Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 3/22/19: ColtsWire's Kevin Hickey on the Justin Houston signing and raised expectations for Colts in 2019

Episode Date: March 23, 2019

On today's episode, Kevin Hickey joins the show to discuss the huge signing of Justin Houston for 2 years, $24 million. How does this change the Colts' outlook?Plus, we went over all the visits to Colts HQ (Jay Ajayi, Aaron Lynch, Shane Ray) alongside how the offense and defense are stacking up for 2019-20.You won't want to miss this one! Plenty of wall-to-wall coverage on all the latest news happening with the Colts over the past few weeks! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello and welcome to Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today's audience is your host, Evan Sideron, joined by a special guest today, Kevin Hickey of the Colts Wire. Kevin, how are you doing today? Doing well. Thanks for having me on. Yeah, no problem. We're joining you guys today, the day after some big news happened with the Indianapolis Colts. This obviously isn't probably the biggest free agent signing so far, in my opinion, above Devin Bunches, at least from outside looking in. And that is Justin Houston, two years, $24 million, $12 million per year for a guy that's 30 years old, I think is a pretty good price. He was cut in Kansas City.

He was going to make $15 million this year. What were your initial thoughts on Justin Houston signing Kevin? Because I think for me, add him in opposite Jabal Sheard, also with all the young guys they have with Trey and Taequann Lewis and whatever they had in the draft, they're building a really solid defensive line right now. Yeah, I mean, my first reaction was I was a little bit surprised just in how inactive they have been in terms of outside free agents. I was a little bit surprised just because you really didn't hear anything. You didn't hear that he was on a he was on a visit or, you know, they really had interest. It kind of just popped up that they signed him.

But to be honest, I think it's a great signing. You know, they've been a team that was in the market to add to their pass rush. You know, they have some young talent. They have Kamoko Ture. They have Taequann Lewis and Al-Kadim Mohamed. Then you have Jabal Sheard on the other side, who's a nice stable piece on the edge. But, you know, they were a team that entered free agency with the most cap space, and they were a team that basically

everybody thought that they were going to add to the pass rush. So bringing in Justin Houston, you know, after he was released by the Chiefs, I think it's a great move. I don't think they overpaid too much for him. I mean, $12 million in this market now. I mean, Trey Flowers, I think, is getting somewhere towards $18 million a year. So you're getting a guy that is experienced, who has done it before. For $12 million, that's not a bad price. And he's going to be able to come in and make an immediate impact. So you put him opposite Jabal Sheard or in a rotation with

Jabal Sheard, if you let the other guys develop on the other side, I think it's a really good signing. For sure. And looking at Justin Houston's stats from last year at Kansas City, he played in 12 games. He had nine sacks. The last time he played a full season, though, was in 2014. He had 22 sacks, which is the second most all-time in a season. Do you expect Justin Houston to play a lot of snaps, Kevin? Because from my point of view, with the aforementioned depth they have, I feel like he's not going to

be a three down kind of guy. Maybe he's like a pass rush specialist who plays 50 to 60% of the snaps this year. Yeah, that's, those are my exact thoughts. I think one of the reasons you kind of saw his, I wouldn't say his production dropped because I think he had nine sacks this year, nine and a half sacks last year. But his playing time was a bit inconsistent because he's been dealing with injuries. You know, he's getting a little older. But he was a huge part of that Kansas City defensive front. So they didn't really rotate him in and out too much. He was a staple of that front seven. So when you take into account what the Colts like to do and how they rotate their defensive linemen and, you know, their front seven, I think the Colts are going to be able to get a lot more out of him.

If they use him, I think as a pass rush specialist, you know, working 50, 60% of the snaps, I think that's expected. I think that's something you could expect of him going into next year. I don't think he's an elite pass rusher like he was, but if you keep him in that kind of honey hole range of 50%, 60% snaps, a lot on third down, a lot in the sub packages, I think he can make a real impact. And I definitely think it's going to help him stay healthier

as the season goes on. Yeah, I think he had a quote in the press conference that he had over the phone. And he mentioned that as far as moving from the 3-4 to the 4-3 and playing less, as far as pass rush goes, he said it's going to make his job way easier because he's not going to have to drop back in coverage anymore. So that's a good sign, I think, for Justin Houston and his fit with the Colts. Obviously, the Chris Bauer connection was there. But what's your overall thoughts as far as free agency?

Because they haven't really done much outside of re-signing their own guys, Margus Hunt, Clayton Gathers. Also, they had Pierre Desir as well. What do you think about what they've done overall and also adding in now the Justin Houston signing and the Devin Belch's signing? I like what they've done. I think when you talk about pre-off season,

kind of when the season's done, but the free agency hasn't really started or anything, but they still had some press conferences. If you listen to what Ballard has been saying, it's to be expected that they aren't going to be the more active teams, regardless of whether they entered free agency with $102 million in cap space. They're not going to be a team that simply goes out, spends money just to fill a need. Ballard isn't a guy that likes to overspend. He has, he said it multiple times, they have a value that they place on every player that hits free agency. When they negotiate, they try not to go above that threshold that they have on the value of the

players. So when you look at what they've done this offseason, you know, they've signed two outside free agents, and then they've re-signed Vinatieri, Glowinski, Margus Hunt, Pierre Desir, and now Clayton Gethers the other day. This was kind of to be expected. Did I expect them to be so quiet that there really wasn't any news? Probably not. You figure you'd find some tidbits where they had interest in certain players or whatnot, but

it was to be expected that they weren't going to be a team that simply goes out and splurges just because they have money. And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but that's just not the way that Ballard has laid out his plans. So, you know, when you talk about what they've done, I love that. I love the Vinatieri re-signing. You're going to do that. I mean, that's a no-brainer. Glowinski they got for three years, 18 mil. That's a super cheap deal for a guard that stepped into a role and really played at a very high level on the interior offensive line.

That was a great signing. Margus Hunt had a huge impact once they moved him to the interior defensive line, working from the one tech, working from the shade. Pierre Desir is a really good contract. It's for $25 million in total, but if you actually look at the breakdown, you know, he's owed $9 million guarantee. He's already made $9 million with the base salary and the roster bonus, but they can cut him after this year if they want to, and there's

no dead cap. That's something I think has been a theme in their free agency signings, is that a lot of the contracts are front-loaded, so if they need to wind up parting ways later down the line, they're not going to be penalized with dead cap. So, I

like the Funchess signing. It's one year, so you can't really get mad about the price. When I watched the tape, I saw a guy that is extremely athletic for his size. He's able to sink his hips very well into his breaks, which helps him create separation. He does have issues with drops. That's one of the most foremost weaknesses he has in his game. But he could wind up, you know, if they wind up making him kind of like an Eric Ebron

where they really elevate his game, make him, you know, maybe do a wide receiver two on the boundary, I think that's a great signing. But I think it all goes back to what Ballard has said, you know, a few times over this offseason is you want to get to the point where you're re-signing your own guys more than you are, you know, splurging in free agency. And that's kind of what they've done this offseason. So, you know, the inactivity, I'm sure, makes fans a little uneasy.

But when you see what Ballard has done over the last two years, I think you've got to start to trust him. So I like what they've been doing. Yeah, I agree with you wholeheartedly there on almost all the points you said there. And I'm thinking more about it, Kevin, and just how stark of a difference is it just thinking with Chris Bauer's strategy and then you traced back to a couple years ago, Ryan Gregson, just a breath of fresh air.

It seems like the Annapolis Colts organization, because with Gregson, they were the ones who were active on free agency in the first few days, getting the LaRon Landry type of guys, the Trent Coles of the world didn't really work out that way. So do you like how different that is compared to how it was with Ryan Grigson? Yeah. I mean, I'm sure for Coles fans, it's a nice little change of pace.

They're not just going out and spending money simply to fill a need. And I think that's an important aspect that Ballard brings because he's not a guy that's going to, you know, overpay simply to appease the fans or just simply to fill a need. So, you know, I don't have a problem either way. If you want to spend money in free agency, you can spend money. I mean, that's why you have the salary cap. But I like the way that Ballard is very particular.

Everything is very calculated with his moves. You know, a lot of these teams that go into free agency and you see them spending eons of dollars and millions of dollars on these contracts, a lot of them actually didn't make the playoffs last year, and that's kind of a common theme. So, you know, I love the plan that Ballard has to build through the draft. You know, you really build a locker room, build a culture, and then you get to the point where you can re-sign those guys

that you've kind of groomed into the building, and I think that's a great plan that they have. I'm not against free agency. I think you can definitely find some quality players in free agency, but you have to avoid overpaying for players just to fill a need, and you also have to be right in your evaluation. A lot of times guys will, or teams will go into pre-agency and say, oh, this guy's really good.

Or they'll sensationalize it a little bit and, you know, they kind of panic and they're like, oh, we need an edge rusher, or we need a safety, you know, let's give this guy $14 million. That's not really what Fallard is about. So I think in those terms, I think that's something that Ballard has done very well. Yeah, it's really exciting to see just the turnaround with the organization and really record timing here. Just about 18 months ago, we thought maybe Andrew Luck never plays a snap for the Colts again if all wasn't going as planned. But it's definitely gone to plan so far with everyone involved in the organization. Looking at some just recent visits here, Kevin, we had Shane Ray a couple hours ago. I broke from Field, Yates of ESPN, and Interact, Port of Influence Network, said that Shane Ray is coming in to visit the Colts today.

What's your thoughts on that? Because he's another guy, an edge rusher from the AFC West with Denver, who didn't really pan out when Denver is a top 25 pick in the first round then. But again, another pass rusher. And it seems like really like Chris Bowers emphasizing multiple press conferences that I've watched, that defensive line seems to be a real big priority for him. Yeah, it definitely is. Bowers is always going to emphasize the defensive line.

He's always going to emphasize the front seven. And that's something I love. I love when GMs really emphasize the trenches because to me, games are won and lost in the trenches. You know, you got to protect the quarterback, you got to rush the quarterback. So the fact that Ballard puts so much emphasis on the defensive line, I think that bodes well for the future for Indy. In terms of Shane Ray, you're right. He really hasn't panned out. You know, he was the, I think, the number 23 overall pick in 2015. The Broncos didn't, I don't think they picked up his fifth year option last year. So that basically told you kind of what they thought. And, you know,

he's had one sack in each of the last two years. He's played a total of 19 games over the last two seasons. I think he's a guy that you would kind of look at and see Ballard's – if they do sign him, it would be like a one-year deal where he goes out and proves it, you know, if he can still do it. Because, you know, he hasn't had a season with more than four sacks. He's had one season with more than four sacks, and that was 2016 when he had eight. And you also have to factor in that he – I'm not really sure.

I haven't watched a lot of Shane Ray, to be honest with you. But just looking at his metrics, looking at his size, I'm not 100% sure how well he fits into the scheme. The Colts are – they like their one gap front. They're very aggressive up front. You know, he's 6'3", 245, so I don't know if they would have him work more as a stand or do something similar with Justin Houston and make him a defensive end. So I think it's interesting.

I think it's something to keep an eye on at the very least. But if they do sign him, I don't see it being for more than a one-year deal. I agree, too. I think if it's going to be maybe a multi-year deal, maybe it's a two-year deal like this year, one that's front load, that's non-guaranteed for next year. You can easily come after that. But another name who's reportedly already come in the building, that was Aaron Lynch. If you're a nerd, you might know him from back in the day. But what do you think about a guy like Aaron Lynch?

Because it seems like he's another guy, another young guy who really hasn't proved himself well in the league so far, but I think he fits really actually better than he does than Shane Ray in the Colts system. I absolutely agree. Shane Ray is a little bigger. His size allows him, to me, to be more of that prototypical defensive end and then maybe as somebody that can kick inside in sub packages. So Lynch is another guy to keep an eye on. You know, he was drafted by the 49ers.

He's had 18 sacks over five seasons. But, you know, he has had some inconsistencies. But he's a guy that I would peg more for the Colts than Shane Ray. You know, he's got the size. He's got the framework to work on the edge. And the Colts love having their edge guys have a little size. So Aaron Lynch is an interesting one. You know, he's worked in – he was with the Bears last year,

and I think he had something like three sacks or something. But, you know, the Colts have an attacking front, and that's always going to allow pass rushers to be more aggressive, to be more productive in terms of sacks and at least getting pressure. So, you know, if you can find a guy that fits well in terms of traits and in terms of size and athleticism, then, you know, it can always work out. So Aaron Lynch is definitely one to keep an eye on. Yeah, Aaron Lynch and also Shane Ray have come in the building in the past 40 to 72

hours. But let's go to the opposite side of the ball here for another guy to visit the building. The same that Aaron Lynch did. Interesting name here in Jay Ajayi, who was drafted in 2015, had a big breakout year in 2016. He got traded to the Eagles, played under Frank Reich in 2017, won a Super Bowl with him, did really well. I think it was his career best year with him as far as yards per carry goes.

What do you think about the Jay Ajayi meeting and the possibility of him coming to the building alongside of Marlon Mack? Yeah, I think it's interesting. I definitely think the relationship with Frank Reich plays a role. They were both in – well, they were both in Philly 2017, but Ajayi was basically there for half a year along with Wright because he was traded from the Dolphins halfway through the season. But he had a great season working under Wright.

I mean, I think he averaged somewhere something like 5.9 a carry or something like that. I'd have to check that. But it was a very efficient number working, you know, as a rotational back in Frank Reich's backfield. But, you know, I think the Colts liked their backfield. I think Marlon Mack had a phenomenal season. Once he kind of got past that hamstring injury

and he returned in week six against the Jets, he really turned it on. He was a bit inconsistent in the second half, but nothing worrisome at all. I think he was phenomenal. He averaged 4.7 yards a carry. He had 908 yards, and he had 10 total touchdowns. So Marlon Mack really took over that backfield. And I think the way Ballard and the way Reich look at it, it's Marlon Mack's backfield to lose.

They're going to mix in Naeem Hines. He's a great pass catcher. He's a nice little change of pace back. I like Jordan Wilkins' game. He's got good vision, good balance. He works nice as a rotational back as well. If they do bring in Ajayi, it's interesting. I think he would work well into the rotation,

but you've got the injury concerns. You know, he's coming off a torn ACL. A lot of people forget he actually had a fracture in his back last year before he tore his ACL that he was playing through. And, you know, he's also had, coming out of college, he had this kind of degenerative knee issue that caused him to fall in the draft. So, JGI, he's interesting. I don't think it would be necessarily a bad thing for the Colts to sign him. I think he understands what Reich expects of his running backs, so I think that's a plus.

And, you know, maybe they're just looking for a guy that can kind of churn out short-yarded situations, kind of keep Marlon Mack a little more fresh, you know, maybe don't have him run through the tackle so much. But, you know, I wouldn't be mad about a J.H.I. signing. It would probably be for one year coming off that injury and coming off of, you know, just everything that's going on in his career. But I think it'd be interesting. I think he'd be a nice little addition to the backfield. Yeah, a J.H.I. plus Marlon Mack would be a really fun combo. But I wanted to ask you just about Marlon Mack really quickly.

Do you think Marlon Mack's underrated by Colts fans and also in national circles? Because like you mentioned, he had a great year last year. If he would have played 16 games, I think he would have had about 1,200 yards, about 12 or so touchdowns. So I think next year really could be a breakout year where Marlon Mack breaks out on the scene nationally. Do you think so? Absolutely. I think when you talk in terms of underrated, he's definitely up there.

He's definitely a breakout candidate next year, which is kind of crazy because he had 10 total touchdowns this year. But, you know, I really like Marlon. I like the improvements he made from year one to year two. Because year one, I mean, granted, there was no Andrew Luck. The offensive line was absolutely putrid. The offensive system was bland. And he's a rookie working behind Frank Gore.

So his rookie year was a little – he was also dealing with a torn ligament in his shoulder. So when you look at his rookie year and then you look at the improvements he made in his second year, I'm very encouraged. I love his game. I love how he works behind the offensive line. I think when you look at Marlon Mack's success, you also have to give credit to the offensive line

because the way they turned it around so quickly and to be able to sustain that success through the course of the second half and through the playoffs, they really deserve a lot of credit. And the fact that you're getting that entire unit back with the prospect to add more in the draft I think that bodes very well for Marlon Mack in in 2019 I'd like to see him catch the ball a little more but you know he's he's perfect for

that system he's a guy that he's electric he can he can break off a play at any time you know he's perfect for that system. He's a guy that he's electric. He can break off a play at any time. You know, he's shown improvements with his vision and finding holes and hitting the right hole and hitting it strong with bursts and getting through the gaps. So I'm very encouraged with Marlon Mack. I'm very excited to see if he can kind of put together a full season and what that would really look like behind the Colts offensive line. Speaking of the offensive line, good segue here because Quentin Nelson, I think, no hyperbole here.

I feel like outside the quarterbacks the Colts have drafted in the first round, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, I feel like he might be the most impactful draft pick they've had in years. And he single-handedly changed the offensive line, changed their attitude as a rookie. And the more I think about it, he's probably going to be the highest paid offensive lineman here pretty soon. So what do you think about Quentin Nelson,

just his overall impact on the organization because I think from day one we already saw he's an all-pro guy in year one so the sky is truly the limit for this guy to be a hall of famer I think absolutely I mean when you talk about the impact that a guard can have on the entire team it's kind of unprecedented you don't really see it that often and that's why a lot of people kind of had their problems with, you know, the Colts selecting him so high. He's a phenomenal player, generational talent. But when you talk about value, the guard position isn't really, you know,

at the top of the list. But then you look and see what he did. I mean, they had highlight reels for a guard. You know, he's pancaking people, and they're making highlight reels out of an offensive lineman. So when you look at what he's done um the impact he had i mean he put he was the only player on the offense to play every single snap and you look at that with the consistency that he played with the improvements he made both in pass protection and run blocking um they love to pull him they love to use him off combo blocks, getting him to the second level.

You know, he really made a huge impact working between Anthony Costanzo and Ryan Kelly. So you take all of that, everything that he puts on the field, and then you take his demeanor, just wanting to be a bully, wanting to finish plays, really wanting to set the tone as the offensive line, which is super important for an offense. You take all of that together, and, yeah, I mean, he's definitely going to get paid a couple years down the line, especially with the way guards are getting paid now

and the way the offensive linemen as a whole are getting paid. He's definitely going to secure the bag in a couple years. But the impact he's had, it's been phenomenal. And, you know, to be able to have that all pro in the first year and he's really making an impact, it's a very bright look for Indy. Yeah, it's really exciting to see a guy like Quentin Nelson make as big of an impact he did as a rookie. This guy is truly the line for a year or two and beyond. The final questions here before I let you go, Kevin, just your overall thoughts. We'll start on the offensive side of the ball. How much firepower this Colts offense

could have next year? You had in Devin Funches, whatever rookies they added to as well. You also have Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron, Mo Ali Cox. You also have Trusted Rogers. You also have T.Y. Hilton, Marlon Mack, Naeem Hines. This is truly a plentiful amount of weapons, and you're going to definitely add in a couple more in the draft, I assume. So Andrew Luck could really be in for the greatest year he's ever had.

Yeah, I mean, without question. Think about it. They are already a borderline elite unit, right? So with Andrew Luck back, with arguably the best offensive line in the league, with a strong run game, you got a guy like T.Y. Hilton who can take the top off the defense both vertically and horizontally. You have Eric Ebron who was an absolute machine catching touchdowns. Jack Doyle only played, I think, six games.

So you have him coming back into the fold. Devin Punches, you know, he's got a lot of upside. I'm not ready to crown him the wide receiver too yet. I want to see him really work with Andrew Luck.

I want to see how they use him. I don't know. They're probably going to use him a lot on intermediate routes, a lot in the red zone. And then you have the factor of maybe Deion Kane coming back strong and securing a role. And then, you know, they have nine picks in the draft. So, even though they added Devin Funchess, you know, they, they might even still add Dontrell Inman back, you know, they reportedly are not reportedly Chris Ballard said they're still in talks. They're still interested there. You go into the draft, you pick up a wide receiver that's really fits the scheme. You know,

like a guy like Debo Samuel or Terry McLaurin from Ohio state. You know, I think those are guys that really fit the scheme well and would really work well immediately. This offense definitely has a chance to be among the elite. It has a chance to be a top three unit, you know, if everything goes right. You got Andrew Luck coming off his first normal offseason in God knows how long. Frank Reich is going to continue to make the offense multiple. He's going to make it unpredictable. You consider all those things. I mean, they definitely have a chance to be an elite unit now let's go to the defensive side of the ball here kevin they have adding in justin

houston now i think they have a a game wrecker on every level of defense now you have houston alongside jabal sheard and all the other guys you have darius leonard defensive rookie of the year and really should have been a pro ball i can't believe that didn't happen anyways. But you have Darius Leonard there, a linebacker. Then you have Malik Hooker in the secondary, too, who underrated, had a good year. I think in year threes, he's bound for a breakout year as well. Could be a Pro Bowl next year, in my opinion.

So those three guys are building around on the defense right now. Justin Houston is a win-now piece. But, again, they have nine picks in the draft, and it seems like they have also all their guys back starting from defense last year. All 11 guys are back. So what do you think about just the continuity factor, adding more guys like Houston, and you also have the draft factor there? I feel like the Colts could be for the first time in years, Kevin. I mean, they could have a really good defense. Yeah, I mean, the pieces are definitely in place.

You talk about Justin Houston. You know, he's going to kind of bring that mentor role to the defensive line, him and JaVale Sheard. But, you know, he's a guy that can get after the quarterback. And, you know, I haven't watched his film yet. I've been a little busy this weekend. But I'm excited to see kind of what he might look like with his hand in the dirt when you

if he can find a way to be impactful from the edge with consistency that's going to be huge because with the way the Colts defense runs it's a lot of zone it's a lot of zone scheme a lot of high safety looks and when you have that the pass rush is key.

You have to get to the quarterback. The longer the quarterback has, the easier it is to pick apart the holes in the zone. So if you can get the most out of Justin Houston, even if it's just this year, you get the most out of him this year, and then you hope for whatever you can get in year two. But if you can get kind of that dog pass rusher that can get after the quarterback with consistency, it's going to make a huge difference. When you talk about Darius Leonard, yeah, I don't know how he was not selected to a Pro Bowl, yet he was an All-Pro.

That doesn't really make any sense. He was great. There's really nothing more you can say about him. He's strong against the run. He's great in his run fits. To me, he showed improvement against the pass as well, both working in a zone and working in man. They even lined him up in the slot a couple times during the second half of the year. And then you talk

about Malik Hooker, who a lot of people will look at his stats and I think he only had one pick maybe. But when you talk about what the Colts do schematically, he's responsible for – for most of the time, he's responsible for a deep half, right? So when opposing quarterbacks are going through their game plans and they're looking down the field post-snap and Malik Hooker is there in that deep half,

they're probably not going to target him. So he is a guy that I thought had a great year. I don't think his game fell off at all. I think he simply did his job and teams didn't target him. So when you talk about what they have at all three levels, they're definitely set up for success for the next couple of years and beyond. Speaking of that Justin Houston stat, you're wondering about how good he was with his hand on the dirt.

I found this staff from Pro Football Focus earlier today, and it mentions here that when he was with his hand on the dirt I found this staff from pro football focus earlier today and it mentions here that when Justin Houston has hand on the dirt his defensive end his pressure rate was 17.6 percent which was the best of defensive ends last year that's great and that's a that's a great sign um because you you never know what's going to happen when you transition from outside linebacker to defensive end from a 3-4 to a 4-3. So the fact that he has the history of doing that, that's very encouraging. Now, final question before I let you go, Kevin. I appreciate the time, as always.

But what are your expectations for this year now? I mean, surprising year. I think that was the most fun I've had watching a Colts team since the Peyton Manning era. What do you think, just the 10-6 year, they started 1-5, 1-11 of their last 13 games. What do you think is going to happen with this team this year? Because it seems like this really could be a cerebral year, but I don't want to put the expectations too high on them. But they're already such a young team, and the locker room is already so good. What do you think is going to happen this year?

Yeah, you know, it's always tough making predictions in March and April and May. You never really know think is going to happen this year? Yeah. You know, it's always tough making predictions in March and April and May. You never really know what's going to happen. You know, injuries play a factor. Teams get better. Teams get worse. But when you're talking about what their outlook looks like, it's extremely high. It's among the highest teams in the league. If I had to look at it right now, to me, they're the division champs. If all goes well, if all goes according to plan, the Colts are the AFC South winners. They can easily be in that three-seed, two-seed kind of deal. They have a very tough schedule next year. I think that is something that should not go unsaid. The Colts' schedule in 2019 is drastically more difficult than it was in 2018, especially in the second half.

That being said, they are in a position to do very well. They are in a position. They have key pieces at valuable positions all over the roster that they have a chance to continue to build and continue to improve, which is kind of crazy when they finished the season 9-1 last year. How does it really get better than that? But they're definitely, to me, they're the division champs. They're the ones with the target on their back. And I definitely think they can make a run in the playoffs.

But the draft will have a lot to do with that, how they build, how other teams build, and how they kind of get through. There's a little murky area of road games on their schedule next year that's going to be a very tough test. But they definitely have all the pieces in place to make a run deep in the postseason. Yeah, it's going to be a really exciting year, I feel like, for the Annapolis Colts. Before I let you go, Kevin, for the people who don't know about Colts Wire

or your work yourself, you want to plug anything as far as your work goes before I let you go? Yeah, I mean, so you can follow me on Twitter at KevinHickey11. You know, I post some of my articles there. I talk a lot about baseball, about Marvel movies. You can get a lot of that there. But our Twitter is at the Colts wire. You know, we're a growing, we're a growing website. I think we're doing some good work. You know,

we're going to do the best to give you guys the best, fastest analysis and, you know, come check us out and let us know what you think. Alrighty. I appreciate the time, Kevin, as always. And we'll hopefully maybe get you back on sometime before training camp.