Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Five ingredients for the Colts to be a force in the AFC

Episode Date: September 3, 2020

On today's episode, it's time to go over what has to happen for the Colts to be a top-tier team in 2020. Five key ingredients stand out for Indy when it comes to being a 10-12 win team this season.First up, Philip Rivers. How will Rivers change this offense, and what does he have to do in order for Indy to be a force in the AFC? Could Ryan Tannehill be a similar outcome for Rivers in 2020?Don't forget about DeForest Buckner either. How will his interior pressure impact QBs like Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson?Rock Ya-Sin, Xavier Rhodes, Marlon Mack, Jonathan Taylor, and the Colts' offensive line all will be critically important to huge success. Will Ya-Sin become a top CB in the division, plus Mack/Taylor staying fresh bludgeon defenses all season long?All of this, plus so much more, as we hit on the most important keys to Indy being a national storyline all throughout 2020! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello everybody, welcome back into your latest episode of Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today's live show is Evan Cedri, I'm joined by Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue. Today we're going to talk through, I think the key ingredients to the Colts having a very successful 2020 season, and one that the Colts might make noise, we're talking late January football. Zach, how are you doing today? Pretty good man, you know I'm happy that we're finally getting football again here in I think less than two weeks. I think we have the opening game in like eight days or so. So excited to actually get some football back. Yeah, 10 days away from Colts season officially starting. I think we're eight days away, I believe, from the Chiefs.

Texans openers are recording this. So NFL football is just next week. So that's very exciting news for everyone listening here on this podcast. But Zach, just before we dive into the main storylines of today's show, talk about West. I don't think the Colts have a good season so far. Just as we get closer to this season, like you mentioned, we're about a week and a half away. What are your expectations for this team?

Definitely be better than what they were last year. I think that's a very healthy expectation. I mean, they added, you know, a superstar on the defensive line, DeForest Buckner. They added a couple good rookies that we're all very excited about, along with upgrading their quarterback position. And they didn't really lose too much. I think their biggest loss is what Pierre Desir, who actually struggled a lot last year.

So not really losing too many guys on this team overall, returning a lot of what was a 7-1 football team last year, but upgrading the most important position on the offense in Phillip Rivers, adding some explosive rookies in Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor, and then adding a superstar defensive lineman to Forrest Buckner. So I would say expectations are at least be better than what they were last year. I'd say floor expectations, maybe nine wins. Ceiling, I could see 10, 11, 12.

But, you know, obviously that's, you know, taking into account no injuries and stuff. There's injuries, obviously, that will adjust. But, you know, I think with everything that we have right now, if we're a relatively healthy team, we'll be right there in that playoff hunt throughout this entire season. Yeah, this Colts team, I think, is one of the most talented rosters they've had in around a decade or so. And I think looking at the quarterback position for a second,

Zach, to talk about the first segment of today's show, Phillip Rivers, it's been re-reviewed so far from the staff and players about how Rivers has handled his offense, how he's been an immediate leader and veteran presence in that locker room as well, gained the whole respect of the locker room in record time. What do you think has time for Phillip Rivers to really lead this team to,

let's say, like a three or four seed in the AFC this year, AFC South Division winners? Personally, I had a couple weeks ago on the podcast, my prediction was 12-4 this year. I think they're going to have a really hot start. They have a very easy schedule the first two months of the year. It gets obviously tougher at the end of there, but I think there's a chance for early separation in September and October

for this Colts team if injuries stay to the side there and everything else goes to plan, I think Rivers probably has to bounce back to 2018 form here, Zach, really cut those turnovers down a little bit. Also, I think this offensive line, the weapons are going to be a little bit less talented than what he had in Los Angeles. But I think the offensive line is going to be a huge difference for this quarterback, Phil Gers,

because he hasn't had this type of offensive line throughout his entire NFL career. Yeah. You know, the biggest thing with Rivers this year that all he really needs to do with this team is play smart football, get the ball out of his hands, and let the playmakers go to work. You know, I'm not going to say that the Colts have a bunch of elite playmakers, but, you know, the biggest thing that we really saw last year is, you know, Frank Reich was great at getting guys open.

I mean, that was, you know, something that we saw in the red zone. I mean, the Colts, even though they had all their struggles in offense last year, were still, I think, third or fourth in red zone efficiency across the league. So the red zone game was great. Reich was getting guys open, you know, left and right all over the field. The biggest thing that Rivers needs to do is just operate well in that system. You know, he doesn't need to play even at his 2018 level. He doesn't have to be an elite quarterback this year for the Colts to find success. He just needs to be a league average guy who can get the ball out of his hands and not make a ton of mistakes. And I think that's something he's very capable of doing. I mean, he's played under Frank Wright before and he knows this

offense. He's obviously shown some great chemistry already with T.Y. Hilton and a couple other receivers. So, you know, honestly, you know, I don't even think he needs to be at what his peak form was in this league. You know, it doesn't have to be 2018. It doesn't have to be some of those other seasons he had with the Chargers. It really just needs to be a guy who can get the ball in his hands and kind of, you know, not play conservative football, but just not have the turnovers he had last year.

You know, play some good football and just get it out to guys like, you know, T.Y. Hilton, Paris Campbell, Naeem Hines, let them just go to work in space. And I think that's something he can really do. So he's one of the least of my concerns right now going into the season. I think he's very capable of just being the type of guy they need to lead this offense. Yeah, and I've been thinking of a comparison for Phillip Erzinshire

with just the offense they have in place, the offensive line, the running game, Marlon Mack, Jonathan Taylor, adequate to above average weapons with T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman Jr., Paris Campbell, if he stays healthy. Zach Paschal was maybe the best WR4 in the NFL with just how talented he is, and he can step in and be a WR2 right away if need be. I'm thinking of a comparison, Zach.

Obviously, the 2018 MVP is in for Phillip Rivers, but could he be sort of like last year's Ryan Tannehill, where he just steps in, makes efficient throws, doesn't turn the ball over. Tannehill had 22 touchdowns, six interceptions last year, really kept the ball out of harm's way and just really relied on the running game and the playmakers that you mentioned there, Zach. Do you think that could be sort of the formula, the cold time place for a guy like Rivers? Yeah, yeah, to a degree. Obviously, Tannehill had some unreal and unmatchable efficiency on all of us, you know, deep throws especially, but a lot of his passes.

And a lot of it, I'm not going to say it was fluky, but it was very, very special what Tannehill was able to do last year. I think kind of to a lesser degree of what I think Rivers can do this season is kind of what, you know, Alex Smith was able to do, especially early on with the Chiefs in 2017, before they replaced him with Pat Mahomes, obviously. You know, in 2017, we saw the Chiefs, you know, they had a really, really hot start. And the big thing with Smith was just getting the ball out to those playmakers. You know, he was using Travis Kelsey, Tyreek Hill. And I'm not saying that the guys that we have on this team are at that level, but

just kind of what Smith was able to do early in that season before it kind of derailed a little bit late in the year. But just what he was able to kind of do early on when he was kind of an MVP consideration and stuff through those first five or six weeks, just get the ball out to the playmakers, let them do their thing. Don't do anything like, you know, it doesn't have to be a special play every single play, you know, just, just make the simple play. And the big thing is, you know,

Rivers understands that, you know, there's a reason why his running backs have the most catches in the NFL every year. And, you know, he's worked with Hall of Fame tight end Antonio Gates, you know, there's a reason why those guys have had the success playing with Rivers, because he knows when to, you know, get the ball out of his hands and, you know, not make the heroic play on every single down. So, you know, I think overall it's going to be a really good fitness offense. And I'm not going to – again, I'm not going to say 2018 numbers are something that I would expect. But, you know, I think you can see a very efficient, you know,

maybe low 4,000s in terms of yards this year. Maybe high 20s, low 30s in touchdowns. And then I would probably say, like, low teens in picks. So you can see, like, it's that line, like, maybe like 4,100 yards, 28 touchdowns and, like, 12 picks. You know, that's not something that's, like maybe like 4,100 yards, 28 touchdowns and like 12 picks. You know, that's not something that's, you know, absurd and great or MVP consideration, but it's a very, very good number, especially where they came from last year at the quarterback position. Yeah, definitely gets the job done. I think just it bounces back to them being more

aggressive offense during the passing game where the Colts were 30th last year in passing offense. I think they're second to last as well in deep plays, explosive plays, too, under Jacoby Brissett as quarterback. As we get closer and closer to the season, Zach, too, I think we've mentioned this in the podcast multiple times, but just to reiterate for those new listeners out there or ones that just want to get a refresher, just how big of an upgrade is this Colts offense going to see

with Rivers instead of Jacoby Brissett out there as quarterback? Yeah, you know, the biggest thing with that upgrade that we're talking about, you know, I don't – I wouldn't say necessarily like right now. Rivers is head and shoulders like 100% better than the guy like Jacoby Brissett, even though I do think he's better than Jacoby. The big thing is he's better than him and also a lot better for this offense. You know, this offense is so dependent on those timing plays, just getting the ball out quick and letting guys make plays after the catch and letting guys move in space.

And the big thing that Jacoby Reset struggled with was, you know, actually those timing plays and getting the ball out. You know, he was very good at holding onto the ball and avoiding pressure and finding guys downfield on broken plays. That's probably the best part of his game. But Rivers is the complete opposite. You know, he's going to get the ball out really quick, and he's going to get it to these playmakers and let them do their thing.

And that's really what Frank Reich has wanted to do with this Colts team since he took over. You know, we saw it in 2018 with Andrew Luck. You know, a lot of those quick passes, I think Andrew Luck was near the bottom of the league in terms of average depth of target on his passes. And I think we'll see something similar with Rivers this year where it's just going to be getting that ball out quick and letting the guys go to work and let the playmakers do their thing. So I think just in terms of the fit, that that upgrade is just so big for this team. And also, you know, Rivers, you take in his experience and even his,

kind of his decision-making, you know, even though he had a lot of picks last year, I think his decision-making is just better in terms of knowing where to get the ball out to in certain situations than where it was with Jacoby set last year. So in those areas, he's just such a big upgrade that it's going to really help this offense. Colts fans, rockauto.com is the place to go to save on your next car purchase, whether it be a oil change, new tires, a fuel pump assembly where you save over $150 compared to the other big chains to our competitors. Rock Auto is the place to go every single time.

They're a family-owned business serving auto parts customers online for 20 years. They're ready to bring engine control models and brake parts to tail lamps, motor oil, and even new carpet. The RockAuto.com catalog is unique and remarkably easy to navigate. And best of all, prices at RockAuto.com are always reliably low and instant professionals do it for yourself. So why spend twice as much for the same parts to get even cheaper at Rock Auto? Go to RockAuto.com right now and see all the parts available for your car or truck. Write Locked On in the Howdy to Your Browse box so no one will be sent you. Again, that's write Locked On, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N, in the Howdy to Your Browse box.

Send a Locked On cold statement over to rockauto.com. They have main selection, reliably low prices, and all the parts your car will ever need. Go to rockauto.com right now. The next big storyline here for this cold scene. We really have a magical 2020 run, Zach, and be a double-digit win team. Maybe reach my prediction of 12-4 this year, be one of the top teams in the AFC alongside

Baltimore and Kansas City. DeForest Buckner has got to be that superstar they expect him to. They traded the 13th overall pick, their first-round pick in this past year's draft to the 49ers for Buckner. He's 26 years old, entered the primest career the Colts have under contract for five more years, signed an extension right away. He hasn't practiced much in camp.

I mean, he's obviously had his days off. He also was battling a hand injury. But in the scrimmage on last Saturday, from all indications from what I read from the reporters, he was dominant in that showcasing. Also in the last few practices, too, they had poor camp wrapped up. It seems like Buckner's kind of getting back into his groove and really settling up this Colts defense, Zach.

What are your expectations for Buckner in 2020? Because if he is sort of that player we saw in San Francisco last year, even takes a level higher, this guy's the limit for this Colts defense, in my opinion. Yeah, no, he's probably the player I'm concerned about the least in terms of this entire team. Maybe Quentin Nelson, concerned about the least. But, you know, DeForest Buckner, he's going to be great.

He's going to be at an all-pro or at worst a Pro Bowl level all season. He's going to be very, very disruptive in the backfield. Yeah, he's just a guy that you don't really have to worry about. You pay him the big money. He's not one of those guys who you think you're going to pay, and then he's going to kind of cash it in and just not really give effort out there. He's a high-energy player, great personality from everything we've seen from interviews and everything like that.

So my expectations are really high for him. You know, I think, you know, all pro is always tough to have that expectation unless the guy's like Aaron Donald or something like that. But, you know, he can very well be an all pro in the AFC as a defensive tackle, especially if he has the year that we all expect him to have. You know, the three-tech really sets up well in this Colts defense, and that's what he's going to be playing most of this year. So, yeah, I'd expect a really big season for him.

Hopefully he gets to double his sacks. But the biggest thing that I really care about with him on the interior is just how much disruption he has. You know, it doesn't even need to be a statistical thing, just how often he's in the backfield and adjusting run plays and getting quarterbacks out of the pocket and really caving in that pocket. I mean, I think that's where his biggest impact is going to have. It might not show up on stats. It might actually show up on stats. We don't

really know. But as long as he's a disruptive player, which I think he's going to be this year, the Colts are going to be really good on defense. Yeah, like you mentioned, Zach, the interior pressure that Colts really never had before in Indianapolis. And you see Buckner, the way he's able to just manhandle guards and centers at times, really just right away in the ball snap, he's able to be right in the quarterback's face or really make a step in the pocket, make a quicker throw, force a couple turnovers here and there. I think with Buckner, too, and a little underrated storyline here for the AFC overall, is that Buckner could be kind of that Swiss Army knife, so to that X factor for this Colts team going against teams like Kansas city, like Baltimore, like Houston with my homes, Lamar and,

and Deshaun Watson, because all three of those guys are mobile quarterbacks. And if they had that interior pressure in their face all the time, it's going to make it a lot harder for them to go against this defense. Yeah, for sure. And I mean, I think we saw it, you know, obviously in the Superbowl Pat Mahomes was great, but he wasn't, you know, the elite player we've always seen. You know, he didn't have his greatest game. And a big reason for that was, you know, one, Nick Bost,

obviously on the outside had like 10 pressures, but DeForest Buckner also had two sacks on the interior, and he was really pushing that pocket. Even against Baltimore, you know, the 49ers were able to hold them to a pretty low point total for what they did last year. And DeForest Buckner had quite a few plays on Lamar Jackson as well. So, yeah, I mean, he's a big-time impact on that interior. And even though he's getting away from, you know,

other elite players on the defensive line that he just had in San Fran, you know, he's coming to a defensive line that has some good talent here too. And I think he's going to be able to free them up to really hit their potential. So, yeah, you know, like I said at the beginning of when we just started talking about him, I mean, he's one of the players I worry about the least on this team, even if he didn't practice much this offseason and such. You know, he's just one of those guys that you know when he steps on the field, he's still going to be at his all-pro level.

He's going to make an impact. So, yeah, I expect big things for him. Moving on to our next storyline, I think, for the Colts to be a great team this year in 2021, that's talked about all throughout the national meet, in my opinion, as a 10 to 12 win team this year. The lack of cornerback depth concerns me a little bit, Zach, but I think that puts more pressure on players like Xavier Rhodes, Kenny Moore, I don't think we have to talk about much because we know he's gonna be a great player in the slot. But the outside boundary corners, Xavier Rhodes, Rocky Ascent, I think one of those guys, whether it be Rocky Ascent takes the leap to being a great above arch cornerback in the NFL, or it's Xavier Rhodes, Rakia Sen. I think one of those guys, whether it be Rakia Sen takes the leap to being a great above-average quarterback in the NFL,

or it's Xavier Rhodes bouncing back to his old days in Minnesota, former Jonathan Gannon, who is the Colts defensive backs, coached him in Minnesota as well back in the day. One of those two guys or even both would be great to have that sort of leap back to greatness or for Rakia Sen, a leap forward to being a legitimate NFL quarterback. If one of those two things happens for one of those guys, I think this Colts-Stevens will be maybe top five, maybe top seven,

maybe even higher than that, Zach, because if one of those guys takes that leap for Rhodes or Yassin, it's going to change things for that secondary. Yeah, absolutely. You know, when you look at the secondary, we'll talk about the cornerback depth, I guess, in a bit, or maybe that's just for another show. But talking about those two starters, I mean, that's the biggest thing

that the Colts need to kind of turn around this year to kind of have a big impact on defense. Those outside corners last year kind of struggled for the Colts. Pierre Desir had a down season. Rockies didn't turn it around late, but early on he struggled. Guys like Quincy Wilson and such that were out there just didn't get it done. The biggest thing the Colts really need to have a top defense or top 10 defense, top five defense even, is one of those two guys to really

step up this year. I'm very confident in Rakia Sin. I think he's a guy who definitely can. Like I've been saying a lot last year, I rarely see a rookie cornerback step up, like kind of turn it around the way he did, especially after that horrible Denver game. I mean, most rookies, I mean, we saw with Quincy Wilson, every time he had a bad game, he would have a couple more bad games afterwards, or he would have some bad practice and get benched for a couple games. And that's kind of a, I'm not gonna say it's a normal thing for a rookie, but that's kind of what you expect for young corners.

But a guy like Brock Yassin, he took that Denver game and got much, much better down the stretch and was one of the better young corners in the league down the stretch last year. So I think he's going to be a guy who can step up this year. And, you know, I am confident Xavier Rhodes in the new system with his old coaches and such can turn it around. But, you know, the Colts really, really need one of those guys to step up and be the guy at corner this year. They don't need to be at a super elite level, but they can't be any somewhat of a liability on the outside. Their Colts are going to get pressure this year.

They're going to have linebacker play. It's going to be really good, obviously. I think the safety group is going to be pretty solid. Lee Cooker is a question mark a little bit, but I think the safety play is going to be really solid. But the biggest question mark is can those two outside corners not only play really well, but also stay healthy this season? So that's going to be the biggest storyline, in my opinion. My biggest worry, probably, is them playing at the par. But I'm confident in Rock. I'm pretty confident in Xavier Rhodes as

well. I just, hopefully they can stay healthy and they can, you know, have big seasons this year. And this defense can be, like you said, top 10, maybe even top five. Those guys can step up. Obviously, we'll take training camp stories, like practices with a grain of salt, because we saw last year Zach in person. Rocky Asen had a field day throughout camp. Yeah, I think he had six or seven interceptions over a couple-week period,

and that didn't translate over right away for the Colts. But I've read throughout camp and seen some videos, too, that Rock's gotten the best of Mike Pippen Jr. a lot of times. He's messed up well against T.Y. Hilton, too. Are you confident? Like you mentioned in your last answer there, Zach, he really took sort of that mini leap last year after that bad Denver game in the last six weeks of the season.

He looked really good as a boundary corner. Are you expecting that leap for Rock this upcoming year where he could be, let's say, one of the better boundary corners in the AFC South? Yeah, no, I definitely think he can be up there in the AFC South for sure. You know, I think my comparison for him coming out of college was at his very best, he could be kind of what Xavier Rhodes was kind of in his peak with the Vikings, which obviously was the top five corner in the game. You know, I think Rock can be a really good corner in this league.

The biggest thing for him is, you know, just continually getting better every single day. I mean, we like to – we sometimes forget, you know, he was playing at Presbyterian College just two years ago. He went from Presbyterian College to Temple, one year at Temple, and then jumped up to the NFL. I mean, that's a huge leap in just two years. So he's still learning.

He's still a young guy, and there's going to be games where it's going to be a struggle. But, you know, again, that resolve I saw after that Denver game and then some other things I really saw on tape, just being more confident in his ability to play certain techniques and how he plays certain receivers and such. And, you know, being able to track the ball a lot better down the stretch. You know, there were so many improvements down the stretch last year,

along with kind of what we're hearing from camp and him learning from a guy like Xavier Rhodes all offseason. I just think we're going to see some really good play from Rockets in this year. You know, the biggest thing I've been saying with all these guys that you brought up to me is how confident I am in them and stuff like that. Rock's one of the guys on the defense where I'm actually not too concerned about him. I think he's going to have a really good season.

I mean, I'm very, very confident in his ability. I think he can be the number one corner on this team. And I think the Colts really showed that when they let go of Pierre Desir. They traded away Quincy Wilson. They didn't really draft a corner in this. I mean, they drafted Isaiah Rogers, but he's more of a slot guy. So they didn't really do much to upgrade that spot. And I think that was more of their vote of confidence saying, you know,

rocks the guy and we think he can be the guy for this team. So I'm very confident. The team is very confident. And I'm sure he's very confident too. So I think it's going to be a really good season for him. And, and, you know, he got the new number two, number 26 as a really solid number for a corner. So maybe we'll see like the Naheem Hines thing where switching to a number in the twenties helps the confidence and he gets better too. So yeah,, Rakusen's just a guy who I'm very, very confident

and I think he's going to have a really good season. Moving on to our last two storylines here for the Colts, they have a great 2020 and one that should be in the top three of the AFC, in my opinion. This one's based around health, Zach, because we know how dominant this Colts offensive line could be with Anthony Costanzo, Quentin Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Lewinsky, and Brandon Smith in the run game and pass protection like we saw in 2018

when the quarterback has a quick release on his throws. It should bounce back to normal this year with the Brewers as a quarterback. But how important is it, Zach? And I know it was kind of an anomaly last year. Very rare you see this, but the Colts all 16 games, they had all five of those guys starting every single game. I think that has to happen for a repeat this year, right, Zach? Because this offensive line death is very worrisome to me. And if one of those guys starting every single game. I think that has to happen for a repeat this year, right, Zach? Because this offensive line depth is very worrisome to me. And if one of those five guys goes down, even Mark Lewinsky, I'm kind of worried what happens next. Yeah, you know, I'm hoping we didn't use up all of our, you know,

good injury karma last year in a season that didn't go anywhere because that was remarkable. You know, I think Brady missed a little bit of the Carolina game. I think Ryan Kelly missed some in the Pittsburgh game in the second half against the second Houston game. But outside of that, you know, all five starters played for the entire season, which is outstanding. You know, you'll never really see that on the slide.

I think the Colts were the only team in the league that had that, 16 starters start – or five starters start all 16 games. It's not going to happen again this year, unfortunately. It's just the nature of the game. Someone's going to get banged up, and one of these depth guys are going to come in. The biggest thing is just they can't be a liability, whoever comes in. If it's Lorraine Clark coming in at tackle, if it's Danny Pinter coming in at guard or center, the biggest thing is just not being a liability out there.

So hopefully whoever has to step in isn't a liability, and hopefully it's not for too long. But I think it's kind of – I want to say it's wishful thinking, thinking that they're going to repeat that from last year. That was a remarkable feat by this offensive line, and it probably won't happen again, especially knowing the Colts' injury luck. But as long as the guys who can step in aren't big liabilities and they don't have to step in for too long, I'm not too concerned about that. But, yeah, definitely staying healthy on the offensive line will be a big thing.

I've been banging this drum for a while here on the show, Zach. I think you mentioned the same thing on Twitter a lot throughout this offseason is that I'd be shocked if Chris Bauer does not at least scour the waiver wire here next week or this weekend to go after backup offensive linemen, more veterans in that area, and also defensive backs at corner. Do you think those two areas should be addressed right away for Bauer? Because like you mentioned, let's say Quentin Nelson goes down for a game or two.

I mean, obviously Danny Pinter is a great rookie prospect there, but I don't trust him to step in and be obviously Quentin Nelson type levels or even like an NFL starter type level just yet. Would you be surprised if the Colts did not go that route and the waiver wire here soon? I think they'd be more likely to look at adding a corner than they would an offensive lineman, especially with – you know, we've heard reports out of camp that Leroy and Clark

looked really good. The team seems very confident in Leroy and Clark at depth tackle. And that was pretty much my biggest concern at offensive line. I'm not saying I'm completely sold on Leroy and Clark. I'm just saying that, you know, all reports are saying he's looking pretty good there so they might just stick it out with him. I'm sure Ballard is keeping his eye on a bunch of guys and you know you'll have a lot of guys on the practice squad as well. I'm sure they'll even protect a few just to have that

depth at offensive line but yeah I think boundary corner that depth there he'll look at. I think he'll look at offensive line depth and you know even maybe another tight end because of the injury that we just got with Trey Burton. Ballard will do his thing. He always adds two or three guys on the waivers right after cutdowns. He'll add a couple guys. We'll be upset for a second because some of our favorite guys got cut, but it'll all work out in the end.

That's how we got Al-Qaeda and Muhammad. I think Jonathan Williams was a mid-season one. Kenny Moore was a waiver add in 2017. He knows what he's doing with these waiver adds and stuff, and he'll bring in some more talent to this team that needs it. Real quick on the offensive line again, Zach, we're driving to our last part of the show here, our last storyline. Do you think this offensive line is going to make not only Rivers look better,

but also Rivers makes the offensive line look better like it did in 2018 because Jacoby Brissett was one of the worst last year in holding the ball too long, and that attributed to some of their sacks. I think most of their sacks, honestly, last year. Didn't we see the Colts bounce back to, let's say, under 20 sacks again this year in 2020 if all goes well? Yeah, they certainly can. I mean, in 2018, you know, the storyline that we don't talk about too much

with 2018, which we really should, is that, you know, Andrew Luck was a big reason why the Colts had that sackless streak for so long. I think it was like eight games without allowing a sack. But a big reason was Andrew Luck was a big reason why the Colts had that sackless streak for so long. I think it was like eight games without allowing a sack. But a big reason was Andrew Luck. Every time someone got through, he was able to make the guy miss or he got the ball out really quick. The offensive line played great, obviously,

but Andrew Luck was a big part of that as well. And last year we saw the sack numbers probably higher than what they should be with this team because Jacoby held the ball for so long. I think he was second in the NFL in time to pass, which is 2.93 seconds, where Rivers was, I think, top five in how quick he got the ball out, which was 2.33 seconds. So, yeah, Rivers is going to be a big improvement in that area, especially because he knows how to run Reich's offense.

He's going to get that ball out quick. With a really good offensive line, yeah, I could definitely see them under 20 this year. Last storyline here, Zach, really attributing to the offensive line, yeah, I could definitely see them under 20 this year. Last storyline here, Zach, really attributing to the offensive line too and also to the Rivers here because this trio, really the duo we'll start with and also include Naheem Hines in that as well. At running back, Jordan Wilkins too if he gets some spot carries as well. This running back group for the Colts has a lot of expectations on their shoulders

this year because Marlon Mack looks very good so far in training camp. Jonathan Taylor, obviously a second-round pick. The Colts have high expectations for him as well. What do you think is going to happen for this running back group in 2020? Because if all goes well, Zach, if the Colts want to be a 10-12 win team, I think this duo of Mack and Taylor has to be a top-five duo in the NFL. Yeah, certainly. I mean, obviously, the offensive line helps,

and having got, like, Rivers at quarterback that – you know, last year the Colts were seventh in the NFL in rushing yards, I believe, by the end of the year. And that was with having such a horrible passing offense. So, you know, obviously you're going to think, you know, what can they do with a better passing offense? I think the biggest thing that I'm looking for with this running game, which I think they're going to be able to do this year with, you know, with Jonathan Taylor back there

with a better passing game, is not have the game be so volatile. You know, like we saw a lot last year, like for instance instance a charters game where the colts had over 200 yards rushing and then i think the next weekend's the titans they had like 80 yards and then or no i think the titans actually had a good rushing game but against like the raiders for instance they had like 40 or 50 yards rushing and then they would have a huge game against you know pittsburgh or miami or something like that and the next week against Tennessee or the Saints late in the season, it would be back down to like 40 or 50. There was a lot of games where teams were just kind of keying on the run, and they were

really stuffing it early on and often. And that's what kind of created these very volatile numbers. So you'd have huge games followed by duds, by those running game, even though overall in the whole season, the running game was great. You want to see less of that this year you want to see more consistency you want to see you know 100 yard rushing performances by your team every single week i think we're going to see a little bit more of that this year and maybe even more efficiency in terms of yards for carry and such because you know you're gonna have a passing game that's very efficient but you're also going to still have that offensive line that's great you're going to have another really

good running back and jonathan taylor out there uh you're gonna have to still have that offensive line that's great. You're going to have another really good running back in Jonathan Taylor out there. You're going to have fresher legs if everyone stays healthy. You know, Jordan Wilkins, even if he gets in the game, will be able to be a fresh leg that can carry the ball. So the biggest thing for me is just seeing more consistency with that running game. You know, having consistent games, not having, you know, huge games followed by duds that we kind of saw last year. And I think they're going to be able to pull that off. And that's going to be just another big weapon for this offense.

Zach, how important and crucial is it for not only Marlon Mack, but also Jonathan Taylor, who had a lot of trouble in his tires at Wisconsin, his three years there at school, to be able to be fresh throughout games now? Because we're going to see like Rek has preached throughout camp and throughout the offseason, that's going to be a 1-1 duo, really almost an even split between Mack and Taylor as far as carries go, maybe right at the hot hand at some points. But I think for those two players, especially two explosive guys,

Jonathan Taylor's a home run hitter. Marlon Mack's more your shifty guy who can do the dirty work too as well. I think having both those guys healthy throughout the year is not only going to help them, but the offensive line, Phillip Berbers, and also Marlon Mack, I think even more because his Nixon bruises his injury history a little bit. I would not be shocked at all if we see Marlon Mack finally play 16 games for the first time in his career this year. Yeah, absolutely.

And, you know, another thing with that is, you know, keeping those healthy legs, you know, those fresh legs, not having either of these guys hit too many carries. You know, a big thing with that is it just wears down the defense too. You know, you can hit more carries without these guys getting more trail on their tires. So, you know, you're not going to be getting a 25 plus carry Jonathan Taylor in the fourth quarter you'll be getting a Jonathan Taylor who's only run the ball like 10 times he'll be able to run the ball down your throat in the fourth quarter and be fresh legs on the field so that's going

to be a huge advantage for the Colts you know obviously having two guys who are capable of being starting running backs in the NFL but also being able to kind of split them and have them both, you know, there'll be games where Marlon Mack's the fresher back late in the fourth quarter, and he'll be able to run the ball to run the cock out. And there'll be games where Jonathan Taylor's the fresher back late in the fourth, or Naeem Hines, or Jordan Wilkins, you know, either one of them, any of those guys that are in the game. But that's going to be big, you know, just keeping those fresh legs and being able to run the ball late in the game even with those fresh legs.

So, yeah, I think just overall having this deep running back group, you know, from top to bottom, it's not just the top two guys. You know, Naeem Hines and Jordan Wilkins are both really good backs as well. Just having this really good running back group behind a great offensive line and a good passing offense, or hopefully good passing offense, I think that's just a big recipe for success. Zach, appreciate the time, as always, talking Colts football with you, man. You got to go follow Zach on Twitter if you're not already,

at Zach Hicks too. Go read his work as well over on Stamped People. Excited to talk to you every week. Now throw the rest of this in, Zach. Appreciate it. Yeah, no problem, man. I'm excited to talk some Colts football these next couple weeks, man.