Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Daniel Jones, Josh Downs Help Indianapolis Colts CRUISE TO VICTORY in Week 5

Starting point is 00:00:00 Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones continues his elite play this season against the Las Vegas Raiders. Let's get to it. You are Locked-on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast, part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Thank you all for listening to the Locked-on Colts podcast. podcast covering the Indianapolis Colts. Reminder that you can follow our show and hear new episodes ad-free daily over on Amazon music, so make sure you're checking that out. And this episode is

Starting point is 00:00:39 brought to you by Mazda. Like the players, Mazda sweats every detail because when you make every move count, pulling off the unexpected is only the beginning. Stay tuned later for highlights in this week's moving the game forward, Mazda move and be moved. Hello, everyone. My name is Zach Hickshaw resident film nerd of horseshoe huddle.com. And I am joined today by Ben Boris. at Colts Film Room over there on social media. You guys know him, you love him, does some really great work. Breaking down the Colts, I consider him my brother-in-arms when it comes to breaking down this Colts film.

Starting point is 00:01:11 And last year, we were in the trenches. This year we are celebrating just a fantastic year on both sides of the ball for the Colts. The Colts have the number two offense and EPA per play, the number six defense in EPA per play. They had just been fantastic. So we're going to talk all about it today. Offense, defense against Las Vegas Raiders.

Starting point is 00:01:30 just our overall takes on this fantastic year so far for the Colts. But then we have to start offense by talking about Daniel Jones. And I told you before we got into just starting this episode that it feels like Daniel Jones in a way is getting into that Philip Rivers, Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, even if they were podcasts back then. I don't know what the early 2000s looked like back then. Drive time radio. Right, right.

Starting point is 00:01:57 Drive time radio. It kind of gets to the point, though, where it's like, what more can you say about this guy after games you know where like i never talked like in 2018 i never wrote about andrew luck because we knew what andrew luck was giving you i never wrote about philip rivers in 2020 because like yeah he's going to be pretty there'll be some some ebbs and flows here and there but for the most part you're going to get some good play and through five games it feels like we're getting that with daniel jones where it's like we can nitpick some overthrows we can compliment some some quick hitters that he did and some great decisions but for the

Starting point is 00:02:28 most part, it's like Daniel Jones was Daniel Jones and he led the Colts to 40 points and they won a game on Sunday. It's unbelievable. And I think it's funny because like during this quarterback competition and all the talk about that, I feel like the narrative around Daniel Jones, which was a little bit weird when you consider his past play was he's going to be the stabilizing presence. And that's everything that he's been through five weeks. It has been that it, I think what's really cool about this offense and Daniel Jones obviously being the facilitator and all this is they have so many ways to beat you they can beat you in the run game that's always going to help their offensive line is this for me was the story in this game i'm sure we'll talk about it um incredible um and and obviously

Starting point is 00:03:08 we're seeing what daniel jones looks like and i think there's probably something to be said of like hey when i when i drop back and i know i'm going to be protected and i know i have really good skill players that is going to make you defend every blade of grass we're going to be pretty successful and i think you you're clearly seeing a confident guy back there like he drops back with a play like this is going to work um it's it's it's been incredible to watch i do i totally agree with you it's like i'd love to come up with like some unique analysis but i feel like we've already said it already like he's playing incredible football um even me who was optimistic especially when i got to see him um see the film of that the first preseason game when he came

Starting point is 00:03:48 in versus baltimore i thought he played really well i was like oh i'm actually like really excited for this to be quite honest with you uh he's exceeding anyone's expectations potentially maybe the staffs, potentially maybe even his own. I don't know. It's been incredible to watch. And like it feels like it's going to end, but it never will. It's like I don't know how to describe it. Yeah, you have to give so much credit to Shane Stuyken because I remember Jake Arthur,

Starting point is 00:04:13 the typical co-host on this show here, he's out today. But he told me after the meetings in the summer when they talked to the Shane that him and like Stephen Holder and stuff when they were talking to Shane about Daniel Jones, you could see just Stuyken's face light up in terms of just how Jones gets into the film, how much effort and work he puts into what he does. And you could see that that was something that Stuyken really valued. And Stikin was over the moon about a player like Daniel Jones. When nobody else really was in the league, and here in this market,

Starting point is 00:04:44 like he was insanely high on this guy. And maybe he didn't expect this level of input or output from him. Yeah. But I don't think he expected that much less. I think he really did expect a really good season from Daniel Jones, and we're seeing it reward him this year. So I mean, credit to Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard for believing in Jones. Credit to Jones for playing so well and playing confidently.

Starting point is 00:05:08 And again, we've talked about it multiple times, even when you and I have been on here, that so much of this offense is just giving Jones all the information he needs pre-snap. Jones taking that information, plugging into his head and saying, I know where to go with the ball now, and then just getting the ball out, to the playmaker that makes the most sense. So in a way, it's like Stuyken's hitting the easy button for him, but Jones has to make that be the easy button, if that makes sense. You know, it's like the easy button's only there because Jones is diagnosing things

Starting point is 00:05:37 at a high level. So it really has an all-fass that's just been this perfect marriage between quarterback and head coach and skill position players, an offensive line. And the Colts, you know, I said a couple weeks ago, like this is going to be a top 10 offense this year because they just have too many weapons. Should I move that up to top five offense? Like, like, six straight touchdown drives. It's like they have such a good formula work in them.

Starting point is 00:06:02 First of all, Jonathan Taylor is playing like the offensive player of the year. But what's crazy is like that he really did his work in the red zone. I mean, he had like 66 yards or something like that, like, which for for him is like not really that great of a day. Like at this point, we're getting to, we're getting to the point with Jonathan Taylor where we expect triple digits. Like that point, just how good he's been. And like what's crazy for me. is they're they're so efficient on third down, which is like, I think about this because Bruce Ariens talks about this in his book and some of the interviews he does too of like quarterbacks really

Starting point is 00:06:33 in this league, the ones that get talked about are good on third down and they're good in two minute. And I think we probably haven't seen as much two minute from Jones just given the nature of like the blowouts in some of these games. But like he's been fantastic on third down. Like another really, really good day on third down. And that's what's winning him games. Like when you don't, And you sustain drives, your defense isn't tired. That's also helping them. I think that's an underrated part in terms of time of possession, which was like admittedly a massive issue when they were chasing explosives early last year.

Starting point is 00:07:05 They would go for all these deep shots. Well, the reality is like even though Alec Pierce can catch a lot of deep balls and Anthony Richardson can certainly throw them, those are just naturally low percentage throws. So like they're keeping the offense on schedule. I think they're pretty much learning from all the, you know, things that went wrong last year in terms of just all this obsession of explosives. of plays, but they literally couldn't stay on the field. So I think that's helped in their favor.

Starting point is 00:07:28 And then, like, it's got to be fun to be in this staff when you can go attack a defense in, like, a billion different ways because you have guys that can do different things. Like, I think we saw it in this game. They put up 40. And, like, the game plan, if I could summarize it in one sentence was, let's lift coverage with Ashton Doolin and Will Mallory. And let's get Josh Downs to ball because Devin White isn't going to tackle him or cover him in space.

Starting point is 00:07:50 And, like, that's crazy that that's one way they could have. attack to defense, but they could go into a matchup and be like, hey, we still have the best running back in the league. You can't stop the run. They can find pitman on plays. Tyler Warren is been, if you could describe a missing piece to an offense, Tyler Warren has absolutely been that. So like, it's, it's really fun to see. It's probably got to be incredibly fun to be a coaching staff game planning each week. Yeah, we'll talk more about the overall themes we're seeing on offense in the final segment, but just to put a bow on this game, you know, we talk about Daniel Jones having a good game. I would honestly call this like a B game for him because

Starting point is 00:08:23 he did probably leave about 65, 70 yards on the field with some misthrows. But still, like a B game is still, I mean, he's an MVP candidate right now. So a B game is still like a Pro Bowl level game from him. But the other player really got to highlight is Josh Downs, like you mentioned there. A lot of this game plan was we dare you guys to try to tackle Josh Downs. And a guy who's had a relatively quiet year so far, I don't think he's been as quiet as some people have said because his role is just get first downs. It's not put up gaudy numbers.

Starting point is 00:08:51 but relatively quiet numbers from what we've expected. He was the focal point of the offense in this game. And one of the game-changing moments came early on that third and 12 that he converted for a first. There's a spinorama that he did on the defender there to get the first. And that was just, that was like a precursor of what was going to come the rest of the game. Like he was fantastic after the catch. And he's so underrated after the catch because he's not a guy who will turn a five-year

Starting point is 00:09:17 catch into a 50-yard catch, but he'll turn every five-yard. catch into a nine-yard catch, a 10-yard catch, an 11-yard catch. It keeps you on schedule, keeps you on track, and it converts third downs. And, you know, the Colts were 8 of 10 on third downs on Sunday, 80%. A lot of that had to do with Josh Downs just being awesome. And it's like, they have different ways to do it because, like, Warren has that same thing. But like, for him, it's like he's going to fall forward and he's going to gain 5-10. Pittman, I think, is a little, that's one of the things I think Pittman does well, too. like he'll catch up you know five yard short in route and he can you know lower his pads and turn that

Starting point is 00:09:53 into an eight nine yard route josh downs is like slippery so like you can't you really can't catch them they ran them on some choices which has been just like his staple through two years they had them on you know different short and intermediate route sits different stuff like that and it's like with that style of defense they try and keep everything in front of them it's not necessarily like the pke carroll seattle three like that's not necessarily what this defense is um but They really, there was a lot to be taken in the underneath portions of the game and the Colts found a spot to do that. And I think it's also like, I just want to, this is a little bit changing gears, but like I also, we have to like credit Braden Smith and just these tight ends that are blocking Max Crosby, held him the three pressures. I think that was the story of the game.

Starting point is 00:10:34 Like, Braden Smith had an fantastic game. Shane Seichen obviously had a plan for them, just like some of the stuff they were doing. Moe Alley Cox and Drew Ogletree, I think have just been unsung heroes for the way that they've blocked Bonito and Max Cross. I was being these two matchups. And, like, it's just, everyone has a role. And it's just, like, today it was Josh Downs Day. Even Doolin showed up. I mean, it's like, it's incredible.

Starting point is 00:10:55 It's incredible. It's an offense where everybody eats and everyone's enjoying their eating this year. So we're going to talk more about the offense in the final segment, but we do want to transition here to defense and how the Colts defense coming off of, I don't even call it a rough game against the Rams, but the stat sheet looked rough against the Rams. They bounced back in a big way, had multiple turnovers, held the Raiders to just six points. Lou Anurmo's defense is getting after these bad offenses this year, and we're going to talk about it here in just a second.

Starting point is 00:11:24 But first, this episode is brought to you by Square. Your favorite neighborhood spots run on Square. There are certain businesses that make the neighborhood the neighborhood. These are the places that become an extension of home, whether it's a sports bar dedicated to your team's fan base, the spot with the best wings in town for game day, or that beloved local chain that's been rooted in the, community for years. These businesses are what bring people together. When neighborhood

Starting point is 00:11:49 businesses thrive, the whole neighborhood thrives. Jake has a recommendation here. Guacho's Fire Express runs on Square and he gives it the Jake Arthur stamp of approval. So make sure you're checking that out. Square is a proud partner of more than four million neighborhood businesses around the world. You can go to square.com slash go slash locked on NFL to learn more. But before you go, go support your favorite neighborhood spot. You'll be happy that you did. Square See you in the neighborhood. And this episode is also brought to you by Mazda's moving the game forward. For those who believe it's not just about playing the game,

Starting point is 00:12:25 it's about redefining it. There are moments that do more than put points on the board. They move crowds, move culture, and they keep moving that game forward. This week's moment that moved the game forward for the Colts. Shagu Aloobie's blocked punt that moved the game forward, and it got the Colts, the two-score lead early in this game. So Colts special teams making a big impact early.

Starting point is 00:12:44 And of course, I can't hesitate to call out Shaggy Ulubia. It's my favorite player on the team right there. When you follow what moves you, the unexpected is only the beginning. And just like that, there are more to every highlight and there's more to a Mazda vehicle. Mazda move and be moved. All right, locked on Colts every dayers. We are back talking about this Colts defense and how, again, I don't think they had a bad game against the Los Angeles Rams. I even made a whole video.

Starting point is 00:13:13 It's like a 30 minute video on my person. personal YouTube channel being like, let's relax about the Colts past defense. I really think there's some good things here. It's just Matt Stafford is hard to play against, very hard to play against. And we saw it kind of bounced back and come back in a big way against an offense that just doesn't have a lot figured out. Yes, Brock Bowers was out in this game. Yes, Michael Meyer was out in this game. And it did limit some things that the Raiders wanted to do. But at the end of the day, I think this Colts defense is getting to where they need to be. There are still some issues. There are still some gaps on the defense that need guys to step up and some holes that need to be filled.

Starting point is 00:13:48 But it's a competitive defense. They take the football away. They tackle really well. I think this is the type of defense that you can staple to a really good offense and be a playoff caliber team or a contending team in the NFL. What are your thoughts there, Ben? Yeah, I think it's funny because we talked kind of off air about this as well, just of last week, where it's like the cool. I kind of always expected them to start slow. I think it's really hard when you move from a Gus Bradley defense was a little more simplistic

Starting point is 00:14:16 in nature to Luana Rumos, which gives you a ton of answers, but you have to be smart enough and learn the defense enough to get into those answers and create the havoc that you want to create. You don't just do that overnight. So I thought they were always going to start off a little bit slow, but I think they're exceeding my expectation. They're allowing 17 points a game. That is winning defense in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:14:37 I think that there's the weaknesses. I don't think we're breaking any news. I think everyone at home can kind of see where we're, you know, where people are trying to attack this defense. But you're right. I agree. When you look at the Rams game, it's like, there's some times where you like just have to tip your cap to Matt Stafford.

Starting point is 00:14:54 He made some plays. I think the Devante Adams touchdown was probably one of his better ones where it's just like, there's no, there's no good defense for the perfect offense. I truly believe that. Like on every play, the offense should be able to get. That's just the way that I think that there's no defense out there that should be able to stop an offense if you make the perfect throw and the perfect play. And that just happened to the Colts at some points.

Starting point is 00:15:18 I think it's really interesting. I think they're still kind of searching for their identity a little bit where like they're still trying to figure out what they're really good at, what they're, you know, kind of weak points are. And I think that that'll happen just as the year goes on. But like you can kind of start to see things clicking, particularly on the back end that they're having guys. It's really like I told you, I think one of the things that's struggled with the past

Starting point is 00:15:38 defense is they've just started different guys. different spots like they haven't rolled out the same secondary um yet so i think that you you hope for good help there i think the safeties have been great um Mick cross is is having a really really good year i think he's an extension candidate for sure um and uh yeah i mean i i'm nothing but pleased so far but i think it's like what we're seeing now isn't what the finished product is yeah i've always said this i think it's going to look a lot better come december uh and especially going into like next season when they bring a lot of these guys back and Luana Rumo's likely still the guy.

Starting point is 00:16:13 I think that we're going to see this defense even take another step forward, even though defense is hard to project from year to year. But I think the more that they work in this system, the better these guys are going to be. But I'm liking what I'm seeing. And I think it's really interesting because Alan Pinkett over on our squad show, former NFL running back, he always talks about how this Colts defense feels very Ben, don't break. And I agree with that to the extent where they don't give up many big plays. Outside of Mackay Blackman's feet getting in the way, they don't give up many big plays

Starting point is 00:16:40 on this defense which again we were joking before we jumped on it's like we need him to fall down in zone coverage not press man that's the worst time to fall down like please stop falling down and press man it's funny that like the the two times that he's got he's fell it's been in situations where it's like it's so obvious and it's become easy play for the office right the two times you can't fall or the times that he's fallen but besides that they don't give up many big plays because they are tackling very well because they are rallying to the football really well and it ends up looking bend don't break but i think what's different from the way the colts have run defense in the past with matt eberfluse and gus bradley

Starting point is 00:17:17 where their whole philosophy was we're going to run the same cover cover concepts on most plays we're going to rally to the football tackle you short punch the ball out if you have to go 15 plays down the field to score on us we're going to have 15 opportunities to punch that ball out or get interception on a tip ball or something like that with louis and arumo though they do subscribe to that a little bit where again we're going to rally we're going to tackle we're going to force you into long drives but he throws a lot of change-ups in there. There's a lot of change-ups, there's a lot of curveballs. So, you know, you'll be getting out there for a second and six after a productive run,

Starting point is 00:17:48 and you'll get this six-man pressure concept, or you'll get the safety blitzing off the back side to try to force you into that negative play and push you behind the sticks into their pass coverage they want you to. You'll be getting zoned for most to drive, and then they'll throw this press man coverage with two high safeties or with a robber in the middle of the field that really just mix, like just muddies the pocket and muddies what's going on. And we saw that in this game where the Raiders had pretty good success rate on offense, but when the Colts needed to play, they would throw in that one blitz. They would throw in this man coverage thing. They threw in the trap coverage, the palms coverage that got the interception

Starting point is 00:18:23 from Mackay Blackman. That was just a great change up to what the Colts were seeing in that game. All game long, they were getting hit in the with those hitches and those outbreakers, throw in that palms coverage to trap it and take that ball away, had two guys there to take that interception away. Just little things like that. So it's like, It's bend don't break, but we're not going to bend and just let you bend us. We're going to also throw in these changeups, throw in these curve balls that can take the ball away, force negatives, and get you off track. And I think that's where this defense is finding success right now.

Starting point is 00:18:54 Yeah, I think the other thing, too, is like, Lou Aniruma wants to dictate what you do. And I think that we saw that. I thought, you know, watching the game live, like, one of the things it was almost like confusing is how many times they tried to test Charverius Wars. Yeah, that's insanely stupid. I'm looking at this. I'm like, what, like, what are we doing? Like, like, I almost got frustrated for Raiders fans because that's, like,

Starting point is 00:19:15 the wrong way to attack this defense. Like, Traverer's ward is obviously having a great year, but like, Mackay Blackman isn't necessarily having this, like, that's where I would go. Like, that's what, that's the thing that I think that is different. I think the other thing, too, is like, Lou and Irma wants to get you to the checkdown as quick as possible. I think that's the difference where, like, you know, Gus Bradley, we're going to play our cover three.

Starting point is 00:19:35 You can find your cover three meters. We'll rally tackle. that's kind of our bend but don't break type style i think here it's like how can we just like change the picture on you post nap how can we have um press man coverage that's clearly that's what they want to do they want to be a press man team i think they're working through that how can we disrupt the timing and get you just to the checkdown that's not open that's not open let me get you to the checkdown um and i think that they've that's really been um and then and then they'll get that change up where they can like get those kind of game breaking plays i think lou has been really good

Starting point is 00:20:07 from like considering some of the like clear weaknesses i think it's funny because like last year there wasn't like necessarily like a um guy that the defense just had to keep throwing at because you could throw at everyone like there was just all this space on this coverage i think it's almost like a um an advantage in some ways where you know that that's how they're going to attack you they're going to throw there so how can we how can we fix that and i think that that's helped them as well and i think like there's some guys just stepping up i think i want to i want to bring this take up because i want to run this by you but before I just recklessly say that.

Starting point is 00:20:38 I think Grover Stewart is having a career year on passingouts. I'm not sure that I've ever seen him in terms of, like, he's never going to, like, rally a bunch of sacks and pressures. But, like, the tip on the lot to play was incredible. I know the Colts, the Pat McAfee show said it today. They thought they had an advantage there with how Gino releases the ball. They thought they could get their hands on some. They certainly did.

Starting point is 00:21:00 I've really been impressed with him. And, like, I know this pass rush is a work in progress. I'm sure we can, that's probably a missing piece there. but like he's been such a big part and I hope that he's healthy because I think he was a big part of the game as well. Yeah, we'll segue that into the final segment when we're talking more big picture stuff. But I will say in particular about that tip ball, that was one of the biggest plays of the game because that was a touchdown. They beat the Colts with a high, low concept there and the low defender carried, I think, an outbreaking route when he should have sunk.

Starting point is 00:21:30 And they both rallied to the outbreaking route, which left the deep dig open. So that was that was an easy touchdown an uncontested touchdown instead it's a big interception that changes the flow of the game Colts go down and score with no time left after that and instead of it being a one score game or nearly a tied game it's or I guess like it would be like a four point game instead it's a massive like almost three score league they had a couple of those too I think by there was there was a couple of those as well the um I can think of a couple there was maybe like not necessarily a game-breaking play per se, but like they've definitely had some of those

Starting point is 00:22:08 where like it looks like, hey, that someone's busted a coverage, but someone makes a play somewhere else. And I just think that that's where you see this defense starts to get better and better each week. But it's good that they're making plays. They're just great. Complementary defense, complimentary offense,

Starting point is 00:22:22 complimentary football from this Colts team. They've been playing just some great football. And that's how you get to four and one in the NFL. But coming up, we're going to talk about some big picture stuff, offense, defense, special teams. Just kind of our overall thoughts on this Colts team through five games. I know they haven't played the toughest strength of schedule, but they're making the most of it by killing everyone that's not on their levels.

Starting point is 00:22:41 So I think we're feeling good, but we're going to talk about it more here in just a second. The NFL season is here, and Fanduel has an offer that you don't want to miss. Right now, new customers can bet just $500 and get $300 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, take a bet, put down $5, and if it hits, you'll unlock $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. It makes watching football even more exciting when you've got a little something right. in on the action. So whether you're a casual fan or love diving into the stats, Fanduel makes the game to experience so much better. So what are you guys waiting for? Visit Fanduil.com to download the Fandul app today and get started.

Starting point is 00:23:20 All right, Locked on Colts everydayers. We're back talking about this Colts team. They're sitting pretty at four and one coming off a 34 point victory at home over the Las Vegas Raiders. There's not much to critique about this team. I think there's just stuff to praise right now. and I want to go back more into the offense for sure, Ben, but I did want to just throw this little thing out there about just the special teams play and the coaching on that end this year. I think Brian Mason has been an unsung hero for the Colts this season.

Starting point is 00:23:47 Think about how many times they've stolen points from opponents. I mean, the Denver Broncos game, they only win because of the special teams unit because of drawing the leverage call, getting that retry at the kick and winning the game because of that. That's the first time they've impacted it. The block kick against the Tennessee Titans was a six-point. swing right before halftime, where the Colts went down and got three of their own, and that essentially put that game away right there. And then I think the defining moments in this past

Starting point is 00:24:12 game that really contributed to this being an absolute beatdown were the block punt early by Shagoo Alubi. And then the kick out of bounds, which, I mean, that is outstanding coaching. To know something the rest don't even know. That when you kick it out of bounds, it moved them back to the 25. It made the Raiders have to settle for a 50, what, 59-yard kick. and they missed it, and the Colts ended up gaining points on that, essentially. Again, they took points off the board from the Raiders. So special teams have been the hidden gems for the Colts this year. Their kick coverage has been better.

Starting point is 00:24:45 Their punt team has been great when they punt. Like, everything's been good on special teams this year. So while we're praising Seikin, while we're praising Luana Rumo, I want to give Brian Mason a little bit of a shout out there. I also think that we, I just want to throw this in quickly, the Rams, some of the knuckleball stuff they were doing, I mean, Anthony Gold was all over that. that killed the Eagles and some of the other teams too. I think Brian Mason absolutely deserves a lot of credit for some of just like the

Starting point is 00:25:11 small. And they don't come across as small things. Like you look at the box score. It's like, okay, what did special teams really do, you know, to help us out? But like these little things that have won them games and contributed to winning them games. I mean, that's when you know you're locked in, like just as a team. Like when you can have all these little things go like contribute and it's not just like, hey, like, Jonathan Taylor ran for four touchdowns and 300 yards, and that's really why we won the game. It's like everyone is doing their part. And I think that that's why that's how you

Starting point is 00:25:40 get to those kind of a four and one with three extremely convincing wins. Yeah. And to go, I mean, we can say offense and defense in this regard, but offense, I think in particular, the way they're beating you is just so many different ways. And this is why I think this offense is not only sustainable, but it's sustainably like at a high level. I don't think this, like, for, For all the early season talk, like, this is the Saints again. Obviously, that's not the case. This team is going to be. But, like, even for some of the talk, like, even what I was doing, like, a week or two ago saying, like,

Starting point is 00:26:10 oh, yeah, there'll be, like, the 8 to 12 ranked offense by the end of the season. He'll come back to Earth a little bit. I don't know how much this can come back to Earth unless they suffer injuries on offense, because it's just such a well-oiled machine right now. And like you alluded to in the first segment, it's not just beating you one way. And it's not even just beating you with, like, one personnel grouping, either, you know? week one and week five here we saw a lot of 13 personnel all of a sudden 13 personnel is this huge thing the Colts are running in between there smashed in there a lot of 12 personnel uh we go

Starting point is 00:26:42 back to the titans game they're doing naked boots on almost every single pass play we go to this game it's a lot of 11 personnel passes and 12 personnel passes and the 13 personnel shot play to ashton dulin of all people you know you're locked in ashton dulin looks like a viable starting receiver yeah yeah dula's great like yeah dulin's awesome but he's a special teamer that can fill in I underestimated him. Like, I know we've seen him play, but, like, I just didn't, I didn't, that, I mean, he rose to the occasion. And, like, that's when, like, I think you have to credit obviously the staff.

Starting point is 00:27:12 You have to credit obviously Ashton Dool-in. And then you probably have to credit Daniel Jones a little bit in there, too, making that you talk about quarterbacks that make the most of their playmakers. And, like, the fact that Ashton Dool-in looked really good last, you know, yesterday. I get it. It's the Raider secondary. All this going to stop. Still, I mean, like, he had some plays where he took some big hits as well.

Starting point is 00:27:32 Like, he just, I mean, he was incredible. Yeah. So it's just, everything is just working on offense. And I struggle to see where, like, again, the Rams game was probably the best example of how you can get after them, which is just absolutely kill them in the trenches with great front foreplay and then have an attacking zone coverage behind them. But how many teams are capable of doing that? And even then, the Colts nearly put up 34 on the Rams with that thing. So it's like, I don't know, man. I don't know.

Starting point is 00:28:01 I just, like, I just don't see it. Yeah, I will say this. At home this year, I don't think anyone's going to slow down this offense. This offense is just going to be insane at home all season long. I think part of that is, you know, obviously being in a dome, I think is like it probably a big help. Like Jones, I think Jones's arm has actually been better than I've given it credit for. Now, he does struggle on some of the ones, just the long area or throws. It's like, you're going to take a couple of those each game.

Starting point is 00:28:26 If you hit them, it's not. They don't have to be a staple of your offense the way it was last year. I probably shouldn't be because I don't think that it might have looked cool, but it didn't contribute to wins. But, you know, when you get into those later games, and I'm sure we can talk about this, just with the Colts looking like a potential playoff team, a probable playoff team, is like what that looks like.

Starting point is 00:28:45 Because I think that is a factor with Daniel Jones is about being able to play in a play in a dome like that. But, yeah, I just don't see a way if everyone stays healthy. I think there's some people that contribute to this team in a massive way. I think Tyler Warren, like that's a guy. If he stays healthy, like he's just the glue. guy where it's like he's credible in the run game he makes such a difference he's also credible in the past game where he's like there are some plays i mean there was a play versus tennessee where

Starting point is 00:29:10 they like they basically played three buzz to it where the where the safety's rotating down and basically creates this massive window for alec pierce and it's like that's the type of stuff that like it was literally the reverse of that where they were pushing coverage away from the tight ends because they know that moali cox and drollard ogletree aren't like a legitimate receiving threat so like Right. They're making you defend every blade of grass. It's really, really tough to stop. Yeah, I mean, heck, the Doolin big play in this past game came because they were in 13 personnel and they had a sale concept with Warren running a deep corner underneath the vertical ball to Doolin. And the deep safety abandoned Doolin completely and came down to cover Warren and double Warren on the corner route because Warren has this just gravity about him right now. He's the leading tight end receiver in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:29:54 He's the leading. I think he has the leading. He leads the Colts and targets. I would guess. Yeah, it has to. Him or Pittman have to lead the Colts and targets at this point. So, yeah, it's just an offense that's going to be sustainable. And then flipping to the defense, I don't think they're going to be as good as the offense by any means this season. They just have too many holes and not the same amount of ways to beat you in consistency. But I think the one thing that's going to stick with them all year is they're going to be competitive.

Starting point is 00:30:20 They're going to make their tackles in the open field. And they're going to take the ball away. So as long as the Colts offense can get to their 30 points, like they've been. doing or their high 20s even because I'm not going to say that you have the 30s is like yeah yeah 30s are great but like high 20s whatever it is right like can keep this just move moving the ball forward every single week like this defense doesn't need to be perfect just keep taking the ball away being opportunistic getting the ball back to the offense and forcing field goals when you can and I think with the way that Luann Rumo throws in these changeups and also with the guys they do

Starting point is 00:30:53 have in Charveris Ward and Cameron buying him and I mean I think Franklin had his best game of year on Sunday as well. I think that they're going to be able to do that. So I think this Colts team is going to be in the running for like a top seat in the AFC. Like again, we've got to see like the really tough teams that are coming up. They have big games against the Chiefs. They have the 49ers. They have the Steelers. Like some good teams coming up. But as of right now, there's no reason to think the Colts can't win any of those games. They are a well oil machine right now. Yeah, I think like I know there's a lot of, like, Colts contender talk right now. And I always try and temper my expectations because things can move in a hurry in the

Starting point is 00:31:30 National Football League. The way I think about it, and it's not like, I don't want to be like the rain on the parade guy. Like, I'm not trying to, I'm not trying to be that guy. But, like, right now, the Colts have a two-game lead on the division. We'll see what happens on Monday Night Football. But, like, things can change. And I don't see this as like a totally falling off type of situation. But, you know, I mean, they have played who they played.

Starting point is 00:31:51 And I don't think the strength of schedule is like the, they've won convincing. like they have told you that we are much, much better than these teams. I just think that, like, it's very hard to be a team that earns the Super Bowl contender talk in October, especially with no previous playoff pedigree. Like, if you want to say that about Josh Allen and his, like, they have, that team has been to the playoffs year after year after year. Like, they're going to be in the contender talk. The Colts really don't have that.

Starting point is 00:32:15 They're just playing lights out football right now. And I just want to see it continue. And before I'm ready to say all that kind of stuff. but like man it's like it's hard to believe how it wouldn't like they're just playing incredibly in a way that doesn't even make it doesn't make you feel fluky like yeah they had the leverage penalty but that was also it wasn't necessarily lucked more than it was strategy at that point and honestly they were the better they went to the red zone six times in that game like they moved the ball they didn't punt in the game so it's like yeah so it's like it's not

Starting point is 00:32:44 like you know like if they would have lost the game it would have been oh they lost the game they should have won they just ended up winning at the end of it uh so yeah i mean look they'll lose some games this year they're not going to win out at this point they'll lose a couple games they'll have a couple duds for sure but i mean look they got to go 500 the rest of the way to be a 10 win team right now i think we can say they're probably going to be a 10 plus win team unless injuries pile up and i i just i think things feel i mean look i will say this as someone who has covered the colts since 2018 i've seen playoff teams in indy uh i get nervous every single weekend typically, I didn't really have any fears on Sunday whatsoever. I went into that game

Starting point is 00:33:24 confident that they were going to get back on track. I mean, look, the anxiety came in a little bit after the first two drives of the game for both teams because I was like, oh, man, this might be a letdown game. But I really never had a doubt in my mind that they were going to win this game and they won it handedly. And I don't think I could ever really say that about a Colts team. This Colts team just feels different. They feel mature. They feel professional. They feel ready for the moment and you know again even with the rivers and luck teams that went to the playoffs i was always like oh man like i don't know if they can really compete with the mahomes or the bills type teams but this colts team just feels different in a sense where i think they can give these teams their

Starting point is 00:33:59 best shot and i think they're going to be a tough out for anybody and we'll see how the roster shapes up especially with you know obviously injuries but i think there's i think this is the one time you look at the deadline and you're like what are the colts going to do because obviously the trade deadline is not like the baseball trade deadline. It's not like you all looking for your there's buyers and they're sellers, but the players that you're buying and you're selling are not like game changing guys. But can they go and find a guy that's going to, you know, maybe potentially not see less than, you know, five, six weeks on the roster, whatever it is? You know, I know there's some big, big name that I don't necessarily see that happening. But like if you can if you can find a

Starting point is 00:34:42 corner to play good football opposite Charvarius Ward. It makes this defense a lot tougher to defend. I think the other part two, obviously, that we all know. And I was telling this to Zach off air is like the story is about the pass rush because everyone's really been worried about the pass rush. It's been so much about Laotu Latu, but like I think they're really struggling to find guys to win one-on-one matchups when the protection plan is pretty simple. Let's get a double on Buckner and then let's chip Latu and then it's pretty much dead from

Starting point is 00:35:11 there. And, like, that's where you have guys like Samson-Evacom, Tyquan, Louis, quidipa, have to win their one-on-one matchups when you're back there. And I think if you can find a guy that potentially is there, I doubt it. But if you can find it, that would go so, that would make such a difference for this defense. Yeah, for sure. There's still some areas they can improve and be better. But overall, I mean, look, the culture is sitting at plus 74 point differential through five games.

Starting point is 00:35:35 Number two offense in the league, number six defense. This is one of the best teams in the NFL. Yeah, it's one of the best teams in the NFL. I don't think this is a fluke. I think this is a good, competitive team that feels different this year. Feel mature, feel professional, and they feel ready for the moment. And we're excited to cover it here. As people who have covered the Colts last couple years, it's exciting to see.

Starting point is 00:35:55 So, yeah, we're excited about the Colts going forward, and it's going to be fun breaking all this down. But we want to thank you guys for making Locked-on culture first listen of the day. The NFL season is finally here. So if your next listen, get a double dose of Locked-on NFL podcast. Tyler, the Madman Rolling gives you a shot of NFL Express. so to start your day. Well, Tony Wiggins takes you into the barbershop for the smoothest breakdowns to end the day.

Starting point is 00:36:16 Find Locked on NFL on YouTube or wherever you list to your podcast. If you guys want to become a Lockdown Colts insider and chat with this direct link at insider scoop, follow the link in our show notes. And if you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts, at Jake Arthur, NFL, at Zach Kix 2, and at Colts Film Room, all on socials. Also subscribe to us on YouTube where we list to your podcast. We love you guys, ratings, reviews. And we'll catch you guys back here tomorrow afternoon.

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