on Colts co-host, Zach Hicks, half of the team that make up your first. listen every day. Jake Arthur will return to a future squad show. We pause on our returny reviews, and it's been great. I've gotten a lot of good feedback from those the last couple of times. Just because we have like real and actual cults to react to this week, which is rare, especially this time of year, just based on from what we saw during workouts at the team complex this week. The topic that is, I think the biggest one of all, is not the backup quarterback situation, but the fact that the starting quarterback, the QB1 and Daniel Jones,

certainly trending up health-wise, right? He was out there doing drills with the team, participating in sprints. Shane Steichen had talked about doing seven-on-sevins here shortly, so it looks like none of us on the show are doctors, and we don't pretend to be, but it looks like here in this Achilles rehab, things are going well for the Colts QB1. So we'll talk about that in segment number one and him getting ready for the season. In segment two, we will get into the backup quarterback, Anthony Richardson, and addressing his trade requests with the media today.

And this is a story that it looked like it was taking a turn in January and February, and it's kind of hard corrected towards the other way, where I think things, at least publicly, look to be in a good place. But we'll talk about that in segment number two. Segment number three, you know, speaking of Steichen, just from what he has said so far and given the history there, are we buying that the Colts backup quarterback competition is a 50-50 thing?

Yeah, you already see Zach shaking his head. I was going to wait to tease that, but I think you guys know how Zach feels. We'll share how Alan and I feel on that too coming up in segment number three. And then in segment four, and this just makes me feel impossibly old. And I understand that this is what happens for the lifespan of medical players. But Paris Campbell, former Colt announcing his retirement. And one of those guys that was, you know, just if, right?

If he could just stay healthy, if he could just kind of string together a couple of seasons, we'll talk about some other great what if Colts players in history because certainly Paris Campbell fits, I think, in that category for a lot of certainly new age fans. And we'll round out the show with that. But Zach, let's start positive, right? Daniel Jones, certainly trending up now. The Colts have said all along they have remained confident that things are going well. Daniel Jones, when he's spoken positively, he says things are going well.

It's one thing to say something. It's another thing to see something. And with our eyes this week, things look pretty good so far. Long way to go, right? I don't want to jinx it or anything like that. This is the Colts that we're talking about here. and we know what the injury bug can be like, but certainly feeling optimistic after what we saw the last couple of days.

Yeah, let's start it off by saying none of us here are doctors, so we cannot really say anything about the actual health of the Achilles or the actual health of Daniel Jones as of right now because, yeah, like we're not doctors here, but everything looked great on the practice field, right? He did his individual drills. We saw him walking onto the field, running on the field and looking pretty comfortable, looking like Daniel Jones. Colts actually posted some video of him throwing the ball, and it didn't look like,

again, this is an individual, right? So you're not seeing like a full game action or anything like that. But it didn't look like he was struggling to get the football out there. And he looked like Daniel Jones again. So the fact that we're, what, six or seven months out from that Achilles injury, he's still in the recovery process. He's still not fully there yet, but he already looks really solid. It kind of lends credence to a lot of what the Colts have been saying,

where Daniel Jones has been attacking this rehab process. they've had no concerns really about his ability to recover from this. And the expectation is for him to be the Colts week one quarterback and hopefully week one through week 17 or week 18 I guess quarterback this year for the Colts. So yeah, everything's pointing to Daniel Jones being that guy for week one. They actually asked him after practice like if that was still the expectation. And Jones said, yeah, that's been the expectation from the beginning. And yeah, like we're going to see what can kind of happen.

but everything's looking like it's going to be good for that week one game. So, you know, I'm still skeptical when it comes to Achilles injuries. You guys know my history with talking about Achilles injuries. It scares the heck out of me. But we don't have much data on quarterbacks when it comes to these tears, especially quarterbacks in their prime. Most quarterbacks who tear their Achilles are in their upper 30s, and it kind of muddies the data a little bit.

So I'm curious to see what Daniel Jones looks like when he gets back out there. But I think the biggest takeaway for me, and Alan, you can certainly talk about this too. just the way that modern medicine has advanced when it comes and stuff like this. I mean, back when you played, Alan, a torn ACL was a career ender, right? And now, yeah, for a lot of people. And now torn ACLs are kind of like, okay, cool, you got that out of your system here. Let's, let's go. Torn Achilles were for a while were the career enders, and there's still some data that supports that.

But we are seeing more and more athletes come back from these torn Achilles and work through them. So I'm just amazed by the status quo, I guess, of modern medicine where a player like Daniel Jones is out here running around, again, six and a half, seven months removed from an Achilles tear. And he's out there running sprints after practice. Like, it's incredible. And again, all signs point to him starting week one where maybe even like 10 years ago, I don't think it would have been possible for a guy to start week one with where he got this injury. So it is incredible to see. And again, a great news for the Colts that Daniel Jones looks like Daniel Jones as of right now. We might even get seven-on-sevenths from him as early as next week.

Stuyck and didn't even rule that out. So, yeah, all signs pointing up right now. And if you're a Colts fan, regardless of how you think about Daniel Jones, you've got to feel good about this news that your starting quarterback could be good to go sooner than expected or sooner rather than later at least. Well, I guess you look at the fact that the Colts had no problem paying him 88 million, so they must have known that he was progressing well. And I will say that technology for injuries has drastically improved. I will also tell you that, yes, I do remember when a torn ACL used to end your career,

but I want to say it was maybe my sophomore year in college that Kelvin Bryant, maybe it was my before I even got to college, Kelvin Bryant tore his ACL. And it was at that point they did a new type of surgery on the knee. And he made it back. I don't know if he made it back during the season, but he made it back so fast that the ACL did change. Not everybody adopted that technology that they used down in North Carolina on his knee. And I knew plenty of guys that got an ACL and they were done. And by the way, getting an ACL is a running back a lot of times.

And just wearing that knee brace teams just look at you differently when they see that knee brace on you. And, you know, I could sense that. So I just, I decided just to trust my rehab, trust the doctor that I had the surgery with and just go out and play. Say a couple prayers to and just go out and play. But I think the Colts must have known that treatment was going good, that he was ahead of schedule. And to me, running around in mini-camp does not equal getting. getting out there when, Zach, you know how you like to say when the bullets are flying. Right, right.

But I still deem it huge that he's even practicing full speed doing individual drills right now after an Achilles. But maybe like I said, the Colts knew that he was going to be fine because would you pay $88 million for a maybe? I don't think so. And judging the cult's history, you know, when Peyton Manning had that neck in that, what, 33 million he was supposed to get, oh, something's wrong with his neck. We can't, no, no way, we can't pay him that. You know, so, but I guess that was a different regime, you know, but happy for Daniel Jones.

I believe that the biggest rehab will not be physical. It will be mental, you know, because you do remember that pain when that thing tears. And hopefully he's not showing any hesitation in, you know, pushing off of that foot. Or if he has to take off and run, is he favoring the opposite leg? You know, if he's not doing any of that, then the mental rehab is also going well. And, you know, I think that Daniel Jones is one of these guys that likes this type of motivation, you know, because a lot of people bet against him, you know, when the Giants let him go.

And he came in here to play for the Colts. And I think he used that as motivation. And so he's got this injury now to use his motivation. And it just, I think, reinforces his, you know, wants to go rehab and get better so he can prove everybody wrong again. Yeah, no, it's just good to see. I mean, because, again, like Derek, honestly, like if the Colts want to get where they want to be this year,

they need Daniel Jones to play, right? They need Daniel Jones to be their quarterback. This is all built around Daniel Jones. this year. And that's why they brought him back, like you said, Alan, for the $88 million. So, I mean, I know there was a lot of speculation that people had, like, would he be ready for week one? But it does look great now. And now it's just about staying healthy throughout the whole year. But it does look really good that he's going to be there for week one. And again, it makes this like must-win season, right? Derek, like, it's important to have your starting

quarterback for all of them. Yeah. And I mean, what the Colts were trying to sell everyone all along is that we are the team that we were in the first half of 2025. And in order to sell that, you need to have perhaps the biggest key to that success, or at least one of the biggest keys to that success in that first half of last year on the field and healthy and performing. And I think, you know, there's a difference between being hopeful and optimistic. I mean, everybody's always hopeful and optimistic and there's, and actually seeing it come to fruition.

So if he is out there, you know, that's the first hurdle to cross. but kind of as you said, Zach, the other hurdle is, okay, you're healthy now. Can you stay healthy? Because obviously that's been a big issue for Jones in his career. And, you know, an Achilles is not an ACL. It's not a broken bone. It's kind of in a category all onto itself. And because of that, I think there's always going to be concern that he sustains that health and stays healthy.

But, yeah, I mean, it's not like they made a bunch of, it's not like they added a bunch this offseason, right? We did see some attrition as far as the. the locker room leaders and things like that. But really, they put all their eggs in the basket of let's bring back Jones, let's bring back Pierce. And so you need to have both of those guys healthy and performing at a high level before this ship and this rocket ship, I guess, even gets off the ground, right, Alan? Oh, without a doubt.

In the NFL, do you either have that guy or you don't have that guy. And I think about successful organizations, they are all built around the quarterback. And it makes me think of how Green Bay, when I was there, just totally committed all the way down to the janitor about what can we do to make sure that Brett Favre is supported. And the entire organization was behind him and they were rewarded. And, you know, for Daniel Jones to be back, for this offense to work, they need the complete. delete Daniel Jones, you know, not just the three steps and throw the football. His mobility plays a huge role in how successful this offense can be because I wouldn't call him a running quarterback, but he can run. And he picks and chooses his times. And, you know, they seem to be the

right times when he chooses him because he keeps the chains moving, you know. So if he's just back there just to toss the ball, the offense won't be complete. Yeah. He has to be able to have his mobility to make this offense really sing. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how they navigate that early in the season because I think a lot of the things they did do do translate well, even if Jones is a bit hampered early in the season. Like a lot of the, they did some empty personnel stuff.

They did some quick passing game stuff where Jones was reading some high lows to one side of the field. And I think overall a lot of the passing game does like translate to. to this next season, even if Jones can't move at full capacity, the big question will be the play action rollout game. They used a lot of those play action rollouts to get the ball to Tyler Warren and Michael Pittman Jr. in the flats and give those guys run after catchability. And if Jones is a bit limited early in the season,

I'm wondering what the new easy button is going to be in the offense. Because we did see the coach struggle a little bit in the midseason mark with losing that easy button when Jones had the broken leg. So we'll see how that looks early in the season. if they have to find a new easy button. I'm sure that's what Stuyken's been doing all offseason is finding that next easy button that makes life a lot easier for Jones in the quarterback situation if he's unable to move at the same capacity that he did last year.

But all, I mean, look, as of right now, it's looking good that hopefully Jones can be good for week one. We'll evaluate it after that. But I'm just happy that, you know, we can put aside all the speculation of, oh, does Riley Leonard or does Anthony Richardson start week one or start the whole first month of the season? It's not, we're not out of the woods yet, but it does appear that we're heading in the right direction where the guy that they signed to the big contract is probably going to be their week one starter and then we'll move on from there. Wish there was an easy button for Anthony Richardson. Unfortunately, there's not.

However, he's still here, as he told Jake in the assembled media this week at the Colts Complex. We'll discuss the latest on AR when the Colts Squad Show returns next. This portion of the Colts Squad Show brought you by Indeed, workplace chaos, deadline. stacking up in box overflowing and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs. Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for. Skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post.

And here's the stat that says it all. In the minute I've been talking with you, companies like yours have made 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interview. viewing candidates who check all your boxes with Indeed sponsored jobs. Again, spend less time searching, less stress, less time, more results with Indeed. When you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs.

And listeners to this show will get a $75 sponsor job credit to help your job get the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on the Colts Squad show. Indeed.com slash podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And we're back on the Lockdown Colts Squad Show.

Thanks so much for joining us on this Thursday night alongside former NFLer Alan Pinkett and Locked on Colts co-host of the daily show. Zach Hicks. I'm Derek Schultz. Still have the mustache at least for now. My wife is giving me until the weekend. And I got the ultimatum there. you can ask Alan at least you know how that goes. Zach, you might not have that. I don't know if you're old enough yet to start getting the ultimatums.

Don't you start getting into your 40s about facial hair. Speaking of ultimatums, I'm going to give you one. You guys should join the Everyday Air Club if you haven't already. Don't forget to check out the Everyday Air Club for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with Jake, Zach, and other great listeners of Locked on Colts. Tap the link in the show notes or go to Lockedonpodcast.com slash Everydayer Club. So Anthony Richardson, where we sit today, he is still a cult. He reminded everybody of that when he talked to the media at the complex earlier this week.

Richardson on his status with the Colts, quote, I signed a contract. I was still on the team before the trade stuff. I've got an obligation to this team to come out here and play and perform and be ready to play if they need me. So I don't think that it's weird or awkward. Zach, I'll admit, it feels a little weird and awkward, right? I think it will always be whenever you have a trade request, this is for any player, not just for somebody like Anthony Richardson, still kind of floating out there. and there seems to be this divorce that is inevitable between the two sides.

I think there's an awkwardness to that. But I will say he has said all the right things. He has seemingly done all the right things. I mean, you still see Anthony Richardson in shorts and he's on corking throws and those old feelings start to come back a little bit, right? Like the talk yourself into it type feelings. I do wonder, though, how long this will go on. And we'll get into the quarterback competition here in a little bit,

but just kind of focusing on him. Maybe this is good. I'm trying to be glass out full here, but maybe this is good that both sides seem to be like okay with things kind of continuing awkward as they may be. Yeah, I mean, it's certainly good for him and showcasing his own maturity level and showing himself for the rest of the league at this point, right?

I mean, Derek, I think you and I both saw the JJ McCarthy interview that was given, right, where him and Kyler Murray both had to answer the same question of what it's like with that other guy in the room. And Kyler Murray gave like the true veteran like coach speak answer a perfect answer yeah yeah great to have i'm the veteran even though i don't view myself as a veteran he's he's a he's a hungry kid that we love seeing you know and then j jc McCarthy's like yeah it's like two kids in the classroom that don't know each other he's on one side i'm on the other like what are you saying this whenever let me just say yeah whenever you're making

kailer murray look like the mature leader that's when things are going very bad for you right right right so it's like there are ways to handle this and there are ways not to handle this And this is going to be a crappy situation regardless, right? You've requested a trade. The team has searched for a trade. They haven't moved you yet, but you still are responsible for showing up for work. Actually, credit to him for showing up. These are voluntary mini camp right now, right?

So we're seeing guys like Mooney Ward and Sauce Gardner and all them and Jonathan Taylor have not been here for the voluntary part of this for other reasons. We don't know the exact reasons right now. And Anthony Richardson, I mean, if you're on the trade block and you want to be dealt, you don't have to be here right now, but he is showcasing himself to other teams. He showcasing himself to the Colts still, too. In a way, I mean, look, they're starting quarterbacks recovering from an Achilles injury.

The guy he's competing with was banged up last year as well. So he's certainly fighting for like something in this organization if an injury were to happen. So he still has a job to do. And you're marketing yourself for like the rest of your career at this point. So credit to him, I do think he's handled this as good as you can. He hasn't come out and said, like, I don't want to be here right now. I hate being around this organization. Like, they gave up on me.

He said the coach speaks stuff, but that's kind of what you're expected to say. So I think he's doing everything right. I think the best thing for him, go out there, showcase your ability in the preseason, and then whatever happens happens. If you get dealt, do your thing at the other location. If you stay here, you know, serve your third quarterback role well, you know, maybe get dressed for a couple games. and do whatever you can with your snaps,

and then you can find your next team next year. So even though I don't think that there's really much of a future for him in Indy, I think he's doing everything right at the moment. And I like the maturity he's showing I like for still a 24-year-old quarterback. Like his career is not done by any means, right? So just do everything the right way and make sure that you are doing what you have to do. So, yeah, I think he's handling this great. And hopefully that something can be resolved by the end of the offseason here.

Well, I just appreciate, you know, his attitude at this time because, look, the writing is pretty much on the wall. He doesn't really want to be here. And the Colts don't want him here. But the fact that he remains positive throughout all this, you know, because he could drive a serious wedge into the overall attitude of the team. you know, because he still has some fans in that locker room, too. He has guys in that locker room that want to see him succeed also. And the one thing you don't want to do is divide the team. And, you know, I appreciate him being positive because the only way he's going to get what he wants is by being positive.

You know, because, you know, you look at all his physical characteristics, you know, but, you know, you can't be messed up in the head and play quarterback. And I think more folks would recognize that tendency more than any physical trait they would have and say, do we want this guy in our locker room? You know, but if he has a positive attitude and continues to play hard, because look, the only way he can market himself right now is to have a successful, you know, OTA, mini camp, and training camp. Because everybody in the league knows that they want to trade them, you know,

and everybody in the league wants to get him as cheaply as they can. So he just has to, the Colts have to sort of build them up too during this period. And they need to be the ones saying, hey, look, he's a really positive guy. you know, he comes out, practices hard every day, willing to learn, he's getting better. And they might even throw in, oh, you know, we're thinking about, you know, we might keep him because he's a good second option, you know, when you really think about it. And don't forget, he was the, what, fourth pick in the draft. So, and look at how many quarterbacks have reinvented themselves, you know, have to look no farther than the guy who won the Super Bowl. Sam Darnel, you know, he was a bust at, what, two or three other teams,

and then he finally got in the right situation? Why can't that happen for Anthony Richardson? So, you know, the Colts need to talk them up and make him look good, and Anthony Richardson, as long as he stays positive, and he shows improvement, then the trade will finally go down. But I guess what are they, it looks like the team that is sort of appearing to be the one that wants them the most is Minnesota Vikings from what I read. And you can't always believe what you read. But, and look, I don't think there's, there's not a place in the NFL.

He can go where it won't be a crowded quarterback room, unfortunately. And so if he stays positive, then, you know, good things should happen for both parties. Yeah, and, you know, I know this is like a weird comparison, right? I'm not even trying to compare Richardson to these guys, but Derek, what do you think is the biggest difference between why Mitch Trubisky is going to have like a 15-year career in this league where guys like Johnny Mansell and who's another one, Josh Rosen, for instance, those guys, despite also being first-round picks like Trubisky, right, and showing a little bit early on, but not really, you know, nothing great.

why is Trubisky going to have a 15 to 20 year career, right? Because he got along with everybody in the locker room, because he wasn't a disruption. So, like, again, I'm not trying to, like, I know there's going to be some people who disingenuously listen to that and say, always comparing the Richardson to those guys. I'm not, like, I'm just saying, like, as a quarterback, right, if you're not a starter, the most important thing you can be are two things.

Best friends with the starter and not a distraction. Those are the most important things you can be. So I think Richardson is learning here. Like, again, he's probably not going to start anywhere next season, even if he gets traded. So you have to be someone who teammates still like. You have to be someone who isn't going to be a distraction and gets along with people. And I think he's approaching this the right way. So credit to Richardson and his team for approaching this the way that you're supposed to do with maturity and how you're supposed to do it.

And again, who knows? Like, he's one injury away from being in the prime spot with this Colts team next year. So I think he's doing everything that he should be doing right now. Yeah, it's cliche to say it. but it's true not only in sports and in life, control what you can control. And right now, Anthony Richardson can't control what Chris Bauer does with him, right? He can't control even necessarily what Shane Steichen does with him.

He can't control what the Vikings or, you know, insert NFL team here does and what they offer the Colts for him. What he can't control is coming to work every day and being a pro. And as long as he does that, that's all you can really do right now, right? you're not going to salvage your career overnight. You're probably not going to salvage it here, period, right? But you have to control what you can control. And I think it's a sign of maturity for Richardson because let's face it,

I mean, we've heard the whispers and things like that. And there have been reports about this. That hasn't always been at the top tier. And for a young player, like that's not exclusive to Anthony Richardson, right? A lot of guys struggle with that. But I think what you're seeing now is him, you know, realizing what's on the line for him. knowing that there is going to be another chance for him somewhere, especially in today's NFL.

So let me do, and whether that's coming from his agent or his people or both or his family, you know, whatever. It's good advice. Just control what you can control. Be a pro. Don't be, like you said, Zach, don't be a distraction. Don't do anything that kind of bucks against that and makes teams say, yeah, you know what, this guy's a headache.

I don't want him. And I think Richardson has been doing that so far. But even with all of this, You know, some fans still have hope that Richardson, everything's going to be fine, and he's going to win the QB2 job. And then, oh, God, look, Jones is injury prone. Something's going to happen to him. Here comes Anthony Richardson, right, riding on the white horse.

He's coming in to save the day. He's going to leave the game-winning drive and then fulfill the promise. Like, I think all of that at this point is a complete pipe dream, at least here, but he's going to have a chance somewhere else. And so why not do everything that you can to maximize the ability to take advantage of that chance. Yeah, and the big thing for him too right now is showcasing that the eye is not an issue, right? So I think that's why it didn't look like it was this week, right? Yeah. Right, right. I think that's probably why he hasn't been dealt so far is teams are worried. I mean, the Colts were saying

all last year into the offseason, are there still some vision issues. And then they're trying to trade him to your team when there's some vision issues at the quarterback position. So you understand why some teams might be a little skeptical. But the best thing he can do now, and I believe the Colts are going to give him this shot at least. Go out there. the preseason make some plays showcase that the eye is not an issue and then we'll see from there i mean hopefully he gets his shot and again it's not completely ruled out that like there's no shot with the colts like again daniel jones coming off in achilles has never played a full 17 games in his nflblerc riley leonard was a quarterback who took a lot of hits at college and was even banged up a little

bit last year so even if we think he's going to be the third quarterback that doesn't i mean look at the colts were calling 40 year olds off their couch last year to come and start games for him so it doesn't mean you're out of the running in Indy if you're the third quarterback you're probably you're closer than you are for most teams in this league. I mean, Sam Ellinger got some run with the Colt when he was the third quarterback. So yeah, just keep coming to work, doing your shot, doing your thing, keep learning, keep growing. He's only 24 and we'll see what this means for him going forward. But I think he's doing the right things. And I applaud him for that. You'd mentioned Riley Leonard, Zach, when we come back next, Shane Steichen said it was a 50-50 battle for the backup quarterback spot. Are we buying?

in that we're going to talk it out when the cold squad show returns next welcome back about halfway through the locked on cold squad show Thursday edition of the show Alan pinkett is here Zach Hicks is here I'm Derek Schultz Jake Arthur will return to a future show we are spending a lot of time on the quarterbacks we're just kind of going down the depth chart here started with QB1 and Daniel Jones and looking good as his Achilles rehab continues in workouts and some sprints this week and Shane Stike and alluding to the fact that perhaps he could do seven on seven so things looking up, at least with where we sit today there. The quarterback two position is still in flux, at least according to the Colts.

And I think for the first time, really, according to Shane Steichen, and him admitting, at least publicly, that this is a 50-50 competition. Now, it's sort of like, and this is another kind of being married comparison where your wife, I don't know, maybe she'll make something like a dinner or something or try something the new, hey, this is a new recipe, just check this out. And you're like, you want to put a good face on it, right? So you're like, oh, yeah, this is fine. Just every time Shane Stuyken talks about Anthony Richardson, and maybe this is me, like reading too much into it, Zach, it just kind of looks like he's like, yeah, it's good. You know what I mean? Like, do you really feel that way? Or are you just

kind of saying that because the cameras are on and the microphones are on? I want to believe him that it's a 50-50 competition, but just kind of adding up everything that the Colts have said. I don't think that's the case. Now, you know, Ken Richardson, impress enough to get there. I mean, we've got a long way to go before we say that. But how do you feel about where that sits today and particularly how Shane Stuyken views the quarterback battle? Because really, that's all that matters. Look, I felt for him saying it was a 50-50 competition last year with this quarterback thing. I'm not falling forward again. This year, I'm actually going to read into what he's saying

and not bring my own bias and my own viewpoint. Because look, if all things were equal, I'm sure Richardson would have a really good battle with Riley Leonard. But I always find it interesting with Shane Stuyken, right? He's got. that's what we call Steichen speak, right? It's always coach speak, generic, gives us nothing. You ask him about an injury, he says, oh, it's a little back, little back. You know, it's always something like that, right? When you talk injury with Shane Steichen, but when you ask him something that he is passionate

about, you will get a very animated Shane Steichen sometimes, as long as it's not going too much into detail about scheme or anything. And Colts media gets a lot of flack from Colts fans for being too soft and too weak and blah, blah, blah. But big shout out to whichever reporter asked Shane Steichen, these two questions. back to back because I think it gave us so much clarity on the backup QB situation for as much clarity as you can get from Shane Steichen, right? The question was, what have you liked about Riley Leonard so far during OTAs? And the next follow-up question was same question, what do you like

about Anthony Richardson? And here were the two answers, right? So when it came to Riley Leonard, Shane Steichen said, he's been really good. He's got great command in the huddle. He's continuing to learn the offense, growing in that nature, going through his reads, going through progressions, working on accelerated visions and through that stuff, it's been really good to see. Then the same question about Anthony Richardson, yeah, he's been good. Obviously getting him back in the fold,

coming back a few weeks ago, going through it, still growing, all these different things, continuing to learn and grow just like all of our other players, but it's good to see him out there with the guys for sure. Those are very different answers, right? One guy, it's like, yeah, he's still growing, and we like seeing him out there.

The other one, it's been really good to see. It's been good to see him out there. He's getting better. Even another question he was asked about Riley Leonard later on, I have the picture of that one too. Absolutely. He's the guy who's been studying like crazy in that classroom and taking it to the field. Just the conversations that we've had.

Things popped up today where he made some good plays, some conversations took place and obviously came here, came to life here on the practice field. So Shane Sikin's very enamored with Riley Leonard. He really likes Riley Leonard. And again, I looked away from it when he was enamored with Daniel Jones last off season and I ignored it because I wanted Richardson to be the starter. I'm trying not to look away from what Stuyken is saying this offseason.

And he gushes about Riley Leonard. I think he views Leonard as the perfect backup to Daniel Jones and what he wants in this offense. So, yeah, I'm not going to shy away from thinking that Leonard is probably going to be the backup quarterback for the Colts this year. So, Zach, when I heard the first part of your answer, I couldn't help. But think about the movie 48 hours. And Eddie Murphy's saying, I'm not going to fall for the banana. and the tailpipe. Right. Oh, my God. One of my favorite movies. I love that movie so much. So, you know, to me, saying it's a 50-50 battle is sort of like, you know, a politician telling you

the truth, you know. Maybe he's, you know, practicing for a career in politics. Because we all know that's not true. It's not 50-50. We all know that Riley Leonard is the era parent. Or the, the QB2 in this duel right now. But you're going to get some coach speak. Really, the only coach I know who really gives some insightful answers. Sometimes I wish he didn't. Sometimes I wish he would use more coach speak as Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame. He gives thoughtful answers to questions when he doesn't have to.

And I'm sure the last thing Shane Seichen wants to do is talk about Anthony Richardson when he knows that he's not into plans for this upcoming year. But I think the overall plan for the Colts is talk them up, you know, build them up because that'll increase his trade value. And I think what is there not to like about Riley Leonard? I mean, he's a good kid, you know, Christian kid, is all about football. And, you know, doesn't cause any waves. And wants to win. You know, so I think he's a perfect QB2. And probably one of those guys, like you say,

Zach that will stay in the league 15 years. Yeah, one quick correction here, Alan. That was actually Beverly Hills Cop. Oh, Beverly Hills Cop. Yes. Nick Nolte was, yeah, he was with Nick Nolte in 48 hours, I believe. My dad got me a whole Eddie Murphy DVD set when I was a kid. So I knew the reference.

I was like, I don't think that was 48 hours. Yeah, yeah. Beverly Hills Cop. Absolutely love Beverly Hills Cop. Great movies there. But going back to Riley Leonard, you know, I do think, like, don't be wrong, I was not a big Riley Leonard guy last draft season. I was not a big fan of the draft selection.

I thought he was another Sam Ellinger type person. And honestly, throughout most of the off season last year, like talking to Jake, for instance, Jake, our boots on the ground over there, obviously. He was like, yeah, I don't really see it with Leonard.

And he had some flashes in the preseason, but it wasn't anything really to write home about. And then when, like I say, Alan, the bullet started flying, like in that Jacksonville game and in the Houston game late in the year, obviously it's a very small sample size.

but watching those games, like I was like, this is a very different quarterback than he looked in the preseason. Like you're seeing some good things from him. Obviously, like more of a backup type quarterback, but I thought he made some quick decisive reads. He made some playmaking things happen on the field. And like he was moving the ball well against Houston in that first half, especially in that week 18 games. So I'm not here to hype up Riley Leonard guys. I'm not here to say like Riley Leonard's the second coming. Like some people like to say about backup quarterbacks.

but I was intrigued by his development from training camp to the preseason to the end of last year. And I'm intrigued enough in him to see what it looks like in the preseason this year as well. So if the Colts think that he's the best option for backup quarterback, I can buy it because honestly, the last we saw of him, we saw such a big jump in play, even from his college days, like at Notre Dame where, you know, there were some ups and like you saw Allen. Like as a passer, it was pretty up and down at Notre Dame. Like he was winning. Yeah, early in that season, it was rough.

Right, but he was winning games because he was just chaotic with the football. Like he was putting his head down and diving forward. Like it was that was the playoff game against, was it at Georgia? Or Georgia, yeah, where he was just running through everybody, right? Like that was his entire, that was the only way they were moving the ball. But yeah, I think that he showed a lot of growth last year. So I'm intrigued by him. If is anything more than that, maybe not.

But I am intrigued at least not to write him off currently. I know some, I know it's like such a wide spectrum right now where people either, think he's a second coming. He should start over Daniel Jones or he's a bum that shouldn't be even on the roster. I think I'm a little bit more in the middle where it's like, I was, I was intrigued by what it looked like late in the season. There's still some rough patches, but he did grow a lot from the preseason to the end of last season. And I do want to see a little bit more of that sample size in the preseason and off season this year. Well, I can tell you how that happens, you know, because early in my career, I didn't get a lot of reps in practice, you know, played sparingly

in games. So what you have to learn to do is take mental reps. And they had a great person in Daniel Jones to see how this offense should be run. Not only that, you can turn on the tape and see, okay, why is he making this decision? Why is he going that way with the football? And then you mentally go through it. And then, and this is something I always did, was I would visualize all these different situations. You know, go through the playbook, you know, different sets, you know, preset reads, all that kind of stuff. You see all that.

But then I would lay in bed and just think, okay, I'm running this play and the defensive end flashes. What am I going to do? You know, and although I didn't practice against it, I had seen it through visualization so that I knew, okay, well, this is a move I'm going to make. I'm comfortable making this move because I've seen this before, you know. So I think his improvement was due to the fact that he was studious and watching how Daniel

Jones played that position. And I think Anthony Richardson would do well to turn on the tape and watch how Daniel Jones played that position. And all that's going to do is help both of them. And then, you know, at some point, the game does slow down for you a little bit so that you've got a little more time than you think to make that decision. And so you don't have to, you know, get the ball out too early. And you have to be, I guess, as a quarterback, kind of fearless because you're going to get hit. Now, they can't hit you like they used to hit, you know, like Jim Kelly and Dan Marino and Warren Moon.

and those guys got hit, you know, but you're still going to get hit. And if you know that it's worth getting hit if you can get the ball to your target. And you've got a little more time than you think to make that decision. But the way you do it is by taking mental reps and seeing somebody do it with success so that you can replicate that. Yeah. And one more thing I want to add too is I got this from somebody who worked at Duke when Daniel Jones was there. and when Riley Leonard was coming up through the high school ranks. But apparently Jones and Leonard had been really close for a long time.

Leonard was, when they were in high school, they knew each other. When Leonard was in high school, he knew Daniel Jones. And Jones actually helped recruit Leonard to Duke, right? Because that's where Duke, that's where Leonard spent the early part of his career. And they've maintained a close relationship there. So on top of Stuyck and also just liking Riley Leonard, he has that great relationship with the starting quarterback, which is the most important thing for a backup quarterback. I need to stress this.

In the NFL, it's all politics, right? The starting quarterback needs to not feel threatened by the backup. Regardless of how you feel about that as a fan, right? It is like, I need to feel good with this guy. I need to feel like happy with this guy. That's why Mitch Trubisky is bouncing around the – I always throw out Mr. Trubisky because he's the best example. Why is he still a backup?

When the starter goes down, nobody wants to put Mitch Trisky in the game, but he's on every roster because he's buddies with everybody. So that's just another part of this for Riley Leonard, though. and why he's probably going to have a long time behind Daniel Jones if things worked out here, because he's got that great relationship with Jones. And I think it also helped probably with Lenners' development is probably bouncing a lot of things off of Jones throughout the year and kind of learning the offense that way when Jones was very good in this offense early last season. So, yeah, I do think that relationship is like what the Colts want at their quarterback position.

And I think just having that one-two punch with two quarterbacks who are very, very similar is kind of where they want to go. go in this direction here. Yeah, and I still say this is a lot different than last year. Like people are treating it as the same conversation as last year, just swapping out Jones for Leonard. And I think it's completely different because I think when we're talking about the backup quarterback and not the starter, you're not worried about the ceiling anymore. I don't care what my backup quarterback ceiling is.

I want to know what the floor is because my backup quarterback needs to come in and just hold the ship steady instead of letting it sink. And, you know, does Anthony Richardson have the athleticism advantage? Yes. Does he have the trades advantage? Yes. His ceiling is here. Riley Leonard's ceiling is like way down here, right?

But Leonard's floor is right here. And you can't even see Anthony Richardson's floor. It's so low. And I think that that's what plays into this conversation more than anything else. Like I was more willing to lean towards giving the job to Richardson last year because I was still intrigued by the ceiling. I was still thinking about, okay, long-term starter. To me, that conversation is out the window now for the Colts.

So now it's about, okay, Daniel Jones, is our guy who is our floor backup quarterback. And I think that's why I would lean towards Leonard in that way. You know, people want to parse it as well, you can't be serious. Right. Richardson is so much better if they got a straight competition. I don't care about any of that. I'm caring about who's going to screw up the least. Not that Leonard can't screw up. He can and he has. But I just think the floor being that much higher is what makes me feel more safe with him as the backup quarterback than it does with Richardson. The one other thing that you got to throw in there is the economics.

Who's going to be cheaper to keep? Right. That's true. One more thing I want to throw in though real quick is I argued a lot when Richardson was a draft prospect that his floor was actually a lot higher than many people were thinking because of the rushing impact. But I don't know how much you can run them right now because of the injuries he's had, right?

Yeah. So when you take away a lot of the rushing impact, it does hurt the floor for Richardson. Like we kind of saw in 2024, as a rookie in 2023, when there was a lot of that rushing impact, it was awesome. There wasn't really good floor where even if he was completing 40% of his passes like he did against the Rams that year, he was able still to mount a three score comeback because he was able to run the ball and do a lot of those things. But yeah, like what we saw in 2024 when the rushing wasn't as viable, we saw the Colts scoring like 18 points per game in his starts that year.

And they still won some games because in the games they scored 18, the opponent scored 15 in some of them. But I think as a backup, you're really looking for that guy who can give you that floor. of like close to 20 or so per game where Richardson, it was very volatile that like 20, 24 season last time we saw them, it was either 10 points or like 30 points against the Jets. And it was like really boom or buzz like you mentioned there, Derek. So yeah, I think that we can see some good things, hopefully, from Richardson going forward if you can stay healthy. But I do think the way that's the Colts are viewing that is like Leonard maybe gives us

a little bit more stable of it based on, especially as a player who's coming off the rookie season. And rookie season is typically one of your worst seasons. Hopefully there's growth there. I think that's what they're kind of projecting. With Paris Campbell retiring this week, who are your ultimate what if Colts when it comes to health? We'll talk about that when the Colts Squad Show returns for a final time next. Back for a final time, locked on Colts Squad show. Appreciate you guys being here.

Paris Campbell retiring after seven NFL seasons. I was sad to see that news. I was hoping he would complete the NFC East Tour. and find his way onto Washington. That ultimately didn't end up happening. If you're curious at home, he bounced around from the Giants to the Eagles to the Cowboys since leaving the Colts.

I'm putting you on the spot here, Zach, but I think you're pretty good at this game. You want to guess how many NFL games Paris Campbell played in? Seven NFL seasons. Oh, man. I'm just going to be quick of this because I don't want to keep us too long on this. But, I mean, he had that one full season with the Colts, right? Where he played like 17 games.

I think that was when the 17 games. Played the full season. Yeah, so 17 there. But before that with the Colts, he probably only played like a total of like 24 games with the Colts. And then if you go to his other stops, I'm going to just throw out like 34 four games in the NFL. I was surprised.

He actually played 50. That seemed higher than I thought because I was with you. I mean, he did have the full season in 22, but he only played, I think, one game last year. And he played a small handful of games with, he ended up getting a Super Bowl ring with that Eagles team, but played a small handful of games. And it's just, it's a bummer because he had just tantalizing skills and ability and speed.

And we thought that he could be for a long time, a real breakout player. And it just never, of course, his one healthy season was with, you know, the corpse of Matt Ryan and Nick Fulz and that 2020. The only person in Indianapolis that had a good 2022, right, or one of the few was Paris Campbell. But we were on the text right earlier today. and I said we were going to bring this up as a show topic. And I wanted to read some of Jake's, even though it felt like Jake was listing like every cult that ever got hurt before on his list.

Let's get this one out of the way, right? Andrew Luck, I think, you know, a lot of people would say, hey, what if, what if, you know, the retirement hadn't happened. But a couple of people I hadn't even thought of on here, Anthony Gonzalez, who's now a politician, people really ragged on Anthony Gonzalez, but he was a very productive player

when he was healthy and he just couldn't stay healthy and I didn't think that he was a draft bus as much as he was just an unlucky player. But another one who was a big fan favorite from that era, Bob Sanders played two healthy seasons. Yeah, it was a game breaker in both. And all pro, he was DPOY in 07, 05 and 07. He was an unbelievable player, but that was it for him. And when you talk about what if Colts, that's the first one. I know I'm digging back a little ways because we're talking about 20 years ago now,

but that's one that I'll always think of. Yeah, no, for sure. Bob Sanders and Andrew Luck and Shaquille Leonard are the big three in Colts history, I think, right? Because I think you can argue all three of them are Hall of Famers if their careers break a different way without injuries. I think if you go back to the early 2000s, too, like Austin Colley is a big one in there as well. I think of Commer. Oh, that's, yeah. I thought about that.

Collie's always a huge one in there. But I'm going to list off the guys who came to mind for me, especially because I started falling the Colts around 10-ish years or so. So most of these guys fall within the last 10 years. Derek, you can give me a good, like, mm-hmm, if you agree or disagree here. Alan, if you even know any of these players, I think it's incredible. But I think some of the guys that really come to mind,

I think the big one from the Grigs and era is Jack Mewort, right, at Guard. That was on my list. Yeah. One of the biggest ones is Jack Mewort. We always, because we always talked about it, right? Was the Jack Mewort, like, what if he just stayed healthy because he was a good player? But going a little bit deeper cut with a couple of these.

Vic Ballard, I think, is always a big one, right? The first year of Vic Ballard, right? The highlight plays the incredible moment. Flipping touchdown in Nashville. And then busted his ankle and then he was weighed with an injury designation and then out of the league a couple years later. Clayton Gathers when I first came to Indy was one, I think. Very solid, strong safety that just kept getting hurt.

For a different reason, this next one, though, Kari Willis, right? Okay, yeah, left to be a minister. Yeah, retired after his rookie contract to be a minister, was a very solid starter for four years as a four. rounder. Dwayne Allen, I think, falls under this category as well. Yeah, that just bummed me out. I always really liked Dwayne Allen and it got kind of nasty at the end there. And then, yeah, that bummed me out. Dwayne Allen, very, was his rookie season, right? It was like eight touchdowns

at the tight end position. It was incredible. I mean, even Kobe Fleener, I think you could say that about too. I mean, I really thought they were going to be a dynamic duo and right. It came to fruition. For sure. Isaiah Rogers, I think should fall into this as well. Oh, God. Yeah. Right. It was on the verge of breaking. it out for the Colts, gets suspended for gambling for an entire season. The Colts cut him, goes to the Eagles, has a great season, gets a big contract from the Vikings. He's a very good player for them, kind of a what if for the Colts. And I also threw Camocoture on here because I think there were some flashes.

I think he's more like a Paris Campbell type, right? Yeah. Where there were some flashes early. And I don't think people understand how crazy that surgery was that he had on his ankle. The foot almost fell off with that injury that he had. so when they put his ankle back together he just was not the same guy and he was already a tiny pass rusher so it kind of just ended his career from there he was in like the xFL like two or three years later uh after that but uh kamoko turi i always think of but i think the biggest

ones for me like not even joking like vic ballard i always think of because when i was a kid in like high school and stuff i always remember that diving touchdown against tennessee and i'm like oh my gosh he's gonna be a good player for them and then out of the league a couple years later it's It's a brutal league, Alan. It's a very brutal league. And I mean, these are just a handful of players. And again, these aren't even in like the big three. Like we said with like Luck and Sanders and and Shaquille Leonard.

Like so many guys washed out because of injuries and other factors. It's such a tough league. But there's been a lot since I've even started covering the colds. Like, again, with Rogers and Ture and Willis, like big time what is for the cold. You can actually, you know what? You could probably throw Marvell Tell in there too, right? Like some. Yeah, he was a big dude.

Dude. Yeah. It's from promise at corner. And then the COVID season, he sits out a whole year, comes back. He's not the same guy cut from the Colts. And then out of the league like a year and a half later. And it's like, man, this guy was so promising. There's so many what ifs. Yeah. And some people in the comments and I appreciate people chiming in. But like, you know, Trent Richardson, Tony Hugo. I think you have to be good at some point. Right. Or at least like, you know, do something for you to be like a what if player. And for Richardson, man. I mean, it was just all bad. And so, yes, with his draft pedigree, of course, you know, what if he had lived up to the promise in Alabama, then yeah, we can play that game. But it's tough. I mean, some of these names, I hadn't thought about Quincy Wilson.

Like, I have not thought about Quincy Wilson in nine years, right? So I don't, yeah, and I didn't even include guys like Wilson or Ben Banagou or even like players like Juju Brent and Johnny Woods, right, were injuries zapped, but they didn't show anything, really. Like Woods a little bit, his rookie season. but I didn't want to show any of those. I didn't even want to, I wanted to go with guys who kind of showed something for the Colts a little bit. But I guess another one we can mention here, Malik Hooker, right?

First Round Pick. Chris Ballard's first pick with the franchise shows a lot of good promise at free safety. Can't stay healthy. Goes to the Cowboys. Has some pretty good run there, but banged up as well there. Like it's just, there's so many what-is. And I'm not even mentioning the early 2000 stuff because I don't know the early 2000. Like Derek and then, Alan, you could probably go back to some of the 80s and 90s stuff.

And you know what, biggest, what if? What if John Elway wanted to play for the Colts? Yeah, but John Elway is the number one. Yeah, right? So, I mean, there's so much with it. The Colts organization has been drama filled for so long. It's been fascinating to follow. But yeah, a lot of what is.

And I think you could do this for most teams. Like it's just, I mean, I always remember with Washington, Kai Sean Jarrett coming out of Virginia Tech, showed some great promise, busted up his neck like two years in and never played again. And he was like, come on. It's just kind of what happens with the NFL. So many injuries. so many things that happen and end guys careers early.

It's really unfortunate. Well, Zach, what you have officially done is let me know I don't know a damn thing about the NFL. This all the last 10 years, Alan, it's okay. All those names that you rattled off. Those were some deep cuts in your defense, Alan. Those were some deep cuts. Wait until I throw Lindsey Pipkins at you, buddy.

Yeah, because I'm, you know, I have followed the. game. There was a time when, you know, when I broadcast at college, I was, you know, more in the college and the NFL was just entertainment to me. But now I'm having to get back on that horse, or should I say a cult, to learn a little bit more about the NFL. But I go back farther than both of you guys. And the biggest what if to me, actually goes back to what, 1990? I don't know if anybody on this show, people that watch this show

probably weren't even born in 1990. But I think about Jeff George. Yeah. And, you know, great talent, great talent in college. And I was trying to figure out, because I had forgotten, how does the kid from Warren Central, who ends up on, or goes to person, do and ends up transferring

to Illinois. How do you do that? But then I also, I saw that I guess after his first year, Fred Acres came in, and Fred Acres was going to run a totally different offense, which to me that's a fireable offense

on Fred Acres part when you got somebody who can sling it all over the yard and you want to run the damn option. You know, so Fred Acres should have been fired. But But, you know, I look at Jeff George and realize that, yeah, he was the first pick of the draft in 1990. Yeah.

But, yeah, unlike some of the guys you mentioned, their careers were cut short by injury, you know. Or the ministry in one case on there as well. Jeff George went and played for six more teams. Right. And I'll say this. I always thought he was a great talent. a great arm. And, you know, as long as you can make plays in the NFL,

you can tolerate a dude's attitude or his shortcomings. But one thing that sort of got my eye was the side, I guess a camera caught it when he was arguing with June Jones. This is when he was with the Falcons. And I had June Jones as a coach in Houston. And June Jones has got to be one of the nicest. guys that I've ever been around. Even when he had to criticize you,

he did it in such a professional way. You could never be mad at June Jones because he was always fair, you know, and he was always calm and explained everything out to you and was your biggest fan when you were in there playing. And when I saw him arguing with June Jones, I'm like, damn, you must be the problem, Jeff.

you know and so that did coach and i don't know jeff george and so i can't sit here and say he's a good guy bad guy but when i saw that that revealed a lot to me because i know june jones very well and that to me spoke volumes i guess another guy i could throw in but he was probably done by the time he got here uh see if you remember this name tony mandrich oh yeah he was he was probably done. I guess when you enforce a steroid law and you can play because of steroids, you're probably not going to be able to make any plays when they enforce the law. Well, that same era, Alan, another number one pick. You know, Steve Edmund had all kinds of knee problems. And then I think he had a neck problem. And he ended up playing like, I think,

a dozen games here. And, you know, he just, he was broken. I mean, he just could never play again. So there are lots of guys from that. I mean, that was not a great era of Colts football. I always wondered what it would have happened. A, if George had not been in his hometown, because I think there are some trapping. Some guys can do that.

Some guys can't. Yeah, yeah. But B, what they had to give up to get him. You had to trade one of your best players in Chris Hinton, who, you know, is a Ring of Honor guy at left tackle. Andre Risen, who was a rising star and a dynamic talent, you had to throw him in there, too. And suddenly you bring Jeff George in,

And you got nothing. You know what I mean? And that's hard for any quarterback. But I still think, and I know people polarizing on Jeff George, I think from a purely talent standpoint, I think he is one of the most talented Colts ever. Obviously, you never came to fruition here. And he had a bit of a renaissance.

He had some good seasons in Oakland. And I think he had a good season in Minnesota late in his career. So he hung on, but never obviously fulfilled the promise here. 14 years. Yeah. So he had to be doing something. For sure. Real quick, though, before we close out, like, Derek, I want to give you a shot to name some guys from, like, the early 2000s. Even if you have any deep cuts or so, like, because, again, that's an era that we haven't really covered here.

One guy that came to mind for me, though, real quick, wasn't there a Colts first round draft pick who, like, passed away right after being drafted as well? Like, in, like, the 90s. They made, like, that movie about him, right? The offensive lineman. Yeah, I don't think he was a first round pick. I think he was, second or third, though, right? He was sort of like a walk-on that I want to say, is it Oklahoma or Nebraska, a school like that? Yeah. I know what you're talking about. Was it Burlesworth or something like that?

Yeah. Burlesworth? Yeah. They've named it from Kentucky. There's an award that they name after. Yeah. The Burlesworth. Yeah, Brandon Burlesworth.

That's who the comments are saying here. He was an SEC guy, one of those schools, an offensive lineman, right? Yeah, I thought he was Gamma, but I could be wrong. there. Arkansas, Arkansas. There it is. There it is, Arkansas. Yeah.

So yeah, that was another one. I mean, gosh, the Colts had so much drama throughout history. I mean, I'm not trying to say like something horrible about him. Like he passed away in a car wreck horrible situation. But yeah, I mean, that's another one for the Colts there too. But Derek, before we get out of here, I did want to give you a chance to name some guys from like the early 2000s or so like because we missed that era a little bit here. Yeah, I mean, I was always and this wasn't necessarily due to injury that I remember,

but I was always kind of like, I really liked Mike Doss. Yeah, everyone says Mike Doss. This is way back. There was the guy that they drafted who, you know, I'm going against my own rule here because you have to be good at some point to be on here. But there was a guy that they drafted out of Ohio State named Roy Hall. Yeah. I remember seeing in training camp, and out he looked like an Adonis.

He was all like chiseled up and you're like, oh my God, like this guy's going to be amazing. And Roy Hall couldn't play dead. But, you know, if we're talking deep cuts, that that's another kind of one of deep cuts from that era. But you know what? Like that team, Zach, was so much, you know, top end bill point hitting on the early picks and then like these weird like UDFA, Jeff Saturday, late round Robert Mathis, Gary Brackett, guys like that kind of filling in the rest of the gaps. I mean, they hit a lot more than they missed in that era. So that's why I think a lot of these are clustered around the Ryan Grigson picks. And then like the Jim Ursay as GM picks when things

We're not going so well as far as the talent accrual. One more to leave off before we get out of here, though. One of the biggest what is, that's not a player, the what up on the field is the shoelace tackle, the colds win the Super Bowl without that shoe lace tackle. Ben Rathesberger grabbing the shoelace and then at the miss kick afterwards. They win the Super Bowl because they would have played the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Like, what a one? What if Pierre Garstone doesn't drop that ball? Yeah, what if we can go on forever.

with the one. What if Hank Baskett catches the honor? Right, right. What if Jim Caldwell doesn't be so conservative before half time and, you know, yeah, yeah. That's Saints. I know people want to talk about Nick Harper to me. The one that I'll never live down is that Saints game. The Colts had no business losing that game. And they had all these things go wrong. Okay, we're over time. What if the Colts had been a very throughout the whole 2000s? Instead of Vanderjack. Never mind. Okay, we can keep going. Let's do a whole series of what if. We'll just do four shows on it. Thanks so much for joining us, this latest edition of the Colts Squad show. We'll be back with you on Tuesday, 930 Eastern. As always, the Colts news cycle never ends.

So keep it locked on Jake and Zach every day on Locked on Colts, your first listen every day. Be sure to follow at Lockdown Colts on socials and check out our other great content on YouTube and TikTok and we'll see you next time right here on the squad.