Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 1/17/20: What the Colts can learn from the AFC South's playoff success

Episode Date: January 17, 2020

On today's episode, George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin joins to go over countless Colts topics. First up, is there anything to be gained from the success Houston and Tennessee had in the playoffs? Could the Colts have done what Tennessee is doing right now?How important is next week's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama? Through his draft history, it's known now GM Chris Ballard loves this event to pick out future draft picks. With quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Jordan Love headlining it, it's going to be a very crucial draft evaluation period.Finally, we close with some more Twitter questions from our loyal listeners ranging from free agency to the possibility left tackle is the No. 1 priority if Anthony Castonzo retires. Don't miss this one, Colts fans! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into your latest episode of Locked On Colts, probably Locked On Podcast Network. Today's host is Evan Sutter, Andrew Meyer, our weekly guest on the show, George Berman of the Herald Bulletin. George, how are you doing today? Doing good. Doing good. Thanks for coming on, as always. Appreciate the time. And I wanted to talk a little bit, I know we're in the dole of the offseason here, but it's going to pick up really quickly for the Colts starting here next week once the Senior Bowl gets started here. We're recording this on a Friday afternoon, but I wanted to talk to you today, George, starting things off about the playoffs so far. I feel like the Colts can learn a thing or two

from the Titans. Maybe the Titans can emulate what the Colts are doing because it seems like the way the Titans are winning these playoff games against the Patriots and the Ravens, and if they do it against the Chiefs as well, following that, I feel like Frank Reichsman wanted to do this whole time as far as really have a run-first mentality and have a quarterback who doesn't make mistakes. Yeah, and I think the other thing, though, that the Titans have brought into the mix, obviously their defense has played extremely well. Their secondary in particular has played extremely well

during this postseason. But they've also had that big play element on offense with Corey Davis and A.J. Brown Brown who's been an absolutely outstanding draft pick for them I think that's one of the things that when the Colts talk about improving the passing game as a whole that's what they're talking about you know obviously Ryan Tannehill's got to go and and make those throws but they've also got to have receivers who can make those explosive plays and be a big part of that. And, you know, I think Tennessee's got a really, really good mixture right now where they're able to keep the opposing team

off the field for long stretches of time without running game. And then, you know, make the big plays through the passing. And what will be interesting to me is so far things have played out the way that the Titans have drawn them up. You know, we've yet to really see how this offense works. If they do fall behind, we've yet to really see how this offense works if they do fall behind. We know if they get a lead, they'll sit on it with Derrick Henry. And then the other element of it that Frank Reich's talked about a billion times

that Tennessee has been outstanding with in this postseason is the red zone. I think they've got something like 78% touchdown efficiency right now in the red zone, which is just unbelievable. But, you know, finishing those drives, getting six points instead of three, touchdown efficiency right now in the red zone, which is just unbelievable. But, you know, finishing those drives, getting six points instead of three, that's what it really is all about. I know this is kind of a tough hypothetical question because the Colts obviously didn't make the playoffs, but if they did this year and they were in the Titan spot, George,

would you feel confident in them doing what the Titans are doing now as far as really just riding Marlon Mack into the offensive line and just killing games as far as time and possession goes and the defense being smart there. Do you think this Colts team really wouldn't have been able to make it that far? Yeah, I don't think the defense would have been able to hold up as well as the Titans defense has. And I think we saw that throughout, especially at the end of the year.

And maybe Kenny Moore's out there that have a better chance. But you can just see that that defense really i think there's there's there's still too many missing pieces they need to get that pass rush up to where it needs to be uh so they can get the ball out a little bit faster not give those quarterbacks as much time that'll help the secondary out as well and i think tennessee's got a real advantage there and then also you know that passing game yeah they only threw for 88 yards but i just think the threat is there and that sometimes is enough. Defenses have to respect Brown.

They have to respect Davis. They have to respect Kenny Hill's ability to get them the ball. And I think that's one of the things that really hurt the Colts throughout the season. They were – teams were able to just kind of double down on Marlon Mack, and the Colts, especially when T.Y. Hilton is out, really weren't able to make them pay enough. I feel like these playoffs are kind of showing us now.

We kind of knew it coming into this year, but officially now with the Titans and the AFC title game, the Texans making noises themselves, being a 24-0 on Kansas City before they blew that game. But this AFC South, if Jacksonville has one or two more good drafts, they can rebuild on the fly there. This AFC South division, all of a sudden, Georgia's a laughingstock nationally for over a decade, but now entering into the 2020s here, it could be one of the best divisions in football. Yeah. Oh, absolutely. And I think if Jacksonville can kind of solidify some things

in the locker room, I think is one of their biggest things is get everybody on the same page. And there's some key guys that they've got to maintain this year. And Gawkway at the top of the list, he's talking to pretty much like a guy who's already out the door. So, you know, they've really got to find a way to keep him in the fold and, and just add to that to their offensive repertoire. I think they've got some good pieces there and I know they have a lot of hope for Gardner Minshew, but they've got to build off that.

But everybody else in the division, as far as the Titans and the Texans go, they've got everything you want on paper. You know, I think they've been able to make plays on offense. They've had some pretty good shutdown defenses. They can get after you, the quarterback, they can turn the ball over. I think the Colts know that they've got some of those pieces. And I think that's one of the big things this off season is to fill out, especially on the defensive side, get a couple more guys who can take the football away. And most importantly, get a couple more guys,

especially on the interior of the defensive line, that can put pressure on the quarterback, make it tougher for that guy to get comfortable in the pocket. I think you saw throughout the last month, month and a half of the season, what happens when opposing quarterbacks have time against this defensive scheme. I know Chris Bauer is a very patient guy. He really doubled down on his philosophies at his end-of-season press conference with you guys

about a couple weeks ago at this point. But do you feel like the Titans and the Texans doing well in the playoffs this year, plus you add in the uncertainty at quarterback? Do you think there's more added pressure now on the Colts this year and Chris Bauer to maybe be a little more assertive and informative action on their main priority plans?

Because maybe they think in the back of their head, now George, the Titans all of a sudden have a quarterback and they're going to be good for a long time. Texas have a quarterback, they're going to be good for a long time. Do you think maybe the urgency's upped up a little bit now as far as Tennessee and Houston doing well? You know, I don't know that what happens in the rest of the division really has a whole lot of impact on it.

I think Ballard's kind of got his ideas and his plan, and he'll stick to it. But I think it does underscore the importance of that quarterback position. And I think Ryan Tannehill is a perfect example right now because Tennessee did not go out and spend a ton of money in the offseason. They did not go and draft somebody high in April. Instead, they were patient. They found a guy that fit what they wanted to do, and they brought him in really just as competition for Marcus Mariota. He wasn't brought in as the day one starter. Mariota, of course, started the season. And then as that offense continued to kind of struggle and things didn't go the way that the Titans wanted them to go,

they were able to bring Tannehill in. And I think that's the kind of thing that Chris Ballard wants to do. I mean, we've talked before in previous weeks about the idea that if there's somebody there in the first round and he really believes that that guy is worth that 13th overall pick, he won't hesitate to pull the trigger. I still believe that. I think that's true of the veteran free agent market too. If there's a guy out there that he believes is, is, you know, unquestionably

going to make this football team better and is worth the money it'll take to bring him in here. And we'll have the respect and the command, the leadership in the locker room. He will do that as well. But I also think if the answers to those questions are no, as he looks at that landscape and he feels like there really isn't a guy who wants a 13, there really isn't a free agent. He wants to spend the big money on, I think he'll look for his own version of Tannehill, try to find a guy, be it later in the draft or be it at a, at a lower price and free agency that he can bring in that has some traits,

has some things that works well with Frank Reich's offense. And, uh, you know, I think the Titans give them hope that that's a possibility. And it's something that as you've seen the last couple of weeks, it can really transform a football team. Yeah, speaking of that kind of route the Titans win as far as the trade option,

then you have Mariota and Tannehill battle. That Mariota eventually wins that camp battle, but Tannehill, as we all know now at this point, has the Titans one game away from the Super Bowl. Do you think the Panthers, I think, are one team to watch for us, obviously, and George, because getting a new coach in there, getting the offensive coordinator from LSU, Joe Brady, it feels like everything is in plan to move on from Cam Newton this offseason.

Do you feel like maybe the Colts could be one of those teams that makes sense as far as maybe going that Titans route, as far as maybe guys like Jordan Love or Justin Herbert, Chris Bowers, I'm not a big fan of, or the free-ancy market is really not that good. Do you think a trade option makes sense for this team to get in for sets in competition? I think a trade option is, to me, that's the third level here. You either get him in the draft, which I think would be Ballard's most preferred way to do that.

But like you said, in this scenario, there's not a guy there that he wants, that he feels like will fit that bill. And I think his second choice would be to go out and sign a guy who's established. But I think, again, if he looks at that landscape and he doesn't like what he sees, I absolutely think a trade could be on the table. But I don't think it'll be Cam Newton. I don't see him as a fit here in Indy. And for no other reason than what he's dealing with with the foot,

that situation, it has way too many echoes to what they just went through with Andrew Luck. I just don't know that they can really go down that path. But I definitely think, you know, it would probably be a more under-radar guy. I mean, I look back to the way that he acquired Jacoby Bursette. There really was no whisper about that, no talk. He just came up on cut-down weekend, and he saw a guy that he liked. He knew that the backup situation wasn't very good.

And, of course, Luck ended up being out the whole year. But at that point, they were hoping that wouldn't be the case. But at that point with Steven Morris and Scott Tolzien, they didn't really like what they saw there. And so he waited all the way till cut down weekend to bring Jacoby Brissett in. I don't think that's what they're going to do this time around. But I think that's an example of the patience and kind of looking under every rock and trying to find every avenue that he can to improve that position. He did that as a backup role.

I imagine it's going to be that times 10 when he's looking for a starter. So we'll be on the other side of the ball here for a second, George, as far as looking to the offseason for this Colts team, because this playoffs has really shown us both sides of the coin here. As far as defense, you have San Francisco, who has built up that entire defense through the draft, high picks, especially Eric Armstead, Bosa as well. I don't know if that's realistic for this Colts team or not,

but free agency from the Packers side, who they're playing each other this weekend, you get Zedarius and Preston Smith, you get Adrian Amos and free agency being aggressive in the open market since you have a quarterback there. Obviously, the Colts don't have a quarterback here, George, but what do you think maybe Chris Bauer would see as a team like San Francisco or Green Bay, and maybe he thinks, you know,

maybe I should go that route as far as maybe taking a defensive guy at 13 instead of a quarterback, or maybe go the Green Bay route as far as maybe get aggressive and create a set of guys in the defensive end that bolster that unit. I definitely think the defense is in play at 13. I don't think there's any doubt about that. I think a guy like A.J. Espinosa from Iowa or maybe if Javon Kinlaw from South Carolina might be there. But especially if a guy like Derrick Brown would happen to slip in the draft

or maybe one of the corners would happen to slip down into there, he would end up in a situation where he felt like he was with Malik Hooker where a guy is on the board that he had no real expectation would be available at that point uh you know I think that that's something that they would not hesitate to pull the trigger on uh and I think the defense needs that I definitely we know he's going to build through the draft we know that that's the idea uh and that's that's the way that that he's going to operate but there were some guys they were in on last year on defense free agents that they ended up backing off of because the market just went too crazy. And I think that's one of

the things, I think sometimes people think that he's being cheap or he's not willing to spend money. And I don't think it's that so much as it is. He's not going to set the market. He's not going to win very many bidding wars. It's going to be something like Justin Houston, where a guy that he knows very well, he feels very confident in his fitness locker room and in this team. And then he went out and he signed him. It was really, you know, under the radar,

one of the best free agent signings of the off season. There weren't too many teams. Green Bay comes to mind as team that got more impact, but there weren't too many teams with the signing better than Justin Houston. The key now is to, to maybe, you know, get two or three of those guys

and not just one of those guys this offseason. It'll be interesting to see. I don't think he's going to go on a spending spree, but I definitely think he's going to be looking at some of those positions in need and trying to find a guy that he can bring in where the price is something that he can live with. Guys, let's have a chat real quick. Remember days when you're always ready to go?

Now you can increase performance and get that extra confidence in bed. Listen up. BlueChew.com. That's blue, like the color blue. BlueChew brings the first chewable to the same FDA-approved active ingredients as Vagrant Cialis, so you know they work. You can take them anytime, day or night, even on a full stomach. And since they're chewable, they're twice as fast as the pills,

so they can be ready whenever an opportunity arises for you. Again, that is BlueChew.com. And go to our promo code for bluechew.com. It is locked on. Again, that's bluechew, B-L-U-E-C-H-E-W.com, promo code LOCKEDON to try this absolutely free. Are you a type of fan that knows football so well that you can choose any game and call it?

Well, MyBookie is the place for you because it will let you turn all your sports knowledge into cash in your wallet. Between football season and NBA and the start of college basketball season, it's time to get off the side and get on the action with MyBookie is the place for you because they'll let you turn all your sports knowledge into cash in your wallet. Between football season and NBA and the start of college basketball season, it's time to get off the side and get on the action with MyBookie. If you're the kind of guy that likes to bet a little and win a lot, try a parlay. For instance, if you like a couple of the big favorites that week, parlay is a perk because it lets you bet multiple games for a much bigger payout.

So if you're going to bet this season, do the smart thing and go to MyBookie.ag. If you're tired of watching the games from the couch with nothing to gain, MyBookie wants to get your mind off everything else and back into the game. If you join right now, mybookie will make your deposit halfway, all the way up to $1,000. That means you deposit $2,000, you get an extra $1,000 in free money to play with right away. Just use

promo code LOCKEDON to activate the offer. Once again, that's promo code LOCKEDON, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-N-T-W-N-G, mybookie's generous sign-up offer today. If you visit mybookie.ag, you play, you win, and you get paid. I know I mentioned this multiple times here on the podcast to my followers here at least, and I feel like the Senior Bowl here on Tuesday starting up here, George, all throughout this week in Mobile, Alabama, is going to be very important,

not only for the Colts evaluators but Colts fans, because I feel like we now have a trend at least through three drafts, going to be the fourth one for Chris Bauer, where he loves his senior bowl prospects. And we have Justin Herbert down there. Jordan Love, couple quarterbacks. We have Ken Law, like you mentioned as well, George. There's going to be a lot of top talent in Mobile, Alabama this year. How intrigued are you by the senior bowl now that we kind of know

that this is Chris Bauer's alley as far as what he likes to do? I agree with you 100% on this. I think that he's talked about it before. He loves the senior bowl. He loves the fact that you get good on good there. That guys, especially from some of the smaller schools, get to go out there and you see them go against other guys who are in this draft. Every year that he's done that sort of draft breakdown with the media and he brings guys in, we always watch quite a bit of senior bowl draft and he'll point out this was a third round pick for the Jets. This was a second round pick for the Giants or whatever. And it's

not so much to say, oh, this guy is much better and I'm so much smarter than this other GM. It's to show you this was part of the thinking. This was a guy who was highly enough thought of in the league that he went in the second round or third round here's a guy we picked going against him and winning that battle and it's really a fun peek into his thought process and how this goes and uh you know i think that that's that senior bowl week even more than important in the game is the practices because you know those guys are running nfl schemes there's nfl coaches down there I think Ballard likes to go in there and get his hands dirty and get all those guys together at one time. And, yeah, I mean, you look at the quarterbacks this year,

it's a pretty stacked senior bowl roster. I can't honestly remember the last time there were so many legitimate big-name quarterbacks there because a lot of times those guys skip that process altogether. Sometimes they skip the combine as well. I think that's going to be really interesting to watch. I think the tight ends are going to be interesting to watch. The receivers, obviously the defensive linemen.

Every year the senior bowl is a really big part of his evaluation process. I would say this year that might even be more so the case. Yeah, I definitely agree with you there. It's going to be on NFL Network all week if you're interested in watching that they believe it starts Tuesday goes through Saturday but let's get to our mailbag questions here George we're gonna close out the show doing this and our first one's from Nelson's IHOP and asks what position do you think Chris Bauer will address in free agency because obviously free agency goes before the draft here what do you think are the biggest needs for the Colts of free agency George yeah first of Yeah, first of all, that's a great name, Nelson Dyehop. So you got to give that some props.

I think that it's a lot of things that people have already talked about. I think one of the biggest things that they need to go and find is that interior defensive lineman. And where that comes in the draft or it comes through free agency, I think a guy like Chris Jones in Kansas City obviously fits that bill in terms of being a guy that ballard knows very well he was involved in bringing him into the chiefs uh been a highly productive guy against both the run and the pass which we know will be a big part of what the colts want to do and also he's a guy

that has a lot of athleticism a lot of you know quick uh twitchy movements, short area, quickness, and athleticism, which I think is really important in this scheme. So that's another guy, too, that the market could just go to such a place that they're not comfortable in matching it. But I think he's a guy that stands out really as a potential target to me just because you can connect a lot of dots there. Other positions, I don't really have names like that right away, but it would not surprise me to see them get a young corner

who maybe is not a starter even, but has some of the length and some of the physicality that they're looking for just to add into that group and to add competition there. It wouldn't surprise me to see another receiver come in. One thing I'm really interested to watch this year with the receiver situation, I kind of asked about it in the postseason press conference, but I didn't really do a good job. I didn't get the question out the way I really wanted to.

But I do wonder, when Andrew Luck was here and Frank Reich and Marcus Brady and Nick Sirianni, you could kind of take a little more gamble on a receiver's upside, take a guy who's a little less polished and count on the coaching staff and the quarterback to get the most out of them. And I wonder now that they don't have that quarterback part of the equation, if they might look for – because even in free agency, they were looking at upside.

And I wonder if you might see them look for a more polished veteran free agent, somebody with a better track record already under their belt of success somebody like Adam Humphries last year who's made some plays for Tennessee and helped out those young receivers there I think that will be an interesting thing just from a philosophical standpoint to see how they deal with that and then I don't completely rule out the quarterback market I'd be surprised if that's the route they go because they're really very seldom are bargains, obviously, in the quarterback free agent market. And we know that Ballard's going to be thinking more that way.

But I don't think any option is off the table when it comes to that position. So, I mean, I think it's definitely something that they will look at and do all their due diligence to try to work with. Next one here from Thomas Domomingo, and he asks, if Anthony Costanza retires – and by the way, George, I think it's surprising we still haven't heard about Costanza yet, but if we don't in February, then I don't know where he'll lean on that. But as far as Costanza goes, Thomas is wondering here,

if he does retire, does left tackle move up to the top of the priority list for the draft? Yeah, it goes really, really high up there really, really quickly. And I think even just the fact that he's talked about it, you know, I know people have talked before and there's kind of a split among the fan base about whether or not it would be a good idea to draft a guy who could play right tackle for a couple years and move Braden Smith back to the position he was drafted at.

I know Smith's been really good at that right tackle spot. But I do wonder with the situation as it is now, even if Casanzo comes back on a three-year deal or two-year deal or whatever it is he signs, if maybe you will do bring in a guy who you think can be his replacement, who could play right tackle for the next couple of years and then slide over. I think that's got to be part of the thought process now. But if Casanzo's gone, yeah, I think that's got to be part of the thought process now but if if Casanzo's gone

yeah I think I think offensive tackle goes very high up the list there at 13. Next one here's from Mook and he asked uh as far as turnover on the roster incoming do you expect any guys to get cut or traded we don't expect for example Pierre Desir, Danico Autry, Marcus Hunt, Tyquan Lewis, Quincy Wilson, and McVeigh. Yeah I don't think they'll do anything with Lewis and Wilson for the simple fact that they don't have to. I think those guys are cost-effective right now, and it's a really simple thing to keep them around and treat them the way they did this year.

You know, earn it on the practice field and see if you can get to that potential. There's really no reason not to do that unless somebody came in during training camp and just blew them away and made them completely expendable. But I think right now, both those guys, they still see some things in. I know Lewis in particular, they just kind of changed what they thought about him. He was, I think they thought he could be that three technique and come in and be the pass

rusher on the interior and make plays like that for this defense. And now they look at him as more of a run stuffer because that's what he's had more success with. So I think he's safe. Quincy, it really depends on what they do with the rest of the cornerback spot. I think that, again, there's no reason for them to get rid of him. If they feel like there's still something there. And I thought Ballard was really honest and open in the press conference

at the end of the year where he said, look, I challenge him. You know, this is a big offseason for him. He's got some goals he needs to hit. And so I don't know if maybe Wilson makes it feel like he didn't listen to that advice at all and he didn't really work on any of that. Then you could see that happen. The one guy I really think is in danger of being released and being cut is marcus hunt and that's just because he lost the starting job to grover stewart stewart's a younger player with obviously

more upside and i do believe they're going to add somebody that position either in the draft or in free agency and so then hunt becomes a pretty expensive special teams piece for you. So I think if I was handicapping that kind of scenario right now, Marcus Hunt would be right at the top of the list. Just a quick reminder here for our new listeners out there, appreciate your support here on Locked on Colts. If you subscribe to the podcast, we are with you guys every week throughout the year, 365, no off-season here for Locked On Colts.

Bringing you guys awesome content. Great guests like Zach Hicks, Stampede Blue, George Bremmer, The Herald Bulletin, Kevin Bone of 107.5 The Fan, just to name a few of them. We're going to have even more draft content for you guys at the Mobile. Senior Bowl is getting close here, the NFL Draft for A&C. Offseason, like I mentioned, does not stop here on Locked On Colts. So make sure to, if you like what you're hearing here on Locked on Colts, subscribe and leave us a five-star review. I appreciate the support.

Two questions here from the, it's on the same topic here, so combine them both here from Smooth Smith and also from Zach. And they ask about Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers being possible opposite quarterback, George. I feel like this fan base, Indianapolis, would be a weird place to be in if either of those options happen just because

the distaste for either of those quarterbacks over the years is due to the rivalry. Do you think that's any realistic option that Tom Brady would consider the Colts or Phillip Rivers? Would the Colts even entertain that kind of thing? I'd say it would be really one of those things that you kind of shake your head at. But you know, Brett Favre was

the Vikings, and there was a lot of hatred there, too. It wasn't direct. He, of course, had that stop with the Jets and a couple of retirements too uh it wasn't direct he of course had that stop with the Jets and a couple retirements in between but he did end up with a fan base that really couldn't stay in them for years so there is some precedent out there in the NFL for that happening I don't think there's a really good chance with either either one of them I think with Brady in particular I just don't see it happening. And honestly, a big part of that is Tom Brady and Jacoby Brissett are very close. Jacoby Brissett is part of that trip every May down to Kentucky Derby

that Brady organizes. There's a lot of ex-quarterbacks, some of Brady's other ex-teammates that go up there. And Brissett is very much a fan of Brady and vice versa. So I would be really surprised if Tom Brady would agree to come here and take Jacoby Brissett's job. I just don't think that's going to happen. As far as Rivers goes, I think it's a low chance,

but he does have a history, as everybody knows, with Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni. I went back and looked up those years, and I think one year he led the league in completion percentage. I think he had three four thousand yard seasons during that stretch so there is some success to build on too as well I think the team had some rough times during that stretch but Rivers numbers were really good I know that that both those guys hold him in high esteem just from going back to to week one

when they were getting ready to play the charges and some of the things that they said about him. And I know every time that Nick Sirianni talks about the elite quarterbacks that he dealt with, he mentioned two guys, Andrew Luck and Phillip Rivers. So, you know, I think it's a low chance history there, at least, that makes you think, well, you know, if Ryke and Sirianni really feel a strong conviction about it and they can go and sell Chris Ballard on that, I'd put it at maybe 10% or 15%, but I think at least it is an opportunity. Brady, I'd put it maybe 1%. Last question on the mailbag here from Brady, and he asks, should the Colts dump everything possible like a Ricky Williams trade

to get Joe Burrow at number one overall, considering all the talent they have that's already in place? And I know Georgia is going to be possible. The Bengals aren't going to trade that number one overall pick. But could you see a team maybe offering Cincinnati like the Ricky Williams trade from back in the day with the Saints where you give them like four future first-round picks in their entire draft? Because I feel like Burrow now is in the discussion with Andrew Luck as far as the best college quarterback process we've seen in a long time. He had the best college football season

I can ever remember. Winning the Heisman, setting all the records that he set, winning the national championship, doing it you know against two good football teams and they absolutely Oklahoma I know has their problems but they absolutely made Oklahoma look like a high school team. And then Clemson's defense had shut down everybody for two years. And I know it's a different scheme or a different group of players than it was last year that shut down Alabama, but they had very similar numbers during the regular season. Brett Venables is as respected as any defensive coordinator

at any level of football. And once Brady got hot, he absolutely was unstoppable during that game. It was remarkable to watch. Joe Brady, his coach who's going to the Panthers, I'm probably thinking, once Burrow got hot, he was absolutely unstoppable. And I just can't – to me, I can't go back in my mind and find a performance by a quarterback in college at any point in time that was more impressive than that one from Joe Burrow I find the Bengals there's nothing you can offer me you can offer me the Ricky Williams trade for

this year and next year I'm not doing it because of what I've seen from Burrow but if I was the Colts I would absolutely at least make the phone call. Sure, you're going to get shot down, but it's sort of like in the 90s, would you ask Cindy Crawford out on a date? It's not going to happen, but if you had the opportunity, you better at least shoot your shot. So I would. I would make the offer, but if I'm Cincinnati, it's absolutely off the table. I'm not taking anything for this guy. Yeah, it seems like a four-up conclusion at this point. Really since Thanksgiving, that Joe Burrow is going to be a Cincinnati Bengal.

But the last question I have for you here, George, before we end with maybe a Super Bowl prediction here, since we're recording here on a Friday before the title game starts. But as far as quarterbacks go, you've been covering the team for a long time. You've seen Andrew Luck. You've seen Jacoby Brissett. You've heard what Frank Wright, the coaching staff, and Chris Bauer prefer in a quarterback.

With the senior book coming up on Tuesday with Justin Herbert and Jordan Love headlining that, two quarterbacks who could really be in the range for the Colts when we get to April, what are the traits they think the Colts prioritize a quarterback, and what could those guys show on Tuesday or in the rest of that week to the Colts? Yeah, that's a really

good question, and I think it's something that's been really fun. I've got to give a tip of the hat here to Kevin Bowen, because he spent a couple weeks towards the end of the season asking pointed questions about just that topic to Nick Sirianni and Frank Reich. And we got some good quotes out of them. I think that Chris Ballard kind of, he sort of reiterated that as well, some of it. But I think some of the biggest things are, first of all, they want leadership. And I think everybody does. But I think with the Colts, that is a real priority. You've seen that throughout every position on the team. I mean, how many times have they drafted a guy who was a captain on his team or high school president or what have it?

They want that demonstrated leadership. They want that at quarterback more than they do anywhere else. And they want it everywhere. So I think that's probably right at the top. They want toughness. When they talk about Jacoby Brissett and what they like about him, that's always one of the first things they mentioned, that he takes a beating and he gets back out there and he gets up and he goes back out and competes. And I think that they want to see that. I think you can show a little bit of that in practice, but obviously that's going to be a lot more from the game film. And then the one thing that came up again and again from both Sirianni and Ryken perked my ears up was accuracy. And the reason that perked my ears up is the first two fit

Jacoby Brissett. He is a natural born leader and he's as tough as they come, but he's not active. And we've seen that. And I think when he got injured, he got even less active because I think his mechanics broke down even a little more. But even before then, you know, he's not a guy that puts the ball where it needs to be every single time. And I think when you look at the Drew Brees, when you look at Joe Burrow and what he did, that's such an important trait. The way the game's played today with so many timing routes, get the ball out fast. It's so important to put the ball where it is, turn a five-yard catch into a 20-yard gain.

You know, those sort of plays are a big part of why teams have these unstoppable drives like we saw from LSU. That's what they're looking for accuracy toughness and leadership and then the one thing that i thought was really interesting right towards the end of the year they kept mentioning lamar jackson's name over and over again and so i'm not trying to say that means they're going to take jalen hurts but i do think they're they want a quarterback who can make plays with his legs and when i I was watching the Chiefs and the Texans play the other day and watching Watson and Patrick Mahomes, I thought, this is why. This is what they want.

How many times in that game did one of them either keep a play alive simply because they were able to escape a pocket and then get a big play downfield, or run and gain 12 or 13 yards and pick up a key first down to keep the drive alive. And I think that's another thing that they really, really want. And I'll tell you, Jordan Love obviously has it. Everybody can see that. The highlights are all over YouTube.

I watched him play five or six times this year specifically because I thought he might be a guy who was on their radar. He's definitely got that athleticism, but so does Herbert. And I think that's one of the things that people don't really pick up as quickly with him he scored I think four touch Russian touchdowns or three at least in the Rose Bowl uh he's a guy with that kind of athleticism and running ability as well and I think that's I don't know that it's as critical as the previous three but as many times as Wright Sirni, and even Chris Ballard brought up Lamar Jackson's name, it just made me think they're looking

for a quarterback who can run a little as well. Yeah, it's going to be so interesting, and it all kicks off in Mobile on Tuesday with the senior bowl. Like you mentioned, Jordan Love, Justin Herbert, and other quarterbacks will be there as well as Jalen Hurts, so he could definitely be on the Colts' radar as well. But before we end the show here, George, we have the 49ers versus the Packers. We have the Chiefs versus the Titans here for title game weekend.

I'm going to go with the Chiefs in a blowout whenever the Titans here. I have the Magic Run-ins for Tennessee. And I think Green Bay is going to upset San Francisco in a really close game. Your side, Chiefs, Packers, Super Bowl. What you got, George? Yeah, I'm going to stick with – I had the Chiefs at the beginning of the year, so I feel like I've got to stick with them now.

I can't abandon them at this point. And I also think they're going to be motivated. They lost a really wonky game in Nashville during the regular season. All the credit to the Titans, but there was a blocked field goal towards the end of that game. That sounds familiar, I know. A lot of crazy things that were going on in that football game. The Titans win it 35-32.

I think the Chiefs, the way they lost last year with the offside penalty that wiped out an interception would have clinched the game. They just feel like a team that's been on a mission, especially since this postseason started. I feel like they're going to pull that off. And then in the NFC, I picked the 49ers at the beginning of the postseason, so I'll stick with them as well.

But I would not be surprised to see Green Bay and Tennessee win. But I will go with KC and the 49ers. This has been a fun time, George. As always, you can follow him on Twitter at GMBramer. Read his work over on the Herald Bulletin. George, appreciate your time as always. No problem. Thanks a lot.