Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 5/12/20: Crossover Special with Locked On Ravens

Episode Date: May 13, 2020

On today's episode, Kevin Oestricher of Locked On Ravens joins as our Crossover Specials continue on for AFC South vs. AFC North week. With both teams facing off in 2020, how do their outlooks compare?Starting off in Baltimore, what was it like to watch Lamar Jackson's huge improvements? Also, how impactful was their draft class? Finally, did Baltimore take another leap forward to become a true dominant force?Over to Indianapolis, how big of an upgrade is Philip Rivers over Jacoby Brissett? Indy's offseason moves featuring Rivers, DeForest Buckner, and a loaded draft class has them positioned to finish atop their division. Will Justin Houston be one of the biggest beneficiaries from Buckner's arrival?All of this, plus so much more, on our latest Locked On NFL Crossover Special! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into your latest crossover special here on the Locked On NFL Network. I am Evan Sattery of Locked On Colts, joined by Kevin Ostreicher of Locked On Ravens for our latest AFC South versus AFC North crossover. Kevin, how are you doing today? I'm doing pretty well, Evan. How about yourself? I'm doing well, and I'm really excited to talk about this team today, Kevin, because you're covering, I think, one of the hottest teams in NFL right now. I think they've only gotten better this offseason.

I saw your prediction for your schedule on your Twitter account. You think the Ravens are going to be a very, very good team this year and really build off of the moment they had last year? I do. My record prediction, especially after seeing the way the schedule came out, I think it's 15-1. I don't want to have that come off as I'm taking away from all the teams the Ravens play because the Ravens, they do have the easiest strength of schedule in 2020 based off the 2019 record.

But when you look at the Ravens and just how well they performed in the regular season last year, obviously racking off 12 straight wins, this roster only got better. You talk about free agency, what they did with trading for Calais Campbell. They only gave up a fifth-round pick. They signed Michael Brockers. It doesn't go through. So then they pick up Derek Wolf, the Ravens.

I think I talked to Tyler Rowland yesterday from lockdown Titans. They don't want the Derek Henry train to run through Baltimore ever again. That's what I've kind of been saying. And then you look at the draft, they go out, get Patrick queen and Malik Harrison to be the one to punch at linebacker, get JK Dobbins. I think this team is well positioned for another super bowl run and i think that their

15 and one record that i'm predicting i think it's not because of the opponents that they play necessarily but just because i really don't see very many weaknesses on paper yeah when you look at the meteoric rise as well from year one the year two for lamar jackson kevin goes on the win mvp in his second year it was incredible to watch last year just I literally think Michael Vick 2.0 would be even better than that because he was such a better passer than Vick was in his prime. And you just see the way that Lamar can move around the field. It's just a very special talent they have in Baltimore there. What was it like up close, Kevin, just watching all the Ravens games

and seeing the progression of Lamar Jackson at Warp Speed? It was a beautiful thing to watch. And the reason I say that is you mentioned that year one to year two progression. Lamar Jackson came in in 2018, replaced Joe Flacco. And that offense, it was catered to Joe Flacco. Now, when you talk about Lamar Jackson compared to Joe Flacco, they're two very different quarterbacks. So he came in an offense that wasn't really suited for his play style

and still performed admirably. Went 6-1, led the Ravens to the AFC North Championship. He worked tirelessly in the offseason to make sure that he got better in terms of footwork, accuracy, making sure he didn't take unnecessary hits, something that Michael Vick kind of coined as, look, maybe if I take a few less of those hits, I have a few more years of elite-level production in my tank. Lamar Jackson is currently a stat that I like to come back to.

He's younger than Joe Burrow, and he has two years of experience under his belt. And I think that that's only going to help him grow coming into year three. But 2019 was a magical season for him, and I think he's going to build off of it come 2020. Yeah, I'm really excited to watch this Ravens team. This is a general NFL thing. Because like you mentioned, Kevin, this offseason, I feel like they've only improved their team. Not many losses on their side on offense or defense. Of course, there's Marshall Yonda to retirement there, but I feel like that's really the only big weakness as far as Ravens team goes,

trying to replace Marshall Yonda. But like you mentioned, how do you feel like their draft frequency went? Because you go out and get J.K. Dobbins. I think one of my favorite picks of the draft, honestly, behind Jonathan Taylor with the Colts, ironically enough. Just an elite running back like J.K. Dobbins, you add Mark Ingram and Lamar Jackson. How potent is that running attack going to be for this Ravens team now?

I think it only goes up from here. And you mentioned J.K. Dobbins. I mean, this draft that the Ravens had, they let elite-level talent really just fall right into their laps on a team like the Ravens that didn't have a ton of weaknesses to necessarily address. They shored up a lot of their weaknesses in free agency. I mentioned the defensive line. That was their really number one priority.

They also addressed that in the draft, but Eric Dacostas recently said that all four of the running backs on this roster, or the four presumed ones who are going to make the team, and Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill, he wants all four of them to be active and playing on a weekly basis to make sure that they can just run teams into the ground with a fresh set of legs for all four quarters. If they really wanted to, they could have a full Mark Ingram attack in the first quarter, J.K. Dobbins in the second. You can have Gus Edwards in the third and then Justice Hill to finish it off in the fourth. And while that other defense is kind of, you know, the opposing defense

is panting and kind of tired, they have a fresh set of legs in there at all times. And that's why I think the Ravens stacking strength on strength has become a key part in how this Ravens team succeeds year in and year out, because while they can lose talent, Michael Pierce leads in free agency this year, you know, they have guys to come in and replace. They draft Justin Metabuike. They draft Roger Washington. The defensive line is a little older,

but I think this Ravens rushing attack, going back to that. The offensive line, I do think it's going to be a bit of an experiment on the interior with all the guys. They potentially have Vine for three spots, but I think the running game is going to be even stronger in 2020. Let's talk about the unique offense here for a second. Just diving more into that, because you look at the Ravens compared to other teams in the NFL.

Maybe it's sort of the copycat thing going on with other teams like UC Tennessee, maybe Indianapolis trying to do the same thing or getting Jonathan Taylor on board. But this power running attack the Ravens have, Kevin, that points last year was just incredible to watch and how dominant it was. What's it like? Just it feels like the Ravens are zagging while the NFL is going away from that, so to say, and really they're thriving now. Yeah, the Ravens, they're doing their own thing. The rest of the league and kind of what's been developing over the past few years is that, you know, that pass heavy, sling it down the field offense. The Ravens want to do their own thing.

And they said, you know what? We have a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who not only can sling the football down the field and is going to grow as a passer, but he can also do some things with his legs. So why not try to cater to that skill set? Bringing in Mark Ingram, a perfect fit to this offense. And the analogy that I like to use in kind of breaking it down is the Ravens in their pistol look with Mark Ingram and Lamar Jackson or whoever the running back is on the field, they can give you three different play designs and it can be millions of different things. They can also give you the same play design and it could be three very

different things. So Lamar Jackson, when he has that ball out for Mark Ingram to take, Mark Ingram can take it, and he can run it up the middle. Lamar Jackson can pull the ball, and he can run around, do a little thing with his legs. And he can also just take the ball and pass it. That's what makes the Ravens so dangerous. They have big personnel, and they use their three tight ends seamlessly. And that's what makes it so deceptive, because tight ends they can block they can catch so when you have three tight ends on the

field you know that's a big boy lineup you know you're most likely expecting a run but Mark Andrews a pro bowl tight end he did so many things for them and I think that his presence on the field you know it helps the Ravens disguise their looks. And their looks are almost exactly identical in terms of how they actually are perceived by defenses. So those edge rushers, they have to be very disciplined because if they crash in too hard on Mark Ingram up the middle, Lamar Jackson is going to take it right around him. If they kind of stay on that edge and try to set it, Mark Ingram is going to burst it up the middle.

So it's very difficult to defend. And so far, the Ravens have a great blueprint for success. Yeah, the offense is super exciting. Definitely doping in on it a little bit, Kevin. Let's hit on the defense here for in this segment because the defense, like we hit on earlier, Patrick Queen, Malik Harrison now a linebacker. I think that's a huge boost to that position. How do you like that defense heading into 2020 for Baltimore?

Because we also hit on Calais Campbell, who I think is, he's definitely long in the tooth, but he's still very impactful on the front four. Yeah, Calais Campbell, I think, has a couple more years left in his prime playing very, very good football. And the Ravens made a point when he came over from Jacksonville to sign him to a one-year extension and, you know, kind of rework some of that money. And he's under contract for the next two years for them.

But you mentioned Patrick Queen and Harrison. I know I did as well. That's going to allow them to play some more base defense. People forget Tavon Young, who I believe is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL. He missed all of 2019 with a neck injury. They had to experiment with a lot of different options when it came to the slot cornerback position. Ultimately, they stuck Marlon Humphrey in there. And once Marcus Peters came over from trade by way of the Los Angeles Rams, I think that with Tavon Young back and with the additions of two very starter quality linebackers, albeit rookies, they're going to translate more to a base defense.

The Ravens ran a very unconventional defense in 2019. You look at Chuck Clark, who's a safety coming up to play dime linebacker. That put Brandon Carr back as the safety kind of patrolling that back end along with Earl Thomas. Now I think Chuck Clark takes on more of that safety role. You put Harrison, you put Queen in that base. You also can use LJ Ford on certain specialization downs for his skill set. This Ravens team, with adding to the beef on the defensive line, they can move Brandon Williams back to nose tackle.

Derek Wolfe is that smaller tweener defensive line. They can move Brandon Williams back to nose tackle. Derek Wolf is that smaller tweener defensive end and Clay is Campbell or defensive tackle. And then Clay is Campbell as a defensive end though. That's a big group up front, but not just a big group. There are groups that can get to the quarterback, generate quarterback pressures, and also have their way against the run also. So this defense, it's scary because with the additions on the defensive line, it just compliments that elite secondary. So why do you have's scary because with the additions on the defensive line, it just complements that elite secondary. So either you have to get it out in less than three seconds to combat the pass rush, or you hold it a little longer and that pass rush gets to you. Last question I have for you, Kevin, on the Ravens before we head into the Colts. I wanted to hit on just how you think they closed the gap, so to say, at Kansas City. I know they were the

number one seed last year in AFC and they lost in the divisional round, but do you feel like Baltimore has really taken a leap or two up the rung, so to say, as candidate. I know they were the number one seed last year in AFC, and they lost in the divisional round. But do you feel like Baltimore has really taken a leap or two up the rung, so to say, as far as their improvements in the offseason? What could be happening from 2019 to 2020? I do, and the reason I think that is because I don't think they lost too much in the way of free agents and things like that. Now, Marshall Yonda, that's a very big loss. There's no understating.

They'll have to get over that somehow. But I think they have options in the interior. I mentioned, you know, they're pretty young on the interior. Guys vying for pretty much three starting positions. I still think that with Michael Pierce leaving, Patrick Colasso, Josh Bynes, they added in, you know, it might not have been the flashiest moves you've ever seen, you know, adding Calais Campbell is pretty big,

but then guys like Derek Wolf, you know, people don't, I think, give Derek Wolf a ton of respect in terms of him being a guy who sets up sacks. Then you go out in the draft, you have a great draft. You had 10 rookies who can potentially contribute to this team, all while stacking up on depth of positions for the future. I think it's a balance for Baltimore. They did this back with Marlon Humphrey when they had a very elite cornerback room.

They added Marlon Humphrey because they knew that some of those guys would be leaving or be getting a little older. I think that's what they did drafting J.K. Dobbins, drafting Justin Metawike. When you talk about the Chiefs, I mean, the Super Bowl champions, there's no denying they're a very talented team.

They will burn you with speed. And their defense is something to be reckoned with, too, pretty underrated. But I think the Ravens did make a few moves to kind of move up that ladder, and I think come week three when the Chiefs travel to play the Ravens in Baltimore, that's going to be a very big indication of where this team is. That's going to do it for segment one of our cross-server with the Ravens and the Colts. We're going to dive into segment two.

I want to remind you guys, if you're not already subscribed, you're locked on Ravens and locked on Colts. Kevin and I bring you guys excellent analysis, money through Friday, still and the Colts. We're diving into segment two. I want to remind you guys who have not already subscribed to Locked on Ravens and Locked on Colts. Kevin and I bring you guys excellent analysis money through Friday still throughout the offseason. So if you have not already, we're a streaming platform listening to where it's Google play, Apple,

Spotify. We are on all streaming platforms. Just type in Locked on Ravens or Locked on Colts. You get your daily fix for whatever you like. So make sure to go and subscribe to Locked on Colts and Locked on Ravens. Back to you guys in just a second for segment two. All right, Kevin, let's dive in now to segment two of our show. Fire away.

What Colts questions do you have for me? Yeah, thank you, Evan. I'm happy to be here asking you questions. And I guess my first question for you, the big move, I would say, for the Colts this offseason, obviously signing Phillip Rivers. And this was a team led Jacoby Brissett behind center last season. He had a decent year, 2,942 yards, passing 18 touchdowns while throwing six interceptions.

Now Phillip Rivers has obviously had, you know, a long and illustrious career, very, very successful on a lot of accolades for Rivers. How much do you think he pushes the needle for this gold team? I think it's actually more than people realize outside of Indianapolis, just because I feel like Jacoby Brissett, from the last few months of the season, I know the numbers in the box scores show he did well

as far as touchdown and reception go, but the offense was more so based in the 1980s at points. It was just so conservative, really lacking explosion, and defense kind of knew at some points, if you try to have Jacoby Brissett be your new stack of the box, more often than not, the Colts are not going to do anything because Jacoby Brissett wasn't able to really go and be aggressive against those stack boxes, really test defenses deep.

And he was almost reluctant to do that points. And Phillip Brewers, I know he's a gunslinger and he's going to really, I think benefit for me behind this offensive line, because the Colts, like they saw in 2018, Andrew Luck was only sacked 18 times. Jacoby Brissett benefit,

or he added on a few more extra sacks this year. I think they finished at 25 overall. Some of those were due to Brissett holding the ball too long a little bit. Unlike Andrew Luck was only sacked 18 times. Jacoby Brissett benefited, or he added on a few more extra sacks this year. I think they finished with 25 overall. Some of those were due to Brissett holding the ball too long a little bit, unlike Andrew Luck the year prior. And I think Philip Brewer is just from the mental acumen side of the game and his accuracy. It's going to be a huge upgrade too. And there's a lot less pressure on Rivers than we saw in L.A.,

where it's not really a good offensive line. The infrastructure really isn't good on either side of the ball currently. I know they have some playmakers, but not really a full team filled with depth. And this Colts offense with the offensive line, like I mentioned, Quentin Nelson, Anthony Costanza, and the rest of the guys up front there, you add in T.Y. Hilton, Michael Pittman, and Paris Campbell as your three-wide set, and then you toss in Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack.

I feel like everything's in place for Phillip Brewers to be sort of a pseudo-game manager this year. They're going to really try to cut down on the turnovers, make him not make as much mistakes as we saw last year. And I think Philip Rivers is a better game manager than Jacoby Brissett by leaps and bounds. So I think if they're trying to go in this power run style, almost like a Baltimore, so to say, where you're going to have Taylor and Mack get like 15,

20 carries each per game, I think it makes sense to have Rivers maybe sling the ball like 25, 30 times a game, just have him do these conservative plays. And really he's one that doesn't make mistakes when he's in this kind of game manager role. So I actually really liked this move for the Colts one year, $25 million. If it doesn't work out, you can always get out of that for this year. Yeah. For me, I think it's the same thing when you look at the Colts and this,

this is an investment for 2020, but again, if it doesn't work out, you can, you know, just say, he's probably going to retire if he doesn't get extended by the Colts, at least I would say, or at least he has maybe one more year in the tank after this year. So for Rivers and the Colts, I think this was a pretty good marriage. But now going and looking at the running back situation, Marlon Mack, a guy who I've long admired, had 1,091 yards on 247 carries last year for the Colts,

also had eight touchdowns on the ground. You add in Jonathan Taylor to that mix. How do you expect the touches to be divvied up in this Colts backfield in 2020? It's going to be really interesting. I feel like they might try to run Marlon Mack in the ground, so to say, because if this is the final year of his contract and they want to preserve Jonathan Taylor a little bit, that would not shock me at all.

He had over 1,000 touches at Wisconsin in his three-year career there. But they're talking like it's a 1-1 punch, not a 1-2 punch for the Colts. And Nick Sirianni, Frank Reich, had mentioned how excited they are to add Jonathan Taylor and his explosiveness into this rushing attack because Marlon Mack is a very good patient runner. But Jonathan Taylor, once he gets a crease, he's gone. And Mack doesn't have really that breakaway speed that Taylor does.

4-3-9 speed at 226 pounds is a really freakish athletic ability. I love the fit personally behind the offensive line they have there. He really fits the mentality, the toughness, and he never goes down first contact. Marlon Mack, one of the struggles has been he gets nicked and bruised a little bit too much, and he goes down a lot on first contact. And Jonathan Taylor is the pro opposite of that. So I like the fit for 2020 as far as Mack and Taylor go,

but it seems like trading up as well from 44 to 41, the leap brought the Jacksonville Jaguars to take Jonathan Taylor. I think it tells you all you need about Marlon Mack's long-term future with the Colts, but in 2020 alone, I think it's a very lethal backfield. Yeah, so just like the Ravens, you know, they have multiple options as well. The Colts can run you with Marlon Mack, now Jonathan Taylor. There are a lot of different weapons on this Colts team and another weapon and a guy who maybe I was just hoping would slip to the Ravens in the second round at pick 55 or 60 was Michael Pittman Jr. Michael Pittman Jr. I

think is a great fit for this team and slots in very well with T.Y. Hilton. You got Jack Doyle there as well. How do you think Pittman factors into this Colts team in 2020? Yeah, Frank Reich is absolutely in love with Michael Pittman. He said pre-draft and post-draft to the media that he might be the best wide receiver in this draft class, just based off the skills that he wants in a wide out. The best drop rate last year in NCAA, only 2.7%, had over 100 catches as well. Does the dirty work, too. He's very good at run blocking, very good at boxing out guys in the red zone and on deep plays. And the exact type of receiver that Phillip Rivers always loves,

you think of Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Mike Williams. Michael Pittman is just the next in that lineage. And I think Pittman with his sure, reliable hands, he's going to be a very lethal weapon opposite T.Y. Hogan because now T.Y. will not have any double teams. You factor in Paris Campbell out of the slot there with his 4-3-1 speed. I think Michael Pittman is very in line to have a huge year for this Colts offense. He's one of the more NFL-ready prospects at wide receiver in this year's draft class. And you toss him in with Phillip Burrus, who loves to really contest those 50-50 balls down the field and have his wideouts go get it. Pittman's one of the best at tracking balls out of the air in this class.

And I think he's in for a monster year, whether it's touchdowns, high touchdown number, or high yards number. I think Pittman's in for a huge 2020. Yeah, and then let's talk about this Colts free agency class because they added a few pieces. How do you think free agency went for the Colts? Yeah, free agency I think was really interesting. They didn't really go out there and splurge.

They did make a trade for DeForest Buckner as the 13th overall pick to San Francisco for DeForest Buckner. I think it's going to make a huge impact on this Colts team on all three levels because the Colts have been missing this dominant three technique for ages. It seems like it's never happened in Indianapolis before. Now Buckner is going to have Darius Leonard help him run free more and be even more of a star linebacker in the NFL. Factoring guys like Malik Hooker in the back end, Kenny Moore, who are going to really benefit from having less time to cover. And maybe DeForest Buckner helps change things alongside Justin Houston where they're going to have a lot more pressure and a lot more sacks in 2020

and take a lot of pressure off of those players like I mentioned in the secondary there but Buckner overall in the rushing attack too he's one of the more underrated rushing defenders in the NFL on the defensive line and the Colts struggled at times last year with the ground attack trying to defend it and adding in a force like Buckner in the middle is going to be huge for them also Xavier Rhodes on the outside I know he's really struggled the last year and a half in Minnesota but I think there's a real good chance of him bouncing back. Matt Eberflewis, the defensive coordinator, mentioned that he really fell in love with Xavier Rhodes' size and speed.

And he thinks in the Colts defense, especially one where it's zone coverage, not a lot of man, that Xavier Rhodes should go back to his Pro Bowl form in Indianapolis. And really, they made some other solid depth moves as well. I know Phillip Rivers was a one-year deal. We talked about that one. But Sheldon Day from the 49ers, they got as a rotational three-tech. And they also signed T.J TJ Carey from the Browns.

They did a backup defensive back in case of injury. So a lot of moves on the margins for the Colts. But the two big splashes in Buckner and Phillip Rivers really helped bolt this team to the top of the AFC South. And somebody who I fell in love with when he was in Kansas City and someone who I wanted the Ravens to sign last offseason, you mentioned him, Justin Houston. Just how big of a boost was he to this Colts team?

Oh, it was a huge boost last year. And unfortunately, it won't show in the sack numbers for the team overall. Houston had 11 of those last year, but he was really just a one-man band out there after Kamoko Ture got hurt in the first month of the season. He broke his ankle. And after that, just teams focused in on Justin Houston time after time again, but he still produced really good numbers. He had a sack in seven straight games at one point in the middle of the season

after Toure's injury. So I think with Houston now on the bookend, opposite to Kamoko Toure, you have, of course, DeForest Buckner at the three technique. I think there's a real chance for Justin Houston to keep having a monster season with Indianapolis. He's going to maybe have more sacks needed last year because there's going to be more help on the inside with Buckner. And Houston still has a lot of juice left, surprisingly,

against Kansas City last year. I know his motivation to go in the air ahead and beat that team. But the way he played, it looked like he was 27, not like he was in his mid-30s. So I think Houston, with the moves they made this offseason, adding DeForest Buckner, I think he's going to be one of the biggest beneficiaries. Yeah, and finally here, Evan, before we head out here,

what do you think the ceiling for this Colts team ultimately is in 2020? I really think this team is poised to be a top of the AFC Southland hosted playoff game this year because Tennessee, I think, stagnated and might have been regressed. They didn't really do much. They lost Logan Ryan this year. They lost Jack Conklin. They're starting right tackle.

They replaced with a rookie, Isaiah Wilson, in the first round. So you're going to probably have a few development curves with Isaiah Wilson and Conklin's plays. And also Der Derek Henry. I mean, he has so much true on the tires now after a monster year. They really roam the ground in the playoffs. I have to wonder as well with Ryan Tannehill how good they'll be if Tannehill just stagnates or regresses himself.

So they didn't really make any big moves, so I think they're going to probably be a 9-7 type team. Houston, who knows what they're doing with Bill O'Brien over there. They traded with their best player in DeAndre Hopkins. They're going to really frustrate Deshaun Watson, I think, eventually out there. So I think they've regressed as well, probably close to an 8-9-1 team. And Jacksonville, they seem like they're trying to take

for Trevor Lawrence at this point. They're going to be a top-five pick in the draft. So I think it's really positioned themselves well. The moves they made this offseason, I think the Colts are going to be a minimum of a 10-1 team, maybe even an 11-1 team. So I'll go either 10-6 or 11-5. I think they're comfortably hosting a playoff game here. Yeah, I think the Colts are overlooked.

And with the talent they have on their roster, I think Phillip Rivers isn't getting enough credit for potentially being a guy to lead this Colts team to host that playoff game, as you were saying, Evan. But another crossover here in the books on the Locked On Podcast Network. Evan, thanks for joining me. Absolutely, Kevin. Appreciate the time.