Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson vs. Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud Sets Up Longtime Rivalry

Starting point is 00:00:00 By most accounts, the Colts had a pretty great offseason, but they're not the only AFC South club that struggled last year but knocked it out of the park this offseason. 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. All right, everybody. Thanks for tuning in and making us your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:50 And today I'm joined by a very special guest. Of course, I'm Jake Arthur. You know me from HorseshoeHuddle.com, of course. But I'm joined by my counterpart, Cody Davis, who is one of the co-hosts of Locked On Texans. And he also covers the Texans over at Fan Nation's Texan site, just like Zach and I do for the Colts. So welcome to the show, Cody.

Starting point is 00:01:09 Thanks for joining us. Man, thank you for having me. All I know is I cannot wait until Wednesday when training camp starts. Yeah, man, these teams are about to finally get back to it. We don't have to create new things to talk about. There will actually be real storylines. I think both of us are pretty pumped today. So on today's show, we obviously have Cody here to talk about the Texans.

Starting point is 00:01:37 Colts and Texans were kind of gross last season to watch. Not great. They had good games against each other, but they've kind of wiped away what was last season. They both have had really great off seasons, really. both new rookie quarterbacks. We're going to see what we think might come of things this upcoming season. And then I'll wrap things up, just kind of doing some house cleaning. Shaquille Leonard posted a nice new video that maybe gives some optimism and the Colts unveiled some new uniforms this week. So we'll, we'll take a, take a quick dive into that. But first, Cody, again, thanks for joining us. The Texans really loaded offseason. I was just going through their moves and free agency and trades and stuff and the draft. And man, this team has had quite a makeover. So

Starting point is 00:02:20 let's just start from March when free agency starts, what's been your temperature on this team and the moves that they've made starting up top with, with head coach all the way through the draft and the moves they've made through there. That they're moving forward into phase two of their rebuild. I mean, everyone has seen how bad the Houston Texans have been ever since they blew that big lead against Kansas city back in, what was that, like the 2019 campaign. Then, of course, the last three years has basically just been a mess, you know, from the roster blowing up, losing all of their talents. You know, you sign a franchise quarterback and six months later, not only do he wants to trade trade but he's dealing with some off the field issues that's like whoa where did that come from to say the least yeah to say the

Starting point is 00:03:09 least you know we don't want to get into that because everybody already know that story and then you know you depart from a you know a subpar coach at best in Bill O'Brien who yeah he did bring his team to the playoffs a couple of times, but still did not get to the championship game. And you depart from him, you bring in two, let's say, placeholders for head coaches. When you look at David Cully and Lovie Smith, it was just so much going on. After, ironically, the Texans end up beating the Colts, which we still baffle by their victory, by the way, you started to see this whole entire franchise just start cleaning up. I believe they departed from Lovie Smith even before

Starting point is 00:03:51 they came back to Houston. Because remember, I think that was week 18 was in Indianapolis. So they started the makeup. They started to clean. So now you bring in a new head coach, Indemico Rimes, who has definitely brought a sense of stability and respectability back to this franchise. And not only that, we are finally starting to see a true relationship between general manager and coach, because with me being around the Houston Texans and the Houston Rockies, ironically, doing their three worst years as a franchise, the one thing I noticed and learned that is very important to make sure you have your general manager and your

Starting point is 00:04:29 head coach on the same page, especially when you're building their roster. And that is basically what we saw the Houston Texans do, whether in free agency or rather through the draft, that Nick Asirio and D'Amico Rimes are on the same accord. And that's part of the reason why you brought in veterans like a Dalton Schultz, like a Devin Singletary, a Jimmy Ward. That is part of the reason why we seen him draft CJ Stroud. And then the next pick, you gave up a tremendous package to go out there and get Will Anderson Jr. Like everything that we have seen the Houston Texans do this year has been a sense of stability and working together

Starting point is 00:05:11 between the general manager and head coach. And when you go back, you take a look at, let's say, the last five years, even before things blew up with Bill O'Brien, you did not see that. I'd have to agree, and I really like that you brought that up because since the whole Deshaun Watson thing happened, they just seem like a team that's been treading water. But this offseason really felt like taking true steps to get out of the current and get to the riverbank.

Starting point is 00:05:37 You know what I mean? They're not only trying to get out of the mess, but build and be a true franchise with stability. Again, because they had the quarterback, of course, but GM and head coach, that's super, super important. And D'Amico Ryans is the flashiest name they've brought in to this point as a head coach. So I really like that.

Starting point is 00:05:57 But just kind of looking ahead to 2023, Texans and Colts are in a pretty similar boat. The Jaguars are rightfully the favorites to win the division and everything. The Titans are still there, probably going to at least be 500 again. As always. There are teams that have to finish in the bottom of the division. Do you see the Texans now as a team that's more apt to be competitive week in or week out?

Starting point is 00:06:22 What do you see when you think of the 2023 Texans? For one, better football. I don't think the game is going to be over five minutes and you're already down 14-0 or 20-0, i.e. just look back at the – I think that was week six or week seven home loss against the Washington Commanders. I mean, the game was over. We didn't even reach halftime. It was already down 21-0. But in 2023 with the Texans, some people want to say that

Starting point is 00:06:53 they are in a running for the AFC title. I don't think so because I'm very excited about CJ, excited about Will, excited about D'Amico, excited about new offensive coordinator Bobby Sloan. I'm so excited of all the changes that they made. However, I know it's going to take time for the new head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, rookie quarterback, the rookies that you're relying upon in the passing game and all this other stuff. It's going to take time for them to get established and find their niche because a lot of these guys, this is their first time, i.e. D'Amico Ryans, that he's stepping in as a head coach. I think he's going to do a phenomenal job, but I know those first, let's say, three, four, five weeks of the season is going to be a learning curve for him.

Starting point is 00:07:41 And you have to keep that realistically in your mind. Now, with that being said, I do believe that the Texans will be more competitive. I don't know how many more wins that they're going to get. I hope it's more than four. And I hope it's enough where we don't look back at that first round pick we gave Arizona and say, oh, boy, maybe we should have kept that one. But they are definitely going to be a lot more competitive. And the one thing that I go back to when I reflect on the Texans more so in 2022 was the fact that they had at least five or six one score losses, at least with better coaching, at least with better quarterback play, at least with more stability around this franchise. I do believe those one score losses can possibly fall into the Texans favor for this upcoming season. Yeah, I'm just looking forward, you know,

Starting point is 00:08:31 especially with CJ Stroud. That was my top choice for the Colts with Anthony Richardson being, you know, the fallback option, but it was, it was flipped out. Yeah. Oh yeah. I was, I was honestly surprised Stroud landed in Houston, But yeah, it's going to be exciting times in the AFC South. I think we're all looking forward to that, but Cody thanks again for coming on with us, telling us a little bit about the Texans off season, everybody check out, locked on Texans and then Cody on Twitter at Cody Davis underscore 24. Thanks again, man.

Starting point is 00:09:24 Thank you for having me. Yep. Thanks again, man. Thank you for having me. Yep. All right, everybody. Next, we are going to talk a little bit about what I think the Texans are going to be doing this season. Kind of mix that in a little bit with the Colts. You know, you got the Anthony Richardson versus C.J. Stroud argument there. But first, a word from our partners over at eBay,

Starting point is 00:09:45 our partners at eBay motors have teamed up with locked on fantasy football host, Vinny ire to bring you guys some of the best fantasy picks each week, all season long, right now, whether you're prepping for a draft, scouting the waiver wire every week, we're going to provide you some players that are guaranteed to fit on your

Starting point is 00:10:01 roster. Trust me each week. I'm going to have my own segment with that, with some good fantasy picks for the week. But right now, with draft prep fully underway for the upcoming season, let's see who Vinny has picked out for us on this week's eBay Guaranteed Fit Fantasy Picks of the Week. All right, so today we're talking the first-second round swing. If you're looking to make a smooth turn in fantasy snake drafts,

Starting point is 00:10:24 which is the last pick in the first round, followed by the first pick in the first-second round swing. If you're looking to make a smooth turn in fantasy snake drafts, which is the last pick in the first round followed by the first pick in the second round, then you'll be guaranteed to have a winning one-two punch of workhorse power in your backfield when taking Colts running back Jonathan Taylor followed by the Browns' Nick Chubb back-to-back. While Taylor is a perfect rebound candidate and a more run-friendly overall offense with the Colts,

Starting point is 00:10:43 Chubb is also set up to dominate with more of the combined workload there in Cleveland. Vinny from Locked On Fantasy Football is going to help you win your fantasy league, and eBay Motors knows a championship team is about each player being a perfect fit. It's the same with your vehicle, to be honest with you. With eBay Guaranteed Fit and over 122 million parts and accessories for your vehicle right at your fingertips, you can make sure that your ride stays running smoothly. Air filters, brakes, batteries,

Starting point is 00:11:10 taillights, alternators, shocks, struts, you name it. If you're like me, not a car guy, but eBay Motors definitely makes it a lot easier. They've got everything that you need. They'll make sure that it's the right fit for your car because eBay Guaranteed fit helps you understand exactly what part you need for your vehicle the first time around. Because again, if you're like me, you go buy something, whether it's for your car or something that loads, it is not right the first time you have to go back. eBay Motors kind of takes care of that whole hassle for you. So go forth, switch gears, crank that AC and say see you later to sweating it if your ride needs a little fixing up. Because now you know that you'll always be set up for success from the get-go. With eBay Guaranteed Fit, everything your vehicle is calling for is just a click away.

Starting point is 00:11:55 For the right parts and accessories that fit your vehicle, just look for the green check. Get the right parts, the right fit, and the right prices at ebaymotors.com. Let's ride. eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions do apply. All right, everybody. And then so you guys, you everydayers, this obviously wraps up our AFC South preview. Thanks again to Cody for joining us. We also talked to Tony Wiggins covering the Jaguars, talked to Tyler Rowland covering the Titans. So now we put a nice little bow on our AFC South preview. Zach and I will probably bring you a full episode

Starting point is 00:12:35 coming up here before training camp, where we just talk about the whole division in its entirety and what we think is going to happen. And again, I mentioned training camp that's coming up. I'll be out there every day bringing you the inside scoop. We'll see if Zach is able to make it out there or not. Wink, wink, hint, hint. But yeah, we'll be bringing you guys wall-to-wall coverage

Starting point is 00:12:54 of everything out there from Grand Park in Westfield. So I liked a lot of what Cody mentioned about the Texans. You know, as much as it pains us to say that a division rival has done some nice things, I really do like what the Texans did, you know, minus maybe sending off Brandon Cooks. It did give them assets, of course, but they traded Cooks to the Cowboys. But they got C.J. Stroud, which I didn't think they would do because Stroud has some people who he's worked with before who, same thing with Deshaun Watson. Deshaun Watson had a QB trainer and his agent all the same as CJ Stroud.

Starting point is 00:13:34 And, you know, those people were pretty vocal about the Texans and their handling of Deshaun Watson. So it was going to be a little surprising to see them go back to the well and get C.J. Stroud, someone who knows some of those same people so well. But I don't know if I want to say proud of them, but, you know, good for them that they made their move. They didn't let that cloud their judgment. They went out and they got really the best quarterback available to them. Same with head coach and D'Amico Ryan's franchise legend as a former

Starting point is 00:14:07 linebacker there. So they made two huge moves, just like the Colts pretty much parallel with me, them getting Shane Steichen and Anthony Richardson, just really good moves. I like, I like Dalton Schultz being there for him, Nico Collins being there for,

Starting point is 00:14:23 for CJ Stroud. And then going back to back and getting Will Anderson on the defensive side of the ball, you essentially went and got my QB one in the draft and then the number one non-quarterback in the draft. Like they knocked it out of the park. Sure, they kind of had to get rid of plenty of assets to make those things happen. But I mean, more power to him. So what I'm most interested in is we talked to Cody a little bit about this. I mentioned, you know, we'll love us with the Titans. Who knows when he's going to be out there. But Anthony Richardson, I think there's a decent

Starting point is 00:14:56 chance he starts week one, but if not, you know, he'll be starting with some point this season. I'm sure it looks like Stroud is probably going to be the guy right off the bat. He seems more pro ready than a lot of the other guys, maybe Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, the most pro ready quarterbacks in the draft. So Colts and Texans face off early in the season and then late. I'm really interested in the new rivalry that we're going to see. Richardson versus Stroud. We'll see if they have it by the beginning of the season.

Starting point is 00:15:28 But certainly by the end, I would be pretty surprised if it wasn't Stroud versus Richardson. And I'm just really, really interested to see how that goes, not just this season, but for a decade to come, hopefully for both teams, because as I'm sure both teams would attest, they have found their new franchise quarterback that's going to be with them for a dozen-plus seasons. So Colts and Texans, bottom feeders of the division

Starting point is 00:15:52 and really the NFL last year. I think they both have bright futures. Again, for the Colts, you know, they've had the same leadership in place, Chris Ballard and Frank Reich for a while. Frank Reich obviously was fired. Chris Ballard and Frank Reich for a while. Frank Reich obviously was fired. Chris Ballard's still here. But just kind of some messy stuff has gone over the last year and a half. You know, ever since the late in the season of 2021, things have just not been good, you

Starting point is 00:16:17 know. But I think both teams made really positive steps in building a foundation and a long-term solution to their problems. You know, really sharp head coach and general manager pairings. Chris Ballard is going to have to show some adaptation and, you know, maybe, you know, maybe we'll see that as things go with Shane Steig and, you know, a willingness to adapt to a new type of player. And we've kind of seen it so far. You know, Josh Downs as a receiver, the Colts like these just huge athletic aliens at their skill positions. But Josh Downs is, you know,

Starting point is 00:16:54 sub 5'10", 170 pounds or something, you know. So a willingness to get a different kind of player than they've got in the past. I really like that. So Colts and Texans, let me know what you guys think about this in the future. Again, Jaguars still should be the favorites in the AFC South, but I don't think the division as a whole is going to be as putrid to watch as it was before. And so before we wrap up here, just kind of some housekeeping stuff.

Starting point is 00:17:22 So the Colts unveiled some new uniforms, quite a polarizing topic today, as I'm sure you've seen if you've been on Twitter at all. And then got a little video update from Shaquille Leonard this week as well. So we'll dive into all that here in a second. All right, so let's get the Shaquille Leonard stuff out of here first, because we did just do a whole episode on him this week. So I think it was like the, it was Monday or Tuesday. It was right after we released our Zach and I really star episode. Leonard put out a video on Instagram showing him workout and he seemed to be moving really well, pretty nimble, pretty quick.

Starting point is 00:18:01 He was doing a lot of footwork drills, some backpedaling and things like that. Obviously he's had some issues with that left lower leg since, you know, the back surgeries and everything, getting the strength back to that. The leg physically looked pretty decent. I mean, from what you could see, it looked like he was moving really well on it. So that's really encouraging. And it goes, it's a nice counter to the episode we had because I think unintentionally our episode sounded kind of doom and gloom because Jim Irsay had just been on with Pat McAfee and said that Shaq had a chance to play this season, which it's like, okay, the season ends in January.

Starting point is 00:18:39 So you're saying anytime between here in late July and January, this guy has a chance to return. That's not to say after this video that Leonard isn't going to start training camp on the pup list or anything like that, but it certainly looked better than I anticipated just because everything from the Colts side has been pretty noncommittal. So we still will see when he's out there practicing with the Colts and not just like rehabbing off to the side. But I think that was a positive step. I think Leonard even captioned the video calling it like the final steps

Starting point is 00:19:17 or something like that with his trainer. So nice positive update, I would say, from Leonard's side of it. So the other bit of Colts news we're going to discuss today. So on Thursday, the Colts unveiled a new alternate Indiana Knights themed uniform that they're going to wear week seven, October 22nd against the Browns there at Lucas Oil Stadium. My initial reaction was I really liked them. So it's a black helmet for the first time in franchise history uh they're going to pair that with blue jersey and blue pants and it's not from your normal jersey material or anything like that it's a heathered material um which is kind of it's

Starting point is 00:19:58 like a dry fit type of material but it's really cool like you can go to any dick sporting goods or anything and uh see a lot of jackets and stuff made out of that stuff. So I think the uniform is really cool. I assumed a lot of people would be on the same page and a lot of people do really like it. But as you also always see, I think it's ingrained into everyone's DNA to just hate every single uniform update that any team ever makes uh and I'll be honest I don't like a lot of them a lot of the time either I I think they always look

Starting point is 00:20:32 really generic or they miss the mark with like balancing out different color schemes throughout the Jersey like this should have this and this I thought the Colts balanced everything really well like there's black within their Jersey for really the first time they have it throughout the Jersey all three layers or the uniform all three layers of it the black white and the blue I thought was all really balanced I don't think I I think they do a good job of keeping like the traditional classic Colts uniform themes with bringing some modern elements to it with like black outlines and it even to me kind of gives off like stuff the Pacers have done in the past

Starting point is 00:21:11 with some of their uniform tweaks kind of marrying some racing theme into it it's not like checkered or anything but like to me it looks sleeker it almost looks like it falls in line with what a lot of Indiana sports teams tend to do, trying to marry the racing stuff into it. That might just be me. I don't know, but I like it in general. The black helmet's really cool. Again, that's the first time in franchise history, the Colts have done that and they're the first NFL team in NFL history to use that Heather material. So, I mean, give them credit for not just sticking to the same thing. When I figured when,

Starting point is 00:21:49 when we knew they were going to be doing uniform stuff, I assumed it was just going to be some boring classic look still, but I mean, give them credit for finally making some changes that a lot of fans have been calling for, for a while with getting some black in the, in the uniform scheme. Somehow they finally did that.

Starting point is 00:22:06 And again, remember, it's not going to be the permanent uniform for this season. They're just wearing it against the Browns. And then they said they'll be wearing it in select games following the 2023 season. So again, let us know what you think about the uniforms. I put out a quick YouTube shorts on that after they were revealed. But no, overall, after they were revealed. Um, but no, overall I like them. I think it's a fresh welcome change, whether you think they look generic or whatever, you kind of have to give them credit for thinking outside the box this time and not making them the exact same as they tend to do with their, uh, with their uniform tweaks. So

Starting point is 00:22:41 that is it for us for the week. Everybody next week, training camp starts and we're going back to five shows a week. Again, we went up to four this week. So yeah, hanging there tight with us. We're going to be bringing you a lot of really good training camp content. Again, I'll be out there every day. I'll give you guys updates after everything, whether we have a full episode or not, you will always hear from us about whatever happened that day. So again, if you don't already follow at locked on Colts at Jake Arthur,

Starting point is 00:23:13 NFL, and at Zach Hicks too on Twitter, also subscribe to locked on Colts on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. We would also love your guys' ratings and reviews, especially right now would love for those to skyrocket. That moves us up the charts, gets more people watching and listening throughout training camp, which would be huge for us.

Starting point is 00:23:34 And yeah, with that, we will see you guys next week.

Your Ad Here

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts' Anthony Richardson vs. Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud Sets Up Longtime Rivalry

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.