Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -4/17- George's Corner: How The Colts Expectations Have Changed Almost Overnight W/@gmbremer

Episode Date: April 17, 2017

George Bremer stops in to discuss how the acquisition of Johnathan Hankins has altered 2017 expectations for the defense, and he and Matt discuss the possibilities of another possible free agency addition at cornerback and who could/should be on the #Colts short list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. No, I'm not for sale. You are lockeded On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to Locked On Colts, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Matt Dainley, and we tonight are sitting back on George's Corner, welcoming in George Bremer. What is going on, George?

Oh, my goodness. Just getting ready now for the draft and just start of OTAs here on Monday. A little bit of everything going on in the Colts world right now, I think. And, you know, there was a somewhat significant transaction this week, I think you're all aware. Was there? Hmm. Yeah, there's you're all aware. Was there? Hmm. Yeah, there's somebody.

Something happened. Yeah. Before we jump into that, how was your Easter, man? Excellent. How about you? Good, good. Got to have the kids over. We cooked out.

Had my folks over. Some other family members and stuff like that. That was nice to, you know, just that's basically what it is for us is getting people together, eating, playing some monkey ball, you know playing some monkey ball, some yard games and stuff like that, some cornhole, just whatever, getting everybody together and having the Easter egg hunt for the little ones and stuff like that. As far as everybody out there listening, I hope you guys all had a nice Easter as well. At a minimum, I hope you were able to spend it with some loved ones and some family and you had some good food in the process or something, at least of that sort. I mean, that's a minimal, I think, for Easter, I think. Absolutely. Absolutely. I had family and friends around all day, so I can't ask for anything more than that. Yeah, that's good stuff. That's, to me, that's what it's all about. So, so what's, uh, what's on your brain here,

George? What we got, uh, jumping through those you got jumping through those in between your ears, man? I think first and foremost, and you wrote a lot about it this week, is Jonathan Hankins and what he means to this defense and to this effort they have now to remake this locker room and remake this roster. It's exciting. I mean, he does a lot. I mean, just his coming in.

I mean, and I don't know that people really understand that or really think about how much him actually holding down that nose tackle spot, what that does for the rest of the guys on the D line. I mean, there's – I mean, Henry Anderson, Langford, you know, who's one of three guys on that defense now that are still in their 30s, who is actually pretty decent against the runs, pretty good ball player, I think. I mean, you know, when he's healthy, of course, but, you know, that T.Y. McGill, and then you got, you know, just other guys in there that are going to be able to

move in and out. We still don't know what Al Woods is or anything like that, but, I mean, you know, a guy like Hassan Ridgway that we've talked about, we both really like. His start is on the rise, we would like to think. I mean, that adds a ton of versatility to that offensive line. And one of the things that, I mean, obviously if people watch that video, that YouTube video that I made for people to kind of get a glimpse of what he does and what his skill set is. He ran a lot of three-tech in New York, I mean, because of Snacks Harrison. Yes, he did. And that's one of the things he talked about on his conference call is that he's had some experience all over that defensive line,

but especially at three-technique. And so he's not a guy – I think sometimes when you – well, not sometimes, almost all the time, when you bring in a true nose tackle, you're thinking he's a first and second down guy. They get into a sub package. They get into an obvious passing down. He's going to have to come off the field.

That's not the case with Hankins at all. He's been a guy who's been involved in that pass rush up there in New York. He's got the athleticism. He's got the pass rush moves to put some pressure up the middle. And I think a guy like that that it's so much more important for a defense coordinator you know really everybody on the defensive side because it helps you disguise what you're doing more you know if if there's certain guys that you can key on and say okay if he's on the field it has to be this package makes it a little easier on the offense obviously

to put it in simple terms you know a guy a guy, oftentimes, that's a nose tackle, right? He's a guy, okay, it's base defense. He's on there. Hank is isn't going to be that guy. You're not going to be able as an offensive lineman to look up and see him and know what they're in immediately just because he's in the huddle. And, you know, it's one more thing. There's a lot of things, but it's one more thing.

The other part of it to me is if you go back to the great Baltimore defenses, and I know that's one of the models that they look for here in Indianapolis, obviously, up the middle. That's where they're strong. Whether it was Nada, whether it was Ray Lewis, whether it's Ed Reed, guys right up the middle of that defense. It's something that has been a big

weakness here. I don't think anybody, that's not a secret to anybody, a surprise to anybody, and surprise to anybody. And now you bring in Jonathan Hankins and you start to kind of shore that up. It's a hugely important move. Oh, absolutely. They haven't, I mean, their best run, run defense, run defensive team was in 2014. And they were 18th in the league and was a little over 18 or 28 or uh what is it what am i thinking here uh 1800 yards yeah on the ground i didn't that didn't sound right when i said it for when it first popped into my head but yeah uh when they allowed just over 1800 yards on the ground that was their

best under pagano right now i mean and now having that true nose tackle like you know like we've talked about here this is it's exciting because he can move to three tech and sub packages. They can have a bevy of guys in there, or they can leave him at nose. There's just so many more possibilities now. We get to see, ultimately, the creativity of Pagano and to see if there is some serious creativity. We're not going to say that he's got one of the top five defensive lines now simply because of Hankins.

But what we are going to say is when we have a guy with Henry Anderson's abilities and skill set and athleticism and his ability to get into the backfield when it's warranted, you know, when he's called upon. And then you got a guy like Horsanorson Ridgeway where we really want to see where he develops in next year. T.Y. McGill was another guy who could eat up blockers really well. I think that if there's another piece that the Colts could really use, it'd be another three- or five-tech guy in there to kind of battle Lankford.

Because I think that it's – I mean, I don't want to say assumed, but I think it's a logical assumption, I don't want to say assumed, but I think it's a logical assumption that he won't be here next year. So when we, if we were to get another guy on that outside of that defensive or a defensive end, and we get another guy who can be impactful there, man, that defensive line instantly gets significantly better. I mean, theoretically at least, and that just opens up everything that allows the linebackers to be more athletic that allows the linebackers to be uh better not because they're better but because the defensive line's better and they have you know easier uh holes and

and spaces to run through to find the the ball carrier ultimately and and that just yeah you got more room to work yeah absolutely all starts up front and i think to me you sort of touched on this a little bit but i think it's so big for guys like mcgill and ridgeway because they're young guys who have shown some ability to to get pressure from the interior and now you got a guy like jonathan hankins who's done it you know for better part of four years in the league it's just it's a guy to learn from a guy who can show them a few tricks that maybe they haven't picked up yet because they are younger guys and a truly amazing thing to me about Hankins you look at him he's already talking about leadership you know he's like said he's been in the league for four years he's a veteran guy now he's only 25 years old. And that's incredible. It's a perfect acquisition,

pending obviously that he plays like we have seen him play and that we assume he's going to play in Indy. I mean, you get a 25-year-old guy like that in free agency, I mean, with a rebuilding defense. I mean, is there a better acquisition that you could possibly get for Chris Ballard in his inaugural season as GM? And you get him late in the run. You get him two weeks before the draft. Those guys aren't generally available then, but there were some things that happened

and some reasons why it went that way. But I think it worked out well for everybody. I think as good a fit as this is for the Colts and as big a deal as this is for the Colts, it worked out nicely for Jonathan Hankins, too. He got the contract he wanted, an average of $10 million a year, and he's in a place where I think he's going to have an opportunity to take that next step, to build on what he did with the Giants, take that next step as a football player. So I think it's good for everybody.

Yeah, I do too. And then when you look at the contract specifically, at least of what I'm hearing, and I won't speak and say that I've seen any of this, and if you've seen more or heard more, then please chime in. But it sounds like he's getting 10 of that up front in the first year, and then you've got, what, 5.9 over the next year or over the next two, or is it his second year in the league that he's getting that other 5.9 guaranteed? Yeah, I'm not sure exactly where the split is,

but if we take it based on what we've seen from the other contracts that were signed, I would guess it's in year two because that's kind of the way they've built these things. Once again, they're deals that in many cases, especially with Sheard and Hankins in particular, gave some guys some pretty good money and rewarded them for what they've done so far in the league, but absolutely don't handcuff the team moving forward. If they need to make changes, they need to have some flexibility,

these deals will allow them to do that. Right, and there's a little difference too with Hankins, at least like I said, theoretically. When you get a guy like that, you feel a little safer at 25 years old who just turned 25. You feel a little safer giving him a second year bonus or that guaranteed money in the second year because he'll only be 26 in that second year.

There's a little leeway there and it's kind of you know that's acceptable you know for sure whereas you got a guy like none of these guys uh other than uh what butler and i think margus hunt is real close to 30 if not 30 but other than that thank you 29 yeah everybody's been under 29 or under, and that's nice going forward because it keeps that youth. I mean, Hankins only builds on that youth. And not only that, but let's talk about this because what does this do for the draft in your opinion, George? Yeah, you know, I think it takes it even to one group from something that was really a priority as all the defense was

and maybe let you go a little bit later in the draft. I think what you mentioned, though, about adding another defensive end, adding somebody at Lankford's spot means that it's not off the board altogether. I think there's definitely room in there to go get another defensive lineman, but it's probably not a first-day thing for sure now and maybe not a second-day need at this point. So I think it helps out there but it also whoever they do end up bringing in hankins is going to help that guy you know his ability

to play in the middle and to do the things that he does to stress an offense no matter what position whether it's a pass rusher whether it's an inside linebacker whether it's a defensive back they're going to benefit from the presence of Jonathan Hankins on the roster. Yeah, I mean, I agree. Not only that, but a lot of the mocks and stuff that we've seen or at least taken in have had the Colts, at least early in the process, had Colts grabbing a running back or something like that. I think, and I definitely don't think that this takes defensive line off the table by any means.

In fact, I think that this just completely opens the doors to every position of need in this draft. And I mean, whether it be running back or whether it be cornerback, you know, this kind of just helps out because no matter really what they do now, it's kind of going to be okay, but we've got this, this and this now on the defensive side already, we can, we can wait or, you know, it's okay. If people see an offensive lineman or running back be in that first round, uh, selection, you know, people are going to be okay with it now, even if they weren't before, or people, you know, people were, may been high on offensive line or running back. Cause there's definitely a split crowd there. It's certainly not,

uh, anti running back offensive line. running back, because there's definitely a split crowd there. It's certainly not anti-running back offensive line. People still want that to be the pick. So I think that this really opens the doors to anything, and I think anything's possible in the first round now. I think absolutely anything is, and really, and you're always careful with this because you don't know where the information's coming from, whether it's something that's truly coming from the team

or something that other teams are putting out there for whatever reason. It's that time of year. Everything you have to be extremely suspect of, but it really feels like the last few days especially, that momentum towards a potential running back in round one has been building and building. You just hear whispers and things from scouts and from other unnamed sources out there,

and they all seem to be pointing towards maybe a running back a little bit earlier than people maybe originally thought and possibly even at number 15. You see some things. I saw something again today where somebody said, and it always perks my ears up when you hear a specific number. Somebody was talking about christian mccaffrey again whose name has been thrown around a ton of late we know he's a

guy who who really teams are high on and earlier there had been a report that he may be in the top 10 and i just saw today from one of the national guys well he goes no further than number 15 when you hear that you start to wonder well why number 15 who holds that number 15. When you hear that, you start to wonder, well, why number 15? Who holds that number 15 pick? Right. So, you know, it's – and again, maybe he's not on the board there, but I think it's wide open to any position, and I think running back is definitely in play there.

Let me ask you this, because this has been something that's been floating around at least the past 24 hours or so. What about Jason McCourty, who's been playing for the Titans? Have you heard anything about him possibly, with the Colts being any interest in him? He's borderline 30 years old. I mean, he's 29 and a half. But is that a possible move you think the Colts might be interested in doing,

just to bring in a little bit more veteran leadership? That's going to be very interesting to see. I haven't heard anything specifically yet, but obviously cornerback is one of the biggest needs left. It's one area that they really haven't addressed. I think inside linebackers are still a big need. They did go out and get Sean Spence, but you still have him right now and basically two guys who are very young and inexperienced

haven't had a full season starting under their belt so i think that's definitely an area that to look at but cornerback you have vonte davis in the last deal last year of his deal and then after that you have some intriguing guys i don't want to underplay so those guys do have nobody who on paper is a penciled in number two starter that you feel like you sleep well at night with them over there right remember sean melvin had a very good year last year i think he exceeded most expectations as a guy who basically came in off the street uh in week one of the season uh you know i think charles james the second who really was a late season pickup by ryan grickson he's kind of gone under the radar he's a guy who has some intriguing I think Charles James II, who really was a late-season pickup by Ryan Grixen,

he's kind of gone under the radar. He's a guy who has some intriguing abilities, who will be somebody to watch this spring and into the summer. And I think Kelvin Mitchell, who's still on the roster, who's battled injuries, he's a guy that they've kept around for some reason. He's a guy that could have been jettisoned at any point in the last three years. He's still here. Did somebody see something in him that they want to keep him around for?

I know they need him to get healthy and stay healthy for an entire offseason and be able to compete. But, you know, to take nothing away from those three guys, they're more competition at this point. They're guys you're hoping to see what comes from them, where they might fit in. Maybe they can be a slot guy. Maybe they can beat depth. There is no number two corner on this roster right now, in my opinion. And I think because of that, you have to look at Jason McCourty. Yeah, I think that he's interesting. I mean, he's not a big bulky guy. He's only about 185 pounds, at least I think he is. I know that he's right at six foot or a little bit taller. I mean, that gives at least the length. You know, he doesn't have to be the big run-stopping guy at this point. A veteran who's got the length and can play some man, you know, he's not a big-time man.

He's not even one of the best corners, you know, probably on the Titans or that was on the Titans. But the point is, is that he's got the veteran leadership, and a lot of what he can bring is that leadership stuff to guys like Melvin. But I really like Melvin. I mean, I'm a big fan of his, to be quite honest with you, especially how, like you said. He had a great year. Yeah, he did.

And more to the point, like you said, about how he was nobody. Nobody had any idea who he was last year when he jumped on the Colts. And he really proved to a lot of people that he can play in this league and that he can play in multiple positions on this team. And I think it's another situation where you've got some guys with something to prove still. You have some hungry guys. So it's going to be fun to watch some of those younger guys

because they know there's an opportunity there. And a lot of them have some traits that get you excited that's why they got here to begin with but that being said this is going to be a position that i think will be addressed early in the draft it could be addressed more than once in the draft and so you know because of that yeah i think jason mccordy is a guy that you look at you you bring him in, you find out what he wants. What I'm going to be intrigued with with McCourty is, you know, he's a guy who has had some production, like you said, isn't necessarily an all-pro type of guy,

but is a veteran guy who's shown he can play in the league. Is he going to be a guy who somebody gets here before the draft and says, all right, let's take him, let's fill that need now, and then we'll worry about what happens? Or is he going to be a guy who teams look at as a security blanket? If they don't get what they want in the draft, if things don't fall the way they would like, then they go look at Jason McCourty. It'll be interesting to see how he's viewed throughout the league. I agree. And you know that he's a productive tackler, even though he is somewhat light. But other than that 2015 season, he's played in 16 to 15, 14 games. Last year was the least at 14, aside from 2015,

with 14 games last year was the least he had played since 2010. I mean, that's nice to have a guy that's going to be on the field. Absolutely, and that's something they've struggled with, whether it was Greg Toller. Obviously, we know what he went through here last year, Patrick Robinson, in and out with injuries. That's one of the biggest problems they've had is not just the talent level over there, production over there.

They haven't been able to keep somebody on the field with Vontae Davis for an entire season or even the majority of the season very often at all. I think that's a critical piece of all this, trying to get that guy in there who will show up. But I think what's important about where McCourty goes is I think if he's not signed before the draft, then he becomes even a more possibility for the Colts because if he's still out there after the draft, even if they get two guys in the draft and they really like them, he's a guy that can come in, can provide some competition, can push everyone at that position. And at that point, you have to imagine post-draft, he's not going to be

expensive. It's going to be a one-year prove-it deal in all likelihood. And I think that's a situation the Colts might be really interested in. Yep, I totally agree 100%. I don't think he would be expensive. I don't know how expensive he'd be pre-draft, but I mean, we're so close to the draft right now that, you know, what's that? Two weeks. Yeah, six potatoes, 12 potatoes. I mean, nobody cares really at this point, I don't think. Although you can assume that his price would be a touch higher at this point until after the draft. Very, very true there. But double-digit passes defense in the past six out of the past seven years? I mean, come on.

You know, the guy's got some skills. And at almost 30 years old, whatever they do at cornerback, whether they grab a guy in the draft or grab two guys in the draft, having two veteran guys at this point in their career that are that close to 30 who can actually show them the ropes and not only that but having some guys that are going to push the competition level like Melvin and like Charles and like you said that's going to do nothing but make that secondary that much stronger I think that that would be a wise move like I said he's not quite

30 years old but you know bringing McCour in is certainly going to push the issue. I think when you get into the post-draft camps and all that stuff, especially training camp, I think that would be a huge pickup because there's really not much left out there in free agency at the cornerback position at all. I think one of the things people are going to ask right away is, well, why McCourty and not Richard Sherman? I think there's a world of difference there in terms of what they're going to command, in terms of what kind of money they're going to demand and what kind of role they're going to have. When you're building a younger defense like the Colts are right now

and you're trying to build through the draft, you bring in Richard Sherman and he's going to take up a big chunk of that salary cap, obviously, but he's also going to be penciled in. There's no competition there. You can say it, but there's no competition there if he comes in it's his job right you know no rookie is going to compete with him no no young guy on the roster trying to make a way it's going to compete with him and i think that's something you know you can argue the merits of it because people always have different ideas of how to build the roster you can argue whether you like the idea or not but that's a big part of what chris ballard's trying to do he wants to keep those opportunities out there he wants those young guys to feel like

there's something to play for and he wants to as often as he can reward his own that's one of the big things out with the jack doyle deal trying to show these guys look if you're here and you do the right things and you represent this team the way we want you to, you're going to get your contract. We're going to keep you around. And I think not that Richard Sherman wouldn't fit in in so many ways, but at this point in his career, he's not a good fit for that kind of philosophy. Right.

And you know what the other thing that McCourty would bring would be familiarity with the division too. I mean, he's been in the division. He knows the schemes. He knows the players other than knows the players, uh, other than the guys that are going to be drafted obviously, but he knows what to expect from which teams by and large. And that's going to go a long way, uh, without, I mean,

if you put skill aside that that helps in it within itself quite a bit. So, uh, and it also means that the coaches have a comfort level with him. They know him very well from having seen him several times over the past few years. Absolutely. The coaching staff has a comfort level with him as well. Yeah, not only that, but Vontae Davis hasn't been able to stay healthy. So, I mean, just assuming that we're going to be able to grab a corner and everything's going to be fine in this draft with Rashawn Melvin being the third corner on the roster,

I don't think that that's a wise thought process. But not only that, but Chris Ballard has shown that he is going to think and do a lot that a lot of people aren't necessarily thinking can be done. So I definitely look for multiple corners to come out of this draft uh i would say at least two and uh probably a ceiling at two almost to be quite honest with you there's just too much other stuff to be looking at but you i'll tell you one thing about it too and this is probably going 10 steps too far into the future but it makes me wonder a little bit if you can grab a mccourty does that put somebody like sydney jones from washington into play guys who may need a year

or most of a year to get healthy. There are things like that. Every move affects every other move, and that's another part of looking at McCourty that could be interesting. Absolutely. They could get one of the best two corners, three corners in the draft in the second or maybe the early third round, depending on what's needed because they don't need him tomorrow.

You know what I'm saying? Like you said, they can allow him to get healthy and stuff that I think that a lot of that makes sense. Uh, it would be something I almost feel like I need to pine for, uh, now that we've got it out there on the air. So, uh, you know, Holder wrote an interesting piece today, or I think it was today, uh, as well, uh, kind of five off season things that, uh, he felt needed to be done. Now figuring out the offensive line was one of them. We understand that, of course. We've talked about that quite a bit, you and I,

as far as what we see from these guys. Some of the, you know, a guy like Forrest Lamp, we talked about him the last time you were on, and, you know, things like that. But one of the other pieces to this article was establishing new leadership. Now that the Colts have Hankins, that leadership, at least up front, has an opportunity to blossom with Jabal Shear, John Simon as well. So it looks like the Colts have gone a long ways towards that, wouldn't you say?

Absolutely. And I think one of the biggest things that Peyton Manning era club, they had leadership at every level. When you look at those defenses, you had, obviously, Mathis and Freeney on the defensive line. You had Gary Brackett in the linebacker group. You had Antoine Bethea in the secondary. You know, getting Hankins, getting Simon and Sheard,

you're starting to build that a little bit. And they're young guys, guys who, especially in Hankins' role, hopefully everything works out. You get a second contract with him. These will be guys who are here for a while, who are cornerstone guys. And when you do that and you can make that leadership at every level, I think that was a big part of those defense. There was somebody in every one of those meeting rooms to hold those guys accountable. I think that's what they're trying to do again now. Yeah, I think that's a huge piece. And, I mean, when we look at it, guys that come in aren't going to be leadership. But I think one of the guys that's probably going to be one of the biggest leaders

on this team is a guy that they picked up for the middle linebacker spot already in Sean Spence. I think for all the injuries that that guy's gotten, heartbreaking injuries really, spot already in Sean Spence. I think for all the injuries that that guy's gotten, you know, heartbreaking injuries, really, that, you know, a lot of people thought was going to end his career, not much less the season. So we've got that in there. He's, by all accounts, every single person I've talked to said that dude is a teamer. He's a leader. He may not, you know, you may not see him being, you know, a top three or four linebacker in the NFL next year, but that dude is going to be loved and beloved by his teammates in that locker room.

I think that's huge, especially from that position. That's really something that they seem to have been looking at. A lot of the guys that were signed this year, you hear similar things about hard workers, good character, good leadership abilities. I think it's part of the package that they were looking for. Now, the thing of that is it's all going to come to play. I mean, that's something we've been talking about. It's great right now to get these guys in and to have the good reputations,

to hear that things are being said, but it's got to happen. They've got to make it happen here in Indianapolis, and it's not always easy because it is a new group, and it's something that Chris Ballard's been very open about in his short time here, you know, how hard it is to build that chemistry, to build the right kind of locker room. I think he's taken the right steps, but now we have to wait and see how it plays out, and that's one of the exciting things about this week. This is where you start to see it here in the spring, you know, how's it going to start to play out. Yeah, and you know, not only that, but the Colts have had leadership in the past and over the five past

five years, they've had some leadership, you know, guys that people look to in the locker room. But the big issue has been what the product on the field and that, I mean, you can have all the leadership you want, but if it doesn't turn into the product that you want and the result that's on the field, then I'm not saying that it's pointless or that you want and the result that's on the field, then I'm not saying that it's pointless or that it's worthless, but it's not enough. We'll put it that way. So not only do these guys have to come in and be leaders in the locker room, they have to come in and be leaders on the field and make impacts.

And they lost a lot of that. I mean, that's the thing. DeQual Jackson was a big leader in that locker room. Mike Adams was a big leader in that locker room. Mike Adams was a big leader in that locker room. And it was a couple years ago, but Corey Redding was a big leader in that locker room. And obviously, Robert Mathis retires, huge leader in that locker room. So a lot of these guys, and we mentioned it, they need to be leaders right away. There's not going to be time to kind of get your feet wet.

They need to come in and establish themselves very quickly in leadership roles. So let's say that the Colts do go offensive line in the first round of the draft here in the next couple weeks. What is your very first reaction, you think? My very first thought would be I wonder if it wouldn't be a tackle you know i think that might be a spot to go right tackle to let a lot of guys compete on the interior at that right guard spot if they saw somebody who they really thought maybe a ryan ram chick from wisconsin who they really thought could come in and start day one at right tackle uh and i know the raven clark you know still a guy that a lot of people are looking at to see what he can do.

So a guard isn't completely off the table either. I think it's the right side in general. But I think just because the first round tackles generally are where that value is, especially in the upper half of the first round, like the Colts are at. So they see a guy that they feel like could come in and start right tackle day one, maybe even grow into a potential left tackle over the next three, four, five years, I think this has to be something they'd be very interested in, especially the importance that Chris Ballard

puts on both sides of the ball on the trenches. Right. And I mean, just because there's so much unknown here, when we get into this, I mean, there's a few guys that can play that guard spot already. I mean, Denzel Good moved inside, Hague's done it uh but i think that the raven clark is definitely a tackle or nothing i mean i don't see him as a guard to be quite honest with you yeah i don't see him as yeah i think he's a tackle he's an outside guy right and then we look at like now muhort not only is he coming up for uh his year, but he's a guy that's been injured a little bit here and there.

We don't know exactly. I mean, I think we, as a community of Colts fans and writers, really like Muhort and think that he's a special player or at least a very good player at that position. But we don't know how Ballard sees him. And, I mean, if they're going to do that, I mean, to me, it makes sense, I think, a they're going to do that, I mean, to me, I mean, it makes sense. I think a guy like Forrest Lamp or whatever, they can play guard or that is a guard, I guess. I wouldn't say

that he can play guard. He is a guard. Would maybe, I think that that would, might tell us a little bit about what Ballard thinks about that offensive line. Does he think that the guards need to be ready to bounce in there? Because we don't know if he's going to give Muhort another contract. I think that he should. But, you know, let's say he doesn't stay on the field next year. I mean, that kind of really leaves a lot to be determined. I think it's really big years for Jack Muhort and for Dante Moncrief for basically the same reason.

Both of them, when they've been on the field, have looked good and have shown moments. But neither one of them has really gone out consistently, put together 16-game seasons, and really absolutely locked down that spot. And that's not a knock against either one of them. It's just that, you know, Moncrief obviously this year was a big injury year. He didn't have a whole lot of problems injury-wise before that. Some of that was freakish.

I mean, the injury in Denver before that some of that was freakish i mean the injury in denver was just one of those things you know that's not a injury prone type of a situation it's just a wrong place wrong time kind of a situation but fact of the matter is for as much as dante moncrief has flashed and for as much potential as is there you don't have that season right now that you can point at and say look there was there was a breakout year. There's the big numbers. There are things, you know, the number of touchdowns he had last year compared to the number of games he's had, there are definitely things about him that are very exciting.

And the same, I think, goes for Jack Newhart. There are a lot of things that make you excited about the potential future, but I think both of them need to be healthy this year, need to prove that they are cornerstone guys for this offense. Man, so you're saying the Colts should go offensive line and wide receiver in the first two rounds, huh? Absolutely. Absolutely.

You know, and I think that... There would be fires all over Indianapolis. You could make that case. Oh, absolutely. No doubt about that. But I think there's a position group that you can't make that case with you go anywhere right now and you can you can make a similar argument you know there's somebody out there who's got something to prove but i honestly think you know clearly

everybody would love including chris ballard to have 11 pro bowlers on both sides of the ball but that's not realistic that's not the way it works out in real life. I honestly think this is something that makes Chris Ballard happy. I think he likes having guys like New York Moncrief around. He wants guys out there with something to prove who are going to push. Because that kind of energy is going to wear off to the entire roster. All right. So here's your next scenario. Colts don't trade back at 15, and they pick Joe Mixon.

That would shock me. Yes. In the first round, that would shock me. I wouldn't be shocked if Joe Mixon gets here eventually because I think if he's there in round three, they might take a long, hard look, depending on what has happened previously in the draft, obviously. But at round one, at number 15 overall and all the other needs that that exist on this roster not that running

back isn't a big need obviously right uh but that's a big risk yeah especially and we can talk about the morality here and we can talk about you know where you stand on what he did what's happened since but even trying somehow to take all of that out just the factual part of it that it has happened that it is on his record that it's something that he's admitted to the way things stand in the league right now that's a risky pick just for the fact that even if there's a hint of something else he could face suspension. You're looking at a commissioner right now who has said he might not necessarily need a police report to do these kind of things.

It's a risky thing to do right now, especially at this point in the league. And that's not, don't get me wrong, that's not to minimize domestic violence. We all know what he did was horrible. And nobody, I don't think anybody is going to even doubt that. But from a pure football standpoint, there is risk because that's on his record. Yep. And there isn't a single Colts fan, or I would say they're in a single fan, period, if the Colts were to grab him at 15 in the first round,

that everybody wouldn't immediately sit back in their chair and whistle. I mean, that's a, whew, man. That is, like you said, that presents a ton of risk, in my opinion. It's just, like you said, we all know what happened. It's not necessarily, I mean, we're all going to rehash this over and over again, no matter how many times we talk about it. It's risky because of what has happened. It was three years ago or whatever it was.

He apparently has been a model citizen. But, man, people just, I mean, I don't even know how to explain it. It's like a person going to jail for something that they didn't do, but the inmates all think that they did it. It doesn't matter. You are guilty by association because someone said you did, and he actually did this. How is that going to go over in Indianapolis with fans? I think if it was a second or third round pick, I'm not for it.

I personally am not for it at all. I don't want him in Indy. But he is a fantastic talent. And if Ballard sees that, you know, sees through that he can be a better person or that he's become a better person and that's passed him that type of lifestyle, that type of action, that type of, uh, initial outburst, you know, when something doesn't go his way, then people are going to smooth it over, uh, fans or, uh, city officials, just anybody's going to be like, well, he's changed this, that, and the other.

They're going to smooth their way around it because of the talent, one way or another. Absolutely. Absolutely. Number 15 overall. I just can't see that one. No, I can't either. I truly can't.

Is there anything else besides Mixon getting to Indianapolis in the first overall pick at 15 that would shock you at all? That would shock me? Yeah, or not necessarily shock you. Maybe we'll just go with surprise because I think Mixon results in a shock, but I think everything else could just maybe be a slight surprise. Yeah, I think a wide receiver would be a slight surprise, even though there's some physical guys out there like Mike Williams, some guys who might fit this scheme and some of the

things that the Colts want to do. They've got a pretty deep group right now, a wide receiver. When you look at T.Y. Hilton and Moncrief and his situation this year, you bring in a guy like Kamar Aiken, and then they've got a lot of guys fighting underneath. It's very similar to what we were talking about at cornerback. Dorsett hasn't really done it yet. He's in a make-or-break year, I think, and it'll be interesting to see how he responds to that. But behind him, you've got guys like Charles Rogers. You've got guys like, or not Charles. Chester.

Chester Rogers. Or Chester from Grambling, as he was known by Andrew Luck in training camp last year uh Quan Bray even Tavon Smith yeah I think there is a lot there uh where drafting somebody in the first round you might stunt a little bit of the growth of some of those younger guys I I will tell you this, though. I don't think that's something Chris Ballard's going to spend a lot of time thinking about. That's something we heard a lot about in a prior regime as well. There's a lot of young guys we want to look at, and I don't want to stunt their growth by drafting somebody too early in that spot.

I don't think that's something Chris Ballard's going to care about. I think if he really felt like, and I'm not, you know, this is not a headline here. I'm not saying this is how he feels. But if he really felt like Mike Williams was the best possible player for the team at 15, he'd pull the trigger and he wouldn't care. I really think that's true with him. But I don't think that that's the case right now. And so I think a wide receiver would surprise me.

I'll tell you something that's not that high on the radar, though, that I'm not 100% sure won't happen is tight end. Just because it's a deep tight end draft, yes, there's some good guys at the top. They may be there when the Colts are picking you, whether it's Joku out of Miami, whether it's O.J. Howard from Alabama. He'd have to slip a little bit. But I don't think that'll be the pick.

But that's not one that would slam me to the back of the couch and wonder what just happened. Yeah, that would be – I mean, I would go to the back of the couch, but it would be a mixture of surprise and that's not such a bad move kind of thing. Yeah. I mean, tight end in the first round seems really weird because I don't know that I've heard anybody say it, but I legit thought about that.

Maybe two or three weeks ago, it was run through my head and I was like, man, that would be crazy to see OJ Howard and horseshoe, but that's not going to happen. You know, I mean that kind of stuff that, that just the thought of it passing through my mind, but man, that would be really interesting. And that would certainly make everyone here go, yep, see you, Dwayne. You know, I mean.

I really think if they go offense, it's either going to be offensive line or running back. But I think tight end might be third on that list if they went to the offensive side. Yeah, and that's another position that we don't often talk a bunch about. And I think, look, if you look at Doyle, I think Doyle's a fantastic tight end and can do it all. He's not the fastest guy, but he can do it all. Then you've got Swoop, the guy who is inclining. He's getting better. Not a blocker for so much, but not for lack of effort.

He's just not very good at it yet. But he can certainly extend the defense. He can certainly catch passes, and he's got some speed. But, I mean, you can still certainly make a case for tight end being a very significant pick in this draft at some point. There is a ton of tight ends in this draft from what I hear. I honestly have not watched a single play is a ton of tight ends in this draft from what I hear. I honestly have not watched a single play of any of these tight ends, but everybody says that there's a ton of tight ends in this draft, and if there's a couple of guys that stand out that can do both

or that have a little bit of speed but can block from effort, I mean, that's something that is going to be very interesting to see if the Colts decide to go that route at some point in the draft. Yeah, I would expect it to be much later than the first round, obviously. Sure. But it would not surprise me if they dip into that class, just because, like you said, a lot of people think there's a lot of value at that tight end position in this draft. And I think, first and foremost,

that's what Chris Ballard's going to be looking for is value picks. You know, guys who are going to maximize what they can do at that spot. first and foremost that's what chris ballard's gonna be looking for is value picks you know guys who are gonna maximize what they can do at that spot that and trying to trade around you know pick up even more pitch i think those are going to be the two focuses for him in his first draft here in indiana and we'll know a little more he's going to talk to me on wednesday so we'll get to hear a little more of his philosophy this week. Would you say true or false if someone says the Colts will draft a player with off-the-field concerns? Like major off-the-field concerns. Like Joe Mixon.

Yeah, any of them. Because there's a large handful of them. Yeah, every year, right? Every draft. And it just so happens that a lot of them are really good. Mm-hmm, yeah. You know, I think he's kind of addressed that. I would say true that it's a possibility. I think he's kind of addressed that before.

It's something that it's – I always feel like it's really dangerous to go back to Kansas City and say, well, this happened in Kansas City, or that happened in Kansas City, or even when he was a scout in Chicago, because ultimately he wasn't making those decisions. So it's hard to say. We don't know. He may have opposed every single one of those moves while he was there, and they were made anyway.

We just don't know. But he obviously came from a couple organizations, Kansas City in particular, where they made some risky picks and guys worked out i think tyreek hill probably right at the top of the list right now because it's so fresh you know what what happened with him uh so i definitely it's true that it's a possibility i think the key with that and sort of what we were just talking about with nixon is finding a finding out everything you can about the person to the best of your abilities, where he stands now, whether or not he's likely to repeat those mistakes, and B, finding the right spot, finding where the risk is worth the reward. And I think that's different for every guy.

Right. And, you know, Ballard was absolutely the front man as far as to bring Peters in. They, you know know they were obviously looking at him already anyways but they sent ballard by himself to go out there and you know ballard said i believe it was on the peter king's podcast where he said that uh you know he went out there he saw what kind of relationship he had with his parents uh he was brought up well you know this was a situation that was it you know it. That's character concerns when you punch your coach. But at the same time, there was, and not to make light of it or to accept it, but there was

coaching change that was initially or immediately an issue. We don't know what that coach was doing to maybe not expedite the situation as far as to make it any better than it was from the jump. So there was a lot to be unknown about that. But, you know, obviously nobody looks highly upon, you know, punching your coach. But it's a different situation, in my opinion, with a guy like Mixon. Even a guy like Jordan Lewis, the slot corner from Michigan. You know, he's a guy that...

Who came in to visit last week. Yes, and I think that he's a guy that the Colts could really use in that specific role, I think. I think that if you bring in a guy who's absolutely dedicated to that position and who's really good, that could be a really good part of the Colts building as it is. And like we said already, with the Colts cornerbacks that they've got on depth-wise and stuff like that, that makes things really interesting too. And like I said, I think every single one of these situations is its own case.

You can't just blanket say, okay, well, you know, you can take a guy who's a character risk but you can't do it before this round or you can take him if this happened or that happened. I think you really got to look at every individual on their own basis and find out again, everything that happened and then decide, where does the risk and reward ratio fit? You know? And I think for everybody, it's a different, like to me, I'm with you. If I'm making the call, I don't think I'd draft Joe Mixon.

But I also haven't sat down in his living room and talked to him and everyone in his life and found out anything about him. But I definitely don't think the risk with him ever equals a first-round pick, any first-round pick, 15 or else. With a Jordan Lewis, I don't know. It's a different situation it's a different calculus you know where do you make that pick the other thing about this franchise in particular is you know a lot of people assume well jim ursae you know he's a guy who'll be more

willing to make these risks don't forget that the colts have been burned a few times in recent years going out on a limb after guy i don't know how much of that lingers and affects this situation. Chris Ballard wasn't part of it, but Chuck Pagano was, and Jim Irsay was. It's going to factor in somehow. How much, I don't know, but it's going to be a factor in each of those decisions. Yeah, absolutely.

I would tend to fall on the other side of that. I would think that Irsay would not be wanting to bring in a guy like Mixon, specifically. the other Rogers the Colts had, the wide receiver? Yeah, Derrick Rogers. And then LeVon Brazil. I mean, you know, even. Jonathan Newsome. Yes. I mean, just one guy after another, the Colts were,

or have had issues with guys like that. And that's not something that I think that the Colts, and not only that, but I think that in Ballard's first year, I don't think he's going to want to jump on the crazy train right off the drum. Look, we're just going to get a few guys here that have got major concerns. That could absolutely blow up in his face.

You don't get a draft like this with this much talent to where you pigeonhole yourself enough to where you have to pick guys that have that much of an issue off the field, in my opinion. Yeah, and I honestly think the only way that happens is if he has a situation like Marcus Peters where he has 100% confidence that it's over, that it was a one-time thing. And we're not going to know that. We're certainly not going to know it ahead of time. So I would say more likely than not, I lean your way. I think more likely than not, they don't go that way.

But I don't rule out somebody whose talent is so high, who they feel good enough about, who's available at the right time. And, again, not necessarily mixing anybody on that list of people. You know, I just think there's so many variables. It's got to be the right guy, the right situation, and the right pick, and then maybe you see it happen. Yep, and no second guessing.

Yeah, absolutely. pick and then maybe you see it happen yep and no second guessing so yeah absolutely if you if you wonder about it this is one you've got to be 100 all in if you're there's any part of you that's wondering should we do this you can't do this absolutely absolutely so what are you looking into uh right now aside from the hankins uh acquisition and stuff what's on your mind right now about this team specifically? I think with day one coming up and going through that situation with everybody together, I kind of want to see what the locker room is like. How has it changed? I know it's obviously day one, so you're not going to get a good feel for chemistry or anything like that, but what's the energy like in that room?

Is there optimism? Is there excitement? Because from the outside right now, there seems to be. And when Hankin signed, there were quite a few guys who went to Twitter pretty quickly to say, hey, like what we're doing on defense, is there a palpable energy? Because I felt like in 2012, that was there. Very, very early on, there was a sense of this team coming together and energy with that group in the locker room.

And I know that doesn't necessarily relate to anything. I think really early in 2015, there was good energy with the team, and it didn't help. It didn't matter as the season went on. But I think that's one thing to look at. I think the other thing, as we roll into otas i'm really excited to see them line up the first few times where are some of these guys you know what what kind of role might they be in that's going to be fun to see as well yeah i agree and

there's there's a few guys there that you know you've talked about simon that they're kind of whispers of them possibly wanting to use him in the middle as an off the ball linebacker a little bit. Or, you know, we've talked about sheer actually getting down in the four point stance at a defensive end spot. I mean, it'll be interesting to see. I don't, and I think the best part of all this is that I don't feel like any of these guys, honestly, are being pigeonholed into one position or one spot in the defense at all. Well, and that's the broader. Like when you talk about some of the things I might be writing about soon, the versatility potential of this defense I think is a lot of fun to see.

I think a guy like Jabal Sheard really opens up a lot of things. I agree. Because obviously he can play with his hand on the ground and he can play standing up, but I think he can do that in three- and four-man fronts. He's a big enough guy that they can put him at Kendall Engford's spot and get away with it if they need to in a certain situation, if they want to get a certain look.

And I just think it's another one of those things because if you can do that, you're just talking about spitballing some things. And obviously this isn't coming from a situation where I've heard anything. It's just me kind of looking at guys and wondering, I guess, you know, for lack of a better term. But you could find a situation where maybe on one down, you've got a four-man front with Sheard and Simon at the end. And then on the next down, you've got a three-man front,

and both of those guys are an outside linebacker. And then later in the game, you've got a three-man front, and Simon and a rookie are the outside linebackers. And at another time, Simon might be the inside linebacker in a nickel package, and he might be with it. Right. So where that's coming from and who's bringing it, there's so many combinations right now that they could play with to do those things.

Absolutely. Like I said, I don't think that there's any chance that we don't see the best creative process out of Pagano, not only this year because of what's being brought in to the fold here, but he has a lot of impressing to do as far as Ballard. So A, he's coaching for his job, and B, he's got some pieces right now that have to be a lot of fun for him. I'll bet he's in his office right now. If I was him, I'd's in his office right now just if if if i was him i'd be in my office right now just using little thumbtacks and stuff like oh my god i could have him here i could have him here this is so fun you know what i mean how much fun drawn up ideas yes exactly he's

already doing that and he has to be that's part of it i would think so yeah i mean you know another another big part of that is i think a lot of times we focus on where the expectations are and what that means for him. I think the fact that the ballot has come out and said, look, we're going to be realistic. He's not saying Super Bowl or bust. He's not even saying playoffs or bust right now, although I think there is an expectation that this could be a playoff team. There's a little bit of wiggle room there to take some risks because it's a young team, because it's a young defense. It'll be interesting to see if Pagano, because in the past we've seen him go both ways. We've seen him take risks and you scratch your head.

And there's one against New England I think everybody can remember. And there's been other times where he's been ultra-conservative and you wonder why he didn't gamble on something. Well, some of these lineup things that we're talking about, maybe it's in his best interest to take that risk now because of where expectations are, because if it doesn't work out, people might understand why he did it. Yeah, I will. Absolutely. I agree. Not only does the pieces kind of, kind of fit for some of that risk-taking, but one of those risks could win a game that he otherwise wouldn't be winning. Yep.

You know, and I think he pretty much admitted himself. You go back to the Houston game last year and the way they played in the fourth quarter in the last seven minutes to show that game, very conservative. You know, not a lot of – now what happens if you change up a couple looks at Brock Osweiler late in that game? Maybe he throws a pick. Maybe he just gets hit and loses it down.

But that was a situation where Houston needed about five or six or seven things to go exactly right to get that comeback. One risk, one change in there could have changed everything. And let's face it, they win that game, they're probably a playoff team last year. Yeah, that's true. And not only that, but even at the point before the comeback, that game was, I mean, in everybody's head, was out of reach. One of those risks before that sends that game completely out of reach.

Even with that crazy comeback and with everything that happened and what's his name, dodging like 11 guys to get into the end zone from the 15-yard line at that point. I mean, it was just— Lamar Miller. Yes, Lamar Miller. God, it was disgusting. But, yeah, you're right. I mean, you're exactly right. That game could have been out of reach and, even with a comeback, unattainable.

And so you wonder. You know, you sit back and you look. The recipe seems to be right for him to go ahead and do those things. I mean, if he's in an evaluation year and it's, you know, his job's on the line, which it is to whatever extent it is, why not try to take those chances? Why not try to mix and match? And certainly the personnel is there to do that. So I think it's going to be interesting to see what kind of creativity comes out of him

and Ted Bonachino and how they approach this defense, which has a completely different look already, and it's going to be even more different a couple weeks after the draft. Yep, I totally agree. And even before Hankins was signed, people were kind of reserved with their expectations. Now with this Hankins signing, people's expectations are starting to rise just a little bit. And I mean, I can understand why. Mine are doing the same thing.

You know, this adds a centerpiece, just kind of like I wrote about the other day. It absolutely adds a centerpiece to bring the opportunity to change the culture of this defense for the next few years. And that's something that we're all going to look forward to. And now the big key is everybody's got to produce. Everybody's got to do it on the field. Yep. It can't be talk. It can't be quips and little metaphors.

It's got to be stuff that's visual on the field. It has to happen. Everything has to come together to even get to that 10-win mark, you know, for the Colts this coming year. So, George, thank you so much for the Colts this coming year. George, thank you so much for being on again tonight, man. Great conversation, as always. Just love having you on, dude.

This is a good time for us in the evening, get a shoot at it a little bit. I always appreciate you coming on, man. It's good stuff. Yeah, I love spitballing, too, and just throwing out scenarios because I think that's what this time of year is for. It's fun to kind of sit back and imagine. I was a kid that spent half my study hall drawing up plays when I should have been probably doing my math homework or whatever. So, you know, still there's part of me that likes to do that,

to kind of think about, hey, what about this defensive alignment? What about that defensive alignment? And really what Chris Ballard's done is given everybody, from the coaching staff to the fans to the media, the opportunity to kind of do that, to use your imagination and wonder what might be. Yep, he's absolutely given us all a stick in a sandpile, that's for sure. So, exciting things to come.

Appreciate you coming on, like I said. Fantastic stuff, George. Make sure you guys are following George on Twitter at GMBremmer. And also Monday, which is today, if you guys are listening to this at 6 p.m., the voicemail call in for the opportunity to win the draft guides will be cutting off 6 p.m. Get your voicemails in between now and 6 p.m. If you guys want to be eligible for it, I'll do the drawing on tomorrow's show, and I'll announce the winner. So if you guys want in on that, make sure you do get in on that. And we've got this mock draft that I've been telling you guys about,

or if you guys follow me on Twitter, you've seen it. We've got a mock. We've got all teams represented that are picking in the first round. It's exciting. We've already gotten mock. We've got all teams represented that are picking in the first round. It's exciting. We've already gotten some of these done. So I'll be putting shows together for that, and you guys will have a live mock on the show, which is going to be a lot of fun.

It's already turning out pretty good. It's coming together. So we'll get that for you guys as soon as absolutely possible. So thank you guys all for listening. Make sure you guys are rating and reviewing the show on iTunes. Thank you, George, for stopping by again, my guy. No problem. Anytime.

Absolutely. We'll check all you guys all out tomorrow right here on Locked on Colts. You are Locked on Colts, your daily podcast on the Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team, every day.