Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - EXPECTATIONS: Indianapolis Colts' Shane Steichen, Daniel Jones Under PRESSURE to Return to Form

Starting point is 00:00:01 The entire NFL is officially an offseason mode. So let's give you our offensive primer for the Indianapolis Colts. 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. Welcome to the Locked on Colts podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network around. Today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel.

Starting point is 00:00:37 The Winter Games are on. and there's no better way to follow them than with a bet on Fanduel. FanDuel, play your game. Hello, everyone. My name is Zach Hickcher, resident film nerd of Horseshoehuddle.com, and I'm joined, as always, by Jake Arthur. The boots on the ground over at Roundtable Sports. And like I mentioned, guys, Super Bowl is now behind us.

Starting point is 00:00:57 We are officially in off-season mode for all 32 NFL teams. Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks, obviously. And we are going to be diving into some primers for this cold. offseason. We've done a lot of precursor analysis on free agency and potential moves the Colts can make. But let's give you this overall rundown on both sides of the ball when it comes to the Colts. So today, we're going to dive into the offense. Tomorrow we'll dive into the defense. And we're going to give you guys all the info you need in terms of in-house free agents, who's under contract and expectations going forward. So Jake, let's kick us off here with our

Starting point is 00:01:35 in-house free agents. And obviously the two big ones, Daniel, Jones and Alec Pierce, the ones who I think are going to be the biggest priorities for the Colts heading into the offseason here. Yeah, it's funny because most of our focus on acquisition, this offseason has been on defense. We've talked a lot about defense. And it feels like it's because Jones and Pierce is a foregone conclusion. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:01:59 Like they've kind of already not even beat around the bush. They basically said we're confident we're going to get this done. These guys are very high priorities. both of them have said they want each other back. And with Daniel Jones and the Achilles, it kind of makes it a lot more doable. I mean, it was going to happen anyways, but maybe you get a cheaper figure out of this. Chris Ballard said, you know, he's got a good agent. We'll figure it out there.

Starting point is 00:02:26 I don't know how much the dollar figure is going to be a hit, maybe like it guarantees. But you've got to imagine there's a fair amount of language in there. like if he's not ready to play by this mark if he gets injured again by the you know stuff like that so with with jones and pierce being your two highest priority for agents on the whole team regardless of side of the ball um i i think you have to do that just in general to fit your identity because when we forecast the season it's really difficult to even fathom what this looks like without Jones at quarterback or without Alec Pierce at receiver. Because who is your field stretcher?

Starting point is 00:03:09 Who occupies the attention of the opponent's secondary without Pierce out there? I mean, we're used to a revolving door at quarterback. So like that's not going to be new territory if disaster happens. But we did see what the first half of last year looked like. And it gives you a little bit of hope that they can reclaim at least some of it. So yeah, when it comes to Jones and Pierce, the highest priorities because they've kind of hedged their bets in 2026 on reclaiming the momentum they had from the first half of the season. And I don't think you can do that without both of those guys.

Starting point is 00:03:47 Yeah, the simple argument here is you're not going to find a quarterback who played as well as Daniel Jones just out there this off season. Daniel Jones, who is arguably, I don't even, I don't even want to say arguably here. He has been the best quarterback in Indies since Philip Rivers. And the arguable part is, was he better than Philip Rivers? that season. And I think it's a good debate here. So arguably the best quarterback since Andrew Luck in Indianapolis. And Alec Pierce, there's no chance of replacing that production over the course of next season or the year after, I think, in terms of on a rookie deal or in free agencies. So get them both back here. Go your little all-in the next year or two and go from there. But what

Starting point is 00:04:26 comes really interesting, Jake, is like the next line of priority free agents on offense, because it's a big drop-off, right? Daniel Jones and Alec Pierce, the priorities. Then you get to like Braden Smith, where it's like this guy who's been here for a long time. They have an easy way to pivot from him to a younger offensive tackle and Jalen Travis, but we see in the NFL, sometimes it's tough to like let go of an older offensive lineman that you know can do it for a younger unproven player because the risk there is pretty big. And then some other veterans who have been here for a while, like Moe Allie Cox, obviously is a guy who's been here for a longer than Brayden Smith, technically, in the Colts organization.

Starting point is 00:05:07 Do you opt to go younger than him or do you bring him back? But I think those are certainly the bigger conversations after the top two. It's Brayn Smith, Moe-A-Ley-Cox. Moe probably a lot more feasible to bring back. But Brayn-Smith, I think there at least will be a conversation, even if it's kind of a quick conversation and saying, hey, we're going to Jalen Travis. Yeah, I don't expect there to be a whole lot of competing back and forth

Starting point is 00:05:31 between Braden Smith and the Colts. Whatever happens, I feel like it's going to be very amicable. We talked to Braden in the locker room late in the season, and he seems very at peace with whatever happens. Like he was able to accomplish what he needed to, and coming back from all the OCD and the mental hangups that he was having at the end of 2024, he was able to come back and play at a high level.

Starting point is 00:05:57 Now, with the Colts, if they say, you know, Braden, thank you so much for, everything you've done, but we got a younger guy in here without, you know, all that tread on the tires. I think he would understand that as well. And I don't even, you know, at least when we spoke with him last, I don't even think if he knew that if his time with the Colts was over, if he would even go somewhere else and play, you know what I mean? Now, he could still command high dollar because he's a high quality veteran offensive linemen, and those are always hard to come by when they hit the open market. But for me, it kind of comes on the injury thing.

Starting point is 00:06:31 If the injuries weren't such a consistent issue with him, I would be a lot more open to it. But I'm very much more interested to see what Jalen Travis has to offer. He, you know, Braden's had the knee that nagged him for a couple years. He ended up on IR again this year with the concussion in the neck. I think he had like an elbow and a wrist. Like there's just been a lot of stuff he's dealt with. And so the Colts are kind of given this out to go to Jalen Travis. So I think it's probably the wise thing to do.

Starting point is 00:07:01 It's the cheaper thing to do. Because if you can get startable offensive linemen on rookie deals, that is very wise. And then you had mentioned Mo Allie Cox as well. Last year, I kind of beat the drum saying either or Moe Alley Cox or Drew Ogletree. And they're both free agents this year. Maybe that's the choice again. I know they really like both of them as blockers. And it opens up a lot of doors in their run game to have them out there.

Starting point is 00:07:28 but is it necessary? Like they're both going to be cheap. You know, Mo Alley Cox has gone out and tested the market last year. So you know you will be able to bring him back on a cheaper deal because he's gone on the open market before. But yeah, those guys, maybe it's finally either or maybe you finally get contributions from Will Mallory if they will allow that. Yeah, let's teach Will Mallory how to block and maybe he can get on the field this next season. He's so close. He's three years.

Starting point is 00:07:59 We've got to get ready, man. We've got to get out there and block a little bit. But we do have some other free agents here on offense. And that's kind of the end of the big names. But in terms of unrestricted free agents, Danny Pinter is yet again hitting it. I don't think he spent any of his career outside of Indiana. So I doubt he'd be going anywhere. I don't know if he even knows the rest of the world outside of Indiana at this point, playing at Ball State and then coming to the Colts.

Starting point is 00:08:23 So Danny Pinter, I probably would expect me back on a one-year deal. Drew Ogletree, who you mentioned there, there is some debate on whether he's restricted or unrestricted free agent. We're going to figure that out by the next couple episodes of calling all of our contacts in the league because of his time spent on the commissioner's exempt list. There is like the potential that he could be a restricted free agent, but we will see with that. And then the other actual restricted free agents, Tyler Goodson and Savon Ahmed, DJ Montgomery and Luke Tanuda on the offensive line. It's good. That's the restricted one. Ahmed is a UF. Oh, he's an under-

Starting point is 00:08:59 Okay, so Ahmed is an unrestricted free agent as well. But yeah, Goodson, Montgomery, and Luke Tanuda are all restricted free agents. We know that one for fact at least. So, yeah, I think there's some notable guys that you at least bring back for camp bodies like Goodson and Montgomery and Tanuda, I thought, played pretty well in his one game that he played this year. So get them back for like camp bodies at the worst. But overall, like, yeah, outside of Jones and Pierce, it's not like the biggest free agent

Starting point is 00:09:24 crop on offense. Yeah, you kind of are you're starting to look at niche guys and like roster fillers at this point. But with Goodson, especially being a restricted for agent, I think that one's a no-brainer. Like that's your other gunner opposite of Ashton Doolin. Nothing he does on offense really moves me, but having two valuable gunners, like we've seen Brian Mason's special teams units are really, really good. Like very high ranking across the league, whether it's punt team or a kickoff. So giving him back all of his best assets, I'm fully in favor for. And restricted offers are so cheap.

Starting point is 00:10:03 So when it comes to goods and go ahead, Ahmed obviously had that awful leg injury, the friendly fire and training camp. So that is probably the end of the line for him. He was already a multi-year veteran anyways. Montgomery was on IR all year. You know, he has looked fine before. So that's, it's, eh, what, what's it matter?

Starting point is 00:10:24 But then, yeah, Luke Tunita, I think the fact that he finally found his way onto a game day roster is maybe enough for them to give him a cheap one-year deal just to come in and compete in training camp. Kind of same with Pinter, although Pinter's got a little more rope on there and some equity with this team. And then Blake Groupie, if we're just throwing in kind of wild cards as well. We've talked about him until you know what you have with Spencer Schrader coming back from the knee injury. I think you got to go ahead and bring Ruby back because he was pretty excellent last year. Yeah, as long as he's not getting starter money from somewhere else. Like, yeah, bring him back.

Starting point is 00:11:00 One thing I will say about Luke Tanuda real quick before we go to our second segment, fewer sacks allowed against that Seattle defense than Will Campbell, a top five pick in his past track. And also every other starter across the Patriots offensive line. I feel like they all gave up multiple sacks in that game. Luke Tanuda locking it down against Seattle in that game with Philip Rivers and his 2.1 seconds to throw in that one. But coming up, we're going to continue this conversation about the Colts offense,

Starting point is 00:11:25 talking about who's under contract and what the roster looks like as of right now on that side of the ball. The winter games are officially here, Olympic heads. And if you're anything like us, you're locking in for the events that you only get to see on the biggest stage every four years. And that's why following the winter games on Fandul just makes sense. From metal counts to individual events to finding your angle on the sports that you care about most, Fandle gives you more ways to stay connected to the action. The drama of curling matches that start slow and somehow get intense super fast, speed skating races decided by inches.

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Starting point is 00:12:34 All right, welcome back. Everydayers, we are setting the plate for you for the Colts offensive portion of the offseason. But first, again, thank you for making us your first listen of the day. Real quick, if you haven't already, go ahead and join our Everydayers club. You get our audio ad free and you get an invite to our Discord server where you can see Zach and I yapping with other fans of the show. You could be one of them as well. It's not just Colts. You know, the Super Bowl is on.

Starting point is 00:13:04 We talk about that stuff, the Olympics, which we just discussed. So we would love to have you guys on to continue talking about, of course, this offensive portion of the offseason. So we talked about who the free agents are, Zach. Now let's talk about who's actually under contract because it gets pretty interesting. here because they're projected to be under contract now, but maybe not so much come September. So looking at quarterback, Anthony Richardson, Senior, Riley Leonard, and Seth Hennigan. That one quarterback is very interesting. That's the big X factor because you know Daniel Jones is going to come back to the fray.

Starting point is 00:13:40 But if you're asking me for my thoughts on it, I think it's going to be probably Daniel Jones, Riley, Leonard, and Seth Hennigan, that seems to be, like if I had to throw money, on it. Those would be my three quarterbacks going into September. I wouldn't put so much confidence in Hennigan. I think a day. Okay. The low hanging for it. No, no, no. I'm saying in terms of, I think they will have three quarterbacks, maybe four quarterbacks. But like Hennigan, I don't think is going to be that third guy. I think we'll see a veteran brought in here to be another guy in the room. I don't think it'll be someone has high profile as like a, even like a flacco, like it was a couple years ago. Probably just more of, um, probably just more of,

Starting point is 00:14:21 of a typical guy that we pass around the league. Maybe Josh Johnson comes back for another run in Indianapolis, right? Kyle Trask. Right. Like that type of player at the bottom of the roster. Because I do think that the Colts are high on Rylander to be a backup caliber quarterback this next season. But I do agree with you that I don't think it'll be Anthony Richardson on the roster.

Starting point is 00:14:40 I'm not going to say that the book is absolutely closed on that. But I think it's in both sides' best interest to move on from Richardson. But yeah, I think it'll be Jones, Leonard. and then some older, some guy around my age probably just kind of that you've heard the name of. And he's thrown a couple passes in the NFL and that'll be your quarterback room going into camp. Looking at running back though, Jake, Jonathan Taylor, DJ Giddens, and then Alan Pinkett's boy, Ulysses Brentley, the fourth, the fourth, right? I'm not great with Roman numerals. Ulysses Bentley the fourth.

Starting point is 00:15:17 And I think this is another room where like, it's all Jonathan Taylor. We know that. We hope for a little jump from DJ Giddens in terms of his pass blocking so we can get on the field next year. But I think this is another area where it's like it would really help to add some guys in that room in terms of like a low end. I don't know. Like again, like a day three draft pick again to compete or maybe like a low end guy on free agency that can kind of come in here and take some carries from Taylor. Because I don't I don't know how many more seasons we're going to get of Taylor where he's 100% healthy all year long. Yeah, and it's another year where it was well over, you know, 300 touches.

Starting point is 00:15:55 So you've got to kind of limit that. And historically around the league, unless you're Derek Henry, a lot of the guys that touch the ball that much, they've got a lot of issues the following year. So you can't go into it right now with Taylor, Giddens and Bentley being your guys. Like, you just need more. Number one, you need insurance for Taylor. And you need someone to spell him, just like you mentioned. So looking back at Chris Ballard's end-season press conference, when he was asked, like, what the Colts need to really address the most this offseason.

Starting point is 00:16:30 Obviously, he talked about what was going on on defense, but with offense, he said they want to be able to run the ball when they need to and when they want to. Not just running it throughout the game and establishing it and you get 150 yards because you've been running it 30 times. like I looked at the numbers for the Patriots and the Seahawks when I was doing yesterday's show. And their rushing numbers, it didn't seem like they were just pounding at all game. They ran the ball when they needed to. And that was kind of the mark of championship teams here. And I think that's really what the Colts want to strive to do. You know, we saw early when they went heavy with the past early in games and then they ran the ball when they wanted to end the game and run out the

Starting point is 00:17:15 clock. So I think they would like to do that. And we saw their intentions last off season. They added Khalil Herbert and for agency. They drafted DJ Giddens who they had much higher aspirations for than what we ultimately saw him live up to. I think good money says we get another Khalil Herbert level signing, which he didn't even make it to week one. So like that's not, it's not like a huge splash in the pond there. But like a veteran who they would be comfortable having on the roster to take some to take some carries um because i i don't i think they still like dj giddens but it's just not smart to put much on his plate knowing what he didn't show last year uh plus he doesn't really play special teams so yeah you need someone with a little more versatility

Starting point is 00:18:05 there because i really don't think they just want to pound taylor into the ground this year yeah architect archetype wise i'd prefer like a zach moss type of play player, a guy who can pass protect. So do they. They've been chasing that along the way. A guy who can pass protect and a guy who can get those tough yards. I think a Zach Moss type player would be very good alongside Jonathan Taylor. Looking at wide receiver and tight end as well at wide receiver, we got Michael Pittman Jr.

Starting point is 00:18:28 Josh Downs, Ashton Doolin, Anthony Gould, the goat, Coleman Owen, and then Eli Pankle, Pankle. Pankel. Pankle. I put an A instead of an O. It's Pankole. Pencole, okay. That's my spelling error. Okay. Ruining me with the script.

Starting point is 00:18:44 here. I feel like Ron Burgundy here reading the script a little wrong. And then at tight end, we got Tyler Warren, Will Mallory, and Sean McKeown. I believe I got that one right there. So obviously you can see the importance of the free agents at these two positions, like getting Alex Pierce back, makes the wide receiver room a look a little bit better, although Michael Pittman Jr's contract is up in the air. And then tight end, like obviously you can't go into next year with Warren, Mallory, and McKeown. You don't have a blocker in that room right there. So you got at least get one of those two tight ends back. maybe still bolster that room with somebody else.

Starting point is 00:19:17 Wide receiver, I still think even if you do get Pierce and find some way to make Michael Pittman Jr. work going forward, you still probably need to add another guy to that room, whether it's a late pick or a low-end free agent as well. Yeah, just kind of like quarterback, the wide receiver room is going to be pretty interesting because you can go ahead and throw Pierce back in there. We know that's going to happen unless some other team comes in and blows the doors off. But with Pittman, I think the most likely scenario is an extension where they move money around and add void years or something.

Starting point is 00:19:51 You made a really good point recently that trading him is tough because another team has to take on the cap figure that the Colts would be looking to shed. Right. They would take on 24 for one year. Part of it. So not the full 29, but they would take on 24 for one year. It's still a lot because the production hasn't necessarily been there. And he's not like he's not got elite speed. or anything. So trading him at least for like around three or four pick, I think would be tough.

Starting point is 00:20:18 You're not getting a three or four fair. Right. So I think what they would prefer to do is the extension type. You look at DeForest Buckner a couple years ago, add a couple void years at the end. You open up $13, $12, $13 million or whatever because the contracts were comparable there. So if I had to guess, that's what they would prefer to do. Because do you really want to have to go and try and find a new receiver as well with how much attention the defense needs. So, yeah, as far as receiver goes, it may look a little different, but I think they'd love to have Pierce Ambitman back. I don't disagree with you.

Starting point is 00:20:54 I just disagree with the approach when it comes to that, but that is all right there. It's what they do, though. I know, I know. I said I was making, I was, you know, being crazy with Ben Boris on here about that a couple months ago. So I totally get what you're saying. I'm just saying that I don't agree with it. Real quick on O-line, though, they have their five-star.

Starting point is 00:21:11 is likely in place with Reimann, Nelson, Bordellini, Consolvis, and Travis. The depth is a little bit questionable, though, with Tucker and Blake Freeland being your next guys up. We got comedian Bill Murray is also going to be in the mix, it looks like. Ghostbusters. Yeah, Ghostbusters. Great.

Starting point is 00:21:28 You know, Space Jam is going to be in there. Some interesting pieces, too, like Byron Matos and Jack Wilson, both like 10 feet tall offensive linemen, Jimmy Morrissey out of Pittsburgh a couple years ago. So they have some young guys, but I think we'll see a good chunk of change on the offensive line as well. But what are the expectations for offense? You know, even if we anticipate Pierce back, Pitman back, I guess, in some capacity,

Starting point is 00:21:53 according to Jake, Daniel Jones back. What can we expect from this offense going forward into next season? All right, guys, it's tax season. And tax season does not have to take over your whole life. This year, TurboTax is making it easier than ever to just hand things off and move on with your day. With TurboTax full service, you can have your taxes done for you by a trusted local expert, start to finish without the stress or guesswork. This is their Super Bowl.

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Starting point is 00:23:40 couple guys is not so crystal clear with the Colts. So let's talk about expectations. Zach, you've done extensive work on this. Nothing else really matters outside of, first and foremost, the synergy between Shane Stuyken and Daniel Jones, am I wrong? And the Achilles of Daniel Jones. Those are the things that matter the most going into next season. That synergy between those two and obviously what Jones looks like coming off of this injury. Because, look, I've been very vocal about how much I hate the,

Starting point is 00:24:14 Achilles injury and betting on people coming off the Achilles injury. But truth be told, we don't have much data on quarterbacks coming off of that injury. So it's kind of up in the air what I think he's going to look like. I'm still concerned about it being the plant leg, about being the leg that goes in the ground when he's stepping into it. But I just don't know ultimately what it's going to look like. But I do agree, Jake, that like that synergy between those two and if Jones can be, if Jones could be 80% of what he was last year, 85%, you know, which maybe is asking for a lot,

Starting point is 00:24:42 I think they can be a successful offense, be a top 10 offense in football, because with Jones at quarterback, they were a top five offense this past year. And I know a lot of people talk about the schedule and the teams they played with Jones at quarterback. They played against four teams that were top 10 defenses in EPA per play. And Jones in those games played like a top 10 quarterback. And this is talking about the Rams, the Chargers, the Broncos, and the Texans. He was one of like three quarterbacks to have a positive EPA per play against the Texans in this game. It was barely positive, like very, barely positive. But he did play pretty well in that game despite having a broken fibula in that one.

Starting point is 00:25:20 So I, it's weird for me to be this guy because I was so anti-Jones going into last training camp. Jake had to be the person talking me off the ledge for all of all the off-season. But I'm kind of offending Daniel Jones. I think he played really well last year. I think his fit in the offense was very good. So if you can guarantee me right now, which I know you can't, him being 85% healthy to start the year and then slowly getting healthier, then I think this offense can be a top 10 offense next year.

Starting point is 00:25:51 That's just going to be the big if is how healthy he can be coming off that Achilles. And then the one thing they have to figure out both Jones and Stuyckin together is their struggles against the Blitz. They did struggle a lot against the Blitz, and that's where they kind of unraveled a little bit later in the season. But the Blitz certainly got to them a little bit. But yeah, I think they were efficient. they were explosive with him at quarterback.

Starting point is 00:26:14 They were one of the better offenses in the league. There were certainly the turnover issues, and mainly because that one game against Pittsburgh kind of ruined the touchdowns, but overall, yeah, I think he played some good football for the Colts. And I think they can be a good offense. It just all comes down to that if with the quarterback.

Starting point is 00:26:32 Assuming nothing drastic happens with the supporting cast, like Jonathan Taylor's back. The offensive line, the only difference really should be Jalen Travis. And, you know, maybe Braden Smith does come back. But Pittman, you could probably manufacture that production with at least a couple guys. I don't like the idea of replacing him in free agency just because receivers are so expensive. But again, assuming nothing is drastically different.

Starting point is 00:26:58 And like Tyler Warren, for example, is probably going to take another step forward. Do the Colts have what should lean into Daniel Jones' strengths, do you think? Like, because, I mean, think again that like they probably will do bootlegs and some stuff relying on his mobility, but it will be obviously hampered a little bit. Like, do they have what accentuates his strengths the most? Yeah, I mean, the thing that you really have to take into account with Daniel Jones and really where they thrive this year was as long as Jones can get the pre-snap diagnosis and the pre-snap breed. He could be a pretty good quarterback. You know, we saw that a lot this season where the Colts up their usage of motion, up their usage of play. action under center stuff.

Starting point is 00:27:41 So he could get a good read on what the defense was running, what they were, what they were going to show against them. And as a result, it led to his best season in the NFL. So as long as you still have those guys on staff that were responsible for that stuff in terms of Alex Taney and Tom Manning, and they're both, looks like they're both coming back. So they'll be on top of that. And also, you have the good supporting cast around where it's like, hey, I know man is coming. Do I have a guy who can beat man coverage?

Starting point is 00:28:07 They still have Josh Downs. they still have Alec Pierce who can win over the top, then yeah, I think they do have the pieces in place. There are certainly question marks, though, like a big question mark being Jalen Travis, a right tackle. I think you and I are both optimistic about him, but we know with the Colts that you can never be too optimistic about day three guys going in there, aka Jalen Carlis last year. So, yeah, I think that you really need to be wary of like the potential there and get like

Starting point is 00:28:38 a day, it's an early day three backup behind him. If it's a veteran on the open market to fill in behind him, just in case, you know, I think that would be wise for the Colts. I still think that getting another running back in here because banking on another fully healthy season from Jonathan Taylor is just bad business, in my opinion. So getting somebody in here can spell him at least a little bit, I think is certainly valuable. But yeah, I think they have all the pieces.

Starting point is 00:29:05 The main pieces are just stiking and, and, his coaching staff and Daniel Jones because when you give a quarterback that can distribute as well as Jones did last year and his and his ability to diagnose a defense and read the cues that are given to them. It's hard to find quarterbacks like that nowadays. The Colts have been looking for years from from Minchew to Richardson to Wentz. None of those quarterbacks could idea defense as well as Jones could, you know, I mean, especially if we're looking Minchu and Flacco and Richardson, they couldn't do what Jones has been doing in this offense, you know? So, I think that they can be good on that side of the ball.

Starting point is 00:29:42 It just really comes down to that Achilles and then just ultimately staying healthy with as many guys as possible. Because look, I hate to be the film guy who doesn't rely on film with this stuff. But what's the biggest reason why Seattle and New England were in the Super Bowl? They were the healthiest two teams in football this year. It is ultimately one of the most important aspects of playing in the league is your team staying healthy. So if they can get some injury luck on that side of the ball,

Starting point is 00:30:08 ball, which has never happened in Indianapolis, apparently, going back to forever. But they can stay healthy and the Achilles looks okay, at least, with Jones. I think they can be a competitive offense that puts up 20 plus every single week, even if they lose Pittman, even if they are making the move from Braden to Jalen Travis. I think they can still be that kind of offense next year. Yeah. I do like the idea of continuity with quarterback and head coach going, because I mean, the only consecutive week one starting quarterbacks they've had is Anthony Richardson,

Starting point is 00:30:41 who obviously was as raw as all get out. Like it's not what you're shooting for when it comes to, you know, with Anthony, it was always just about Anthony developing him, but like it's very much about the offense when it comes to Daniel because he's already like he's an established veteran. So you're not trying to develop him, really. But I like the idea of at least mentally everybody already being on the same page. Like I think that could help them smooth out, you know, a slow start to next year. I would like to think they can avoid that, which obviously they got off to a very hot start last year.

Starting point is 00:31:22 But no, I think they would be in a lot of trouble if they were having to look for new quarterback help this year. And the Achilles obviously screws everything up. But even with that considered, I'm leaning into the. the familiarity because if you look at the list of free agent quarterbacks and even like some of the guys who are maybe capable of being traded for it's not great like Jones with the Achilles because of his familiarity with this team is still the best option for sure yeah it there's just no other option again I just wish it was any other injury for Daniel Jones yeah I would have taken his left arm

Starting point is 00:31:57 falling off and having to surgically reapply it you know to the to the body then having this injury I just I hate the Achilles, but by everything I've heard, he's attacking the recovery well, but I guess we'll see when it comes to training camp. I love hearing that stuff, but again, it's all moot, and so we actually see it on the field. But we do want to thank you guys for tuning in today to Lockdown Colts. We'll be back again tomorrow as well. Make sure you subscribe to our show so you get all the latest episodes. If you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts, at Jake Arthur,

Starting point is 00:32:26 and I found at Zach Hicks, too, all on social media. And if you don't want, if you don't ever miss an episode, just remember the Every Day or club is billed for you. Get locked on Colts audio ad free plus members only discord access and much more head to lockdown Colts.supercast.com to join the club or follow the link in our show notes right now. Thank you again for tuning in. We back tomorrow for our defensive primer and I'm sure we're going to run late on that one. We have a lot to say about the Colts defense. So catch you guys back here tomorrow afternoon.

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