Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 2/26/20: The Athletic's Zak Keefer on the Jordan Love experience + press conference takeaways

Episode Date: February 27, 2020

On today's episode, Zak Keefer of The Athletic joins the show to talk through everything Colts during the busiest time of the year. Keefer live from the combine gives his thoughts on Jordan Love, plus other offseason scenarios laid out by Colts brass this week.Does Love possess the traits desired by Reich and Ballard? Is Ballard locked in on Love? All of that plus much more, so you don't want to miss this one! 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 always your Evan Cider. I'm joined live, actually, as the bench press is going right behind him, Zach Kiefer of The Athletic, The Colts Beat. How are you doing today, Zach? I'm great. How are you? Doing great. Appreciate the time and thank you again for coming on. I enjoy your work over at The Athletic, what you and Stephen Holder do. 1% better podcast if you guys haven't already. Go subscribe over to their podcast and to The Athletic, what you and Stephen Holder do. 1% Better Podcast. If you guys haven't already, go subscribe over to their podcast and to The Athletic.

I wanted to join you guys today and talk about Zach with your story about Jordan Love and what you learned about him this week because I really enjoyed your piece. And you actually had the chance to hear Chris Bauer talk about Jordan Love. And I found it interesting you mentioned Matt Ryan and his interception problems too at Boston College. What was your thoughts on that whole situation there with what Ballard said yesterday with Jordan Love, and I found it interesting you mentioned Matt Ryan and his interception problems, too, at Boston College. What was your thoughts on that whole situation there with what Ballard said yesterday with Jordan Love?

Yeah, so I didn't know much about Jordan Love, and I wanted to just go see and listen and get the Jordan Love experience in terms of I wanted to see who kind of he was. I watched a lot of his tape before this week to just obviously see what he can do in the football field, and the tape speaks for itself if you've watched it. The kid can throw it a mile. But he was at ease yesterday, and he had some moxie,

and he had some confidence that some of the other quarterbacks didn't really come off as. And that impressed me in terms of, you know, he seems very comfortable in his own skin, and that's obviously very important for a quarterback. And some of the other quarterbacks were really, really polished and really, really predictable and really boring, to put it frankly. Love was more real.

And I liked that. And so as a person, you know, he kind of jumped out to me as a unique guy and a personable guy. And that was kind of fascinating. But in terms of what Chris Ballard said, look, I mean, Chris Ballard has been on the sky for two years. Now he's on a lot of prospects for two years, but he was on Jordan Love before it was cool to be on Jordan Love and before

Andrew Luck retired. So that's relevant here. He was watching this kid before the quarterback focus really, really jumped into play here in Indianapolis so that's that's important and he did he made a good point you know the easy comparison is Patrick Mahomes and in love you know was kind of funny about that yesterday he said look I love the comparison but I'm not Patrick Mahomes like let's not be crazy but the Matt Ryan one was fascinating because because Ryan threw 19 interceptions as a senior at Boston College and he went third overall and he's won an MVP and we know what he's done with the Falcons Mahomes threw 19 interceptions as a senior at Boston College and he went third overall and he's won an MVP and we know what he's done with the Falcons. Mahomes threw 25 interceptions over his final

two seasons at Texas Tech, threw about 70 touchdowns as well. The boomer bust sort of mentality because Love was asked about this a million times yesterday. He threw 17 picks last year. I think that was 11 more than he threw the year before. And that's really where the teams are going to really go hard on him in these interviews. That's really what they're going to bring up. It's the biggest flaw in his game. And so he's got to answer those questions. And I liked what he said towards the end of his interview yesterday.

He said, look, if I don't want to talk about throwing 17 interceptions, I need to not throw 17 interceptions. So interesting to really get to know him yesterday and in the capacity we were able to get to know him. When you talk to Jordan Love, of course, and you hear the traits that Chris Bauer and Frank Wright covet and prospects and just quarterbacks in general, from what you've seen just watching Jordan Love

and also from experience in person, do you think he possesses those traits just off a firsthand basis that he checks those boxes for the Colts? Yeah, they're going to have to answer that question in a much more thorough setting. Because remember, they're going to dig into these guys and they're going to really, really do their homework. And we get to talk to them for 15 minutes, and that's not enough. They're doing 18-minute interviews this week,

and Frank Wright can learn a little bit about Guy about guy you get him on the board and get him diagramming plays and the like and i think frank's really good at feeling guys out in this regard and i think frank's a really really underrated weapon in this situation and by that i mean quarterbacks his life man i mean he played it for 14 years he worked with some of the best in the game he worked with payton he spent a year with. He worked with Peyton. He spent a year with Luck. He worked with Phillip Rivers. He's, you know, he's worked with guys who are really, really at the top of their game and, and, and he's got a good feel for the position. And that's a really good element here. And in that regard, Chris Ballard compared him to Andy Reid. And you've seen what Andy Reid's done

in terms of overhauling his offense to meet the athletic ability of his quarterback. And the way the Chiefs play offense right now is because of Patrick Mahomes. So if the Colts decide to roll the dice on a guy like Jordan Love, Chris Ballard is very confident that Frank can build his scheme and adapt his scheme to enhance Love's talent, not necessarily make Love reduce his talent to fit Reich's scheme, if that makes sense at all.

That creative necessity is important in today's league. We've seen how much the offensive changes. And that's a really important layer here, is the role Frank Reich is going to play throughout this whole process. Yeah, it's such an interesting offseason, Zach. And looking at what Chris Ballard had to say just about the offseason ahead, one interesting comment that really caught me off guard a little bit just from what we've heard in years past is the locker room is ready to spin big on a free agent. What was your thoughts on that? And it seems like the Colts may not get,

may not exactly win those bidding wars on these top free agents, but they're at least going to inquire. Yeah, that was my question. And Frank, no, excuse me, Chris talked about that from the minute he got here was you can't just pay a guy 80 million because the other guys in the locker room are going to notice that. And it's a very delicate thing to do to go into free agency and pay a player a ton of money

um the locker room pays attention to that are the words he used and that's important to him and so i asked him look three years ago you said this you wanted your locker room to be in a really good spot before you did something like this do you feel like it is right now and he didn't hesitate he said yeah i do and i think that i think i agree with him um i i think guys like darius leonard and quentin nelson are changing that i think they need a little friction and that's his word i'm stealing chris's word but but i agree with them they need they need some assholes to be honest and he i think he knows that and that's an underrated thing here as well um they got a bunch of nice guys, and I think Darius and Quentin are going to grow into those roles.

But they lost more than just Andrew Luck, the quarterback, when Andrew Luck retired, because Luck would get on those guys. And they won games because of that. And they didn't have that last year. And Chris mentioned when they started to fade in November and December, they didn't have a guy to reset them. And even guys like Al Woods in 18 and Mike Mitchell in 18, they weren't star players, but they really did have a role. And the Colts missed that role last year. And I think that's something they need in free agency. And that's why I think they might attack it a little bit more aggressively this year. I don't think they're going to add a lot of guys in terms of quantity, but I think they definitely are going to be willing to spend big on a couple guys. Looking at what Frank Rayford just said yesterday, especially about Mike Groh,

the new wide receivers coach who he really holds in high regard. They moved Kevin Petullo to an offensive assistant role. What do you think – it seemed really interesting to me that right off the bat, Ray comes out and says Groh is the best fire series coach in the NFL. Of course, they want to stir the world together, but it seems like adding another smart offensive line to the room is a really intriguing way to go about this offseason for the Colts. Yeah, there's a couple layers to this. First of all, you liken Mike Groh to a free agent.

Like, we got to go get him. And this is the interesting part. This wasn't Chris Ballard's decision it was it was Jim Irsay because Jim Irsay is the one who pays for the coaches so they basically had to go to the boss man and say hey can we can we pay for this guy because I really need him so he believes he's the best wide receiver coach in the game they went out and got him they created a position that's both reflective of Kevin Petullo's talents and also a need because the passing game was absolutely abysmal at the end of last year.

There was thirds from the bottom in the league. And Frank has basically stated his mission this year to fix that. They need to be better in the passing game. Everyone knows out there how important it is. So they're trying to improve the coaching staff in a big way. And they believe they've done that with Mike Rowe. And it'll be interesting to see how Kevin Petullo, who's a really, really good coach, how his role plays out as a passing game specialist, what he does, what his

assignments are, and how that evolves, because they need to add some talent at receiver and tight end as well. But it's a huge win for the team so far. Zach, what would you say the odds, if I just put you on a one to 10 scale, as far as the Colts drafting a quarterback and how early, do you think there's a possibility? Would you lean in the camp of they're going to go quarterback early? I know it's so early in the offseason to tell, but where would you read it right now in February 26th, the combine just not getting started? Everything's on the table. Everything's on the table everything's on the table and and i know

everyone out there wants an answer but they don't have answers right now jim mercy doesn't have the answer if he doesn't have the answer we don't have the answer um everything's on the table because everything has to be on the table um and i think they've been really good about this in terms of saying like look like we like Jacoby. He needs to be better. We're not going to lie to you and say he was great because he wasn't. But they're not going to also panic and just make a move just to make a move. It's still February. It feels like the offseason is six months old.

There's still time. There's still time to wait because they've got free agency in about a month. And they've got the draft in about two months. So I know fans want answers right now. And there's rumors circulating this week, especially because of the combine because of, you know, the rumors that are being spread, but, but look, I think they're going to take a really,

really prudent approach to this situation and whether people want to hear it or not, there is a chance that they do not add a quarterback this season. I think they do. I think they had one in the draft, but there's a chance that they don't add one because they're not going to jump up and they're not going to make a panic move just to address the need. I think that's where you get in trouble. And I think they know that. Yeah. I know you're very busy, Zach. Appreciate the time has always been my last question here for you.

Just what if I told you this time, let's say that last year at the combine that Andrew Luck was now going to be gone and all of a sudden they had to fill the quarterback need? Just how unique of a situation is this? I know Jim Mercer touched on this Sunday that for the first time in 20 years, I imagine in your career covering the Colts, that the quarterback is the biggest question on this team for the first time in a very long time.

Yeah, as someone in the organization told me last week, we're going to see how the other half live. Because it's not normal what the Colts have had the last 20 years. They've been at the top of the lottery for, you know, they've had two winning lottery tickets. And it just doesn't happen like that. Ask the Browns, you know, ask the Bucks, ask a million other teams. They're going to see how the other half live. And it's going to be really hard. And this time they don't have a cheat code at the top of the draft where it's

a generational quarterback to fix all their problems. It's going to be difficult and it's going to take time. And, and look, I mean, I remember Andy Luck's first year, excuse me, his first week with the team. I mean, it was like they had a veteran quarterback a weekend and that's not even normal. I mean, that's, I mean, this guy had Adam Vinatieri and Robert Mathis's respect after his first practice and and that's not the case of most rookie quarterbacks so they're even if they do draft a quarterback this year there's probably

going to be some lumps because he's not going to be Joe Burrow and he's not going to be Andrew Luck and he's not going to be a stud from day one there's going to be some growing pains and I think that's part of it that's how this league works. But I do think this, and I've mentioned this a million times, I think it's as good a quarterback situation to walk into as any young quarterback will find in this league, because you don't have to play right away. I expect Jacoby Brissett to be on the roster next year, which means Jacoby probably takes the snaps, but you don't have to play right away. You've got a great head coach with a quarterback background. You've got a great offensive line.

You've got a great young running back. You've got receiver weapons. I think they're going to add some more, but it doesn't hurt to have a guy like T.Y. Hilton out there. This is the kind of situation you want to step into. It's a little bit like Kansas City a couple years ago, loaded on offense, great quarterback-minded head coach, and they didn't play Patrick Mahomes right away because they didn't need to.

He was able to learn the game, and what he's done since has been remarkable. So this is the spot you want to go to. If I'm an agent of a quarterback in the draft, I'm praying that he ends up in Indianapolis because so much of how these guys do depends on the situation they go to. So we'll see, but it's going to be a fun couple months. You guys can follow Zach on Twitter at ZKiefer. And of course, with Strategy Athletic, like I have, you and Stephen Horder do amazing work over there,

Zach. Appreciate the time and hope we can get back on later in the off season. Thanks for having me.