Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 3/20/20: Where the Colts stand in the AFC hierarchy following Buckner + Rivers moves

Episode Date: March 20, 2020

On today's episode, George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin joins to go over the DeForest Buckner and Philip Rivers moves. What does this mean not only for Indianapolis, but the whole AFC playoff picture? As other AFC South teams lost talent, Indy is adding premium ones.A 3-level breakdown of how Buckner will change the Colts' defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs. Buckner is truly a foundational piece that will elevate everyone.Who will benefit most from Philip Rivers' arrival, and should re-signing Devin Funchess now be a priority for Indy? Rivers has always thrived with a big-bodied playmaker. 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 is always your host, Evan Saranjabai. Our guest on the show comes on a couple times throughout the month here, throughout the offseason, and that is George Bremer, the Colts Pete Rariff of the Harold Bullets. How are you doing today, George? Good, good. I hope you guys are safe and sound up there.

Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I hope the same for you and all the listeners out there as well during this pandemic going on right now in the U.S. But to talk a little bit, George, through last time we had you on, you said this obviously could really go any sort of directions, like the dominoes could fall in any direction. Who would have thought the dominoes would fall in that direction? Really, let's start off with the first order of business, which is the Forrest Buckner trade.

The first four hours of free agency, we're waiting for something to pop off with the Colts here, as far as news goes, George. Then right around 4 o'clock Eastern time, a bombshell drops that the Forrest Buckner is on his way to the Colts for number 13 overall pick. What was your reaction to that one? Because personally, everyone else who brought on the show

throughout the week as well, this was never an option I thought was ever on the table. No, I was absolutely stunned. And I tell you, it really shows even more just how under the radar Chris Ballard can be when he really wants to be as far as how he handles his business. There was no talk whatsoever about connecting Buckner to the Colts that I had heard. I hadn't really even heard that Buckner was on the trading block. But it turns out, you know, everything I've heard since then,

these talks, these trade talks go back to around the Super Bowl, you know, way back in February. And so for him to keep it that quiet for that long, I'm not surprised that he was able to do that. But I think it's another example of just how tight that ship is when they really want it to be. And the Buckner deal was explosive. I mean,

we knew he wanted to add a three technique. That part is the only part of it. I think that was predictable. I don't think anybody expected to be a player of that caliber. Yeah. And Buckner is getting $21 million per year annually over the next four to five years, George, and certainly a splash move $21 million per year annually over the next four to five years, George.

And certainly a splash move that he made, and one with Chris Ballard certainly that we're not used to. And this is year four now of Ballard's entry into the offseason, and we finally see that splash. And the one I think is, quite honestly, George, bigger than any splash for Ryan Grixen made either. I feel like this personally, outside of the Phillip Riverside, which we'll get into in a little bit, I think it's the biggest outside addition that Annapolis Colts have

made in a very, very, very long time. Yeah, I would agree with that. I'm trying to think back to what would even compare. I mean, when you look at the all-pro defense faculty they brought in, in his age, he only just turned 26, what, yesterday? Tuesday, I guess. So to bring in a guy who's playing at this level, who has this much good football so clearly still ahead of him, it's really hard for me to even come up with a comparison in the past.

But this is the kind of move that Chris Ballard's been building towards. I mean, he's talked about that a few times. You know, he saved that salary cap money for a reason and they were waiting for the right guy. And I think very quickly, you see all the boxes that Buckner checks off. I mean, it didn't take long at all for word to come out of San Francisco about his work ethic. He was a team captain there. So, you know, he's a leader. And then it was his first conference call with media here in Indianapolis.

He immediately started talking about how hard he works in practice and how much he wants to push other guys to the points where he even said, you know, they may get angry with me, but that's fine. My job is to go out there and perfect my craft and get better every day. So I think that, you know, he talked before that he wasn't afraid to make a big move, but it was going to have to be a guy that the entire locker room would respect, the entire locker room would get behind, would feel like he was worth the money, wouldn't tear apart the chemistry of the team.

And I think Buckner does that on every level. When you look at the front four now, we'll start with the front four, and then we'll dive in more to the general defensive points here, George. Kamoko Ture, assuming he's a starting edge opposite Justin Houston now, if they're not bringing back Jabal Sheard, you have Banigou also rotating in alongside Ture on the outside there. Grover Stewart has a one-tech rotating in with Diego Autry. We need to have DeForest Buckner as the all-around versatile three-tech

who could be inside and outside on rundowns if you want to. This defensive line, George, I think has very, very high potential, especially if Ture gets back to what we saw in September, October. rundowns if you want to. This defensive line, George, I think has very, very high potential, especially if Trey gets back to what we saw in September, October. This could be a very terrifying front four. Oh, absolutely. And I think you could also see a situation here where it allows them to use Autry a little more versatile, use his versatility a little more again, the way they did his first year here. I can definitely see early downs where Autry's the defensive end, and you've got Stewart and Buckner in the middle. And then as you get into more obvious passing downs,

you bring Ture in and let him have that kind of pass rush specialist role that he was really thriving in last year. And then you can just bring Ben Banigou in as a change of pace. I think there's really a lot they can do now with this defense up front. I think the best thing about Buckner is he's one of those guys, and you alluded to it, he doesn't have to come off the field. He's every bit as good against the run as he is putting pressure on quarterbacks. So I think that that allows them to kind of anchor this line around Buckner

and Justin Houston and let some of the younger guys grow around them. Speaking of the younger guys, George, I can't imagine the backflips Darius Leonard was doing when he saw this news because we've seen how good Darius Leonard has been the first two years, but I don't think people realize yet just how much of an impact DeForest Bunner is going to have on Darius Leonard, where we're going to see, I think, the best ball of Darius Leonard's career coming up.

And that's a – as well, if you're an NFL offensive coordinator and this is not even the best you're seeing of Darius Leonard, DeForest Bunner's going to take out all the garbage and Darius Leonard will be running through the entire game now. Yeah, and Leonard was very happy. I think you probably saw his response on Twitter the day the trade happened. He was very excited right away. And Buckner mentioned Leonard specifically in the conference call.

He said they've watched tape of the Colts defense a lot, as everybody does in the NFL. Obviously you're watching everybody else. And he said one thing that stood out right away to him was how much Leonard's flying around the field, making plays. And he's very excited to have a linebacker like that behind him. But absolutely, if you're Darius Leonard and you know that DeForest Buckner's up there knocking people over in front of you now, your life just got a lot easier.

And it's hard to even imagine, but this should take him to even another level now. And also, I think we should talk about the secondary for a second here, and how the impact that Buckner brings to that. Because it's incredible, really, the three-level impact Buckner's going to have on this entire defense. I know Chris Bowers said three-technique drives this thing, but you're taking less pressure now off of guys like Pierre Desiris hoping for a bounce back here, Rakia Sen,

Kenny Morgan still be the Swiss Army knife blitzing and covering guys in the slot as well. This move as well, even more so than helping Darius Leonard, takes that pressure off of this defense that got really – that secondary really got diced up the last month of the year, George. Oh, absolutely. I think it speeds up opposing offenses as much as anything you're not going to have guys sitting back there with time letting plays develop that's

probably not going to happen with forrest buckner on the other side uh just go back and watch the playoff run you know nfl game pass is free now for everybody so go back and and queue up some of those playoff games the 49ers played and you're going to see deforest buckner in the quarterback's lap on almost every snap and i think that's that's what this team's been missing Justin Houston did a great job last year with 11 sacks that consistent pressure but after Ture went down I don't think opposing offenses were all that worried about anybody else on that defensive line and so it felt like they could chip and send some extra help over on Houston's way and and get through the day I mean he was gonna mess up a few plays here and there but you probably it felt like they could chip and send some extra help over on Houston's way and get through the day. I mean, he was going to mess up a few plays here and there, but you probably felt like you could live with that.

And you saw some really big days. I mean, you talk about them getting shredded down the stretch. You look at what Drew Brees did to them in New Orleans. You look at what Jameis Winston did in a game they frankly should have won at Tampa Bay, except for they let Jameis Winston carve them up so badly. And even Gardner Minshew in week 17, those are things that absolutely, that pressure that Buckner gets, it's going to be a big difference maker. And I think one of the things that he mentioned,

and I think I haven't heard really talked about a lot outside in other outlets so far. He's very good with his length and his athleticism. He's very good at tracking down quarterbacks, you know, in the open field. And so when you're in a division where you're facing Deshaun Watson twice a year, unless he happens to get traded in whatever's going on there in Houston, but at least for now you're facing Deshaun Watson twice a year. To have a guy like that who can run sideline to sideline and track him down,

I think that's going to be another big edge for this defense. Closing thought here on our defense here, George, for Devin and Phillip Rivers, and that's just about the upside this defense could have now. Buckner, like you mentioned, just turned 26. He's now entering the primary risk career, and they paid him. The Colts paid him like he's going to be entering the primary risk career. The best ball is just ahead of him now now you add him into the mix with the Houston Ture if he bounces back Darius Leonard the linebacker core they have that's strength of their defense the secondary Malik Hook can bounce back a guy that could really be benefited with

Buckner's arrival what is the upside you think George if everything goes well with this defense next year is this a top 10 defense top five defense like what do you think the highest upside is for this defense now yeah I think the upside is is extremely high but I think top 10 has got to be uh the the minimum expectation I think there's in a way there's some pressure on Matt Eberflus now this year he's done a good job at times uh over his two years here in Indy and I think that there were points at the end of the year last year where a lot of people were kind of scratching their head. Some of that had to do with injuries.

Some of that had to do with things that were outside of his control. But now he's got the most stacked deck that he's had since his time here in Indy. And I think people are going to rightfully expect to see that defense make a very big leap forward this season. And then I feel like this move as well, George, or just with the Buckner trade, trading number 13 overall, obviously a high price to give him that big extension, $21 million per year. But this feels like Chris Bauer cashing in his vision,

even mentioning it in the quotes that he gave in the statement that the Colts released about the Buckner trade, that his vision has always been building from the inside out and this feels like him just the crowning jewel moment of I'm building it this way and this guy's available I have Quentin Nelson on the offensive side leading the offensive trenches DeForest Butler is gonna be my guy leading defensive trenches George just feels like a a crown jewel moment for Chris Dyer where you now have two pillars like Quentin Nelson and DeForest Butler where we really are going to be building from the trenches and being a lead at it. Oh, absolutely. I think it's good that you mentioned that because that's exactly what I was going to say. I feel like

in many ways, Buckner's addition to the defensive line is going to be very similar to Quentin Nelson's addition to the offensive line. You saw the way that line solidified around him so quickly. Once Anthony Costanzo got healthy and got back into that lineup, it's been a complete 180-degree turn here in Indianapolis from a liability to one of the best strengths of this team. And I don't think the defensive line was a liability last year, but they definitely underachieved.

And some of that, again, I think Ture had stayed healthy and Marcus Hunt had played at the level he had been at the year before uh things could have been a little bit different but obviously that group did not get out of last year what they were expecting to get and now you bring in a guy like Buckner and he's gonna we talked about it earlier but he's gonna make everybody's job that much easier because now it's harder to give extra help to Justin Houston it's harder to give extra help to whoever uh Denico Autry's going against it and that was a big part of his struggles last year you know he had a lot of one-on-one matchups in 2018 when

very few people really were aware of who he was and what he could do last year he was a bigger focal point for for defense for opposing offenses. They were able to slow him down. That's going to be harder to do now. I think just across that board, you know, a guy like Ture now, last year you saw him start to blossom with Justin Houston on the other side of him. Now you got Buckner into that mix as well, and it's just going to open things up even that much more for him. And then like you talked about, the linebackers, the defensive secondary, he changes this entire defense. And I think you do see a mentality now with this team. Somebody tweeted it. I don't remember who, but I saw somebody say that Chris Ballard has built

a bully in Indianapolis. And that's what it feels like. The identity of this team now is on the offensive line, the defensive line. It's going to be a physical, very, very tough football team every week. Yeah, the trenches certainly are going to be bully balls, so to say. Georgia's going to be super fun to watch here. Let's get to Phillip Rivers now. This isn't a surprising signing that they made officially yesterday. I believe – excuse me, on Tuesday. But when they did it, George, the one-year deal, $23 million per year,

Dino Jeremiah of Alpha Network said he spoke to Phillip Rivers. He wants to play in Annapolis more past this year. So it seems like the Colts are going to make him play for that contract. I feel like it's a win-win for all sides here. For the Colts fans wondering, George, obviously Phillip Rivers has an interesting past with Colts fans with how competitive he's been and just the history of this rivalry with the Colts and Chargers over the years. But why is he such a big upgrade over Jacoby Brissett,

and why do you think the Colts did this move? I think one of the biggest things with Rivers is how smart he is. Not to say that Jacoby Brissett isn't a smart guy, because he is an extremely smart guy. But, you know, I saw an interview that Frank Reich had done in 2014 after his first season with Rivers when they were both with the Chargers, and he talked about he knew what he could when they were both with the Chargers. And he talked about he knew what he could do physically.

He knew the arm strength. He knew, you know, that he could make every throw. He'd seen that, obviously. You can watch that on film. But it wasn't until he got in the building and he sat down with him, he understood how smart he was, and he said, this guy is right there at the top of the smartest quarterbacks in the NFL. I think that, to me, is probably as telling as anything because I think he's going to be able to read defenses very, very well,

get that ball out more quickly. And really, if you look at Frank Reich's scheme, when it was working in 2018, when Andrew Luck was running it, that was what was happening, that really quick. Luck had that plan before he took the snap and then boom, the ball's out. Really quick passes, short throws, but getting guys in open space and then letting them make plays. And then as that defense pulls up to stop that, you go over the top and you get the big plays. And then the whole offense opens up. I felt like

last year, early on, Jacoby Reset did a good job of getting the ball out fairly quickly and getting the ball into playmakers hands and letting them make plays. But as the defenses came up, he didn't take that opportunity to take the deep shots and get the big plays that really put the offense over the top. And so I think that's something that they feel like, you know, Rivers is going to be more aggressive in that regard. And that's going to be a double-edged sword.

I think everybody understands that. He's going to make more big plays as a result of it. He's also going to throw more interceptions. And that's something that I think the Colts understand and know they're going to have to live with this year. Yeah, it's a good point to bring up there with the turnovers because I think it's an interesting angle that I don't think has been talked about enough.

And I wanted to hit on with you here, George, that the angle with Frank Reich, obviously they're so close. And it seemed like from Gita Batista's support from FM Network that Frank Reich really vouched for this move and seems very comfortable with it. Nick Sirianni as well was with Rivers in San Diego at the time. This feels like a move where I feel like Frank Reich can coach Rivers hard too because it feels like a move where I feel like Frank Bray can coach Rivers hard, too, because

it feels like this is Rivers' last stand. If the Colts are really going all-in for a suitable post here, they got to force Buckner to slow it by that defense. They're going to probably get Phillip Rivers more up into the draft here. You obviously have T.Y. Hilton, Jack Duel, the best offensive line of his career in a running game. This seems like Rivers is going to

maybe take less chances. I don't know if that makes sense, George, but I feel like he's going to maybe have less of that gunslinger mentality with Frank Reich coaching him with his offense. I go back to Andrew Luck. He made some bonehead plays again in 2018, but I don't think they were as common as they had been in years before. I think you're going to see – Rivers and Luck are not the same guy,

but I think you're going to see an offense closer to what we saw when Andrew Luck was here than what we saw last year because I think Rivers has a skill set that will allow him to do a little more. I think his arm strength is not what it used to be, but that's normal when you're a 38-year-old quarterback. But I think, again, I think the two biggest things that Reich and Sirianni know about him are that football intelligence, which is really the most important thing, I think. When you look at the guys like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning,

Drew Brees that played for years and years and years so much of that has to do with the way they understand the game I think you're going to see the same thing with Russell Wilson he's such a heady football player you know even when his legs start to go and he can't be the magician that he's been at this point in his career he's probably still going to find other ways to make play because he just understands the game so well and I think they Sirianni and Reich have confidence that Rivers is one of those guys that he will be able to compensate for whatever he can't do when he was 26 years old with the knowledge that he's gained from 16 years in the league and so that you know

I think that's what they're banking on I read a story from the athletic really shortly after Rivers was let go because as you know full well I mean really since the season ended there's been talk about this as a possibility and after the Chargers said farewell to him somebody had written a story on the athletic talking to former coaches, former players and I think it really gave some insight into the way the Colts were thinking because you know Reich and Sirianni were there, had first-hand knowledge of all of it and the two things that kept coming up again and again is that he's the hardest worker in the building and he's the most competitive guy in the building and I think that's something that outside you know as an opponent you see some of the the animated annex that he has and you see

some of the the bluster from him I don't think you saw that leadership uh that you see inside the building and I really think that's a big difference maker for Ryke and Sirianni they weren't going to move on from Jacoby Bursette if they didn't feel like they were getting a guy who was as competitive, as tough, and as much of a leader as he is. I think they feel like they got that with Phil Perrott. Who do you think benefits most, George, on this offense? Obviously, you mentioned the offensive lines

can't protect him more. Maybe that cuts down on turnovers a little bit. He has the run game, so that could help him out as well. But who on the outside, the playmakers here, maybe benefit the most from Rivers' arrival? I think there's two guys that come to mind right away one is Naheem Hines if you go back and you look at the way Austin Eckler was used last year and really just throughout Rivers career he's one of the best in the game and giving that getting that running back the ball with a little lead time letting him make big plays coming out

of the backfield I think Naheem Hines his game is perfectly suited for that you saw him you know especially late in the year starting to step up into that role more and more obviously his return skills are what caught everybody's eyes late in the season but I really felt like he's a guy who has a lot of versatility. I think they feel like they can unlock a little more of that now with Rivers. And the other guy I think is Paris Campbell. And because one of the things that I have heard about Rivers consistently throughout his career, he's one of the best in the league at ball placement

in terms of run after catch, getting the ball where it needs to be so a guy can catch it, get gathered underneath him, and go make a play afterwards. And I think Campbell's going to run, I would imagine, we'll see. Time always tells. I think you're going to see a lot more drag routes with Campbell, a lot more crossing routes where he can take advantage of that speed that he has. Rivers can get in the ball in the open field, and he can make big plays. Yeah, I definitely agree with you there.

Those are two names to watch for. Ones that really thrive in open space and Rivers, like you mentioned, has very good ball placement. He's going to help those guys out especially well. But looking back on both the Rivers and the Buckner move here for a second, George, this feels like another monumental moment for Chris Bauer because you're placing two outsiders. Now they're the two highest-paid guys in your locker room

with Phil Burris, $25 million, DeForest Buckner making $21 million per year. Now you're two outsiders, you're two highest-paid players, and presumably now I'd expect two of your team captains next year. So just very interesting the way Chris Bauer did it. I think he pseudo-pushed the chips in, so to say, George, and these are going to be two pillars of my team for next year and for Buckner probably the next five, six, seven, eight years.

Oh, absolutely. I think that that's absolutely true. I think he's definitely pushed his chips to the middle of the table here. You know, he traded away a first-round pick, which I don't think he does lightly. He's traded within the first round a couple times. He traded out of it last year when they were late to pick up that 34 this year that now gains even more importance.

But you know when he's going to throw out the 13th pick like that, he's definitely committing to this project. And I think it is. I think if nothing else, it says that this team is going for it this year. And I think that's been missing the last couple years because they've been building. And you've heard Chris Ballard say, we always want to win. That's always our number one goal. You know,

we're not lowering expectations or anything like that. And that was always true, but they were, they were giving young guys a chance to prove themselves and trying to build that foundation in the locker room. And I think these two moves say pretty clearly to everybody that they feel like that, that foundation has been laid and that they're now going to go for it. I think we've talked in the past about how Ballard tends to kind of, if you go back after and adding friction to this locker room, needing more leadership, needing more guys who are going to push each other. Not that it didn't happen last year, but he didn't think that it happened, I think, to the extent that they would want it to.

I think both of these moves, to me, are all about friction. They're all about not just adding competition to the roster, but as you said, adding guys who are going to be leaders in that room and who are going to hold other guys on both sides of the ball accountable. I think that really makes a big difference. The question now is, is this 2015 all over again when you had Frank Gore come in and Andre Johnson and it was talk of Super Bowls and all sorts of, you know, lofty exhortations, but then Andrew Luck's shoulder saga started and everything kind of went south? Or is this, in fact, the moment that Chris Ballard has been waiting for to unleash his vision on the league?

That's kind of what we're going to find out over the next few months. Yeah, speaking of that, just the Colts, obviously, Tom Brady going to Tampa Bay was a shocking thing, and that left the Patriots really falling down the hierarchy of the AFC right now. The Texans, who knows what they're doing, George, with DeAndre Hopkins and a trade for a washed-up version of David Johnson there. It seems like to me that the Colts, like you mentioned, are going for it, especially how they went the first 24 hours of free agency,

getting Buckner and Rivers. Where does this Colts team – it's hard to say where they rank right now because free agency and the draft still haven't really happened yet. We got the first wave of free agency, but there's still going to be a lot of bargain deals to come here, George. But how do you think the Colts are built for a title run here? You have Rivers. You need to get some more weapons in the draft free

and see obviously a wide receiver. But you have the offensive line in the running game. Defensively, it seems like they have the formula, like a San Francisco or a Tennessee, where they're going to bully you up front. And that's kind of what Chris got us building here, it seems like, is a bully on defense. And adding in Rivers instead of Bursette,

you're now more confident of winning those shootout games and getting them. Absolutely. I think if they get the 2018 version of Phillip Rivers, this is a team that can compete and do a lot of really good things last year. The Chargers were 12-4 that year. And we're, you know, going into the playoffs, one of the teams a lot of people thought could make some noise

and make a run, obviously got knocked out by the Patriots, which is a pretty familiar feeling around here. But that was the season I think a lot of people thought could make some noise and and make a run obviously got knocked out by the Patriots which is pretty familiar feeling around here but that was the season I think a lot of people would be pretty excited about this year as Colts are able to put something like that together 12 wins hasn't happened in a long time in Indianapolis and then making a win or two in the playoffs I think would be really good I think the ceiling for this team could be even higher than that if everything clicks but I also think if they get the 2019 version of Phillip Rivers, it could struggle a little bit more than people expect. If he is off target, if he does turn the ball over too much,

you're going to put even this defense, I think, in situations it doesn't want to be in. So I think that'll be interesting to watch. I think the AFC as a whole right now, Kansas know, Kansas city still has to be considered the favorite. They just won the super bowl. Obviously they get the best player in the world right now under center and they really haven't lost a lot yet this off season to where you would be concerned about them coming back and repeating that success. And the other team,

I think that really took steps forward as well as the cold state. And I haven't heard as much about them. I mean, early on there was a lot of splash, but it seems like people are kind of sleeping on them after some of the bigger names came off the board. I think the Baltimore Ravens really have built a monstrous defensive line over there. You saw what they did during the regular season last year with Lamar Jackson. You only figure he's going to get better with another year under his belt.

So I think the Ravens and the Chiefs, to me, are at the top of the AFC right now. And then the Colts are right there at that group behind them. Closing on here, George, just on a few house clean notes for guys currently on the roster still, or I guess for this case he's not right now, but do you think with Rivers joining and the success we've seen over the years with him with a big playmaker like a Vincent Jackson or a Mike Williams do you think there's a greater impetus on bringing back a guy like like a Doug Funches on a one-year prove-it deal once more and that seems to me like a make a loss especially if you're in a win-now mode instead of waiting on maybe a rookie to develop.

That's definitely a move I would make if I was in that position I will say this Funches was around the team all year last year. Even in week 17, he was still in the locker room. He didn't have to be, obviously. You know, he was injured, and he could have gone away and gone off the train wherever he wanted. He didn't. You know, he hung around.

So I think that at least tells us that he liked his time here. He enjoyed being around these guys. And I absolutely agree with you 100%. I think that he's a guy that goes up, gets those 50-50 balls. Whether it's him on a new deal, somebody else, I'm not sure I've really looked enough at free agency. If there's somebody else out there they feel like could do that, or if it comes in the draft,

I think that's the one piece that this offense still really needs. Because I feel like as we talked about before I think Hines and Campbell really benefit from this I think you're going to see that back shoulder throw to T.Y. Hilton probably 150 times next year and that's going to be a big way for this team to move football but what they're missing ironically is Deion Kane you know that guy right now who would go up and get the ball. Maybe Reese Fountain's that guy. Maybe he has a chance to go and do that.

I think the Colts certainly feel like that's a possibility. But I would – if I was Chris Ballard, I would make every effort to bring Devin Punches back on a deal similar to the one he had a year ago. And then I would also add another guy in the draft because it is such a deep draft, and why not? Yeah, I definitely agree with you there. year ago and then I would also add another guy in the draft because it is such a deep draft and why not yeah I definitely agree with you there I think they're going to double dip that wide receiver whether it's bringing back punch or someone else and then probably getting a high pick in the second round on a wide receiver I would be pretty shocked they don't go early day

two on a wide out there but George let's get to the elephant in the room here at Jacober said before to close up the show here because you have Phillip Rivers now in the building. Jacober said he's now officially the backup once more at a high price of $21 million for his cap hit this year. I was talking to Kevin Bone about this on the show earlier in the week. It seems to me like I'd be very surprised if the Colts made a move with Jacober Seder soon via trade because I just don't think teams are going to want to pay that extra bonus that's due here on Sunday or Monday.

And it might have to be after that, maybe next week when a trade happens or maybe at that point, once the bonus is paid, you just cut percent and let him pick his own team. What do you think, George? Yeah, I think it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out. I mean,

right now they've got four guys on the roster and obviously two of them feel like they're not going to coexist. You know, you've got Kobe Brissett and you're going to keep him. Then I don't see why you need Brian Hoyer. If you're going to coexist. You know, if you've got Jacoby Brissett and you're going to keep him, then I don't see why you need Brian Hoyer. If you're going to keep Brian Hoyer, then I don't know why you would keep Jacoby Brissett. I understand that this team, as well as anybody,

knows that you need a backup playing a quarterback and you need a solid one. And so, you know, there are ways that they can definitely keep Brissett. Salary cap, they still have about $20 million under the salary cap. So if they want to mainly add through the draft the rest of this way, they could definitely keep Brissette and live with it and know that they have a guy who knows their system and can fill in for a few weeks if something happens to Rivers.

It'll be interesting to see how willing Brursette would be to play that role. But I think that that's not out of the question. You know, I think they're not in a situation where they have to do it. But I do think one of the two between Bursette and Hoyer, if not both of them, do have to go, because I don't know that you can keep that many quarterbacks around. You know, how many backups do you need, I guess, at some point? If I am Jacoby Burset and if i'm his agent i would be looking at teams like the bangles uh the giants teams that either have a quarterback on a rookie deal right now or soon will

assuming the bangles get rid of andy dalton uh which maybe won't happen in this environment either we'll see how that goes but i would be looking in that kind of direction but the simple fact that I think Brissette would be a guy who can come in be a mentor to a Joe Burrow in Cincinnati or to a Daniel Jones in New York but also be an insurance policy for those teams in case something happens and those guys can't finish the season other teams that I would think could be interested I think Seahawks make a lot of sense. Right now, Paxton Lynch is the backup to Russell Wilson there. So I think at the right price, Pete Carroll might be willing to bring in Brissette, who's had really a couple of decent games against Seattle in his career. I know the regular season game over there, he lit them up in the first half.

The Colts went in a half time with the lead a couple years ago in 2017. And then last year in the preseason, he had a really good day against them. So maybe that's a possibility for him. Of course, the Patriots are going to get mentioned over and over again. They drafted him. They clearly have a need now, too. So I think it's more likely than not Bursette has a new home, but I agree with you. I don't think that's going to be something that happens here in the immediate future.

Doesn't it feel like, George, like if they do actually want to keep Bursette around in case Rivers and his age decline rapidly over the offseason here and he's a worse version of what we saw this past year or whatever, doesn't it feel like they're kind of playing with fire, though, just with how competitive Phillip Rivers is, with how competitive we know Jacoby is and the stories we've heard now from Andrew Luck and Jacoby Bursette when he came back in the building in 2017-2018. It just feels like especially with Jacoby Brissett and Rivers, those two guys, like you mentioned, George, I just feel like those

two guys can't coexist. I just feel like that'd be a very tense quarterback room. Yeah, I think so. I think nobody really wants to be there and working behind the guy who they brought in to take your job either so i think i would understand if if brissette was not really keen on on that kind of plan but certainly on paper it would work it's always a different thing with with chemistry in real life i will say this to go with brissette from from all indications and in time that he's been here in indianapolis he's a terrific teammate and so I

think he if it's gonna work with anybody I think it would work with that guy uh you know in some ways he was here with the understanding that that he was going to be the backup to Andrew Luck you know that was that was the plan and I know there was at least from Chris Ballard's side of things he was open the idea of re-signing Brissette even before Luck retired just because he likes him in that role. So, you know, still I think it would be a really tough thing to see happen in real life. It's one of those things that if you're playing Madden,

it works really well. It fits under the cap. The computer will let you do it. But when you're dealing with real people and real human beings, it probably would be a really tough fit. Yeah, who knows? Honestly, this could drag out even further. Maybe it's like a Josh Rose situation with the Cardinals last year.

Maybe it's a draft night sort of thing if they want to play it out that long. But you guys can follow George on Twitter at GMBrammer. You can read his work, as always, covering the Colts over at the Herald Bulletin. George, appreciate the time. No problem. Thanks a lot, man.