Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor, DeForest Buckner BACK at Practice. Active vs. Houston Texans?

Starting point is 00:00:01 The Colts got two of their most important players back at practice today after they'd been gone for weeks. 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, thanks for tuning in and making us your first your team every day. All right. 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 00:00:35 And today's show is brought to you by FanDuel. Place your first $5 bet and you'll get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed. Just visit FanDuel.com to get started. What is up, friends? This is Jake Arthur from HorseshoeHuddle.com, your resident media member for the site. And today, we are keeping up with the Joneses when it comes to the Colts. The biggest news of the day today is the injury report. Obviously, Wednesday starts the week of practice for the Colts. And the practice report, a lot of these guys who were out today, it's kind of become a pattern. We're starting to see some of these guys who are maybe being more maintained. And it's really something for them week after week.

Starting point is 00:01:17 And it might be stuff that we see throughout the season. But really, it was about two guys that were back on the practice field Wednesday. Uh, so Jonathan Taylor, who had a high ankle sprain has been out three and a half weeks. He was back on the field in a limited fashion today, as was DeForest Buckner. Uh, he also had a high ankle sprain has been on, on IR and he's been out for five and a half weeks. He's been out since week two. Uh, so with IR and him coming back on the field today, the Colts opened up a 21-day practice window for Buckner, which means now they have 21 days to decide whether to fully activate him from IR

Starting point is 00:01:57 or keep him on IR for the remainder of the year. So he's not totally out of the woods. Like let's just say worst case scenario, in these three weeks, he just never feels like himself not good enough to play they might shut it down for the year but there is zero expectation of that whatsoever uh he has progressed well uh and again for for being five and a half weeks this is pretty much the same timeline we saw like with josh downs for example uh buts, it happened in the summer, and there was no need to have him on IR really.

Starting point is 00:02:28 So Buckner back on the field today. Again, Jonathan Taylor as well. Neither player has practiced at all until today while they've been out. So for Taylor, obviously his position is going to be a little more reliant on the mobility of that ankle. I mean, Buckner has to drive off of it every single snap as well. But Taylor has to have explosiveness and, you know, nimble, quick feet and everything like that. It's his performance is probably a lot more reliant on that.

Starting point is 00:02:59 So three and a half weeks out for him with the same ankle. Remember that cost him time in 2022. It's what he got the procedure on during last offseason that bled into the season. Same ankle. So they may tread a little lightly with that. Now, will either of these players play this Sunday? That one, I think, is a little more questionable because if I mean, everyone's different. But if you use Josh Downs, it's kind of a litmus test. They gave Downs about a week, week and a half of practice time before they really let him go again.

Starting point is 00:03:37 So there's getting back in football shape because when you're on that ankle, there's when it's your ankle, there's just not much you can do to maintain football shape while you're away. So do they give them, you know, another week or so to kind of ramp up? Perhaps some of these guys like Buckner, I think has been a pretty decent healer throughout his career. Taylor, when he gets hurt, he tends to be out for a bit. And again, with the importance of that ankle for him and the performance of his duties, maybe they let him ramp up a little bit. I wouldn't guarantee or bet on either of these guys playing this Sunday against the Texans. I would probably give Buckner the edge if one of them was going to play,

Starting point is 00:04:23 only because he's a couple weeks ahead. The Colts probably weren't going to open up his window until he was really ready to play, and that was within range. But regardless, both players being back is awesome. The Colts have obviously missed them. The sack production for the Colts has been kind of a bummer since Buckner's been out. So they had four sacks in week one with Buckner. Week two is when he got hurt. He obviously didn't make it through the whole game, had to be helped off the field. They had no sacks in that game.

Starting point is 00:05:00 The Colts have had three games without a sack since Buckner was hurt. They've only had 10 sacks total in the five games since then. So four in week one and then 10 sacks since. And obviously Buckner has really been their most consistent pass rusher for years now since 2020. That interior pass rush for quarterbacks just presents such a problem. And, you know, Taven Bryan and Adetomewa Adebbuare, Raekwon Davis, those guys have done a decent job, but none of them are DeForest Buckner, you know. So I commend this defense for surviving how they have. They, you know, over this, the Colts have won four of the last five, but they've obviously won kind of ugly, but they've survived. And we haven't really seen other than the Jaguars game.

Starting point is 00:05:49 There hasn't been many, like just absolutely grievous performances from the defense. Like they have managed to survive without Buckner and without all the guys that they've had, but now they're going to get their best player back. And hopefully he is, you know, as close to 100% resemblant of his normal self soon. I think it definitely opens up stuff for like Laatu Latu, for example. Laatu has been good and has gotten pressure. The sacks have obviously been slow to come.

Starting point is 00:06:19 Just got a second with a season last Sunday. But when we saw them on the field together, you know, in the preseason, early in the season, it was pretty productive for Latu, and it went pretty well. So I think Buckner returning will be big for him, obviously Dio, Dangbo, Quidipe. But I think really for Latu, those guys being lined up together will be huge and cause problems for defenses. You kind of have to pick your poison at that point.

Starting point is 00:06:44 With Jonathan Taylor, obviously the run game has been really not productive, especially if you take Anthony Richardson away, who has only been in there for one game without Taylor. Running backs Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson have accounted for 63 carries for 231 yards. That's only a 3.66 yard average and two touchdowns. Obviously, Anthony Richardson is back from his hip oblique injury. Getting Taylor back there will present threats to the defense that, I mean, we haven't seen

Starting point is 00:07:17 like a huge explosive performance that people have been anticipating yet with those guys on the field together. But it feels like it's coming, and at least the threat of those two together certainly kind of forces defense to pick a lane a little bit and over-pursue and just kind of keeps them guessing. If those two can string some time together throughout the season and not one of them just keeps getting banged up, then I think that really will help the Colts offense grow because that's what they've been looking forward to this whole time.

Starting point is 00:07:52 Shane Steich and Jim Bob Cooter, they've been looking forward to Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor both being together and having those guys grow and the opportunities that can create in the passing game. Having, you know, Alec Pierce going over the top, A.D. Mitchell, when that finally starts to click, and having those guys grow and the opportunities that can create in the passing game having you know alec pierce going over the top ad mitchell when that finally starts to click michael pitman jr and josh downs cleaning up all the shorts intermediate stuff so those two being on the field together it kind of it sews the whole offense together and if they can get a few weeks in a row to just grow and play together then i think that'll go a really long way for the Colts offense. The rest of the injury report today, guys who practiced in full, EJ Speed,

Starting point is 00:08:32 he obviously missed that last game with a knee. Ashton Doolin popped up with a knee. Cam McGrone, he suffered an elbow injury and was put on IR designated to return when the season began. We haven't seen him yet, but just like Buckner, his practice window opened up today. He doesn't really have a role on defense unless someone gets hurt, like he probably would have played on Sunday with how many injuries they had, but he's a core special team. He had 165 snaps on special teams from 2022 to 2023, so he's an important part of

Starting point is 00:09:03 Brian Mason's groups there. Guys who didn't practice, Michael Pittman Jr. with the back, Josh Downs with the toe, but also growing now as well. Braden Smith with the knee, Ryan Kelly with the calf, Jalen Carlisle. So he left Sunday's game with what was considered an ankle injury. It's more specifically referred to as a fibula now, as well as a shoulder. That one, I think we're going to have to ask Shane about because, you know, when you mention a specific bone, obviously, is there a fracture there? Is he going to go on IR? Maybe not considering he

Starting point is 00:09:35 hasn't yet. But it obviously begs the question. Cornerback Chris Lamont, he's got an ankle that he's been kind of dealing with. And defensive engine, Art Avery, has a foot injury as well. So coming up next, another kind of hot topic that people have been talking about lately is the trade market. You know, when it's us or the Indy Star or anybody else opens up, you know, mailbag questions, get a lot of questions about the Colts and how active they may or may not be in the trade market. So we'll dive into more of that here in a moment. All right, guys, this is Indiana. It's fall. That means basketball is coming.

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Starting point is 00:13:20 It used to be the last week of October. It is now Tuesday, November 5th at 4 p.m. Teams must agree. We've seen some trades already kind of flying off. You know, Devontae Adams moved and the Browns, Amari Cooper, you know. So there's some teams that are kind of having some fire sales. Obviously, the big names, people, you know, love to kind of, kind of throw that around. Miles Garrett is someone who teams have been wondering about,

Starting point is 00:13:49 because again, the Browns are dealing guys away now. Max Crosby with the Raiders, kind of the same thing there. You know, the Browns trade away Amari Cooper. So obviously maybe they'll want to get rid of Miles Garrett and rebuild. The Raiders got rid of Devontae Adams. Maybe they want to get rid of Max Crosby. I don't necessarily see any of those happening. But, you know, Cooper Cupp is another big one that's on the list. Deontay Johnson with the Panthers. I don't really see either of those happening, especially Deontay Johnson.

Starting point is 00:14:19 Like he's kind of all they got right now in the receiving game. I mean, you know, the rookie's doing well, Xavier Leggett, he's had some moments, but Deontay Johnson is their most consistent pass catching option there. Guys who I've seen, you know, I looked at NFL.com's recent like potential guys who could be traded list. And some of the guys on there that I thought made sense, not necessarily for the Colts, but like who could actually be traded and would be easier to trade at least. Traylon Burks, a receiver from the Titans. Obviously, they got rid of DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs.

Starting point is 00:14:54 But with Burks, it's just never really clicked there. He is plagued by injuries. And with or without DeAndre Hopkins in Tennessee, Burke's time in there is probably limited. Andre Sisco, the safety with the Jaguars, who kind of infamously called the team out after they got blown out a couple weeks ago, said he saw a lot of quit in that team. Greg Newsome, one of the corners from the Browns, was there at a time where they were just drafting DBs like it was nothing. He's been a good player, but probably not to the level of, you know,

Starting point is 00:15:27 where his draft status would indicate. Emmanuel Ogba from the Dolphins. That's an interesting one because they kind of need him. I don't know if they can blitz at that high of a clip and get any sort of pass rush all the time. I mean, Ogba would have helped them against the Colts, but they had to blitz a bunch because they didn't have him. Obviously, Jalen Phillips got banged up. And then Josh Uche from the Patriots, who's a guy I've always loved since he came out of Michigan,

Starting point is 00:15:53 just a tiny fastball off the edge. Again, probably more realistic for the Patriots to trade him than other big names. But when it comes to the Colts, you know, whether it's trading away guys, bringing in anybody, I don't know. I think the easiest and, you know, most likely answer when it comes to the Colts is they just probably won't do anything. You know, they, if they were going to make any productive moves, you know, they probably would have done it in the offseason in terms of bringing guys in. They obviously, you know, ran it back was a common theme with them, brought back all their same guys and didn't really bring anybody from the outside of consequence. If they were to do it, I would have to be at a position where they've been really shorthanded this year.

Starting point is 00:16:46 Running back makes some sense. I mean, Jonathan Taylor at this point, you can't really hang your hat on his health. Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson are okay in their roles, but they're not giving you the productivity like a Zach Moss did last year when Jonathan Taylor was out tight end. That's a position that in the receiving game

Starting point is 00:17:07 has essentially disappeared. Week to week, you can't really count on anybody from there stepping up. Mo Alleycox has had his moments. Will Mallory had a nice catch last week. Drew Ogletree has done a few nice things, but given the talent they have at the position or what we thought the talent was, they should be a lot more productive. Kylan Granson is a ghost at this point, no pun intended since it's always almost Halloween. But yeah, I know tight end is a position they could maybe use. Defensive linemen, they've been so incredibly plagued by injuries at that whole group, defensive end and defensive tackle, really. Everybody there has just been super banged up, but they are starting to get some guys back.

Starting point is 00:17:50 So, you know, Tyquan Lewis will probably be back at some point, and, you know, DeForest Buckner's getting back. So I don't know that they'll bring anybody in. Again, it would have to be at a position that they don't have anybody left maybe and it might be something for like a day three pick um guys who could be traded you know i think at this point people have mentioned trading joe flacco to pick up some uh draft capital i don't think that'll happen none of the running backs probably none of the receivers mo Moelle Cox is perhaps the most appealing tight end, but I really don't think the Colts want to let him go. Kylan Granson would maybe be the most likely of the group to be traded,

Starting point is 00:18:32 just because, like I mentioned, he's disappeared. Blake Freeland makes sense. He's been a healthy scratch all year. Matt Gonsalves kind of usurped him as the swing tackle. Oh, gosh. Taven Bryan, if the Colts believe that Adetomewa Adobore is ready to kind of take over that backup three-tech spot. Linebacker's a little too banged up right now to trade any of them away. I mean, EJ Speed looks like he's getting closer to coming back. He missed last week's game, and he is going to be a free agent,

Starting point is 00:19:07 so maybe that will make sense. Probably not Julian Blackman. Probably none of the corners because you need them so bad. It's not a fun answer, but I don't really see the Colts being active in the trade market. If they did, it would probably be some random move where they trade a seventh rounder for some special team or that it becomes like a conditional six rounder if it gets playing time on offense or defense whatever position they would be i don't see anything

Starting point is 00:19:36 coming on down the pike on that one really but again kind of lame it's it's a team that's not super active at the trade deadline. They never really are. I mean, I know they traded Naheem Hines a couple years ago, but that was extenuating circumstances. That was a whole dumpster fire of a roster, and they weren't really looking to get rid of him. It was just a swap for another running back, essentially.

Starting point is 00:20:03 So I wouldn't count on it, guys. Maybe I'll eat my words and we'll obviously be here to talk all about it if they do make a move here in the next couple of weeks, but I wouldn't count on it. So coming up, the Colts did something really cool today in the media room. And if you hadn't heard about it yet, I will just tell you all about it. NFL fans, you guys can spark the season with a big return on FanDuel, America's number one sports book. So when you get a hunch in the middle of a game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. It puts everything right there together. You can kind of just think of it as your little game day hub.

Starting point is 00:20:42 You'll get started with $200 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place your first $5 bet. So right now, FanDuel has the Texans, the Colts' upcoming opponent, as five and a half point favorites. I don't know what you guys think about that. You know, Nico Collins has killed the Colts since he's been there with the Texans, but he's out. CJ Stroud is two and one against the Colts. The one loss was an 11-point loss for the Colts, really controlled that last year. And then the two wins, he's never won by more than four points against the Colts. And one of those, that four-point win, was last year, week 18, the Gardner-Mitchie to Tyler Goodson missed fourth down game that

Starting point is 00:21:25 the Colts probably would have won. So C.J. Stroud and the Texans have a really shaky history against the Colts in the last couple years, but they're five and a half point favorites. The Colts have been within three and a half as favorites or underdogs over the last several weeks. This five and a half point spread is,, it's, it's Wednesday, but it's the biggest one I can remember in the last several weeks. So do with that what you will throw your money there on FanDuel and let them know what you think. That's FanDuel.com. All right, guys. So before we close out everybody, if you're a Colts fan,

Starting point is 00:22:03 everybody knows who Mike Chappell is. CBS4, Fox 59 was with the Indianapolis Star for years and years and years. He has covered the Colts for over 40 years. Ever since they got here in 1984 and Chappell was back to be the star, he has covered them. So I'm very fortunate to be in the same media room with him. And today, none of us saw this coming. They, they kind of stunned us all. Uh, you know, they moved up media availability by a little bit today and, you know, just said that Shane Steichen was going to talk earlier, but when we're all there, you know, they, they brought in, uh, to the media room, a bunch of, you know, chaps, old, old colleagues from the start everywhere he's worked before his wife came in

Starting point is 00:22:49 and he was really caught, caught off guard by that. And Pete Ward, who is Jim Irsay's right-hand man, you know, gave a little bit of a speech kind of rolling down chapels, his, his credentials and achievements throughout the years and announced that the media room there at the Colts facility is now named the Mike Chappell media room, media facility. And they gave a nice little presentation to him. Peyton Manning sent in a congratulatory video. Edrin James sent in a congratulatory video.

Starting point is 00:23:24 Reggie Wayne, who's obviously a coach there, came in and said, hey, Chris Ballard came in, Shane Steichen came in. So a lot of love for a guy who deserves it, has always done it the right way. For me, as one of the younger guys in the room, not anymore, but when I got in there um you know i was i was cutting my teeth and i had a lot of on the job learning to do and no one can do it like chap uh he he's earned so much but like just to watch him day in and day out over the years you know i've i've been watching him and using him as an example since god to 2013 i think uh, is when I first started being able to get around the team. And he's just been invaluable.

Starting point is 00:24:13 Again, he does it the right way. It's great. You know, he's not retired yet. That's a guy who he grinds. You know, he's one of the older guys we all absolutely love him but it's obviously it's not as easy nowadays uh for for guys like him and he'd be the first one to tell you um but just it couldn't have happened to a better guy and and you know you love to make these grand gestures to guys um you know before they've retired and left the building and everything.

Starting point is 00:24:46 So that was really cool. I think you guys probably saw a lot of the videos and things that got sent out on Twitter today and Instagram and everything. But I just wanted to, you know, give my congratulations to Chap. And, you know, that's someone I, you know, I can obviously tell in person as well, but I think everyone on here, you know, deserves to know how good you got with a guy like Chap. Being the main beat writer in the city covering the Colts for 40 freaking years now.

Starting point is 00:25:15 So, a round of applause for Chap. If you guys ever see him in public, let him know how much you appreciate his work. Well, that is it for us today, everybody. Next up will be Crossover Thursday. We'll talk with the fellas from the Houston Texans, Locked On Texans. Thanks again for making Locked On Colts your first listen today. Now for your next listen, go find the new Locked On NFL show. Now with two shows every day.

Starting point is 00:25:42 First, you got the madman Tyler Rowland who kicks off your morning with a double shot of NFL espresso and then stop by the barbershop later on with Tony Wiggins for some real NFL talk. Find Locked on NFL on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. If you guys want to become a Locked on Colts insider, chat with us directly, get the inside scoop, you know, ask us questions whenever. Follow the link in our show notes. Uh, obviously when we do our Q and a shows and everything, they get the first priority. Uh, if you ask a question, you're in the insider program, we will get your question in there. Obviously, you know, within reason, as long as it's not crude or anything. Uh, if you guys don't already, please follow at locked on Colts at Jake at JakeArthurNFL, and at ZachHicks2 on Twitter. We're also on TikTok and Instagram now.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts' Jonathan Taylor, DeForest Buckner BACK at Practice. Active vs. Houston Texans?

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