Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - CROSSOVER: Indianapolis Colts, Riley Leonard Looking to Close Season with Good Vibes vs. Texans

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's not about how you start, but how you finish. Coats know about that. Houston knows about that. We'll dive into all of that on today's episode, cross-over episode of Locked-on Texans, Locked-on Cops. You are Locked-on NFL crossover, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network. Your team every day. Texan fans, Coast fans, we are going into the new year together two different trajectories

Starting point is 00:00:37 finishing off the season after how it started and that is how we are going to kick off today's episode of the crossover, Locked on Texas, Locked on Coach's show. I'm John Hickman. That is my man. And it's been a while, right? Oh, yeah. That's my man. That's my man, Jake Arthur, holding it down for the Locked on Coast.

Starting point is 00:00:59 We're going to dive into just some game predictions. Can coach play spoiler to Houston? They still have an opportunity here in Houston to be the number one seed in the AFC. Can they get it done with Riley Leonard after Philip Rivers took the word by storm? Key matchups going into this game and just the biggest storylines. How things have changed for the coach. It felt like they were going to literally run away with the division with Jonathan Taylor.

Starting point is 00:01:25 And then now they're completely out of it, don't have first-found draft. in the next couple of years. It's all bad. It feels like the Carly Ursa journey has been spoiled for a lot of you guys. We'll dive into all of that on today's show. Today's episode is brought to you. This crossover episode is brought to you by prospects. Download the Prospect app today.

Starting point is 00:01:45 And use code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 line up. Jake, where? Did it all go wrong, brother? Oh, my God. I know this is a 30 minute. show but how much time do we have to designate to that you got 30 minutes you know i uh i missed the times when people had questions about the texans this year and the colts were you know running away with things like you mentioned no like like you said how things have changed but the same time this is right on

Starting point is 00:02:14 schedule for the colts by week 18 every year they're either uh already mathematically eliminated or they have to have a lot of help and they're just playing for good vibes and good feelings going into the offseason. So that's kind of where we're at now. At least they're not going to go into this matchup in a boring setting. You know, they're riding that six game losing streak, but there is a new quarterback to watch on Sunday. So at least there's that. Yeah, this team, where did it all go wrong? You can look at injuries that it, like, that's not the whole thing, but that is a big thing. Like, they had plans to have. DeForest Buckner, Mooney Ward, Sauce Gardner, all these guys together.

Starting point is 00:02:59 That hasn't been possible. Obviously, your quarterback goes down with the fibula first that he was playing through. And he looked fine playing through the fibula, but the mobility, they weren't really able to lean into that. And that's a big part of Daniel Jones game. And then ultimately, the Achilles goes pop. So injuries do play a significant role, but I don't want to say it's the whole thing. I just think player execution is taking a nosedive as well. well. Early in the year when the Colts were really clicking, you saw a good synergy between the

Starting point is 00:03:31 play calling on both sides of the ball, offensive defense, and the players executing it. It looked like they were all in sync, all on the same page. And ever since, I just think that's all just falling apart. They're having to rely on guys who would normally be on the practice squad. And I just don't know that the coaches have adapted super well to the talent pool that they're having to at the moment. The offensive line probably hasn't held up as strong as it was early in the year. Like everyone was very well aware of what Jonathan Taylor was doing, but the guy hasn't had a hundred-yard game since that explosion against the

Starting point is 00:04:13 Falcons in Germany. So it's tough. Like all the things that were going well, it's no longer the case. You know, offensive line play is fine now, but it's not dominant. your quarterback who was playing really well is gone. Your running back who was leading the league in rushing is struggling to put together productive days

Starting point is 00:04:33 anymore. And then on the defensive side of the ball, like when you turn on the game on Sunday, you're probably going to say who, who, who? So there's several guys out there because in a given week it's a who's who of who's out there for the Colts D. You know, I think for the Houston Texans, who did a good

Starting point is 00:04:49 job of containing Jonathan Taylor didn't rush for 100 yards and insisted explosion. He's even had struggles with just the yards per pop, 3.6, 3.5, 3.5, 2.9, 3.3.3. So nowhere near as good as he was to kick off the year, I think for the Houston, Texas, that's going to play it to their favor. They've had some issues due to injury with the inside guys, the interior defensive line, but they've been able to kind of make some roster moves and changes. That unit seems to be playing a little bit better. Obviously, Will Anderson, Daniel Hunter, on the outside.

Starting point is 00:05:25 of that defensive line, they will make plays in the run game. Z's outside the lineback position, so on. When we do look at the coach, maybe best attribute offensively all year, has been able to run the ball with Jonathan Taylor and in conjunction with Daniel Jones. It feels like without Daniel Jones, we don't have to worry about that factor. And then without Jonathan Taylor playing as good as he's been, as good as he had, excuse me, as of late, that won't be a factor. Offensively, I don't see a way that, and this kind of gets into like the key matches,

Starting point is 00:06:00 but the big storyline is there's not a player on the offensive side of the ball that scares the Houston, Texas defense. Who is being hot right now. And to that, I want to bring it back to you, you insert Riley Leonard. Everybody's favorite quarterback uncle right now. He came in for two games, had a real hot game against with the San Fran. he called it Rivers, just a quarterback

Starting point is 00:06:27 position all around. Is it still AR's vision or is that chapter close? Now, do you legitimately, like, legit his eyes,

Starting point is 00:06:39 his vision? Because that is why he's not going to be activated. Yeah, okay, so, yeah, he.

Starting point is 00:06:45 Not his quarterbacking skills. Well, yeah, I didn't know if you meant like the vision of Anthony Richardson as their quarterback, but no,

Starting point is 00:06:51 legitimately, he still has, issues with his vision he said that he could like see things like downfield passing wouldn't be a problem but he described it as like a one foot box around him that he struggles to see so it sounds like peripheral vision really he's had issues like in practice fielding like shotgun snaps and stuff like that so they just they knew it would be irresponsible to put him out there if he's not able to be himself as Anthony Richardson, let alone as a quarterback. Like, if in your day-to-day life you're struggling with things within a foot of you,

Starting point is 00:07:29 like that's, you can't do that. And then when it comes to Philip Rivers, kind of pulling the rug on him, I think he would probably still want to play, but they brought him in here for four games to try and save the season. And they were eliminated from the playoffs before they even took the field last Sunday because of the Texans win on Saturday. You're welcome. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:07:49 And they probably, the only reason they didn't start Leonard last week, I think, is because they still thought they had something to play for. And so Rivers got all the first team reps throughout last week. Now, without, they know they're eliminated for the first full week heading into this week. So Riley Leonard got all the first team reps. And I don't think they wouldn't risk Rivers at all for no reason other than he loves to play football. They brought in a rookie undrafted free agent, Seth Hennigan, to the practice squad. And they said, as long as Hennigan feels comfortable by Friday, that he'll back up Leonard on Sunday against the Texans.

Starting point is 00:08:29 Richardson, again, on IR, they're not going to activate him, they said. And then Philip Rivers likely would just be the emergency third quarterback. Okay. But is the, is Anthony Richardson Project done in Indy? Do you foresee that being something that they take a swing at next year? Like, I think it's, I think all sides would probably benefit from it being done. Now, a big factor in it is who's even going to be around making decisions next year? Because, again, this is the first year of Carly Ursaid Gordon at the helm.

Starting point is 00:09:05 We think she's going to be a little bit more demanding and holding people accountable and not having as long a leash as Jim Mersey did. So this was year nine of Chris Ballard. It's five straight years and no playoffs. You know, the second straight year that they've been eliminated from playoffs by the time they're playing their final game in the season. He's never won the division title. So if you get rid of Shane Steichen, if you get rid of Chris Ballard,

Starting point is 00:09:34 it just kind of muddies that water a little bit. Regardless, if Shane Steichen is back, I think Daniel Jones is back. They have plans for him to be back starting right away from week one next year. But if it's a different head coach of there, that may be a coach who is an Anthony Richardson truther from around the league. You just never know. But current regime in place, I would think Richardson's probably done. We got key matchups on the other side. We want to continue this conversation. I promise you guys are to get fun. We wouldn't get back to the football, but it just seems like these are just two teams that ended the season completely different.

Starting point is 00:10:17 And from the ownership on down, you see the difference in the makeup of the DNA of both franchises. But we'll get to the key matchups on the other side. Stick around more locked on Texan and more locked on coats. Nobody knows your money goes better than you. Robert Hood puts you in control of your money with tools that work. work as hard as you do. Locking in on every opening, beating your PR, then beating it again, channel that drive into your money. Robin Hood puts you in control of your money, trade stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and crypto all on one platform. You can now build and execute your own

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Starting point is 00:11:40 that does feel like where the coach are right now with Cardi Erson taking over. But getting back to the field, man, again, we talked about the roster a little bit, you know, the defensive side of the ball, a lot of who's who and who is that. Offensively, it just feels like they won't be able to create too much of a punch.

Starting point is 00:11:59 So when I look at the key matchups in this game, it's going to be the matchup that has won Houston the game during the last two months of football. and that's their defense. Specifically, you know, with Riley Leonard out there, not sure how advanced and ready he is, but when you look at the first and the third level of Houston's defense, it's going to cause a lot of issues. Being able to get out to the quarterback and also the coverage and how great Kamar Lasseter, Derek Stingley, Caitlin Bullock, those guys, Kavana Wallace, who was at it as of late, how good they've been

Starting point is 00:12:34 playing. I think that can make a long day for a young quarterback, trying to figure out, and under the circumstances that he's in, it's not the greatest. And also, I think this is a game where because of Houston's defense and getting out through the quarterback and making it difficult for you guys to score, this could be a game where guys start to get rest after, you know, late in the second quarter going into halftime. So one of my biggest key matchups player-player-wise, I want to see Jayton Higgins in the matchup versus your guys' corners. This is the number two receiver for Houston, 500 yards.

Starting point is 00:13:08 on a year, five TDs. Houston drafted him with their first pick. He needs to get going, going into the playoffs. So obviously, you look at a Marsa's gardener and what he does as a cornerback. People call him overrated. He doesn't have a lot of targets this year. So you can take that with a grain of salt. But whoever the cornerback to is for the Indianapolis Coast,

Starting point is 00:13:27 or if he does line up on the Marsa's gardener, can he win some of those reps, get an open field, makes some plays downfield, and then advanced the ball for Houston's offense? great news for you because sauce is probably not even playing so he's good news oh he so he's got a calf injury uh he had that god was it the first texans game i think when when he left early uh so he had that calf injury he came back for one game and then injured it again last week uh now pretty sure there's zero reason to play him now with no playoffs on the line and you know you invest the two first round picks in them.

Starting point is 00:14:06 So do not mess with that. We've seen, and in the Indiana sports scene, cap injuries turned into things much worse. So I'd be pretty shocked if sauce played. Right. Now, the corners you're probably going to see, Mackay Blackman, I think he, of course, mispractice yesterday.

Starting point is 00:14:24 They had a walk through, but he was, I think, listed as did not participate. But Kai Blackman, Cameron Mitchell, Jalen Jones, Like, that's probably the guys you're going to be seeing. And we know Nico Collins has just terrorized the Colts secondary over the years. So I don't really know who they plan on putting on him. If they want to do size on size, they could do Jalen Jones.

Starting point is 00:14:48 But, like, in every level, the Texans offense has the advantage there when it comes to the receivers. You know, Noel, trying to think of who, like, Kenny Moore. If they drag Noel across the field and do some crossers and in breaking stuff and make Kenny Moore have to play Chase, that's going to be an advantage for the Texans as well. And Texas fans want to hear that. They've been, you know, beating their chest and banging tables to get more of Jay and Noel. And I think with this opportunity of head of Houston, you bring up a great point. No sauce gardener. You know, I wonder how many of those guys for Indie just won't play due to the circumstances, not been able to make the people.

Starting point is 00:15:29 playoffs, that should have Houston in a situation where they can get up early, pull some of their starters, or give some of these young guys more opportunities. Because in the playoffs, Houston's history, it's been Nico Collins and nobody else for the most part, especially when Houston has gotten to the second round of the playoffs. And so I think this could be looked at for Houston as a game where we're getting these guys and up to speed a lot more because of we're going to pull the rest of the players like Nico and some of the vets, dog shows, get them healthy, and just get them out there, throw them in a fire. Yeah, and I think the Colts are going to be doing that a little bit as well.

Starting point is 00:16:11 Obviously, Riley Leonard, that's a good example of it. But Shane Steichen said yesterday that they probably will look into getting some of the younger guys, some reps. Obviously, DeForest Buckmer got shut down again for the year. So defensive tackle-wise, you're probably going to see more of Tommy at You're going to see, you know, Chris Wormley, some guys that have been on the practice squad more recently. That linebacker, you might see some changes there, maybe more like Jalen Carlyze and Austin Ajikai. Again, I think it's going to be a lot of Texans people being like, who the hell am I looking at on this field right now for the Colts? Again, I already mentioned the corners, like, that's the corners they have to play.

Starting point is 00:16:56 Not even the guys they want to put out there just, like, get some young reps. I'm very curious, though, if the Colts go for this, they're kind of down playing it a little bit. But right now with them just kind of playing for good feelings and trying to get something positive going into the off season, there's a couple milestones that I would keep my eye on. Jonathan Taylor can regain the rushing title because him and James Cook the last few weeks have been going back and forth. Taylor led the league like the entire season, but Cook caught up to him when Taylor started to kind of struggle a little bit. I think Cook is probably, if the bill sit there guys, Cook may not play at all.

Starting point is 00:17:36 So they'll probably look to try and get Taylor the rushing title. I think that makes sense. And then Alec Pierce is 129 yards away from his first thousand-yard season. He's the only Colts receiver that is likely within range to get it. And, you know, he's led the league in yards per reception the last couple years now. So that's a couple things you might keep an eye on. And then Tyler Warren, I would, I would look for them to try and get him going one last time this year. Now, Houston presents some really unique challenges there because they could put pretty much whoever they want out there.

Starting point is 00:18:11 Is Jalen Petrie healthy and ready to go? Yeah, so that's one. I love that matchup. If they want to put Petrie on Tyler Warren, that's so intriguing. And I think Riley Leonard is going to look his way early and often Because that's kind of another factor in this is we could talk about what roles guys normally have But the fact is there's a new quarterback out there and it's a young quarterback making his first start Now he played extensively against Jacksonville when Jones had to leave with the Achilles

Starting point is 00:18:42 But this is his first start he's been practicing all week with the first team reps Who does he feel most comfortable targeting? That's a good point. there was a decent quarterback over at Duke. I do remember him from his Duke days. Then he transferred to Notre Dame, right? Yeah. But I remember him more from

Starting point is 00:19:00 his Duke days. And he has some too. So I think this is a great opportunity. Outside looking in, of course, great opportunity to see, especially if you guys move on from the current regime, GM on down to the coaches staff. It's a good opportunity for him to put some tape out there

Starting point is 00:19:16 for whoever's going to be next or even for the current guys and just say, hey, I deserve a shot to at least be, you know, your backup quarterback moving forward. Certainly. And to be trusted. So I always wanted to ask you guys, you know, just that trade for sauce garden. What was your thoughts on that, Jake? I was into it, honestly.

Starting point is 00:19:37 Now, everything. The price that y'all gave up was. Yeah. It was a lot. But at the time, the Colts were the number one team in the NFL, they weren't dealing with injuries to quarterback. and, like, it wasn't like everyone was hurt. So at the time, you're like, yeah, that's pretty steep,

Starting point is 00:19:56 but this is a good team that just made a move for an elite corner, and they already had one in Charverius War. So it looked like an all-in move, like a move to try and get them to the Super Bowl this year or next year, and then everything just fell off a cliff. And then now, with revisionist history, it looks really, really expensive, which it is. Because with the collapse that they've had, you don't. don't know if it's even this front office going to be making decisions. So now you look into potentially having to rebuild your team without two first round picks in the next couple years.

Starting point is 00:20:30 So I don't, I didn't have a problem with it then. I was in favor of it because I knew what their intentions were. Like, who cares if you don't have first round picks if you win a Super Bowl? You know, like look at what the Rams do. Like, they sacrifice those draft picks for glory. and it has worked before. So that's kind of where I was at. And I'm not going to dog it now just because, like, that move really had little bearing on this collapse, other than Gardner has been hurt more often than not at this point.

Starting point is 00:21:03 But even if he was on the field, that wouldn't have been enough to save them from what's happened. So I'm still in favor of it. He's a young building block for that defense, no matter what scheme they go with moving forward, but especially if Lou Aniruma was still the defensive. coordinator next year. So I'm still in favor of it.

Starting point is 00:21:23 It's just incredibly unfortunate how it's all worked out. Yeah, let's get into our game. Predictions on the other side. I want to hear in any world, how can the coach win this game and can they play spoiler? This episode is brought to you by Prospects, whether you're starting a new routine or jumping into player projections for the first time. Trying something new can feel like a challenge.

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Starting point is 00:22:24 even if one pick misses. So download the prospect app today and use code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 line up. That's code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5. Lineup prospects is good to be right. Closing out this episode, this crossover show, Colts, Texans, and go down. Sunday. In any world, how can the coach play spoil the check? What's your game prediction? Well, it's tough for Houston because they do have things to play for. They're in the playoffs,

Starting point is 00:23:02 but like they, you know, they want the division crown. I guess what the Colts can throw at them is Houston not really knowing what to expect from Riley Leonard. Now, Leonard is plenty mobile. Like if anyone who watched him at Notre Dame, you know, that's how his bread was buttered. Like he's not like an elite athlete, but he will run the heck out of the ball. And I think the Colts will look to establish a bit of that. If they can break up the Texans D just a little bit with Taylor and Leonard as runners and then kind of use play action off of that to hit some big plays like Alec Pierce, maybe Josh Downs or Tyler Warren can get some yards after catch going.

Starting point is 00:23:45 And then that's certainly possible. On the defensive side of the ball, I, that's where I have even more questions defensively. And that's where the team that is starting a rookie six-round quarterback, you know, who's going to stop Nico Collins, who's going to stop Higgins, you know, Dalton Schult, like, I just don't know who is going to be able to stop the Houston offense right now. Layatu-Latu does some really nice things. He's probably going to come up with at least a few pressures. maybe a sack. He's a sack and a half away from 10 on the year, so he'll be pretty motivated to

Starting point is 00:24:21 be productive in this one, as always. The Colts backup defensive tackles with DeForest Buckner gone have been pretty productive. Tommy Adibuari and Neville Gallimore. The linebackers are yikes on coverage. That could be a real advantage for Houston. The Colts really, really wanted to do everything possible to keep their linebackers from being in coverage by playing more dime defense and playing more man coverage on the corners and stuff. But the amount of injuries have just kind of relegated them to just trying to survive. And that's put the linebackers in bad positions quite a bit. Yeah, I think Houston would just kind of have to have a bad day. I think the Colts pass rush would have to be really clicking. And then at some point, Houston

Starting point is 00:25:13 and just being like, eh, let's, you know, let's get some of these backups in here. Let's stay fresh for the playoffs. I don't think just motto e mono, like man for man that the Colts

Starting point is 00:25:26 are going to just be able to beat this team. Not like this, you know, Houston's defense is really good. I felt like I was kind of raining on everyone's parade yesterday at the Colts facility. You know, they announced Riley Leonard was the starter.

Starting point is 00:25:39 And kind of selling it is like a great opportunity, like a feel good thing. I was like, hey, guys, yeah, but this matchup, not great. Throwing him in against Houston is pretty bad. They're the best defense in the league, and they're top, they're number one or top five, top 10, and just about everything. So I do certainly think the Colts have a little ingredient there with Leonard and his mobility and willingness to push the ball down the field.

Starting point is 00:26:05 That could help, but I can't act like the Colts are a better team. Like anything could happen on any given Sunday, but by design, the Texans should win. And I think you make a great point, you know, once Houston, if Houston starts to decide, to pull guys, you know, what does that look like for the coach in terms of being able to make it a game if the top tier guys is not out there. Now, what I will say is Houston has some good dip up front, not the best dip on the outside of corner, not the best dip. at safety, decent depth at the linebacker position. We got your guy, former coach, E.J. Speed, who's playing extremely well in his role this season, and I think he's a player that Houston should want to bring back. But if Houston's out there and they're playing a half of football with their starters,

Starting point is 00:26:58 this game should get ugly early. And I'm not going to say could get early. It should. It really should. Houston defense should be able to get off the field, force three and outs. They are, I think, the best team. the best defense in the NFL at the amount of three and outs on the year. Houston's office should be able to just score 14 to 17 points in the first half,

Starting point is 00:27:19 and after that, you put in your reserves. And your reserves for Houston looks like Davis Mills. Your reserve for Houston looks like even if you want to pull a Woody Marks, who's had a good rookie season, but he's been banged up a lot throughout the year. Nick Chubb and Jawar Jordan, who's ran the ball very well. your reserves for Houston looks like a Jaden Higgins who can make some plays, or Jalen Knoll who can make some plays with opportunities. I think it would be important for Houston to get cased over some opportunities

Starting point is 00:27:49 and get him going a little bit more. So pulling Donald Shost and putting them out there. So Houston's reserves, offensively, all of those guys have been a part of in some way, shape, form of fashion, the eight-game win street. They all play major roles, including Davis Mills, who plays some good football against Jacksonville, the lead there. come come back and throughout the year until c j straw return back so i think this is a game where houston should be able to drop 20 early in the game and i mean between 17 to 20 points

Starting point is 00:28:19 uh about a half time pull their guys and the reserves are good enough to finish it out and i'm going to take you to this game by 10 okay yeah i can't come up with a specific score yet. But, I mean, a two-score deficit certainly sounds right. I'll give the Colts a little fight. I think if it was a quarterback we'd already seen out there, it would be easy for them to just kind of roll over a little bit. Not that they don't want to try hard, but we have seen them roll over in late-year situations before. But I think having kind of a young spry quarterback like Riley Leonard out there, we'll give everybody enough energy and juice and like newness to want to compete really, really hard to the whistle.

Starting point is 00:29:12 So a double, a double score deficit is likely, but maybe we go like 17, 28, Texas. I think that's a good number. And that's me kind of being kind of the Colts right now. That's also me being kind to the Colts. Honestly, there's also me being kind to the Texans offense as well, because as great as this team is everybody knows that the offense is what meant kind of holding them back from being better and so they've struggled at times they got out to a quick 14 lead against the charges we saw how that game ended offensively um they struggled against the raiders so houston's office

Starting point is 00:29:59 can have issues i think what plays into this into into into into Houston being able to score points is number one they've already played the coach number two like you mentioned, who's out there defensively. So for Houston, it should really be about not shooting yourself in the foot because on the opposite side, it ain't going to be too many players that can stop their office. They should be able to stop their office. So we'll see those guys will be coached up well in India, of course. This is the NFL, any given Sunday is a true thing.

Starting point is 00:30:28 So we will see. But I am John Hickman of the Locked-on Texans podcast. That is my man, Jake Arthur, of the Locked-on Coats. It's been a fun year to start the year for the coach. It's been a better year to end the year for the Houston, Texas. And so we'll get to this game on Sunday, get to the playoffs. You guys will get to the draft without a first-round pick. I'm just kind of throwing it in right now.

Starting point is 00:30:49 I'm making it worse. But until the next time, Texas and Coach fans, peace.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - CROSSOVER: Indianapolis Colts, Riley Leonard Looking to Close Season with Good Vibes vs. Texans

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