Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - INJURIES: 4 Starters Miss Practice as the Colts Prepare for the Steelers

Starting point is 00:00:01 The injury bug has finally hit the Indianapolis Colts as four starters miss Wednesday's practice. Let's get to it. You are Locked-on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked-on Colts. I'm Zach Hicks, and on today's show, we're going to cover a variety of topics. Closing out the show by talking about how the Colts have changed their rushing attack from an inside zone-based scheme to more of an outside-zone-based scheme.

Starting point is 00:00:39 That's going to be in segment three. In segment two, we're going to have the CJ Allen conversation on how the Colts rookie has not really gotten any run on defense this season coming off another game where he was active but didn't receive a single snap on special teams or defense. So we're going to discuss just everything surrounding that situation. But in segment one, we have our first injury report of the week here on Wednesday and it is a little bit longer than the last couple weeks for the Colts.

Starting point is 00:01:06 So we're going to go through the potential fallout for this injury report and what it could mean for the Colts against the Pittsburgh Steelers. We're going to cover all that on today's episode, though, which is brought to you by Fandual. Make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandul Rewards Club. Every week, check out the Fandul app and see what's waiting for you. All right, so let's go through this injury report. A couple notable names on it here.

Starting point is 00:01:28 For the Do Not Practice list, we have Tanner Borderline, with an ankle injury, linebacker Jalen Carlize with rib injury, Akeem Davis-Gaither with the knee injury, Arden Key with a hamstring injury, and Ashton Doolin with his hamstring injury as well. We had one limited participant that wasn't just a pure rest day, like Jonathan Taylor was limited, but that's just part of his off-season, or part of his in-season training care, essentially, so we're not going to count that one.

Starting point is 00:01:55 But the one limited participant was Keenan Allen with his groin injury. He missed last week with that injury, so we'll see his progress throughout the week. But one bit of positive news, we did see a full practice from Will Mallory, the Colts tight end that was placed on injury reserve heading into the season during final cutdowns. He missed that time with a thumb injury. He is fully practicing. The Colts want to see exactly like what his workload looks this week, but they opened his practice window. And they have until, I think they have the 21-day window now to activate him from IR, and then he could be back on the team as early as this week. But within those 21 days, if he's going to play at

Starting point is 00:02:32 all this season. So we're going to go through each of these injuries one by one, talk about the potential backup and what it would mean for the Colts if this starter were to miss or if this player in general were to miss time. So starting with Tanner Bordellini, this one would be kind of devastating for the Colts, considering the opponent they're going against. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a very good interior, interior defensive line. Cameron Hayward has been wrecking the Colts for as long as I can remember in this league. So Bordellini with a big brace on his right ankle at practice today. We'll see what that looks like throughout the week because there wasn't really any indication from the Colts that this was like going to be a long-term injury or that this was

Starting point is 00:03:11 something that they were super worried about. But again, we'll have to monitor it throughout the week. But if he's not able to go, I'm assuming it will be the offseason acquisition, Cedric Van Pran Granger, a player who has spent time with Buffalo Bills in his career. The Colts traded for him and final cut down day. He has yet to play an offensive snap for the Colts. But obviously, obviously they liked him enough to send a draft pick for him, and we'll see if he potentially gets his first start with the Colts here this Sunday, if Tanner-Wordellini is unable to go. Two linebacker injuries, two starting linebacker injuries in Jalen Carlis and Akeem Davis-Gather. The Davis-Ga-Ther injury update is a bit surprising because there wasn't any indication after the

Starting point is 00:03:50 game that this was something that he was going to be dealing with, where Carlize, I know that Shane Stuyken talked about his rib injury after the game on Sunday. He even left a little bit early in that game with this injury. So Carlis, I'm a little more skeptical if he's going to be able to play on Sunday just because they knew it was a little bit more serious at the time of the game last week and also him missing this practice after a good bit of time is a bit concerning. Where Davis Gather will have to see if he's able to rant back up the next couple of days. But if these two players are both out, if they're unable to go, we would likely see the first start of C.J. Allen's career at the Mike linebacker position where Will linebacker will likely still be a rotation, just more so with Bryce Betcher getting a majority. to the snaps and Austin Adjicay getting more of like the rotational snaps there at Will linebacker. So we could see a massive, massive change coming at linebacker if those two players

Starting point is 00:04:41 are unable to go. But yeah, Carlize, I probably would say that he's not going to play this week. And we'll see a lot of Bryce Betcher on Sunday at that Will linebacker spot. But Akim Davis Gait there, that's just one to monitor for sure because, again, there hasn't been any inclination that this was like a long-term injury or something that was really on their radar here before a practice. So it might be just a precautionary thing. He's a bit of an older player. We might be able to still see him out on Sunday. And for my money, he's been their Colts best linebacker this season. Of the linebackers that have played, he's been their best linebacker. So it would be nice to keep him out there, especially with his green dot capabilities that we've seen since week two of this season.

Starting point is 00:05:20 Argon Key, it does seem like he's going to be out for a couple weeks with his hamstring injury. This was something that was told to Colts media right after the game. And I think the Colts will likely end up putting him on IR by the end of the week. But we'll see. They're still just gaining some information on that one. It could be a two-week injury, but it could be upwards of like four or five weeks as well, which would land him on injured reserves. So he will miss this game almost certainly this week, which will mean a lot more snaps here for Jalen Tu and Moloow. Kate and Curry will probably get an uptick and snaps. We'll probably see the first active game day for George Gump's Jr. And heck, we'll see if Carl Lawson gets the call up, right? The Colts and New

Starting point is 00:05:59 veteran defensive end signed to the practice squad. We'll see if he's able to get up on the roster for this first game or they still want to ramp him up a little bit. He hasn't really played much the last year or so, but back in 2024 with the Dallas Cowboys, he did have five sacks. So there was a little bit of production a couple years ago, but last year, I think only one game played for the Baltimore Ravens, so not a ton there from Carl Lawson. But we'll see if he's able to get that call up this week.

Starting point is 00:06:23 He certainly could be in the cards for the Colts. And then wide receiver, Ashton Doolin, who is another, did not protect. participate here at practice. He is still dealing with that hamstring injury, and he's just, again, it's just been multiple things with him. The ankle in the first part of the year, now the hamstring. He didn't have the biggest role in offense because, again, like, when he gets back out there, he just gets hurt again, so somebody else comes in. So it would still be a wide receiver by committee approach there. Maybe Keenan Allen's able to go this week and we'll see him up. I still think it's time to get Darius Slayton more involved, but that's a conversation for another day.

Starting point is 00:06:56 but yeah, the Doolin injury doesn't change a ton with the offense because he hasn't really been healthy this season. At Gunner, you know, it would likely mean Dionne Berks getting back out there for more Gunner reps, kick returner. We likely see more Anthony Gould, who is still on the active roster as of right now. So not the biggest changes because he didn't play the first couple weeks as well. So, yeah, Ashton Doolin, it's just been frustrating with those injuries. We'll see how long this one leaves him out, but it's been a tough season for him for him for. sure with those injuries so far. Like I said, with Keenan Allen, we'll see if he's able to get back out there this week.

Starting point is 00:07:31 Shane Steichen did confirm that he did get hurt in Thursday's practice last week before the Colts made the trip overseas, and that was what kept him out of the game on Sunday. We'll see if the Colts were able to get him back out there. Limited practice at least is something, so maybe he's trending more so in the right direction, but we will see how the week goes there. And then Will Mallory, finally getting him back on the practice field, you know, Shane Steigand did kind of, I don't want to say he blew off the. the potential for Mallory to have a big role this upcoming Sunday because he did say that there

Starting point is 00:08:01 needs to be like a little bit of a ramp up this week because he hasn't practiced in like over a month. But I really want Will Mallory to be more involved in this offense going forward. They have lacked any semblance of a vertical threat. They haven't really had much in terms of throwing the ball out of 12 personnel. So getting Will Mallory out there, getting him a healthy dosage of snaps. You know, it doesn't have to be like 50%. It can be, you know, 15 to 20 snaps in a game. but just getting another tight end out there who can catch passes at a high level, who can work a little bit on the intermediate to vertical plane.

Starting point is 00:08:33 I really would love to see Will Mallory out there this weekend and being a part of the offense. So Will Mallory being back at practice is great. I've been kind of waiting on this news all week, texting Jake every single day. Have they said anything about Will Mallory? Is he coming back? I feel like I'm turning into Jake now with the Will Mallory thing because that was his guy for the longest time. So hopefully Mallory can get back out there. The Colts wide receiver room and even tight end room has not really been.

Starting point is 00:08:55 living up to expectations this year. So adding the juice of Will Mallory where, look, I know it was the preseason, but it was almost unfair to have him out there in the preseason this year because he was so much better than his counterparts on the other side of the field. So luckily, he is back at practice. Hopefully the ramp up goes well for him and the Colts can get him back on the field because Will Mallory can give them a little bit of a shot in the arm when it comes to throwing the football, which they desperately need right now and going forward if they want to really

Starting point is 00:09:24 turn up the heat on this season. Coming up though, guys, we're going to talk about the C.J. Allen aspect of this season. You have C.J. Allen, under a dozen snaps on defense this year, no special team snaps. Two games where he was a healthy, active player, but didn't play any snaps whatsoever. So what is going on with the young linebacker? I'm going to try to give you guys some sense into the conversation, but also push back a little bit on the Colts as well. And football is finally back, and that means Sundays are about to get. get a whole lot more interesting.

Starting point is 00:10:01 Every week brings new matchups, breakout players, big performances, and plenty of storylines to follow. You know which player has had big performances every week? Jonathan Taylor, just keep hitting the more on touchdowns, and you will win big with prize picks. It is something to follow not only for this upcoming week, the next weeks after that, but for the entire season when it comes to the Colts star running back. Prize picks is bringing out its best offer yet for kickoff new users who sign up to get $150 in lineups if they win their first $5 lineup.

Starting point is 00:10:32 And Price Fix is now available nationwide. PricePix also has your back when other apps don't. Did you know that Price Fix invented the injury reboot? If a player in your lineup gets injured in the first half and doesn't return, your lineup can still cash. The Price Fix Injury Protection Policy helped users win over $31 million in the 26 season. Download the app today and use code locked on NFL to get $150 instantly in lineups

Starting point is 00:10:56 if you win your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. Run your game. And running a business shouldn't feel like you're trying to connect a bunch of systems that were never designed to work together. One app for accounting, another for inventory, another for sales, and somehow none of them actually talk to each other. That's where Odu comes in.

Starting point is 00:11:16 Odo is an all-in-one business management software that brings every part of your business together in one powerful platform. From sales in accounting to inventory and marketing, everything works in one place. Odu is one platform to manage, grow, and scale your entire business. The best organizations know that success isn't just about talent. It's about having everyone working towards the same goal, and that is true in sports just like it is in business.

Starting point is 00:11:38 Look at the Colts in week one when they didn't know their green dot situation and couldn't communicate on defense. Since then, they have been playing really well, especially the last two weeks, only allowing an average of 15 points against per game. Great organizations, again, they win because operations matter, and that's why you should get Odu. Odo is one platform to manage, grow, and scale your business. Try for free today at Odu.com slash locked on.

Starting point is 00:12:01 That's Odo ODO.O-O-O-O-O-O-O-com slash locked on. And we are back, locked on colds every day. It's continuing our conversation. We talked about the injury report in the first section. And in that first segment, we talked about how Keem Davis Gather is potentially in jeopardy to miss this week. I mean, as it looks right now, right, did not practice on Wednesday with a knee injury. And if he were unable to go, I think it would be CJ. Allen getting the start. But why is it not happened yet? We're going to talk about that in just

Starting point is 00:12:34 a second, but first, don't forget to check out the Everydayer Club for perks of being a loyal fan of this show. Get ad-free episodes and a group chat with us and other fans of the show. All access members also get a text line to me and Jake and receive bonus content as well, tap the link in the show notes, or go to lockdowncults.com. All right, so let's chronicle this CJ Allen debacle, I guess, or CJ Allen just situation with the Colts. So Alan was drafted, pretty high in the draft right second round draft pick for the Colts after they traded back acquired more picks they were able to get C.J. Allen, the linebacker that according to them, they were targeting from the beginning. Green Dot at Georgia, very young player, very

Starting point is 00:13:13 athletic player, fit everything that they were looking for and they were excited to land this young player in the draft. Then training camp comes along and Allen is dealing with multiple injuries, right? I think their lower body injuries that just make it let him miss time, right, throughout practice, right? He missed the first part of training camp, started on the unable to participate list early on. That was only a couple days, though, a little bit of the first week. Then he returned to practice, and then he suffered another setback with another injury, which led to him missing about two weeks as well. So all in all, you know, it's about three-ish weeks of work. Luanda Rumo has put it at, like, being about a month behind everyone else

Starting point is 00:13:50 because of those mispractices in training camp. And as a result, we have barely seen C.J. Allen out there on defense this season. He has played very little snaps on defense, zero snaps on special teams, and the Colts have tried to rotate him in, but like we've seen like the last two weeks when the Colts have been winning, it's hard to take players off the field when you're winning the football game, right? Like to take Akeem Davis Gather out when he's playing well and they're winning is much different than what it was looking like in the first week or two, where it's like, okay, we're getting crushed. Let's get another guy out there. So I do think that it has been a much tougher storyline for the Colts last couple weeks.

Starting point is 00:14:29 And I think a lot of us are sitting here being like, look, this linebacker room has, in Davis Gator, a vet minimum linebacker, right? Has Jalen Carlis, who's a former day three pick who's about to become a free agent after the year? Austin Ajikai, who's been hurt as well. And, you know, he's more of a special teamer. Bryce Betcher, a rookie that was drafted after C.J. Allen, like, in this room, how come Allen can't get on the field?

Starting point is 00:14:50 Now, Lou Anirmoe has been upfront about this, right? He's talked about, again, as CJ Allen, B. being like a month behind in the offseason program. So I think he's being very honest with that. And I think he doesn't want to throw a young player out there to the wolves when he's not fully there mentally because he has missed a lot of that install period in the off season. But another thing that Aniruma did talk about in his media session this week was talking about how C.J. Allen is a mic for them.

Starting point is 00:15:16 They primarily see him as a mic. And that is where he has worked his entire time with the Colts at this point. So Will is a very different position. and that's why Austin Ajikah got 17 defensive snaps when Jalen Carly's got banged up this past game, because it's a different position to throw C.J. Allen into. It's not as easy as a one-to-one replacement there. And that has led to my overall understanding of this situation, even if the Colts won't 100% say what it is.

Starting point is 00:15:43 But here is what I think the plan was coming into the year. When the Colts made the decision to have Cameron Bynum be the green dot, the communicator on the Colts defense, that was with the plan of, hey, we're going to start these two veteran linebackers first, and Akeem Davis Gaither and Jalen Carlis, and then we're going to rotate in C.J. Allen and Bryce Betts. We're going to get those guys involved, but by and large is going to be the two veterans early.

Starting point is 00:16:07 As the season progresses, the two young guys will get a little bit more snaps and eventually take over as starters. And they were going to take that green dot away from the linebackers to make the rotation much easier, right? Like, it's hard to take the green dot communicator off the field because then either the replacement has to come, come in, like, fresh off the bench and do that role, or you have to have someone else take over for those couple plays. So with the green dot thing with Cameron Bynum failing miserably in week

Starting point is 00:16:35 one, the Colts had to pivot. And they had to give that role to Akeem Davis Gather. And because they did that, they made Akeem Davis Gather much more valuable than they expected coming into the year. Because, again, the expectation was to rotate heavily and eventually get Allen out there alongside Betcher, but now that Akeem Davis Gaiter really can't come off the field, and now Alan has only really worked at the mic position, which is held on by Akeem Davis Gather, there's really not a way to get him on the field, right? Like, they've tried to get the both of them out there for a couple snaps, like in the red zone where they can be a lot stricter with the responsibilities, but it's a lot tougher now

Starting point is 00:17:14 to get him out there because you really don't, you can't, like, get Davis Gather out. Like we've seen when Alan has gone on the field, he's been out there with Dave's Davis Gaither. And Davis Gaither's kind of moved over to the will for those couple plays. And Allen has been the mic. And then the communication is still going on from Davis Gaither. Like, it has been a really weird situation. So I think because their first plan failed, it led to this increased role for Davis Gaither, which in turn lost the role for C.J. Allen. Now it's harder to rotate him in. Almost impossible to rotate him in because Davis Gather can't come off the football field. Now, I'm sure there's some other things going on there

Starting point is 00:17:49 too because it is at the point where it's like, okay, this is a guy you took pretty high, and he's not getting involved in anything. So maybe there is something else going on to. I'm not trying to be all conspiracy theory about all this, but maybe there is more to the story than that. But I do think the elevated role of Akeem Davis-Gather did kind of leave C.J. Allen without a role on the defense, without a role in general right now. And it's going to take either C.J. Allen showing in practice, like, this absolute

Starting point is 00:18:14 mastery of calling a defense to a level that Davis-Gather can't do to, to overtake that, but also, like, again, the Colts the last two weeks have only allowed 15 points against per game. Like, it's hard to make these wholesale changes when the last two weeks they played well. Now, again, they played the Texans without Nico Collins, and they played Athen Calcamac as a quarterback. Like, obviously it's not, you know, they didn't shut down Pat Mahomes or anything, so I'm not trying to say that the greatest defense ever. But as a coach, when you're seeing things trending in the right direction, even if you have this young player sitting behind.

Starting point is 00:18:47 Like, it's hard to make wholesale changes. So the culture in a really weird situation with this. And I understand all the fans being like, okay, we just drafted this guy with a high pick and he's not even playing, right? Like, it is a tough thing to see for a team. We saw last year with Jalen to him a low hour where they drafted him pretty high. And he was a healthy scratch for a good chunk of the season because it just, they didn't find a way to get him on the field.

Starting point is 00:19:09 I think this is a little bit different of a situation, but still in kind of in the same realm there. So all in all, like, it is. a weird situation for the Colts. I still think there are ways that can get him more involved, at least on special teams. Like, get his legs moving on special teams,

Starting point is 00:19:24 get him used to the speed of physicality of the NFL on special teams. I mean, Brian Mason can make that work with him. I do think that that could be an avenue. But if not, like, I still think we can rotate him. Like, have him work at Will and practice then, you know, so you can get him up to speed at Will,

Starting point is 00:19:40 and you can get him out there at Will linebacker a little bit more. I do think there are ways they can get him involved. It doesn't have to be as strict. as what the Colts are doing with it. But I understand from like a coaching point of view why it's tough to get him on the field right now, especially with Akeem Davis Gaither, again, in my opinion, probably being their best linebacker this year, also being their green dot guy, you don't want to take that guy off the field. So it does make for a very weird situation.

Starting point is 00:20:03 But it is what it is right now. We'll see if that changes in the next four weeks here and we'll reevaluate at the halfway point of the season. But as of right now, the draft selection of C.J. Allen seems like a disappointment. and we'll see if there's that much of a future this year, I guess, for him with the Colts, because right now he's kind of buried on a not great depth chart with the Colts. Coming up, though, we're going to talk about a more positive development, which has been the Colts run game this year. They are back to number one in the NFL in EPA per play by good margin again this season.

Starting point is 00:20:34 They've been highly efficient, really good at converting in short yardage, and also one of the best red zone offenses in football as well. But we're going to talk about how some slight changes to the run game have made this a very different approach, but it's yielding the similar success that it was early last season. Support for today's episode comes from Quo, spelled QUO, the business phone system built so you never miss a call. For businesses, every call could be an opportunity, and missing even one can be missing an entire customer. Quo brings calls, text, and voicemails together in one place so teams can see the full conversation, respond quickly, and stay organized. It can also

Starting point is 00:21:16 be set up in just minutes on any device with an existing number. and add teammates as the business grows as well. Quo keeps businesses state, Quo helps businesses stay reachable and professional without being complex. And with an optional AI agent for after hour calls, businesses can answer questions and book appointments even when the team is offline. Guys, you know when it comes to scheduling things around the house, scheduling, you know, handyman to come. The most important thing is then actually picking up the phone and showing that they care.

Starting point is 00:21:45 If I call a business and no one answers, I'm probably moving on to that next option. For a small business, that miss call can be a customer that they never have back. So having Quo keep calls, text, and voicemails organized gives the team a much better chance to respond quickly and keep that customer. Money is on the line. Always say hello with Quo. Try Quo for free, plus get $20 off your first six months when you go to Quo.com slash locked on. That's Quo, QUO.com slash locked on. Welcome to your most rewarding NFL season ever only on Fan Duel.

Starting point is 00:22:19 How rewarding are we talking? More rewarding than a touchdown with time expiring. More rewarding than an 18-point comeback. Maybe even more rewarding than an offensive lineman catching a touchdown. This season, Fandul is making the excitement go beyond what happens on the field with all new Fandall Rewards Club featuring exclusive offers, surprises, and much more. Every week, check the Fandle app and see what's waiting for you. As of right now, the Steelers are favored by one and a half in Pittsburgh over the Indianapolis Colts.

Starting point is 00:22:44 If you are dreading that 2 and 18 history that we've seen from the Colts in Pittsburgh, though, you know exactly where to go with your selection. Make this your most rewarding season ever with Fandul. Visit Fandul.com to get started. All righty, Locked on Colts Everydayers, we are back talking all about the Indianapolis Colts run game to close out this episode. Now, I know this is a bit of a nerdy topic and more so up my alley than anything else, but I was fascinated about the overall just kind of debate around the Colts run game coming into the year, right?

Starting point is 00:23:18 They were fantastic to start last season, but much like the Colts as a team, it did fall off quite a bit down the stretch. The Colts still finished with like the best rushing attack in football last year, but it wasn't nearly as dominant as it was in the first 10 games. Through 10 games, they had 0.189 EPA per play, which is like historically great for a rushing attack. But so far this year through four games, we have seen the Colts running game take a bit of a step back from that first 10,

Starting point is 00:23:47 but it's still been the best rushing attack in the league with 0.1.2. which puts them right ahead of the Atlanta Falcons in their dangerous rushing attack that they've had this season. So obviously a lot of things contribute to that, right? Like we're looking at how efficient they've been in the goal line situations, how efficient they've been in short-yard situations in general. I think it's like what seven rushing touchdowns to zero fumbles. Like those things do contribute to it. But yeah, they've overall been a very effective rushing attack,

Starting point is 00:24:14 even while playing a couple really good run defenses to start the season. On top of that, though, I think the most interesting development with the Colts run game is how they have changed a bit of their identity. If we look at Shane Steichen's history with the Colts, right? Like in 2023 and 2024, he based his entire running game out of inside zone concepts. So, you know, we're going to run toward the middle of the defense. We're going to just, you know, have our offensive line zone out, fire off the ball on their zone tracks. And we're going to just create that success early with those inside zone runs. And then we'll build off the inside zone going forward.

Starting point is 00:24:48 and we saw a bit of a shift last year where the Colts were much more diverse across the board with what their go-to running concepts were. They still ran inside zone the most out of everything, but slightly. It was only like a 17% rate they ran inside zone, and they kind of mixed and matched like man blocking scheme stuff, outside zone stuff,

Starting point is 00:25:08 and it was very diverse plan of attack. We have seen a big change this year, though, where it's not as diverse because they have heavily leaned on outside zone runs. I'm going to put up a graphic here, here for the YouTube people. If you guys are listening on audio, don't worry, I'll read off the graphics, so you're not missing anything.

Starting point is 00:25:24 But here on the graphic, you'll see some of the changes in percentiles that the Colts have had on a couple key rushing attempts. So last year, this is all Jonathan Taylor, by the way. So 409 rushing attempts for Jonathan Taylor last season. 70 of those were inside zone, which is 17.1%. But also, we saw a good mix after that, where 63 were outside zone, which is 15.4%. 67 of those were man-blocked. locking scheme, which is 16.3%.

Starting point is 00:25:51 And they really didn't use pulling out in front or like pull lead runs too often. Only 36 rushes, which is only 8.8%. The changes that we've seen this year, though, with Jonathan Taylor's rushes in particular, through 86 attempts, only 10 of those have been inside zone. This is all according to Sumer Sports, by the way. Only 10 of those have been inside zone, 11.6%, which is a downward trend from the 17% last year. The big jump, though, comes with outside zone, where they had 6%. 63 and 409 attempts last year.

Starting point is 00:26:21 This year, it's 40 of their 86 attempts have been outside zone runs, which is a whopping 46.5%. They have heavily leaned on those outside zone runs. And then they've also used those pull lead runs as their go-to strikeout pitch. You know, it has created a lot of explosive runs for the Colts, and it has been like more of their go-to in the running game, where last year only 8.8% of their runs were pull-lead. this year 15.7%. And you can see it coming from a variety of different players.

Starting point is 00:26:51 McInsolvis pulling out in front, Tanner Bordellini, Jalen Travis on occasion as well. And as a result of all this, man blocking has dropped quite a bit to only down to 8.1%. So the Colts have made some major changes to the way they approach the running game. And I would say that it's led to quite a bit of success this year. Again, the number one rushing offense according to EPA per play. They are living out of outside zone runs right now, which is something I've never really seen from Shane Steichen. He's always been a gun run inside zone type of guy from the entire time I've covered him.

Starting point is 00:27:24 But I think we are seeing a lot of success when it comes to these outside zone runs. I mean, if you look at the makeup of the offensive line, it makes a lot of sense, right? On one side, you have these two massive, massive players in McInsolvis and Jalen Travis, where they are really good, like, if they have short areas to cover, and just getting on those players in a hurry, displacing, and working them on the zone tracks, where the backside players, like on the left side, like Tanner Bordellini, obviously Quinn Nelson can do anything because he's like the perfect lineman. And Berenhardt Riemann,

Starting point is 00:27:52 are outstanding athletes, right? So if you're going to run, say, an outside zone to the right, your two massive players can be those guys right in front of the charge, just making that quick displacement at the point of attack. Your backside guys are capable of reaching linebackers, reaching secondary players if need be. Your center can reach that potential one tech as well and turn his hips really well and open up that rushing lane.

Starting point is 00:28:16 So I do think the type of bodies they have on the offensive line does set up really well for, again, a lot of these outside zone runs that we've seen. And then when they pull out the pole leads that they run, it's been really effective. It was really effective last year as well. But when I make the comparison to like a pitcher, like last year it was like the fifth pitch, like the fifth pitch like screwball or something like that that a pitcher throws, right? Like it can be devastating but only in really small amounts where this year the pull lead runs have been like that go-to strikeout pitch, right? Like, what's the, what's the breaking

Starting point is 00:28:48 ball you're going to go to to get a swing and miss when you have two strikes on a batter? That has been the pull lead this year where when the Colts feel like a defense is kind of worn down a little bit, then they'll get Nelson out in space, then they'll get Matt Consolvis out in space, then they'll get Tanner Bordellini out in space, and really do some devastation there on the outside. So I think the Colts have found some really cool answers in the running game. I'm glad that they have mixed it up a little bit and found a new identity because the last thing you want to do is be stale with your rushing attack, right, and be predictable. But now that since they have changed up their approach, their go-to approach plus changed up their

Starting point is 00:29:21 go-to, like, again, strikeout pitch, I do think that they are leaving defenses, just kind of wheeling a little bit. And we saw with the Washington commanders this past week who came into that game with one of the better rushing defenses in the league, they were worn down by that fourth quarter, completely run into the ground. So some really good stuff. I know Tony Sprano Jr. has a big impact on the rushing game. So big shout to him.

Starting point is 00:29:43 and Shane Steichen for finding those answers for the Colts because they might be 30th in dropback success rate this year and 30th and drop back EPA, but they are number one in rushing EPA and hopefully that continues going forward. One another way to watch Lockdown Colts every single day. Introducing the Lockedon Colts hit, your daily hit of espresso on the team that you love. Quick, strong, five minutes or less, find Lockdown Colts hit on YouTube wherever you listen to your podcast. If you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts at Jake Arthur, NFL, and at Zach Hicks 2, all on socials. If you never miss an episode, the Everdeer Club is built for you. Get us ad free plus members-only Discord access and much more. Head to locked on colds.spers.com to join the club.

Starting point is 00:30:21 Thank you all for tuning in, and we'll catch you guys back here tomorrow afternoon.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - INJURIES: 4 Starters Miss Practice as the Colts Prepare for the Steelers

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