Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 5/14/20: Why the Colts declined Malik Hooker's 5th-year option + schedule analysis with IndyStar's Jim Ayello

Episode Date: May 14, 2020

On today's episode, Jim Ayello of the IndyStar joins for a thorough breakdown on all the latest Colts news. First off, why did the Colts decline Malik Hooker's 5th-year option?At only $6.7 million, it seems apparent Chris Ballard didn't believe Hooker has proved himself fully yet. Was the period without Kenny Moore last year eye-opening from where we should evaluate the No. 15 overall pick in 2017?Also, how does this change things for Julian Blackmon? At this point prepare for Blackmon to be the 2021-22 starter alongside Khari Willis.Closing out the final half of the show, we dive into the Colts' schedule. What is our predictions? How about the most intriguing games at home? Evan gives out a bold prediction, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into your latest episode of Locked On Colts Party, Locked On Podcast Network. Today's guest is your host, Evan Siderian, joined by our best special guest of today's show, Jim Aiello of the indie star Colts Beat Writer. Jim, how are you doing today? Doing well. Doing well. Just doing like everybody else, getting through this quarantine thing, you know, one day at a time. Yeah, absolutely. I know the Colts getting 1% better each day, and I hope as everyone is hopefully staying safe out there with this coronavirus and doing well as well. So we're going to dive into the show today, Jim, hitting on Malik Hooker and the NFL schedule release with the Colts.

And also we'll dive maybe a little bit more to, as we get closer and closer, if we actually will see some fans in the stands this year. But let's dive in first, Jim, to the Malik Hooker news. I haven't had a chance to cover you on the show with our crossover specials on our list we've been enjoying for the last week or so, but what do you think about Malik Hooker and what happened with the fifth-year option? I was covering on the show through the most leading up to it, and I thought it would be an easy decision for the Colts, but as it kept dragging on and on, it seemed pretty obvious there was something up. Yeah, I'll just start with being honest. I was a little surprised that the decision was the way

they went, decided not to pick up the option, because like with you, I kind of thought it was going to be easy. It wasn't a lot of money. I think it was going to be around, I mean, I'll just start with being honest. I was a little surprised that the decision was the way they went, decided not to pick up the option. Cause I like with you, I kind of thought it was going to be easy. It wasn't a lot of money. I think it was going to be, you know, around $8 million to pick up his option for that fifth year. He's Chris Ballard's first pick of his 10 years GM of the Colts. So I figured, you know, obviously he likes him and is invested in him and wants him to do well. But as we all know, they didn't pick up the option.

And I think that sent a pretty clear message to Malik, honestly, which was you need to be more consistent. You need to stay healthy. I mean, I think the biggest thing for the Colts, what I learned kind of through this whole process was that he hasn't started 16 games yet. He just hasn't, he hasn't, he has not been able to stay on the field for a 16 game season yet. And that's something that really bothers them about what happened with him. So I think they need to see that consistency from him.

I also think that they think he may be flashed. You know, he's flashed talent before. He's been kind of the guy that they wanted him to be. But then he kind of disappears. Like, I think Chris Ballard said at the end of the year last year, excuse me, that he, you know, he had a good start to the season. He had kind of a good middle of the season. We talked to Matt Eberflusch just the other day,

and he was kind of highlighting these weeks 8-9, and I think it was 9-10 and 11, or 8-9 and 10. And he was talking about these games where Marleek was kind of doing more things for them, playing near the line of scrimmage, making tackles, getting a tackle for loss, doing these things they kind of need their safeties to do. And then you look at that kind of the back half of the season, the cold secondary just got ripped apart by Jameis Winston,

by Gardner Minshew, by Drew Brees. I mean, just kind of game after game. And I think that Malik kind of disappeared there. So I think what they were saying to him is that we need you to be more consistent. We need you to play every day. And until you do that, we're not going to pay you. Well, I'm curious to hear about your thoughts, Jim. This is a question I've been thinking to myself,

just because, like you mentioned, the last half of the year, you saw when Kenny Moore went down with his injury, how instrumental he was to that defense, and especially the secondary there, just how vital he is as a communicator and as one of the best players against on the ball in the secondary overall. But it feels like if the Colts had Malik Cooker as an elite player, if he was truly an elite player, that top 15 overall pick they had him in 2017, losing Kenny Moore, Malik Cooker should be able to step into that role as being one of the alphas, so to say, and be able to take more control of that secondary and help out and cover up some holes where it's needed. And like you mentioned, Jim, the secondary against Jameis Winston and Drew Brees,

a lot of that was in Malik Hooker's zone, and a lot of it just seemed to be either effort or just a lot of time, just a lot of miscommunication there. And if Hooker was on that level, maybe the Colts maybe feel like he just hasn't earned that yet. Yeah, and I think you're right. I think with Kenny Moore going off the field, they kind of got a chance to see, hey, who's going to step up and take that spot. And it wasn't Malik. Malik, I mean, there was some communication issues in Houston. I know that was a game that really drove Chris crazy, was some of those big plays to DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. And I think one of the ones that we all remember specifically was that one deep down

the right sideline. And it didn't end up being Malik's fault. Pierre Desir took responsibility for that play. But it was still a bad look for the Colts defense as a whole. And like you said, the secondary never really clicked without Kenny Moore there. Now they've tried to address that. I mean, I think the additions of TJ Carey and Xavier Rhodes and Julian Blackman, when he gets healthy, they'll be able to kind of make up for, you know,

if Kenny was ever out again, they have a little more depth than they had before. So I think that's what they're planning. But you mentioned that kind of alpha in the secondary. That's not, you know, that's not really who Malik is. Malik is a really good guy. He's one of those guys that I like going to in the locker room quite often and talking to him because he's a fun guy.

He's an interesting guy. And he has, you know, he has a lot to say. And he's just smart. Like I said, it's nice to have conversations with him, but I don't think he necessarily is that vocal leader that I think the Colts kind of needed. Chris talked a lot about wanting more friction in the locker room, and I think that Malik is maybe one of the guys that he was targeting when he said that. So they drafted Julian Blackman.

That's a guy who can play free safety. We've heard Chris Ballard say it. He thinks he's legit free safety in this league. I mean, that should be a warning to Malik Hooker, who's got one year left on his contract now, and they have a potential replacement in Julian Blackman if they want one. Now, I wrote a story today after we had talked about Matt Ibrafluis, and I don't think it's posted yet,

but they love rolling three, even four safety sets. So I don't think Julian Blackman is here to replace Malik Hooker, but if that were what they needed, that could happen. Yeah, and especially picking Blackman where he did in the third round. That did raise some eyebrows. Like you mentioned that quote from what the next pick with Chris Bowers saying, he thinks Blackman's a legit free safety in the league. That should make Hooker's ears perk up.

What really surprised me, though, Jim, was $6.7 million was the fifth-year option. It would have put Hooker around the middle of the pack as far as safeties in 2021. Didn't this more, I mean, if it's anything else, maybe a motivational tactic to just maybe get that rise out of Hooker, that friction like you mentioned with getting Julian Blackman on board, but also how curious a person I am to see him with DeForest Buckner and how that proof front four maybe brings him back to what we saw, what made him so tantalizing at Ohio State, if that does flash more often. Yeah, I mean, I think that's definitely part of it. I mean, again, it's so tough with Malik, because you see those players. I mean, again, I think it's the one play we all harp on is that,

you know, the Phillip Rivers interception in week one last year. I mean, he just came out of nowhere across the field, one-handed interception. Phillip Rivers still can't believe that he intercepted that pass. And it's one of those things that you're like, man, that is what he can do. That is what he is capable of. And there aren't that many safeties who are capable of stuff like that. And so I think that's – they just need to see that more often. But if you look at – you know, I pulled up the story that I wrote kind of making the case for and against an extension

before the Colts made this decision. If you look at what he's done in his first three years here with the Colts, he hasn't really made a compelling case for himself. He's got seven interceptions with the 17th among safeties. He's played 34 games, which is tied for 63rd. He's got 117 tackles, which is tied for 71st. And he's got 11 passes defended, which is tied for 55th. No forced fumbles, no sacks, no touchdowns.

So they drafted him to be an impact player, and he hasn't been. He just hasn't been an impact player, not nearly on a consistents. So they drafted him to be an impact player, and he hasn't been. He just hasn't been an impact player, not nearly on a consistent level. So I think you might be right. I think this might be a part of a motivational ploy on Chris Ballard's part. We also, again, we talked to Ibraflus this week, and he said that, you know, Ibraflus is big on practice habits, really, really big.

You're not getting on the field unless you have good practice habits. And Malik was playing, so they're good enough. But he did mention that in 2018 he thought that they weren't maybe where they should have been they took a big step forward last year which means in 2018 they weren't very good and so I think he's expecting Malik to kind of maybe play with a little more energy um and enthusiasm this year maybe take another step forward and they like Malik they don't but it's like you've been saying and we've been saying, they just need to see more out of him. Well, how curious is this now from your standpoint, Jim, just to watch how Julian Blackman comes back from this ACL injury he suffered

in December, and if he does maybe flash more midseason or maybe late in the year, and maybe he does earn that spot and that right to be – that the Colts feel comfortable enough that they can let Malik Hooker walk it free and see if they're at a higher price than they maybe don't want to go because they have Julian Blackman way in the fold. for a higher price than they may want to go because they have Julian Blackman way in the fold. Does this make it even more interesting just to watch Blackman's development? Yeah, I mean, for sure.

I think that's always going to be kind of that, that, that, um, kind of tug as we're watching Blackman going, okay, what is, how does this affect Malik Hooker? Right. I mean, but if you look, like I said, I mentioned this in the story I wrote, I think I've mentioned it before, but, um, the Colts played something like over 300 different lineups unique defensive lineups but the one that was most common and it wasn't that they didn't run that I mean it's like two and a half percent I think is at the most they ran one consistent lineup

um they ran three safeties and then against past in passing situations they ran four safeties as the second most so they love getting three and four safeties on the field uh Ibrafluz talked about it today. He really loves guys who can kind of get up and play that big nickel, match up with bigger receivers or tight ends, play man to man. They had Kari do that last year a little bit. You saw Roland Milligan do some of that last year and they know Blackman can do that. They like his, he actually was a corner in college a little bit, switched to safety,

but they know he's got some man to man matchup skills and they're going to take advantage of that. They really want him to be a Swiss Army knife in their defense, and kind of like, a little bit like what Kari did, and I think ideally that might free up Malik to still do that center field ball hockey, you know, range thing that he was drafted to be, but they still want to see Malik, you know, have that ability as well, come up and match up against the tight end or receiver, make a play in the run game, which again, he did a little bit last year.

So I think there is room for all, you know, for all three of those guys. And I'm talking about the three starters. Obviously they'll have some, some depth pieces, but three starters, I would say Julian Blackman and Malik Hooker and Kari Willis. I think there's room for three of those guys to be starters and get

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like you mentioned there, Jim. So a lot of variants in the book for the Colts defense, but we're going to dive in now to the schedule because we didn't have a chance to say on this, on the show. And I'm glad to have you on for this one, Jim,

because I've been talking about to my followers on Twitter at locked on Colts about this. It just seems like the way the schedule starts off here, it's not, it wouldn't shock me at all to see 6-1. I mean, maybe even better than that to get the right momentum going if Rivers clicks in the system because it's a very tough back half here, but the first seven games at the Jaguars, home against the Vikings, home against the Jets, at Chicago, at Cleveland,

home against the Bengals, and at Detroit, I feel like that's a pretty good start to the year and the Colts could really capitalize and maybe separate a little bit in the division. They should. They have to. Now, I mean, it's weird. I mean, you know, every game in the NFL is a must-win and all that stuff, blah, blah, blah. But, like, you're looking at the front half of the schedule, and then you kind of look at the back half of the schedule,

and you're seeing Baltimore and Green Bay and Tennessee and Houston twice and Pittsburgh, and you're like, man, they better do well in the beginning of the year if they want to go to the playoffs. And they have every opportunity to do so. I mean, Jacksonville is still kind of a mess right now. I mean, they're young, and they're figuring some stuff out, but they've traded away a lot of their best players. The Leonard Fournette situation is kind of wild.

I mean, the whole story leaked about his terrible practice habits, and now they're going to keep him and not trade him, which is very strange. The Jets are still kind of, I don't know, a question. They have some, you know, I like Sam Darnold to a point, so I don't think that they're terrible, but I definitely think the Colts are a better team. I don't think there's any question that the Colts are better than the Bears, probably the Browns and the Bengals as well. So they're going to be favored, I would say, in most of these games. The Minnesota game is going to be a tough one. I think it's a really

good team, good for the Colts so they get them at home. And then, yeah, I think the other games that they really should be favored in most of these games. So I think you're right. I think that's a really good team, good for the Colts so they get them at home. And then, yeah, I think the other games that they really should be favored in most of these games. So I think you're right. I think there's definitely a possibility they could go, you know, if you're looking at those, what, first seven games, you're thinking seven and one. And then, you know, you say they probably lose one they shouldn't. So even at worst, maybe you're hoping for six and two

through the first half of the season. Yeah, that would definitely be a start where, with how the Texans, Titans, and Jaguars offseason are going, So even at worst, maybe you're hoping for 6-2 through the first half of the season? Yeah, that would definitely be a start with how the Texans, Titans, and Jaguars offseason are going. I know the Titans still haven't signed Logan Ryan back, and you say he's not going to be back there. So that's another loss for Tennessee. So they could be in for regression there, as is Houston with losing DeAndre Hopkins. And like we mentioned, this could be a chance for the Colts to really capitalize and maybe be a few games up here in the first half of the schedule here. But the back half, let's tell them that for a second, Jim.

The last home stretch of the season for the Colts, home against the Ravens at Tennessee, home against Green Bay, home against the Titans at Houston, at Las Vegas, home against the Texans at Pittsburgh, and home against the Jaguars. I feel like they might be the final few games they're home against the Texans at Pittsburgh and home against the Jaguars. I feel like they might be like the final few games. They're home against the Texans at Pittsburgh and Jacksonville. I feel like it's an easier part of the schedule here, but what a murderous row here after this for you have a short week, Tennessee,

then you go into from Baltimore to Tennessee, then green Bay and then Tennessee again, that that could be a really tough stretch there, Jim. That's killer. I mean, it really is. It's just killer to play.

You're playing Baltimore, and it's at home, and that's fine. But you've got to play at Tennessee four days later. I mean, that's a team that wants – I mean, you're playing two teams that want to beat you up. I mean, those are the teams that really want to grind you out. Baltimore is going to run the ball 40 times. Tennessee is going to run the ball 40 times. They're going to – they really want to try to play kind of that tough,

physical style of football, and you're going to have to do it back-to-back games. Now, you do get a 10-game break before you go see – before you play Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. But that's – you know, again, I know everybody's kind of made their jokes about what the Packers have done in this offseason with Jordan Love and some of the other things, but still a good team. You know, we played in the NFC Championship game.

And Tennessee, then you get Tennessee again, then you get Houston. I feel like that Las Vegas game in Las Vegas after you play in Houston that feels like such a trap game to me because I think the Raiders are going to be an improved team they got improved weapons around Derek Carr who's a very again I think he's an underrated quarterback he's very accurate and if he's got some better weapons around he might be able to take a step forward and be kind of that you know that I think a few years ago he was almost a borderline MVP candidate so I think that you know that team could take a step forward and that's kind of a trap you know, that I think a few years ago, he was almost a borderline MVP candidate. So I think that, you know, that team could take a step forward. And that's kind of a trap game in between the Houston,

Houston games that you have there, especially because you know how pivotal those are going to be in the AFC South. And if the Colts have done what they're supposed to do in the first half of the season, those games are going to be the ones they circle on their calendar in terms of making the playoffs and winning a division. So you do worry about that game in Las Vegas.

And then, yeah, again, that's such a tough stress. If you're going Tennessee, you know, Green Bay, Tennessee, again, that's such a tough stretch if you're going Green Bay, Tennessee, Houston, Vegas, Houston. And then you've got to go to Pittsburgh, which apparently is just like a tradition now. The Colts have to abide. They just have to go to Pittsburgh once a year and play the Steelers, and usually it doesn't go well for them before they finish up with what you think would be an easier game home against Jacksonville.

But, yeah, like you said, it's kind of a murderer's row at the end. So it really puts an impetus on starting off the season. Well, yeah, most definitely agree with you there. A few games I circled on here. What do you think are the most intriguing ones for the Colts? I know we have a really good schedule of home games here, Packers, Ravens, and also the Vikings. And it really goes into a point here as well. We can hit on this afterwards, Jim, that the Colts once more kind of got shafted as far as the schedule goes with a primetime game.

It's that church is still not still going strong. Yeah. I mean, I, I don't know what that is about. Honestly. Like I, you know, I know Indianapolis is not a major market and I know they don't have major stars on the team. I get that, but you'd think they could probably do better than one road primetime game, but I, it is what it is, I guess. Right. I mean,, but you'd think they could probably do better than one road primetime game, but it is what it is, I guess, right? I mean, I guess this is what the NFL continues to do to the Colts, and unless, until they get back to Peyton Manning levels of success, or, you know, Andrew Luck levels of success, even, I guess they're not going to get those games, so, and even with Luck, like, they just didn't get those primetime games, so I don't know what they

have to do. Maybe win the Super Bowl, or go to the AFC championship game or something, because otherwise I'm not quite sure. You'd think Phillip Rivers was a big enough name, big enough draw. And then, you know, obviously what the Colts have done, I think kind of the young fun defense, but you know, it's the, it's the NFL, they get to do what they want. So I guess Colts fans have to wait another year for, to, to be seen on primetime, but you know, the Colts can use it as motivation.

They'll fly under the radar. But so, yeah, so for the other games that I have circled, I'm looking at some of these teams, and I think it's going to be fun to watch kind of like the Colts because the Colts, you know, they signed Roosevelt next. They draft Jonathan Taylor. I feel like they, you know, the run the damn ball thing has taken on a life of its own. But they're going to face some teams that are going to really, you know,

like you like to run the damn ball. So do we. And Minnesota ran a ton last year with Dalvin Cook. The Browns ran a ton last year with Nick Chubb and they got Kevin Stefanski, who was the coach and the offensive coordinator in Minnesota. And he loves to run the ball. Then you got Baltimore who ran the ball, I think more than anybody else last year, obviously it was a lot of Lamar Jackson and then two games against Tennessee and Green Bay. Green Bay was another team who ran the ball, I think, more than anybody else last year. Obviously, it was a lot of Lamar Jackson. And then two games against Tennessee.

And Green Bay. Green Bay was another team that ran the ball a ton. So you're going to see, like, if the Colts have one of the best run games in the NFL, you're going to see it stacked up against some of the other ones. I mean, really the only other team that I could think of that's not on the schedule that runs the ball that well is San Francisco. So I'm really intrigued by that. And then one of the other things that stands out to me is

like you said the colts get to colts fans get to see lamar jackson uh they get to see aaron rogers which i think is pretty cool you don't get to see those guys very often and that's some of the best talent in the nfl and you also get to see joe burrow uh which i think is going to be kind of cool you can see how the number one pick is doing yeah that's another good one to circle there and you look at the schedule once more here. Like you mentioned, I think a pretty favorable first half before they go on a really tough stretch and maybe a cupcake game at the end there against Jacksonville, who's probably going to be the Trevor Lawrence race pretty firmly by then. Yeah.

What do you believe, Jim, is going to be the Colts record this year? I've told my listeners so far I'm sticking to this bowl prediction. I'm going 11-5. I think they're off 6-1. And I think they're going to have a really good stretch with the Rivers and really click well. And maybe close a little bit and lose some of those tough games at home against Baltimore or Green Bay. But I think

they're going to have at least a two-game lead over anyone else in second place in the ACC. I think Tennessee finishes 9-7. Tennessee, I was going to say when we were talking about this before, we might as well just chalk up Tennessee for 9-7 because that's what they're going to do. That's what they do every year. So you just know. They don't even have to play the season. It's just 9-7.

I haven't done this game by game yet, but I'm looking at it now after what we just talked about. Hold on. I'm going to say slightly I'll be a little bit more conservative than you and go 10-6. I'll go 10-6 right now.

I still think that ultimately probably wins the division. Like you said, because tennis – I'll say, yeah, right now I'm hesitantly saying Tennessee and Houston at 9-7 and then the Colts at 10-6. Like you said, that back half of the schedule is just a murderous row. Obviously, if you go 500 through that back half of the season, I think you've got something to be proud of. Absolutely. If the Colts were to pull off a double-digit win season, that will just go to show you the improvements they made

and definitely worked on the field if that does happen, which would be a good turnaround for the Colts. Jim, I wanted to close on this thought because I've been asked this a lot on our crossover specials so far over the last week. How do you feel like the Colts have closed the gap, so to say, with the teams above the AFC, like Kansas City, like Baltimore? Do you feel like the offseason that they've had so far, you bring in Buckner, Rivers, you draft Pittman and Taylor up top, it seems like they have a formula, almost like Tennessee or San Francisco

that we've seen so far in the last year of work, and maybe even a better version if Rivers is back to his 2018 form, where this could be a really dangerous team on the road if they have to go on the road. Absolutely. I mean, the way Frank Reich and Chris Ballard have built this team is that they should be able to stay in any game.

It's a young, fast, fun defense with a run game that should be able to grind out anybody. And that's the idea. And then you have Phillip Rivers who can, you know, in their minds go win you a game. Now that's going to be interesting to see i i mean it's so much of the season is going to hang on philip rivers i think last year's team is probably a 10 and 6 9 and 17 with with a with you know more consistent quarterback play than they got from phil uh from jacoby brissett so i you know they take a step forward at 9 and 7 10 and 6 like you said 11 and 5 and philip rivers

is the guy that he was in 2018 or 2017 you you know, kind of more vintage Phillip Rivers season, I think that they, they will close the gap. That said, I don't think they're probably at the Baltimore level yet. I don't think that they're probably at Kansas City's level yet. That, I mean, and that's an interesting thing to say. Like, I love that we're going to see Baltimore kind of in the middle of the season. That's a good litmus test for where they are. And we know that they beat Kansas City in Kansas City last year. So we know they're capable of doing that kind of a thing. Now, again, anybody listening is going to say,

no Tyree Kill, Patrick Holmes is hurt. I get it. That's true. It's all true. But DeForest Buckner comes into this and makes this team so much better, I think, at every level. I think the linebackers can have an easier time. I said this about Malik Hooker before. I think the secondary is going to be some of the group that benefits maybe the most from playing with a guy like deforest buckner because he's going to wreak havoc in the middle of the

defense and face and force quarterbacks to make quicker decisions a decision with hand in their face or you know a whole body in their face and and throw the ball up in the air or make a snap decision faster than they want to and the secondary is going to have to take advantage of that i think guys like kenny moore can i think guys like malik hooker. And the secondary is going to have to take advantage of that. I think guys like Kenny Moore can. I think guys like Malik Hooker can. And so that's going to be ways they take advantage of that. So I do think they've closed the gap. Their run game is going to be probably better this year

with the combination of Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor. Even if you've got like Roosevelt and Nix, it's going to make them a little bit better. They have a little bit more weaponry on the outside if they need to go that route to win the game with Phillip Rivers and then Michael Pittman, headed with hopefully a healthy T.Y. Hilton. So yeah, I do think they've closed the gap on these guys. And I really am excited for that November 8th game against Baltimore because I think that's really going to say, okay, where are we in the AFC? Especially considering what we said, right?

They haven't really played a great team yet in the AFC at this point in the schedule. So they're going to get Baltimore and Tennessee back-to-back weeks, and I think that's really going to tell us where the Colts have been and how much they really closed the gap. Absolutely. Jim, I appreciate always chatting with you. You can follow him on Twitter at Jim Aiello. Read his work.

He's the Colts insider over at Indy Star, and he's also the co-host of the Colts Cover 2 podcast with Indy Star's Joel Erickson as well. Appreciate the time, Jim. Thanks, Evan. Appreciate it.