Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Will They Trade Up to Get Their QB of the Future?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Which quarterback prospect is the right fit for the Colts in their current state and what kind of background should the new head coach have? Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast 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. Today's show is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more.

Starting point is 00:00:55 Visit FanDuel.com slash Locked On today to get started. Super Bowl coming up. You are definitely going to want to get all in on FanDuel. I am Jake Arthur, sans Zach today. You know the two of us from horseshoehuddle.com. Just a little housekeeping before we get started. Mike Silber came out on Twitter this morning and said that Wink Martindale, the defensive coordinator for the New York Giants, has been informed that he is no longer in the running for the Colts head coaching search. So keep that in mind as we go through things today.

Starting point is 00:01:27 Today, we took your questions on Twitter recently, and it's time to answer some of them. What's the scoop on the Gus Bradley situation? The latest on the Colts head coaching search, it's entering its terminal stages, in the words of Michael Scott. But first, let's talk about the sexiest position in sports quarterback. So first up, this question was from Andrew Miller. He said, do you envision the Colts moving up to grab their guy at quarterback or do they sit tight knowing that one of their top four will fall to them? So if the Colts have someone that they are enamored with, just knowing Chris Ballard, they will go get him.

Starting point is 00:02:05 We've seen in the past how picky they are with quarterback number one. They haven't really drafted any meaningful quarterback other than Sam Ellinger, and that was in the sixth round. So they don't just like a big bunch of guys and go get one. They have to be in love with a quarterback. We've seen that with left tackle as well. Bernard Ryman is the first guy they've drafted there, despite needing one for the last few years. So if there's someone they really like, I think they're going to go get him. Zach and I have talked a lot about CJ Stroud and

Starting point is 00:02:36 Will Levis making the most sense for the Colts early on as guys to trade up for. Stroud, I kind of feel like Stroud is going to be the one that's the most coveted, like the most likely for teams to trade up. Bryce Young might slip a little bit because of that size. Now, is he the best quarterback prospect? Probably, yes, but I think some teams, the Colts are one of them, the Texans may be one as well, where they just really value size at certain positions, and especially with the Colts, if they're going to invest in a top quarterback, then I don't think they want to have injury concerns about that guy. So getting a smaller guy like Bryce Young just may not be in their wheelhouse. So a bigger guy with a good arm,

Starting point is 00:03:22 with mobility, Stroud and Will Levis. They've got arm talent and Stroud especially has accuracy. So I think they fit pretty well. I really think if the Colts are in love with one of these four quarterbacks, we're going to mention Anthony Richardson as well, then they would probably move up to get them because they are going to be specific about it. We've seen it with this head coaching search. They've interviewed a million people. They want a specific person they're looking for for certain things. Next up is Alex D'Onofrio. He said, if the offensive skill positions don't change much, which of these quarterback prospects is the best fit for them to succeed in the next two seasons.

Starting point is 00:04:06 So I'll just say, just for this exercise, that the Colts will re-sign Paris Campbell. Let's just say that. So they've got a nice, fast, shifty slot with good hands. And then big, talented outside weapons in Michael Pittman and Alec Pierce. And then you throw Jelani Woods in there, Kylan Granson. So really, you want to look for someone who is aggressive, not willing or not really conservative with staying short. They want to go downfield.

Starting point is 00:04:35 We saw how well that worked with Jelani Woods. That was Alec Pierce's bread and butter. It's not the biggest part of Michael Pittman's game, but we saw that part of his game unlocked when Carson Wentz was here because Wentz was a little more aggressive downfield. With that said, I think it would be Stroud, CJ Stroud. The Colts offensive line looked better late in the season. talked about one of his biggest concerns with Stroud coming into this whole thing was, you know, kind of how he felt pressure and, you know, just kind of crumbling when there was pressure. And he had to, like, think on the move and do things like that and that he was going to need a really good offensive line. So I think after what Chris Ballard just saw in 2022, I don't think he's going to let the offensive line be bad again. I think

Starting point is 00:05:25 they should reinforce it with some competition for the starters. Bernard Ryman needs competition. Will Fries needs competition. So they should do everything they can to make sure the line is good. And I think CJ Stroud fits into that really well. He's aggressive enough to go down field to Pierce and Woods. And I think he's shown that he'll also, you know, he'll go over the middle of the field as well to someone like Pittman. And, you know, he could dump off to the running backs as well. We know Jonathan Taylor can catch. We don't know really who the other guys will be,

Starting point is 00:06:01 but Deion Jackson is a decent receiving option as well at running back. So for me, Stroud fits the best right now for these next couple of years. If you're looking down the line, Anthony Richardson, you know, developing a little more, that's someone who could have the highest upside when you're looking back seven, eight years from now. But for right now, I would say Stroud would probably be the best fit. Next question from fellow Horseshoe Huddle member, Drake Wally. Are the Colts going to trade Moe Alleycox? He's been paid too much and was essentially supplanted by Jelani Woods. If Woods and Drew Ogletree can improve their blocking, not sure where Alleycox fits.

Starting point is 00:06:41 So that's a really intriguing one because honestly, even if they don't trade him, he's kind of a cap casualty candidate as well. I forget the exact number, but we've looked at this previously on other episodes. Allie Cox just hasn't, he just had this season to prove that he's the guy because he had a bunch of rookies behind him. He had Jelani Woods, Drew Ogletree did get hurt, but Kylan Granson was going into his second year after doing very little in his rookie season. So Allie Cox had every reason to grab the reins as the guy in the group. And as a receiving threat, he got supplanted quickly by Woods and Kylan Granson. And, you know, really, I think the Colts hoped that he could give them

Starting point is 00:07:26 some of the blocking that Jack Doyle was giving them. But, of course, it just didn't really go that well. He didn't perform that well as a blocker, considering that was one of the biggest strengths of his game throughout the previous four seasons. So if you're asking if I see Mo Alley-Cox on the week one roster, I really don't know. If they don't trade him again, he could be a cap casualty. I don't think there's much dead cap tied into that one. All right, friends. So Valentine's Day is coming up, which means romance is in the air more than usual. I don't need to tell all you lovebirds that you've probably had your date plans on the calendar for weeks, but have you found the perfect Valentine's Day

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Starting point is 00:10:31 All right, that was a lot of talking. So quick drink there. Don't worry about it. It's not a Starbucks ad, but if you guys want to come calling, Zach probably won't love it, but I will. All right, so the next topic at hand, you guys wanted to know a bit more about coaching. So our good friend and fan of the show,

Starting point is 00:10:52 Buffalo Bills Reddit said, if Gus Bradley stays, what changes would you like to see him make to the defense going forward? So the defense for the Colts was really the bright spot throughout the whole season. It did crumble late in the year because, you know, the dam can only hold for so long when it's just getting pummeled. The offense just got worse and worse as the year went on.

Starting point is 00:11:14 And if the defense is shouldering the entire load, it's eventually going to just kind of fall apart, of course. So I really didn't have many gripes there. I think if there was, so if there's one thing I'd like to see him change up going into next year, if he does stay, because again, there's like four of the candidates that would like to keep Gus Bradley. So it seems pretty likely that he'll be back, especially if it's one of the offensive minded guys. They already have an established, smart defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley, who has been there for a year. So one thing I would think I'd like to see him do is give the younger talented guys more of a chance. At training camp, one note I made was we knew who the starters were on defense, but the rotation of the second and third units was crazy. Like guys were flying in and out of the lineup. You really didn't know who the second and third units was crazy. Like guys were flying in and out of the lineup.

Starting point is 00:12:07 You really didn't know who the second and third team guys were going to be because he was giving everybody a shot. So I would like to see some of the young guys with high upside involved earlier and more often. I mean, how many of us were pounding the table early throughout the year to see like Isaiah Rogers get in there over Brandon Faison? It took a while. Rogers did eventually kind of win it over. But, you know, you got guys like Rodney Thomas who came in there. I will give Bradley credit.

Starting point is 00:12:36 Again, he did start to get the younger guys in there. He found kind of creative ways to get guys who were at deep positions involved, like the three safety things. So Rodney Thomas took over at free safety. You had Rodney McCloud back there at strong safety. And this was because of injury. But with Kenny Moore out, Julian Blackman took over at slot. Sorry, the dog's over here just fighting for her life.

Starting point is 00:13:01 So, you know, you could have had like Tony Brown or something in the nickel just because that is one of his natural spots. But Gus did get creative and he put a talented player who can wear multiple hats and Julian Blackman there. So, you know, maybe this is masked as a Nick Cross answer, but I would like to see some of the younger talented guys get in there. I want to see guys like Nick Cross, what they can do. We saw Dayo Dangbo more involved late in the year because of injuries like Taekwon Lewis, for example. So rather than playing favorites early on, which does make sense if you're a new coordinator and you're bringing in some of your own players, just let the talented guys play. You know, you'll hardly ever regret that approach.

Starting point is 00:13:47 Next question is from Jeff Q. This coaching search has been different. Thoughts on what you've liked and what you've hated about this process? Hey, okay. Sorry. I'm going to have to ask my dog to leave here in a minute. Okay. So also any sense on Gus Bradley's relationship with the front office at this point? It feels like he'd have a legitimate claim to not be happy as he's held in place. So I'll address that part of it first. So Gus Bradley has been blocked from interviewing for other defensive coordinator positions, which makes sense. You know, if a new head coach is brought in, they may want to bring in their own guy, but the Colts have received assurances from

Starting point is 00:14:29 again, like four of these head coaching candidates that they like to keep Gus Bradley on. So they would like to keep him there until the new head coach gets here so that this head coach can decide what they want to do with them. It maybe seems like a bummer initially because, you know, he's locked in, whatever. That just kind of seems more ominous than the situation really is. It's honestly because he's coveted by these guys. They probably wouldn't be able to find anyone better necessarily if he was let go. So what I've liked and disliked about the process, obviously, sorry, it's taking a while, which isn't great, but some of these candidates are still in the Super Bowl. Shane Steichen, for example, offensive coordinator for the Eagles.

Starting point is 00:15:23 That makes a lot of sense. The information could have leaked, of course, but it hasn't yet. So I've liked that they've been thorough. They've interviewed a huge amount of candidates. I think we're all worried at first that things were going to be really Jeff Saturday centric. And, you know know it was going to be a weird group of guys that they interviewed sorry another starbucks break coming up real quick ah i'm losing my voice dog's coughing that's showbiz baby but no i like that they've been thorough uh they tried to get the miko ryans in here um but that interview just didn't work out.

Starting point is 00:16:05 But outside of that, they've really interviewed all the best candidates. The Sean Payton thing, I'm fine with them not bringing him in because the assets that they would have needed to trade to get him from the Saints, they need to use that to build their roster and get their quarterback. So I was fine with that. All right. So next up, this Colts coaching search has been taxing on a lot of us, but you don't have to be in it alone when it comes to your actual taxes. Go to TurboTax and don't do your taxes. Meet with an expert who will do them for you. TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so that you can do not taxes. Show your eyes things that are not taxes.

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Starting point is 00:17:22 Video meeting while expert does your taxes required. See guarantee details at TurboTax.com slash guarantees. Okay, so next up, it's more coaching questions because, of course, until the Colts get this new head coach in here, that's really all we could talk about. This is from Steven Bauman. Is there any hesitation for you guys on hiring a defensive guy to be the head coach, considering he would need to hire a good offensive coordinator, which would lead to him needing to have some sort of revolving door at OC? Personally, I feel like defensive guys normally don't handle rookie quarterbacks the best. So there is a point to that. Raheem Morris is the guy we're most comfortable with from a defensive background,

Starting point is 00:18:08 in part because of the large coaching tree that he can bring with him. He's got ties to the McVay tree, the Shanahan tree. He's got connections in pretty much every ball club out there. So Morris could bring in a good group. To your point about a revolving door offensive coordinator. So obviously how the league is going, everyone wants to find the next hot, young, forward-thinking offensive mind. So if a defensive coordinator comes in and brings in,

Starting point is 00:18:39 or a defensive-minded head coach comes in and brings one of those type of coordinators with him, that guy does well with the Colts offense, gets hired off. You have to repeat the cycle. Think Nick Sirianni under Frank Reich, for example. So that is a concern, but that's why I think Raheem Morris is probably the only one we're super comfortable with that because Wink Martindale, obviously, you don't know what kind of staff he would bring in. I mean, it's a moot point anyways now since he's been reportedly informed that he's no longer in the running. But yeah, that's a valid concern.

Starting point is 00:19:14 We've talked about that before as well. That's one big reason you want an offensive guy, of course, because he is kind of the offensive coordinator. And if his offensive coordinator does get hired off, then he could still call plays, do things like that. So Shane Steichen, Brian Callahan, those are two of the bigger guys you really want to get. If you're not going to get those guys, Raheem Morris would be a really good option as well. Probably the most qualified head coaching candidate that the Colts have interviewed. Last up, this is from Bunny Rabbit, not of eight mile fame. Debate Brian Callahan versus Shane Steichen from the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, por favor.

Starting point is 00:19:55 That's perfect timing since we were just talking about them. So, all right. Shane Steichen is a play caller. We have seen him have success with guys like Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts, obviously. He's done good things with Gardner Minshew. We've seen him with a wealth of talent before. Brian Callahan has that claim as well. He also has the stamp of approval from Peyton Manning. But we've seen Shane Steichen really excel as a play caller with a diverse set of quarterbacks. He's had traditional pocket passers.

Starting point is 00:20:36 He's got guys that can roll out and move the pocket a little bit. And he's had guys like Jalen Hurts, who one of their biggest strengths is moving around and running the football. So Shane Syken is probably the most adaptable when it comes to whoever the Colts draft quarterback. If it's C.J. Stroud, he's coached guys like that. If it's Anthony Richardson, you know, a guy whose main thing right now, he's basically a Cam Newton skill set. You want to focus on his running first and then build up his passing after that. Zach and I have talked about Steichen and Anthony Richardson. That is the perfect marriage of quarterback and head coach in this draft.

Starting point is 00:21:16 And really, if let's say the Colts love Anthony Richardson, not every head coaching candidate is going to be good for a player like that who needs a little time to mold their game together. But Shane Steichen really would be. So that's why Steichen is probably the number one guy you want to bring in because you are getting a rookie quarterback. Brian Callahan, though, he's helped pull the strings on a really good offense. But some concerns you have, I believe Zach Taylor is the play caller there. And there's obviously a ton of talent there in Cincinnati. That could be in either side of the coin thing, though, because, I mean, they've got a lot of talent, but they've also a really good offensive system.

Starting point is 00:22:01 So we I feel like we know more about Steichen where Brian Callahan may be more of a projection, but Callahan has the stamp of approval again from Peyton Manning, whereas someone like Jeff Saturday, it seemed like Peyton was maybe a little skeptical of it, at least from the Manning cast thing on Monday Night Football's throughout the year. So I would be fine with either of them. They're probably my top two choices, but I think you could be more confident and know a little more about Steichen moving forward. All right. So thanks for hanging with me solo as I cough and my dog coughs and we just all

Starting point is 00:22:37 cough in your faces all day. We'll be back with you tomorrow for a special Superbowl preview episode. And then Zach's got, you know, some, some draft content and other stuff cooked up for you guys as well this weekend. So keep an eye out for that. Follow at LockedOnColts, at JakeArthurNFL, and at ZachHicks2 on Twitter. Also subscribe to LockedOnColts on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts. We'd also love your ratings and reviews.

Starting point is 00:23:02 That helps send us up the charts. Thank you guys for making us your first listen again. Now for your next listen, check out the Locked On NFL podcast, bringing you the local insights you love to the national spotlight with daily conversations on the biggest NFL stories. Locked On NFL, available on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you guys tomorrow.

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Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Will They Trade Up to Get Their QB of the Future?

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