Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 10/21/19: Colts make another strong statement with 30-23 win over Texans

Episode Date: October 21, 2019

On today's episode, Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue helps recap another impressive victory for the Indianapolis Colts. In a must-win scenario to take the AFC South lead, Indianapolis won behind the arm of Jacoby Brissett. The Colts' QB sliced and diced the Texans' secondary when the run game wasn't working well, but the consistent use of it helped open up the play action pass game even more.We talked through some other strong individual performances outside of Brissett as well. Zach Pascal is quietly taking over as the Colts' No. 2 wide receiver, while Eric Ebron woke up from his slump with a big day. Also, how about Justin Houston and Jabaal Sheard? Those two are working together really well right now for the Colts' pass rush.Finally, we look ahead to the Broncos matchup for the first time. Will the disappointing loss against Oakland be a wake up call for this team to avoid future stumbles? I believe so, but what say you listeners? With Joe Flacco as Denver's QB, this should be a game where a double-digit victory should be the most ideal scenario. What should be the primary attack plan against Denver? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into Locked On Colts for a Locked On Podcast Network. Today, as always, we have Evan Sutter. I'm joined by our weekly guest on the show, Zach Hicklestamp. How are you doing today, Zach? Pretty good, man. Always feels better coming on after a big win. And second big win in a row, you know, beating the Texans at home to take over first place in the division. So I'm feeling really good today, man. Yeah, the Colts won 30-23 yesterday. That was the final score. And it kind of just goes to show you, I think, what was more impressive to you, Zach? I know the Colts usually own the Texas at home,

but I feel like that game kind of showed us that Jacoby Perced can win a game on his own. Yeah, you know, I think the biggest thing, and we talked about last week going into the game, you know, I didn't want the Colts to get into a shootout with the Texans. Simple as that. I think that typically when you get into a shootout with the team, you really don't want to get into it with a team that has a better quarterback. And, you know, like I said last week, if you're the biggest Jacoby Percept fan ever,

you're still going to think Sean Watson's a better quarterback. So going into that game, I didn't want to get into a shootout. And Frank Reich definitely, you know, changed up his thought process there. And he tried to counter what he thought the Texans were going to do. And he thought the Texans were going to stack the box and try to stop Marlon Mack, which is exactly what we saw. So he called a very pass-heavy offense the whole game. And Andrew Koper set came to play. I mean, he, he had an outstanding game and it was definitely the best game of the year and probably the best game of his NFL career. So hats off to Jacoby Brissett for coming out and having such a great game

and, and going through his progressions and, and standing, sitting in there and pressure and, and just making a lot of plays. And then also to Frank Reich to have the confidence of the young quarterback to, to, you know, put the team on his back and let him go to work. So I think hats off to those two guys for helping this team win. 325 yards, four touchdowns, no picks for Jacoby Brissett yesterday. Like you said, Zach, probably the best game of his NFL career so far. And I think this goes to show the next-gen stats and the clean pocket

that Brissett has, 22 of 26. He also had four touchdowns in that scenario as well. I feel like Brissett's at least an average NFL quarterback, we can say now through six games, Zach, where if he has a clean pocket, he's usually going to do well. Oh, yeah, for sure. And I think that we could see that even people who are doubting Jacob Brissette being the future of this team

and being the franchise quarterback going forward, I think we can all kind of agree that he's at least an average quarterback. You know, he's not going to do – he's not going to have a horrible game where he's going to lose the game for you. But the big question going into this last week and kind of going forward still is, can he win games for you? Can he win games that you're not supposed to win because your team is just having a bad game where they didn't show up, kind of like the Raiders game this year?

Can he win those games? Can he put together big performances? And this past weekend was the first one that we really saw. You know, the Falcons game was kind of one, but that was just a really weird game overall. But this game, you know, at home, a big divisional game coming off of a bye week. I think this was his biggest test of the year.

And again, maybe of his entire NFL career. And he really put the team on his back and had a great game. You know, there were still some moments where he could have been a little bit better. But, you know, overall, if you want more than what he just gave on Sunday, I think it's a little bit nitpicky. You know, I think that he played a really good game, and it was exactly what I wanted to see.

I really wanted to see him be able to attack intermediate and a little bit more downfield. And he made the defense kind of have to respect the pass, and he was a threat to convert first downs you know second and long third and long uh even first and long uh so i think it was just a great game overall and and uh it's a step in the right you know in the right direction i think uh anyone who really doubted him um really saw this past weekend that he can lead this team to victory when he has to throw the ball and i think that's a step in the right direction for even his biggest doubters.

I think one interesting stat here, Zach, the Colts had eight plays in the first five games of going at least 20 yards. They had six of those yesterday. I think it was set up well by the play-action pass, though, because they ran it 26 times for only 62 yards. But establishing that run that the Colts have done each week and opening up for Jacoby on those play-action situations,

I think that's a recipe for success long-term think where you can just establish run even if the run's not working that they at the defense not to have to worry about that because the Colts have been so good running the ball and opens things up for the pass game absolutely you know I know that a lot of analytics kind of point to establishing the run doesn't really set up the play action honestly the Colts game this past weekend would kind of point to that because even though they couldn't establish the run the entire game, the play action was effective. The biggest point of that, though, when you look at the Colts team, is you know their identity as a running team,

especially with those big guys up front with Quentin Nelson, Anthony Costanzo. You don't want to be on your heels whatsoever against those guys. So you kind of have to respect that run. You have to respect that play action. And I think the Colts did a great job of instituting a lot more of it this weekend and instituting a lot of crossing routes to kind of confuse the defense. And I know Zach Paschal said in an interview after the game that they were running crossing routes against the scout team defense. And that was making them confident for the Texans team because the scout team defense couldn't, you know, kind of stay with those crossing routes. So I think it was really good preparation by the Colts.

And I think that, you know, I just think that the play action doesn't really need to be set up by a great running game, but just the threat of the Colts running game with a really good running back and those big guys up front who have a great reputation already does kind of set up that play action game. And I like to see more of that going forward. Speaking of Zach Paschal, six catches, 106 yards, two touchdowns on seven targets, a career day, of course, for Paschal. And I think it goes to show Zach that I think this is an incredible story.

I think one of the funnest storylines of the year so far is just Zach Paschal and his rise over the last month or so, because the first game, he didn't get a single target, same goes for week two. Then once the injuries hit and once Deion Kane kind of regressed a little bit, Paschal's kind of running away at the number two wide receiver spot. I think it's just a cool story. Oh, yeah, for sure. And, again, I'm pretty sure I said it on this podcast here,

and I've said it multiple times. I've written articles about it. Zach Paschal is one of my favorite players in the entire league. And it's not because of anything flashy with him or anything like that. I just think that he's a coach's player. He will grind out and do anything that a coach asks, but the biggest thing that he does that coaches love and doesn't really get talked about enough is his ability to improve from year to year. You know, he went from his first year being a practice squad player, barely rosterable player

in Washington, to a special teams guy in Tennessee, to, you know, a bottom of the roster receiver for the Colts last year to play from spot start. Now we're looking at a guy who could be a legit wide receiver two or three in the league. I mean, every single year he's shown improvement. And he looked at weaknesses in his game and he has gotten better at it, Adam. I mean, this year, I think it tweeted out earlier today,

he's only 29 yards away from eclipsing his, his totals from last year in terms of receiving yards. He's already closing in on his catches as well as long as well as doubling his yards per catch. So I think that he's just having a great season. I think he's showing improvement every year and career day this past weekend. I think that he's a guy who can be relied on a lot more in the passing game. I wonder, I know this is kind of looking ahead a little bit, because who knows when Parrish Campbell will be back. It might be next week.

It might be a couple weeks from now. Devin Funch won't be back until the Jaguars game, at least on November 17th. What do you do in that situation once Funch is in Campbell or back? I think you really can't limit Paschal's snaps, because I think he's done so well, and he's been so pivotal to this team the last couple weeks. Oh, yeah, for sure. And I think Paschal will have a role, especially a bigger role,

just because of how he's playing. You know, the Colts do a really good job of getting the best players in the field. You know, we've seen it in Kari Willis, even though there have kind of been injuries there. They've been getting Kari Willis in the field, and obviously he's one of the better players in the defense. And you just see it with guys overall,

and they really love their versatility as well. That's why you see it with a guy like Al-Qaeda Mohammedmad on defense uh and zach pascal is kind of that way on offense you know he's versatile and he's one of the better players now in that group so i don't think they're going to really keep him off uh the field at all uh because of that and i think that he's going to have a solid role as the wide receiver for maybe even uh kind of a more prominent role than wide receiver for kind of subbing a little bit more punches like he comes back from this injury. But I do think, you know, Hilton's number one. And no matter how well Paschal's playing, I do think Funches is just a better overall player.

But I think that wide receiver three spot with Campbell and, you know, wide receiver four is kind of that backup to Funches. I think Paschal's going to really thrive there, and he'll still get his snaps and play really well. So regardless of what his role is going forward with his team, you know, even after this year, I think we all just need to kind of take a step back and be like, this player has done a lot in his NFL career.

He's gotten a lot better, and he's become a real asset to this team, and it's just remarkable. I really am a big fan of Zach Paschal and everything he's done with this team. Another clear show on here, Zach, on the offensive side, Eric Ebron, who we talked about before on the show

the last couple weeks, who's someone who really needs to step up here. I think he was kind of in a really bad funk. He was dropping balls left and right. But this time on Sunday, even Eric Ebron mentioned after on postgame that they kind of set the game plan for him to get going a little bit early on, Bursette and Reich. And it really showed.

He had five targets, had four catches for 70 yards, and a touchdown in that insane catch he made in the end zone. I think that's a good throw by Jacoby as well, but I feel like that was the kind of game that Ebron really needed to get his confidence back. Yeah, you know, he's such a high-variance player. You know, he'll have his great games and not his bad games. So he really needed one of these great ones to really kind of bounce back

on the air because he's been really quiet up to this point. And, you know, the Colts haven't really been a high-level passing offense this season outside of maybe the Atlanta game before this. But, you know, he really needed this game to up his confidence. You know, he has not been very reliable last few games before this one, dropping a lot of passes. But yeah, he was excellent on Sunday. I think he was a major asset of the passing game. And, you know, when Hilton was struggling or not really getting his targets, Ebron was able to kind of get open and be that second option to Zach Paschal all day. So, you know, he had a great game and I'm glad that he was able to bounce back because he's a very

talented player. The only thing that ever holds him back is kind of between the ears and his own confidence. So hopefully this gets his confidence back up and he can return to that Pro Bowl level he was at last year. Peloton is offering a limited time offer. Give him $100 off accessories when you purchase the Peloton bike and get a great credit workout at home. Go to onepeloton.com and use promo code LOCKED, L-O-C-K-E-D, to get started right away. Guys, have a chat real quick. Remember the days when you were always ready to go?

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And since they're chewable, they're worth twice as fast as a pill, so you can be ready to go whenever an opportunity arises. Pivoting to the defense now, Zach, I feel like 23 points, the first half especially, I think that Colts defense really stood out. The definition of bend but don't break. They really just allowed a lot of yards to get inside the 20. like 23 points the first half especially I think that Colts defense really said that they were the definition of bend but don't break they really just allowed a lot of yards to get inside the 20 but once they got in there they really stiffened up in the first half especially that they only allowed three fegals in the inside the 20 there I think the Colts defense really also mysterious

learned his predacy had a team high 10 tackles what does it say now and also Justin Houston we can know on as well here Zach because it seems like all these pieces for this defense are kind of gelling together now, and they're still not even healthy yet. They have Kenny Moore and Malik Hooker coming back here soon. Yeah, and I think that's a very underrated statement right there. When they get those two guys back, we'll finally see this defense at full form, and that's going to be big. You know, Malik Hooker is a huge deal coming back because he's the heart

and soul at that back end. So I think when he comes back and, you know, Kenny Moore comes back and, you know, obviously Shaq Taylor had a good game, but Kenny Moore is just, you know, a different level from him. So when you get those two guys back, we're going to see a really good defense, I think. And hats off again to Matt Eberfluss' whole game. I think he did a perfect blend of aggressiveness and also, you know,

sitting back a little bit in that bend, don't break. Also throwing in some man, throwing in some zone. I think he really kept Deshaun Watson and that Texas offense on their heels. And, you know, we talked about Frank Reich outcoaching Bill O'Brien in this game, but I think Matt Eberflew's even outcoached Bill O'Brien. You know, Bill O'Brien wasn't able to really scheme his guys open. And, you know, if you look at that Texans offense, you know, Deshaun Watson, Duke Johnson, Kiki Cootie, DeAndre Hopkins,

and Will Fuller and Kenny Stills, that's a lot of talent right there on the field. So for the Colts to be able to kind of hold them back and allow their offense to kind of go forward and, you know, win that game basically for the Colts at the end of the game, I think that was just a great defensive effort all around from Ibra Pluss and all the guys on defense. I think someone who's waking up here, Zach, is Justin Houston. I think maybe returning to Kansas City and having that emotional game really helped him out.

He has three sacks over his last two games. He only had one in the first four games. How pivotal is it for Houston now, especially with Kamoko Ture out and Ben Banigou still coming along slowly, that he's kind of this force the rest of the season for them? Oh, huge. And that's kind of what we needed when, when the Colts signed them, you know, they needed, you know, they didn't need superstar Justin Houston. They didn't need 23 sack Justin Houston, even though that would have been great.

They didn't need that. They needed that veteran presence who can be a reliable force in both the passing game and the run game. And kind of, you know, this kind of goes along with Paul Sheard. We're also going to kind of mention him here because he also had a great game. But those two guys just came out to play. You know, nothing flashy about either of them at this point in their careers. Older players kind of on their last legs here, but just reliable.

And they get after it every single play. You know, even if it's not the flashiest sack where they're beating their tackle, they're kind of grinding it out and just working their way to the quarterback. And I think both of them had excellent games in both run defense and rushing the passer. And we saw it all game. I mean, they were in Deshaun Watson's face all game. So I think hats off to those two players.

And I think they were the best defenders on the team on Sunday. I think Sheard is a player who I underrated a little bit coming into the season because I originally thought, okay, they drafted Ture, they drafted Banigou, eventually they're just going to let him go after this year. But I think at this point with the way he's played, Zach, I think he deserves – he's one of those guys at the end of the year who kind of deserves maybe a two- or three-year extension. Oh, yeah, it's certainly tough, but I think that's the type of guy

that you don't want to get rid of or ever lose. I mean, I think forever we're going to talk about this guy as being underrated. Even if he even makes Pro Bowls or whatsoever, I think forever we're going to talk about this guy as being underrated. Even if he even makes Pro Bowls or whatsoever, I think he's always going to be underrated because his impact is not always felt in the statistical column. You know, he gets after the quarterback. He's a great mentor to the younger players. From everything I've heard from people around the Colts, you know,

you would expect Justin Houston to be that mentor. And this isn't me trying to bash Justin Houston at all. He's more of the watch me do it kind of guy. But Jabal Sheard is very vocal with the young guys. He's really helping them learn. And I think that that's very pivotal too. So when you combine all that and also his play on the field and how much better the Colts run defense has been, and also their pass rush has been since he's come back, I think it's definitely gonna be hard to lose him. It's tough when you've spent, you know, two second round picks or three second round picks, I guess, in the last two years on edge players, defensive linemen.

It's tough to kind of keep Jabal Sheard. But, I mean, it's hard to get rid of him at this point, too, because he's just so productive and so valuable in that locker room. So it's going to be a tough decision. But as of right now, I think we've got to cherish what we got with him. And he's a darn good player who I think, you know, to the end of time we'll be calling underrated because that's just kind of what he is.

Yeah, I would certainly agree with you there, Zach. I think Shier just wanted the underrated piece to his Colts defense, especially this year, what we've seen after his return so far, opposite Justin Houston. But I feel like we should talk about the rookies on the defensive side for a second here, especially the two in the secondary, Kari Willis and Rakia Seen. Those two guys I feel like are really –

even though Rak had a couple of moments here and there yesterday where it was kind of – he just got beat in coverage. I feel like overall those two players, and especially Kari Willis, took 100% of the snatch for the Colts defense. I think we officially reached that point where Rak is planted or officially submitted as the number two corner, and now Kari Willis is the number two safe next to Hooker when he's back. Oh, yeah, definitely.

And I think that those two have cemented themselves as long-term pieces on this team. And it's great for Kari Willis because Kari Willis wasn't, quote-unquote, expected because he was, you know, that fourth-round pick, a later-round pick, day-three guy. But for him to come in and play as well as he has this year, you know, I've gone on about him every single week on this podcast. He's been excellent. But also, Rocky Asin, you know, I know he had about him every single week on this podcast. He's been excellent. But also Rocky Sin.

You know, I know he had some rough snaps this past weekend. It's definitely a tough matchup against Kenny Stills when he's – when, you know, Rocky Sin's not the fastest corner and he wasn't really in man all game. But, you know, he played well. Again, he was in position most of the time. I think as the game is going on, he's going to get better with his ball tracking and attacking at the point of attack.

But I do think that those two players are going to be pieced in the secondary for a long time. I think that they're both really good players and they've definitely shown a lot so far on film to make you think that they can be key pieces on this defense. So I think Ballard did a great job with those two guys and both of them are going out there and playing really well each week. As far as the safety rotation goes, Zach, once Hooker is back, do you expect them to use all four safeties here? I mean, I know Willis and Hooker will probably get most of the snaps, but do you expect maybe a platoon with Gathers and Odom,

or do you expect once Hooker is back it's going to be just Hooker and Willis getting the lion's share of the snaps, maybe almost like 90%, 100% of them? You know, we could see that. I'm sure that they'll rotate the way that, you know, according to matchup or according to whatever team they're playing against. But I would like to see Odom and, you know, even Roland Milligan look good this past weekend. But I would like to see Odom on the field a little bit more. I think he showed quite a bit these past two games. I think he had a at the end of the day, if Hooker and Willis are getting all the snaps, they're getting 100%, I'm fine with that too because those are two of your, you know, top five players in your defense so far this year.

So I'd be fine with both those guys getting 100%. But I would love to see, you know, the young guy in Odom getting out there a couple times too. Now the Colts are 4-2 in the season, Zach, and especially coming off two impressive wins against the Chiefs and the Texans off the bye week. The next couple weeks, we're getting the Broncos in just a second here, but look at the next three or four weeks for the cold schedule. The Broncos at the Steelers,

Dolphins and Jaguars before they go Thursday night football in Houston. If they can be seven and three or eight and two when they go to Houston, Zach, I feel like they could really create some separation or division. Oh yeah, for sure, and that's huge. I mean, to make the playoffs, basically, I feel like all of us kind of think this, I don't know if it's just me, but you want to get to that, that 10 win threshold to basically say, you know, you're in the playoffs. You know, it's been very rare throughout NFL history that a team has won, has won 10 games and missed the playoffs.

So if they can get to eight and two this next stretch, which, you know, we're talking about winning four in a row, but it's really not that difficult and we're going against a historically bad team and the dolphins a third string quarterback in the in the steelers a guy who should be a third string quarterback this next week against uh the broncos and joe flacco so i mean it's a lot of winnable games and uh the colts just can't slip uh these next few weeks i think uh if they just stay the course and they win these next few games get to eight and two uh you know anything's kind of possible from that point. They could get to 11, 12, maybe 13 wins even.

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but this is a very nice schedule going down the stretch. I think it's just going to be huge for them to just maintain the course and take care of business the next few weeks. Is this the first team, at least in our lifetime, I know we're kind of on the younger side, Zach. I feel like for me, I grew up in the Manning and Luck era it's really the first team in years where it's actually the team is not carrying the quarterback so to say but the team is so good and so balanced that they can beat you any any way on either side of the ball I think that's just super impressive the way Chris Bauer is going about building this team in really two and a half years which goes to say

how good of a GM he is. Oh yeah it's great you, you don't really see it in too many teams across the league. You see it from a couple Super Winners. You know, we saw it from the Eagles a couple years ago. We saw it from, you know, the Patriots' last, you know, 20 years of their dynasty. But, you know, you rarely see complete teams. You know, if you look around the league, even the best teams in the entire league,

you'll look at, like, the Chiefs, for instance, very top-heavy. You know, they're all quarterback and a couple talented players uh you know look at the Texans this past weekend too very top heavy with their quarterback and talented players uh it's um you know the league is is not very deep overall and I think the Colts have done a great job of of building their trenches on both sides they got veterans in there mixed with talented young players. And then, you know, they have a lot of just quality players. You know, somebody I was talking to today about this said, you know, even if the whole team, like every player on the team is a B minus player, that's a pretty good team right there. And I think that's a pretty good way to describe the Colts.

You know, outside of Quentin Nelson, there's not really a superstar on this roster. But overall, you can't really say there's many weaknesses because they're all just, at worst, average to above-average players. There's not really a liability anywhere, and I think that's huge in team building. So, again, I know this hats off a lot in this, but hats off to Chris Ballard and everyone in charge of building this roster. It's a very complete team and a very deep team. Let's go on to the Broncos game here, Zach. And the Broncos, as

we've seen, if you guys have had the chance to watch them this year, and especially last week on Thursday Night Football, they are not a good team at all. And Joe Flacco's really losing all of his wheels. I think he's one of the bottom ten, bottom five, worst quarterbacks in the NFL right now. And we really saw it last year on the wide journal. They made the trade that he did to go get him. But is the game plan

on Sunday, Zach, just to stack the box against Phillip Lindsey and just, Joe Flacco's not going to beat you, I don't think, unless they really just wet the bed, so to say. I really believe that this could be a blowout win if they really just stick to their game plan. Yeah, you know, I wouldn't say stack the box, because honestly, I don't think you need to. The biggest thing, and it's kind of crazy thinking that, you know, Mike Munkert, the offensive line coach, he's one of the best in the NFL and maybe even one of the best, you know, all time in terms of coaching offensive line play. But their offensive line right now is putrid, to say the least.

You know, Garrett Bowles is leading the NFL in holding penalties. They're going to be left and right. I don't even think you really need to stack the box, maybe pay extra attention to the running game. But, you know, just get after them with four or five if you have to, and I think that'll get the job done. The key is, you know, just get after them with four or five if you have to, and I think that'll get the job done. The key is, you know, just getting pressure on Flacco and forcing mistakes and making the field shorter for yourself, I think, is a very winnable game. Flacco's not really a scary

quarterback at all. The Broncos are not as bad as what the record says. They have some talented piece on that team, but, you know, they're just not performing this year. They're really not. It starts with that quarterback, and it kind of ends with the players kind of giving up. It's been a tough year for them, but, you know, they have some talent. Colts shouldn't overlook them, but they just kind of stay the course, take care of business. They'll be fine.

Yeah, I think especially. How much do you think that Raiders loss is going to, like, be in the back of their heads, the Colts? Because I feel like they might have been looking ahead to Kansas City, and then that happened against Oakland. I feel like this might be a game where Frank Reich and the coaching staff really drew under their heads that it's one game at a time, and this might be a game where they come out super focused. Oh, yeah, certainly, and I think that that'll kind of ring true with them. I think every loss kind of does that in the NFL. You know, I rarely think

teams really go into games, maybe against the Dolphins this year, you know, saying that we're going to win this game. Maybe they will overlook ones overlook ones but uh you know i don't think there's many teams that are just cocky i think they've got caught off guard early in that game but again that's that's a great lesson to be taught there by reich and and the rest of the coaching staff you know you can't uh get caught flat foot at the beginning of the game uh because it's really hard to recover in the nfl so i think they're going to come out firing and hopefully they can take care of business like i've you know multiple times here, take care of business against the worst team. That's what you got to do when you want to be one of the better teams in the league.

Before we close today's show, Zach, what are your three keys to this game? Because I feel like this is a game where, like I mentioned before, if they just follow just the basic guidelines and the Denver defense I've looked up, I know they're underrated, so to say. I mean, they kind of hold teams well against the pass, but the running game, the run defense is putrid from what I've looked up, I know they're underrated, so to say. I mean, they kind of hold teams well against the pass, but the running game, their run defense is putrid from what I've seen in the stats so far. What would you say are the main keys to this one? Yeah, so the first two keys are actually kind of hand-in-hand with each other. But one is forced turnovers because you want to make that field shorter for yourself.

You want to get that offense out of rhythm early in the game. Forced turnovers, forced sacksacks kind of getting their heads early. And then the second key is on the Colts offensive side of the ball, you know, don't give them anything easy. Don't turn the ball over. Don't, don't take bad sacks. I don't, you know, have really quick three and out possessions and don't, don't make life easy for, for the Broncos offense and getting back on the field.

So control the ball on offense. Don't turn the ball over. On defense, force those turnovers. And then the last key I'm going to say, you know, run it out. Pound the ground. Get it to Marlon Mack, get to Jordan Wilkins. Take advantage of that bad rush defense and play to your strength, you know. You know, Jacoby Brissett, we saw this past weekend, he can air it out and he can take advantage.

But get back to your strength, kind of control the game, and get out of there with a victory. Like I said i said multiple times take care of business against this horse team my prediction for this game is that i'm gonna go 27 to 10 i feel like this really shouldn't be that close i i actually hope it's not that close but i really hope i'm just gonna say this is a fun prediction i hope we see a quentin nelson touchdown here soon because him line up at the end i guess that was amazing and frank rec even say you might see more of it i think quentin him line up at the fullback yesterday, that was amazing. And Frank Reich even said he might see more of it. I think Quentin Nelson, if he played fullback full time, that would be so scary for defenses.

Oh, yeah, for sure. I can't even imagine him bearing down on you. But I like your prediction. I'm going to go 23 to 13. I don't think it's going to be as close as what that score says. Maybe they'll get a garbage touchdown at the end of the game from 23-6 to get to 23 to 13. But I do think the Colts kind of control this game throughout, and they just kind of play a nice little conservative game. because maybe they'll get a garbage touchdown at the end of the game from 23-6 to get to 23-13.

But I do think the Colts kind of control this game throughout, and they just kind of play a nice little conservative game and take care of business like I've been saying a thousand times here. No, yeah, I totally agree with you. I think we're both on the same page. This really shouldn't be that close to the Colts. Just stay on their P's and Q's and really don't look ahead here. I think this could be a really fun stretch for the team. They could be 7-3 or maybe eight and two.

Hopefully I think we both agree to be eight and two with this schedule coming up next month or so they could really create some separation, not only for the division, but also maybe possibly get a first round by if all goes well for them. But you can follow Zach on Twitter at Zach Hicks to read his work on Stampede blue as well. Zach has always appreciated the time, man. Yeah, of course, man.

Thanks for having me.