Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -7/10- Gearing Up For Training Camp W/@KBowenColts

Episode Date: July 10, 2017

Kevin Bowen (Colts.com) joins Matt today and the two discuss both sides of the ball and how intriguing the roster could be. Kevin takes a unique approach to a few positions when looking at the 53-man roster, and the two discuss how Andrew Luck's 2017 season could be the best yet of his career. 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. Thank you guys for joining me back here on a Monday. Appreciate you guys, as always.

Continue to bring your questions and comments to the call-in line. It's 574-516-2881. Today, folks, we've got a great guest for you. We've got Kevin Bowen from Colts.com. Kevin, thanks for joining us today, man. Yeah, happy to join you, Matt. Absolutely. Got a lot of stuff I want to run through with you.

Of course, as I mentioned to you off air, I'm a little long-winded, so we can get into just about any kind of conversation for quite a while. But there's so much to talk about with this group that I haven't gained your insight or your point of view on to this point. We really have a lot of interesting camp battles. We have a lot of interesting pieces that have been added to the roster this year in the offseason, of course, none bigger probably as far as to the organization than Chris Ballard and those that he's brought in like Ed Dodds and those guys. But where does your interest lie primarily with this roster when we get a chance to look at him in camp this year?

Boy, frankly, I don't even know where to start because there is so much unknown, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, you've got to start with the injuries, with Andrew Luck and Clayton Gethers, a name that I don't think maybe we're talking about enough, just in what his impact can mean on the defensive side of the ball and what it allows Ted Montechino to do with other question marks on your defense and how the NFL game has changed over the years.

You need versatile defensive backs. You need guys that you can play, I think, in multiple levels of your defense, and Gethers is exactly that. So, yeah, I mean, Luck and Gathers, those injuries are going to be top of mind come July 29th when the Colts do report for the first day of camp. And then after that, I just think, you know, how do these rules, how are the rules defined on defense? You know, Vontae Davis is a day-one starter. We know that.

Outside of that, you know, there davis is a is a day one starter we know that outside of that you know there's so much unknown i mean sure jabal shearer john simon you expect those guys to start you know jonathan hank is going to start but when you look at last year's defense versus this year's defense you know davis is probably the only consistent piece that you can you know pencil into your starting lineup right now you know guys like henry and Anderson and Gethers and Kendall Lankford potentially will also be in there, but there's individual questions on all of those guys. So just what that unit looks like come week one, September 10th in L.A. is really something that if you put a depth chart in front of me today,

I could maybe get six names right, maybe seven, but then you put another one in front of me a month from today and it could look totally different uh so i think those are some of kind of the main um topics that are going to be it was definitely fresh on my mind and things that i kind of run through pretty much every day throughout the offseason yeah and like you pointed to especially we'll we'll hit on the cornerback position first. With Vontae Davis, he's obviously the unquestioned starter there per his health. And as of right now, he's more than healthy. But you've got the rookie Quincy Wilson. You've got Rashawn Melvin there, who may end up being in a battle for that number two position, I would think, come opening day.

Outside of that, I don't see anybody that's necessarily battling for that number two spot. But, I mean, you've got guys like Christopher Milton, Darryl Morris, who could possibly even start in the nickel. And this cornerback grouping is very interesting in itself. Even though there's not a ton of, like, I don't want to say depth, but a lot of big-name depth, a lot of guys that people are going to really latch on to and think are going to be huge playmakers. Those two guys, Wilson and Melvin, that's going to be a really interesting battle. And not only that, but how does the nickel corner position actually shake out? Yeah, definitely. I think inside linebacker and cornerback, to me, the playing time is most up in the air,

especially for the depth spots at corner. Of course, Vontae Davis is going to be a starter. But like you were saying, Sean Melvin was the guy throughout the offseason program. And if there was maybe one surprise to the offseason program, from a starting lineup standpoint, I was a little surprised we didn't see more of Quincy Wilson with the first team. I know Chuck Pagano had mentioned it didn't come in in the greatest of shape, and that's something that he needed to work on.

And then Ted Monachino and Chris Ballard both spoke at the end of the offseason program just how much better they felt like Wilson looked a month into the offseason versus what he looked like during rookie minicamp. So I do think Wilson is going to have a chance to supplant Melvin to be that starter. Besides that, though, it's really up in the air on guys that are going to challenge for playing time. Daryl Morris, I think, is your nickel corner. But Darius Butler is still a name to watch in my mind because if Malik Hooker and Clayton Gethers are healthy,

I just think Butler's too valuable of a guy to keep on the sideline. For me, he brings a veteran presence. He's a guy that I just think his playmaking has been there for you throughout. Really, he came in 2003 during that bye week a handful of years ago, and that's what's been lacking the most out of your secondary is consistent playmaking, and Butler has been the guy out of your secondary is consistent playmaking. And Butler has been the guy out of all the guys that have been closest to that level. So I think Morris, you know, if Butler has to play safety, then Morris is your guy.

But if not, you know, maybe Butler could play over there. You mentioned Chris Milton. Another guy that I'm eager to watch when camp gets here is Tevin Mitchell. Yeah, me too. You know, fans that really follow the team will recall that Mitchell was claimed by the Colts back in, I think it was the 2015 training camp, I want to say. He was a six-round pick out of Washington, or of Washington. Had suffered a shoulder injury, was on injury reserve. Ryan Gregson claimed him, and then it's kind of been just injuries have plagued him ever since.

But he's healthy. He was getting some first-team run and definitely a lot of second-team looks throughout training camp, or throughout the offseason program, I should say. He's a guy that I think has some versatility to potentially play in the inside as well. He's a name that I'm going to be watching. But Wilson, if you'd have asked me after the draft, who's your starting corner and corners, I'd say Vontae Davis and Quincy Wilson, and now I'd say it's Rashawn

Melvin if you're going to play tomorrow, but Quincy Wilson's going to have plenty of opportunities come training camp to be a starter, but yeah, that position group is really up for grabs, just how you handle really corners number two through five and potentially six on your 53-man roster. Let me ask you this, just because I'm spitballing here, and I'm not the kind of guy that's going to say,

just because of their size and their physicality, that the guy who's a big corner should be moved to safety. But do you think that there's any sort of uh like inner workings or or uh combination between Butler and Melvin that they would work them to kind of back and forth between either a third safety role or the third corner role within any of the uh the packages that they that they bring forward this year because I think that there's going to be uh a new look to the defense, not just obviously in personnel, but in the way that they set up their sub packages. Yeah, no, definitely. And again, this goes back to Clayton Gethers for me, because I think he's such an X-factor and allows

you to do so many different things. I think if Gethers is healthy, you can move him down to that dime linebacker role. And then all of a sudden you can put Butler at safety and almost have kind of two center fielders back there in hooker and Butler. And then at the same time, you know, Melvin was a guy that we saw more on the outside last year. I think Darrell Morris would be your guy in that nickel corner, depending on of course, you know, if Quincy Wilson can be a guy

that is your number two corner. Then you have the T.J. Green situation, and he was probably, I would think, one of the bigger disappointments, really, of the offseason program, that you didn't see him seize those first-team reps. It was no Malik Hooker. There was no Clayton Gethers. And there was Matthias Farley getting pretty much all of the first-team works throughout the minicamp alongside Darius Butler.

And Farley played very little on defense last year. So I think that is something to keep an eye on. And it goes back to what I said earlier about defining roles for the secondary. What is Darius Butler's role? Does T.J. Green earn any playing time? And then, of course, the health. Is Clayton Gathers healthy? Can Malik Hooker get up to speed with missing the whole offseason program,

which I don't think is as big of an issue as maybe you felt like with T.J. Green making the jump after not playing a lot of safety at the collegiate level. I think the mental worry with Hooker is a lot less based off what you hear from Urban Meyer and Greg Sciano and the Ohio State coaches talk about him. So yeah, I mean, the secondary has to be playing at a high level. I mean, when the Colts defense has played well over the past few years, it's because the corner play in the secondary has been playing at a very high level.

And I think without a dominant individual pass rusher, guys like Vontae Davis and Quincy Wilson and the rest of the secondary have the potential to be a very strong unit, but we haven't seen that group of four or five play together at all through the offseason program. So we're going to have to wait and see until training camp how quickly those guys can get on the same page. And one more thing about the safeties, only because the secondary is not only of great importance for this season, but really interesting hitting into camp.

The whole deal with T.J. Green not seizing the moment there in the offseason program, that was his opportunity to really say, look, I'm back. I'm here. I'm going to make my, you know, the best out of what I've got. I'm going to improve. I'm going to not give people a reason to question my coverage skills, my, you know, what's between my ears, so on and so forth. And then Matthias Farley, like you said, gets that opportunity because he shows the leadership ability to be able to direct traffic from the secondary and all of that involved. Would you really think that Matthias Farley got that opportunity as more of a, hey, he's really playing well and he's got the skill, the requisite skill that we want from a number two or number three at that position, the strong safety type? Or is it more of they're

sending a message to TJ Green saying, look, we don't care if you've got all the physical ability in the world. If you've got what between your ears and you can do what you need physically to make this team, then you're going to get the nod. Yeah, that's a great question. And I'm sure it's a little bit of both. I think with Farley, you know, Chris Bowers made it clear that he doesn't care where you got drafted, how much money that you're making, what happened before. He's going to make his own impressions on you. And I know Farley has individually impressed Ballard.

But I was out there watching minicamp, and I'm thinking to myself, OK, there's Matthias Farley getting the first team look to start the first 11-on-11 session. Well, I'm sure T.J. Green will get the second look. Well, then all of a sudden, the second part of 11-on-11 drills happen, and there's Farley again. And the third, you know, different session of 11-on-11 drills happen, and there's Farley. You know, it felt like they would sprinkle Green in just a little bit.

And, I mean, I'm sure maybe I missed a few of them, but I can't recall many reps that T.J. Green took. It had to be less than five or ten with the first-team defense throughout the three-day minicamp, or two-day minicamp, I should say, because they ended up not practicing on that final day. So, yeah, I get the wake-up call that at the same time it's like you want to see him out there because when Gethers and Hooker, whenever they do get on the field, that's going to jumble the safety reps even more, and Green's not going to have the opportunity to take the first-team reps. And, you know, Ted Modichino selfishly probably is like, well, I need to get Malik Hooker up to speed.

I want Clayton Gathers to be working, you know, alongside Hooker as well. You know, I don't have time to, know trial and error tj green in there so um that's something that you know another thing to keep an eye on you know a lot of people have asked about you know phil thorst said tj green and both those guys you know how important these years are for them because from a pure athletic trait standpoint you want them on the field i mean green has what you want as his day and age in the NFL. You know, he's similar to Hooker in just his rare athletic ability. I think Hooker moves laterally, you know, much better, but that's a guy that you'll want on the field. You like his size.

You know, I know the Colts are working on a little bit of strong safety. You know, was that kind of an emergency plan? You know, if Gathers isn't ready to go. I'm not sure on that. So, I mean, Green is too good of a talent not to at least try. But once camp rolls around and Hooker and Gathers get healthy, you know, where do the reps come for him? You know, that's a question that I have. And not only that, I mean, just to add to this real quick before we jump off of the secondary, Tyvus Powell and his background with Ed Dodds in Seattle,

he was brought in right after Dodds was, and there's obviously, I don't want to say necessarily a connection, but there's familiarity between those two. You have to assume that if he brought him in, there's a reason for it, and not necessarily to take T.J. Green's spot in the depth chart, but to battle for it significantly. And T.J. Green could not only be battling with Farley and maybe Tyson

Graham or something like that, you know, for that second spot there, but also Tyvus Powell. I mean, I think this is a really interesting safety group. And if TJ Green doesn't get it together, he's going to be on the outside looking in. Yeah. I mean, how many safeties do you keep? You know, four or five probably with that fifth guy pretty much being kind of what Farley was last year. It's kind of a pure special teams guy. So, I mean, yeah, sitting here today, Green's, you know, on your 53, but if Powell shows, and remember, you know, Powell, you know, I think Seattle floated around with playing him a little bit of corner.

And when the Colts signed him, you know, he was signed, you know, as position as a defensive back. Right. So I don't think it's 100% locked in stone that Powell's going to be a safety. I assume that's where his first look will be because he was signed, I want to say, really late in the offseason program, maybe just before the start of minicamp. So it didn't get a lot of looks at him.

But he has that Seattle versatility that you think of from a defensive back. So, yeah, I mean, a defensive back so yeah I mean it goes without saying I mean TJ Green yes it's not a contract year for him but this is just a massive training camp for him and then for Phil Torsett as well. Let's kind of switch gears here and go to back to the front seven here before we head off to the offense and some other stuff a lot of one of the things that I thought was most interesting heading into the offseason program is that the more guys I talked to, whether it was George or just some people that were down at OTAs or minicamp or whatever, talked about the amount of reps that Al Woods saw at the nose tackle position and that Hankins was primarily at the three tech a lot of the time. Does this I mean, I saw that this was one of the questions that was asked in your mailbag this past week, but is this, you know, a real situation? Do

you think that they're doing that? Or is this basically, okay, we don't have Hassan Ridgeway because he's out with surgery. You know, David Perry kind of started initially at that zero, and then they kind of, you didn't hear much about him at all the rest of the offseason program, at least. I didn't. And then you've got guys like T.Y. McGill and Grover Stewart that can rotate in and outside of that nose tackle in that three-tech position. Is there really an opportunity, you think, for Al Woods to be the starting nose tackle? And conversely, do you think that Jonathan Hankins better serves this defense as a three tech like he played last year in New York yeah I think there is a really real possibility

that I was as your day one starter defensive line totally up in the air for me though with going back to what I said earlier just your roles it seems like with Hankins the Colts would feel very comfortable with him starting at nose on first down or playing a three technique I think what will play into it more isn't necessarily maybe where Hankins is most effective but it's where the Colts feel they have better depth at the three

or the nose so if that would show quality starting potential then I think the colts feel good about it they can move hankins over personally i think when healthy the three best down defensive linemen and when healthy again needs to be emphasized a lot is henry anderson kendall lankford and jonathan hankins um now we didn't see lankford of course participated all during offseason program but you know for me if you can get him back to his 2015 self, which I know he's a year and a half later and battled a knee injury all through last year once he suffered that in the preseason,

and then, of course, get Henry Anderson back to his rookie self, those guys are pretty good players to have on the field kind of flanking Hankins. Now Woods is your more typical nose, you know, get in there, absorb blockers, you know, eat up space, blah, blah, blah. But with Hankins, the thing that's interesting is, you know, he played so well as a nose with the Giants. Of course, that was a little bit of a different scheme than what he's going to be

seeing here in Indianapolis. So that's why I think the Colts later in the offseason program went with more of the woods at the nose, and then when you went on to passing downs, Hankins kind of slid inside a little bit more, and can still be an effective pass rusher from the interior. But the X factors then were you didn't have Langford, and of course we haven't seen Ridgway either.

Not that I think Ridgway would push for a starting job but Langford definitely should so uh that is a storyline to watch in training camp is full pads are coming on so that separates that group a little more and then Langford is back um and if Langford Anderson showed that that they're just too good to keep off the field that's where where I think to myself, okay, well, Hankins can play nose tackle. But if Monachino wants to look more like a 3-4 defense, which is something that he mentioned late in the offseason program, which I thought was interesting, I believe he used the line something like, we look more like the rule and not the exception

when referring to the personnel of that 3-4 defense. And I think specifically he's talking about the front seven. You don't have a David Perry who does not look like a 3-4 nose tackle. Perry, I think, filled in adequately for the past couple of years, but he's not your big mauler that you think of when you think of a 3-4 nose. Outwood, I think, is closer to that. So that makes me lead to believe that I think Outwoods, they feel comfortable with him being

a starter, but we won't know until the full pads come on with that group how well they look in the trenches and then, of course, how quickly Kendall Lankford can get back up to speed. Right. And one of the things I think when you look at Henderson and Lankford's injury history, you also have, like we said, Ridgway in there with the offseason surgery. But I think that all expectations are for him to be back and healthy and ready to go. The guy that has confused me, and not because of his skill set, but because of where the Colts currently have him on the rosters, Terrell Basham. Now, do they move him into a five-tech position as a defensive end in this 3-4 scheme, or do they use him as that outside linebacker? Yeah, I still think he's an outside linebacker.

I believe on the roster, which you're referring to, he's listed as a D-end. And I know that stirred up some of the conversation on Twitter, and I still think he's an outside linebacker. I mean, when we watched him work during the offseason program, think he's an outside linebacker. I mean, when we watched him work during the offseason program, he was definitely an outside linebacker. Getting some second-team work behind Simon and Sheard. And the Colts love the 6'4", 266 part of Basham, and they feel like he can play on three downs.

But, yeah, because personally're it's crowded on the defensive line i mean yeah you know i've i've broken it down a little bit the 53 man jumble puzzle and you're going to cut you know some combination of marcus hunt david perry you know t.y mcgill you know try to sneak grover Stewart on the practice squad, which I think is pretty lofty. You're going to cut one to two of those guys if you're keeping Woods, Lankford, Anderson, Hankins, Ridgway, because you just can't keep more than six or seven on your defensive line. So, yeah, I believe Basham is a backup outside linebacker.

I do think that he and Sheard both offer a little bit of versatility there to where they could go as a fourth down lineman. I mean, Sheard started his career that way. I don't know if necessarily Basham does that or not. I did see him in a four-point sometimes in Ohio with the film that I looked at, but not often. I mean, I think that he is truly an outside linebacker, and that's what honestly confused me the most.

Not so much that the question was whether he could play defensive end, but that they actually had him listed there on the roster. I thought that was a little strange. Yeah, it was odd. And I tell people a lot of times, people ask me about roster weights and all that stuff. I know 100% of it probably isn't as accurate. I remember even thinking back to high school.

We had a kid who was a 5'11 on the football roster and 6'4 on the basketball roster. It's just one of those things where sometimes the roster positions and weights and heights can kind of differ a little bit. But, yeah, I mean, I think right now going into camp, if you're an outside linebacker, it's Sheard and Simon as your starters. We didn't see Akeem Ayers a ton during the offseason program because of an injury. But I would think Ayers, Mingo, Basham, I hope I'm not forgetting anybody,

but those are kind of the three immediate names that come to mind as depth guys off the edge. Yeah, well, they've got LeVar Edwards, Mount, and Sickles there, but I don't know that any of those guys are going to really push for the roster there. I don't think that's a strong depth group. They probably keep five or six. No, and if Mingo Ayers and Basham show any glimmer of pass rushing, they've got to be on the field to come third down. I mean, that's just point-blank period.

Because right now, if you're the Rams and you're preparing for the Colts Week 1, you aren't scared by an individual pass rusher. I mean, Sheard, I think, has the potential to be, you know, I think he could be a double-digit sack guy. You know, he had, what, eight or eight and a half a couple years ago with New England. You know, and I think he's going to get the opportunities here in Indianapolis to have plenty of pass rushing opportunities. But there's no Robert Quinn, of course, on that side of the ball.

There's no guy that you are really fearing week one if you're the Rams and saying, okay, double him. We need a running back to chip. We need a tight end on his side, all that stuff. So if Basham or any of those guys can emerge and show that, they've got to get on the field and get on the field early. Yeah. Now we'll wrap up the defense here.

Is there a dark horse, you think, somewhere on this defensive side of the roster that you think could possibly make the 53 man coming out of the preseason that a lot of people aren't expecting to? Yeah, I mentioned Tevin Mitchell earlier. You know, I guess if you were filling out your cornerback depth chart right now, he would probably, you know, have the chance to be on it anyways. I just think he's got rare size. I know he worked at Gunner, some first team,

second team Gunner as well. It's probably too early to read a lot of special teams into that, but we did see him work there during the offseason program. So he would be a name kind of in the secondary to watch. Defensive line, we've kind of gone over that group.

Inside linebacker know that's a position good to have that we haven't talked about you know nobody really to make the 53 i guess out of that group because i think you do have your four or five guys pretty much set in stone there but john bostick was a name that was mentioned you know throughout the all-season program and he's definitely not in jeopardy i think to missing the roster and he probably doesn't answer this question but i think if you're going into training camp right now he is a definite favorite at inside and he's definitely not in jeopardy, I think, to missing the roster, and he probably doesn't answer this question. But I think if you're going into training camp right now, he is a definite favorite at inside linebacker.

It seems like your staff was really, really pleased with how he has come back from that foot injury and how he looked kind of moving sideline to sideline. So I think he has emerged a little bit to be a starter there. And I'm curious to see what does know, what does Anthony Walker look like once he kind of gets a chance to put the full pads on? Because his leadership has been praised so much since he was drafted out of Northwestern in the fifth round. And you look on that side of the ball right now and who are the leaders?

Who is your signal caller? Who are your defensive captains? I mean, I have no idea the answers to any of those questions. And that's why I said earlier, Darius Butler is too much of a leader in my eyes to keep off the field. So I'm curious to see, yeah, you're actually going to throw Walker out there because he can communicate and he can talk well.

But if he shows, you know, some other signs of, okay, this guy can, you know, physically, he fits what he has between the ears, then I think he's a guy that could potentially earn some playing time at inside linebacker. But if you're talking on drafted guys, no one really comes to mind right off the top of my head. I want to see more of Nate Harrison as well, the fifth-round pick out of Temple.

I'd like to see more of Nate Harrison as well, the fifth-round pick out of Temple. I'd like to see more of him. But, yeah, there's not an undrafted guy on defense that comes to mind as a guy that might be on the outside looking in right now that could find his way on the 53-man roster. You know, Luke Rhodes was the guy that has kind of gotten my attention only because of what he was being used in early OTAs. If Walker doesn't seem to fit the bill of because of what he was being used in early OTAs. If Walker doesn't seem to fit the bill of what they thought he was, I think that might be the only option for

what I could see. Yeah, no, Rhodes is a name. And actually, now that I think about it, Dante Blackman at corner is a name that I think some fans should watch as well. Out of Kennesaw State, he's actually the first Kennesaw State player ever in the NFL. He was a rookie minicamp tryout guy, so he wasn't one of your first undrafted free agents. That initial group of 18 or so that was signed the Sunday or Monday after the draft. So Blackman impressed. I know Chuck Pagano singled him out before. We talk about the depth of corner.

Blackman is a name to keep an eye on once training camp gets here. I did also see that you presumed that Banner might be on the outside looking in there on the offensive line as far as for the initial 53. I agree with you on that, but is there a guy that you think, first of all, I don't think that the Colts would have any issues getting him back after he's waived. I mean, just my assumption, I'm not so sure that he's, with his enormous size and weight, his lack of speed or his lack of, I don't even want to call it burst, but ability to drop into his pass set seems to be an issue for me, at least from what I saw on tape of him at USC.

And I get the upside in year two, as you explained, which I'd be fine with. I just don't see a spot for him right now, but I do see some interesting guys around the depth of this offensive line, such as Jerry Ugakwe, and obviously, you know, there's some of the guys in the middle there, like Adam Redman and Deshaun Bond, that are interesting to watch. Fawn Cooper as well, but Jeremy Vujanovic has gotten a lot of rotation in this offseason program. Can you talk about him a little bit? Yeah, and I will say, I think Banner will make the 53. I don't think he will be dressing on game days. Right now, I think, let's say, ideally, you keep nine on your offensive line,

possibly ten, but let's say you keep nine. Your four depth spots, and I guess I should clarify, I'm going off the starting offensive line here of Costanzo, Buhor, Kelly, Haig, and Clark. That would be my starting offensive line. So I've got room for four depth spots. My guys dressing on game day would be Brian Schwenke as kind of your interior, kind of your Jonathan Harrison.

If any guy gets hurt at those middle three spots, he goes in there. And then Denzel Good would kind of be your Joe Wrights. He'd be your swing tackle. Potentially could play a little right guard, I guess, but would be your backup tackle. And then my other two guys would be Vujovic, like you mentioned, and then that's where Banner would come into play. So those would be my kind of eighth and ninth linemen.

But when Muhort was out during the offseason program, and Schwenke and Good were also out towards the end of the offseason program, it was Vujovic, and I don't even know if I'm pronouncing that right. We never do. We always say it. Yeah, he was your guy at left guard. So I think he has kind of, you know, I secured a roster spot would be way too premature to say that, but I mean,

I think he's certainly has the experience with Phil Ben on being on the roster and practice squad for large portion of last year that Colts feel pretty comfortable with him as a possibility as an interior alignment. So, yeah, I think he, you know, if I were kind of ranking your backups right now, I mean, he would be, you know, my eighth or ninth guy, and I think that there is, you know, a large gap between someone emerging from 10 through, you know, 14 or however many offensive linemen are on the roster. Von Cooper is probably the most popular name that you hear fans talk about.

We didn't see really him get any, of course, first-team run when Buhor was out. And with that group, more than any other position group, and I'm not breaking any news here, but without full pads coming on during the offseason program, you have no idea what those guys are really going to look like and how the depth is going to shake out up front. So right now, I think the starting five, in my opinion, is pretty set, and it's going to take a lot for a guy like Schwenke or Good

to all of a sudden crack that starting lineup. But yeah, if I had to make my nine, Schwenke, Good, Vujovic, and Zach Banner, those would be my nine on the 63-man roster. It's an interesting group this year. Are you as high on them as far as their development into this year as I think? I know that I am. I think that there are several people that are, but I think people still continue to go with the national narrative

that says that the offensive line is garbage. I just don't agree with that right now. I mean, as young as they were from last year and where I see their arrow pointing, I think that we're in good company as far as where this team can be as far as up front on the offensive line, either this year or at the latest 2018? Yeah, I am. I think the line is definitely going to be at a much more consistent level of play,

you know, building off what you saw towards the end of last year, specifically with Clark and Haig working together, right tackle and right guard. I mean, I'll be honest, I was, you know, if you're a Colts fan, I would have been pretty frightened about Larray McClart going into the starting lineup. You know, week 15 was, you know, virtually, what did he have to play? I think he had to play like five plays in his NFL career, going into Minnesota, Oakland, and Jacksonville. And he allows a combined one hit, no sacks over the final three games. So that's why I was really confused this offseason when people were like,

well, you know, you've got to take a tackle. You're still going to upgrade a tackle. And it's like, well, you know, you drafted Clark in the third round for a reason. I know it was a different regime, but when Ballard came in here and started talking about the O-line at a very high level, I mean, you know, he's been, you know, really abusive in his praise of Ryan Grigson for, you know, what he got up front. That's when I figured the Colts were okay with what they had on the offensive line.

And I think something that shouldn't be overlooked either is just the second year, we didn't do Phil Philbin. It seemed like when Philbin came in here, he totally revamped the technique and just how the Colts were going to go about offensive line play. I think that meant, you know, everybody was kind of starting at square one, you know, including Costanzo and Newhort in terms of guys that you would label as veterans. So I think having those, having, you know, the five starting offensive linemen, you know,

now in a second season together with Philbin, I think that's something that you, that you can't, you know, can't a second season together with Philbin, I think that's something that you can't, you know, can't overlook really as well. Yeah, I'm excited to see that. I think Philbin did a nice job getting those guys in better shape towards the end of the year, you know, and I think that, you know, I think like you said, all of us were surprised when we saw how well the Raven Clark played in those

last few games. I think that was a big jump for him, not only physically, but between his ears that he can definitely do it. And him coming out of the system that he did in college to coming into this offensive scheme, that's night and day. And for him to make that kind of development between training camp where we saw him initially, which was really scary, and then into those last few

games. That is a huge jump for him. It's quick development, in my opinion, for a guy that did play in that system in college, and it's just really exciting. I'm excited for this offensive line. I think they're going to surprise a lot of people, and I think they're going to surprise actually a lot of Colts fans, too, because I don't think that a lot of people have really given them the, okay, I think these guys are going to be good. I think that a lot of themts fans too, because I don't think that a lot of people have really given them the, okay, I think these guys are going to be good. You know, I think that a lot of them are still very skeptical about what this line can prove, but I'm excited. And it sounds like you and a lot of other people are as well. When we look over here at the rest of the skill positions outside of quarterback right now, running back, wide receiver and tight end. Is there, aside maybe from Dorsett, who kind of

seems to be teeter-tottering on roster to non-roster, who's a guy maybe at running back or tight end that you think has an opportunity to kind of surprise some people and make this roster? I think that Doyle Williams and Swoop is a pretty fair three tight end group, but a lot of people like Daryl Daniels. Just the same at running back, Gore, Turbin, Mack, and then you got that fourth guy that really hangs up in the air with Pope, Ferguson, and Crossan. Is there any in either one of those two groups or the wide receiver group for that matter that you think might be able to bust through? Because ultimately as a wide receiver, Quan Bray offers some return ability. Now Ferguson offers a little bit of that as well, but we saw what he was doing in the

offense last year and he really has to make a significant, uh, jump in my eyes to, to, to get himself back to the 53 man roster. But you've got interesting guys at wide receiver, right? Right. Receiver like bug Howard, uh, JoJo Knatson, who also I've heard has offered some lightning speed, and there's some other guys back there. So there's a whole group within this skill receiver group on offense that is really interesting going into camp. Touch on a couple guys that maybe pique your interest the most? Yeah. Let's see. Running back, I mean, like you said, I think you got a pretty clear-cut top three there with Gore, Turbin, and Mack. I am really eager to see just how much is Mack used because it goes without saying his skill set is something the Colts have longed for at the running back position and haven't had in quite some time. Just too unique of a skill set, not, I think, incorporated in a weekly game plan.

As long as he can handle some blocking responsibilities, I think you've got to find him, find ways to get the ball in his hands at least a few times every game and kind of see if he can turn into what we saw those Oakland, kind of those young Oakland running backs look like when they had a huge day against the Colts in Week 16. Dalton Crosson is probably the name that I'm going to be watching the most at running back during training camp. I know Chris Ballard has touched on him, a great versatility, you know, an all-purpose guy. I think it's, you know, maybe him or Ferguson for that fourth spot. And I know Pope is a late signing that you probably should throw in there as well.

But I think the Colts would really love kind of a jitterbug-type guy as that fourth back that is pretty much going to play special teams but offers a skill set that is totally a 180 from what you have in Gore and Turbin. So Crossin is a name that I'm going to be watching. Wideout, I've written about him several times now. He's probably not too much of a dark horse anymore based on what he did late last year, but Chester Rogers is a real threat to earned playing time.

Oh, absolutely. And I think he's a real, real threat to be your number three receiver. And not exclusively. I'm not saying you're number three wide. And not exclusively, I'm not saying, you know, you're number three wide out for, you know, 70, 80% of the snaps, but he's a guy that I think maybe back in April, we would have said, okay, your number three wide out is either kind of a hybrid between Kamar Aiken and

Phil Dorsett. Do you want the speed? Do you want your, do you want your slot guy to be the guy that can kind of, you that can really, really exploit the middle of the field and get some linebackers matched on him? Then you want Dorsett. Do you want a power guy in the red zone that can make plays on third and short, etc.? Then it's more of an Aitken. Now, I think it's a Rodgers or an Aitken. And Dorsett's going to have chances. he's going to get healthy because he missed the minicamp I know Chris Ballard likes him and Ballard wants to see

I'm not saying that Chris Ballard would have taken him in the first round but I think Ballard comes from speedy wideouts he's seen what Tyreek Hill can do of course so he wants to see what Dorsett can do. But right now, Chester Rogers' consistency

is just too good to overlook. So the problem for me in saying there's an undrafted or an under-the-radar wideout to make it 53 is I just don't see where the room is. Because I think Rogers is your returner. Personally,

I'd keep five wideouts and have Rogers be your returner. I think you showed late last returner. Personally, I'd keep five wideouts and have Rodgers be your returner. I like that. I think you showed late last year. Yeah, and you're going to have to cut the numbers at some spot on this roster when it comes down to roster cut down. And for me, it's the luxury of keeping a six wideout I don't think is there. And the injuries are going to dictate that, you know, come late August. But right now, I'd go with Rodgers as your returner.

You know, in terms of a kick returner, you don't really need much anymore. Yeah, there's the Jordan Todmans of the world that, you know, change a game. But the return game is just a little bit different, I think, in the NFL based off what it used to be. And I think a part returner, once Rodgers kind of got his feet under him, he really was a nice returner for you late in the year. So that's why I think that he offers you, you're kind of killing a couple of birds with one stone there,

that he isn't just kind of a milquetoast wideout to where he's just playing wideout. He's a guy that can go out there and contribute significantly on special teams. So that's why the Bughowers of the world, you know, when he was on the roster, Trey Griffey, you know, I know I'm blanking on some of the undrafted wideouts. You know, JoJo, I just don't think he gives you enough as a wideout, similar to Quan Bray, to merit a roster spot,

even though Bray was a tremendous returner when he was on the 53. Tied in, I mean, Daniels is definitely the most popular name. You know, Chris Ballard is mentioned specifically, I think, of the undrafted group. Obviously, Thomas Hennessey is going to be a long snapper, but, you know, Crossin and Daniel seem to be the most popular names of guys that could crack the 53-man

roster. I'm with you. I think Brandon Williams has a nice stranglehold on that number three tight end spot when Swope had to miss time during the late-in-offseason program that was Brandon Williams. He's taken a lot of 15 rteam rants alongside Jack Doyle.

I just think you feel comfortable a little bit with Williams, having some veteran experience, being a special-teams guy, et cetera. And Daniels is a guy that has that athletic ability that I think people thought could have been lifted coming out of Washington. So, yeah, Crossin, that running back, Daniels, the tight end, those are names, you know, kind of on the outside right now that could find their way into the team. Yeah, it is an interesting group. And I like the thought process of keeping only five wide receivers if that really, you know,

not only if Rodgers continues to build on that return possibility like i said after he you know initially couldn't really find his his ground there in the first couple attempts of punt returns you know i think he caught a couple inside the 10 and you know made a couple i don't know if he fumbled or what the other one was it was a couple where he he didn't really know where he was at on the field i think think. But after that, he really improved and looked really good doing it. Like you said, they're really going to have to squeeze to get this down to 53, I think. They're really going to have to weigh what does somebody offer on special teams who isn't a starter or even maybe a direct backup to a lot of these positions

because they have to build this team in all three facets of the game. They can't just build an offense and defense and just say, I don't know, we're just going to put you on special teams and see what you can do. They've really got their work cut out for them, I think, this year in a lot of positions as well. Funny that you said cut down the wide receivers. I actually cut my offensive line to eight instead of nine. Did you? Yeah. The only reason I say nine is because, and I have to go back to my notes, I feel like there was a time where Ballard even threw out the number 10 on the offensive line. And I know that's kind of a – that's dreaming big in terms of injuries.

But, you know, God, maybe I i'm forgetting something but i feel like the coach had 10 53 10 offensive linemen 53 roster for large large chunks of last season um and more of that i think it was to do with injury than anything but that's why when i'm crunching numbers right now i'm squeezing things more on offense just because of all the uncertainty on defense yeah and I think you're you know then I'm not you know again breaking news to anybody here but more of your special teamers come on that side of the ball on the defensive side of the ball so that's why you know I say nine offensive linemen you know five wide outs you know and that tight and a running back maybe it's just you keep keep seven total, either four running backs or either four running backs and three tight ends or four tight ends and three running backs.

And then on defense, maybe you are keeping 11, 12 linebackers, which seems like such a high number, but I think it will definitely be in the double digits there. And same with the secondary. You know, maybe it is a situation where a guy like Tyvus Powell is just too good to pass up and you're keeping six safeties or something that, you know, looks crooked to us now, but, you know, when you start squeezing things out and you start thinking about special teams and how your roster looks when you're dressing on game days um you know that's when

you know actually i think people were frustrated at times that ty mcgill and that curve were inactive but you know that's just life in the nfl you can't when you're playing a three four scheme you're only dressing five you know maybe six defensive linemen and if those guys are true interior guys they aren't helping you in many other places. So I know it's early, and it's not a lot of roster mechanic talk right now, but if I were kind of building a 53, five wideouts is what I would go with because you don't need Chester Rodgers to go play a bunch at wideout. I mean, he might just be too good to keep him off the field there. But, you know, you have Dorsett and Aitken that you feel somewhat good about.

That's why I feel like Rodgers can help you out as a returner, because I've just never been a guy that, unless you have an Antonio Brown talent, I just don't like playing starter-type players as a returner. That's just me. So, yeah, that's why I think Rodgers allows you the luxury to have five wide outs and then, you know, add another body somewhere else. Yeah. It's really interesting too. Like you said, you could go in a variety of different ways with the running back tight end. If you keep seven total, I mean, you may keep four running backs,

which I think is fairly par for the course for the Colts in the past. But then, you know, if you really like what you're seeing out of Mack, you don't need a fourth running back. Maybe Daryl Daniels is lighting people up in the special teams areas and can lay a hat on somebody, and you bring him in for special teams help and another tight end just because he's the guy that fills that position towards the back end of the roster.

There is a lot of interesting things that are going to shake out as we get closer to camp and through camp. And I'm excited for preseason because I think with the new cut-down formula, the way that they have, you know, you cut straight down to 53. You get four games of these guys being able to try to prove themselves. And it couldn't really happen in a better year where the competition mantra that Chris Bauer has brought to this team and this organization really appears to be sinking into some of those guys from, let's say, 26 all the way, or even 30 all the way down to 90.

Those guys really feel like they've got a chance. If they put it on the field, then they can make this 53, and I think that's really big for this group. Yeah, and I think the preseason schedule is a great slate to evaluate talent as well. I mean, you've got three playoff teams to start the season. Dallas and Pittsburgh, two of the better rosters, I think, in the NFL when your starters are going to play the most.

And I know we are talking about a lot of back end of the roster guys, but it's just going to be an interesting preseason to me. How much do the Colts want to play their starters in the preseason? We've heard Chris Ballard, he wants to tackle. I mean, he's made that clear during training camp. And I think they need to. He wants guys to spar. Yeah, definitely.

And I think you've got to be physical, and you've got to prepare your body, not only prepare your own body for a 16-game season and potentially more, but just prepare yourself for what it looks like week one when the whistle blows. It's one thing to thud Todd Gurley in the open field. It's another thing to bring Todd Gurley to the ground. Can you train yourself during training camp now that Pagano is saying? They've definitely discussed

it, and Ballard sounds like he's ready to tackle live day one if it was allowed in CBA. So yeah, I think that's an interesting storyline. The luck, how much does luck play in the preseason? That's a storyline.

How much does he need? How much do you feel comfortable? Do you ramp him up? As crazy as it sounds, does Luck play in week four of the preseason? Does it come to the point where he needs to throw 15 passes in a game setting? Or do you feel like you can script that somewhere else? And then, of course, on the defensive side of the ball, how much does Ted Monachino want his starters to play together?

How much does he want that communication level to be there in the preseason? Do we see that starting 11 play late into the first quarter, week one, well into the second quarter, week two, deep into the third quarter, in week three of the preseason? Those are all things that we haven't really had these types of questions in past training camps and preseasons for the Colts. And now we do. And I think they're very relevant and they're really going to impact.

You know, you hear the over-under of eight-and-a-half wins, nine-and-a-half wins for the Colts. I think you're going to see some answers, you know, trickle out of training camp where in years past, you know, maybe we out of training camp, where in years past, you know, maybe we overlooked training camp and preseason a little bit, and then all of a sudden, boom, the Colts are starting 0-2. So yeah, tons of questions here in, you know, a little less than, I guess, three weeks. Yeah, it's exciting, and it's getting on us quick, and it's about stinking time. I just think that this physicality, you know, the story that the Colts may tackle or may be more physical in camp was like, I think nationally, they thought of itself as like just a cute story to add to their, as an article.

But I think here locally, at least in my opinion, this is something that they absolutely need. And it's not just to see what everybody's got. It's more or less because they should have been doing it in the past, I think. Anytime you have training camp with 90 guys on the field at the same time, you are going to have guys step wrong, even doing walk-through stuff, and sprain an ankle. It doesn't matter. You are going to have injuries.

You look at Vic Ballard. Yeah, exactly, exactly. You know, he was a non-contact. I remember like it was yesterday. It was just one of those kind of dump passes to a running back. He plants, he makes a move upfield, and boom, he's down. I mean, even Donald Thomas, it was an 11-on-11 drill when he tore the quad, I think, the second time.

But he barely engaged the guy, and then he goes down. So, yeah, I mean you and i get where the coaching staff comes from i get the friendly fire and i understand that and and if i were a coach and you know whatever vante davis goes down trying to tackle somebody yeah that's going to keep me up at night but that's life i mean that is nfl life that is football life. That stuff's going to happen. So that's why I think we are going to see more of it. And like you said, I mean, that is a story locally, Matt. I mean, that is a major story because we haven't seen it.

And tackling has been an issue for this team early on in seasons. And the 0-2 starts have been three straight years. And even going back, I mean, the Colts are just 1-9 in their first two games under Pagano. I think in 2012 you lost the first two, right? It was

Chicago and Minnesota. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, again, it's been in Oakland with the opener the next year, and you won that. I think you only won two games of the first two of five seasons. And that came down to the last play, I mean, again, and then Oakland was the opener the next year, and you won that. I think you only won two games of the first two of five seasons. And that came down to the last play, I believe. Right. The Oakland game was a great toller pick in the end zone,

and then the Minnesota game was a venetary game-winning field goal. So, yeah, you have got to do something. And I think this goes back to what Jim Mercer was referencing at the league meetings and evaluating Chuck Pagano. We're going to evaluate him on a lot of things. And I think that specifically is one of those things. How physical is this team early on in the season? How quickly can these young guys get on the same page?

And when I say young guys, I mean all the new faces too. How quickly can you get this defense up to speed to where it's not, you know, not a mental task for them, you know, to feel comfortable, you know, playing at the sound of a whistle. So, yeah, I mean, a lot, a lot of questions, but I think the physical aspect of camp is something that we are going to see and that we need to see because, you know, it doesn't take any Colts fan, you know, too much of a memory

to conjure up the Lamar Miller play from last year, the Allen Hearns touchdown in London, Theo Riddick and Amir Abdullah in the open field week one. I mean, those are three losses in the first five weeks of the season. And those are three games that all went, you know, the London game probably didn't go down to the wire that much, although I think it was a one-possession game at the end. Definitely Detroit and Houston were two reasons why you were sitting on the outside looking in come January.

Yeah, and I agree. I think this year, like you said, there's going to be a lot that's involved in the evaluation for Pagano. And I think it's always been, you know, getting the same group together, keeping the group together, like the offensive line this year in the offseason, you know, a lot of people are talking about, you get the same group together, you continuity is great. But this year, he's really going to be based on building chemistry with a lot of new faces. And, you know, that's not I think chemistry actually is more important, in my opinion,

than continuity. Continuity's great, but you have to have chemistry between those offensive linemen. You can work together with each other for three years straight, but if something doesn't work, it doesn't matter. You know, that's just all there is to it. Building the chemistry from within is something that he's really going to have to do, especially defensively because a lot of the offense is mostly the same. You only have a few pieces like Aitken, Mack, and a couple, maybe a guy or two on the offensive line that wasn't here last year that's going to have to learn multiple positions like Schwenke or

something like that. But chemistry is going to be absolutely pertinent to this team's success. Let's wrap it up here and talk about luck for a few minutes. I really appreciate your time today, Kevin. It's been a lot of fun. But I'm going to ask you initially, is Stephen Morris going to break into this 53 and overcome Scott Tolzien, or do you think it's even remotely possible that the Colts keep three quarterbacks? I'm going to say no. And that was a question that I definitely had at the start of the offseason program another surprise that I had after that nine weeks was that we didn't see

more Stephen Morris with that first team offense I honestly can't recall hardly any reps that we saw Stephen Morris with the first team offense pessimistic me or glass half

empty me thought to myself well does that mean you know scott tulzine has to be ready week one whereas the colts are looking at this like luck might not be ready and tulzine needs all the first teamwork he can get and and that's probably me reading way too much into it um because i think if luck was in serious jeopardy of not playing week one, I felt like a veteran, another veteran, would have been brought in just given what Chris Bowers wanted to do throughout this roster. But yeah, right now, that's got Tolzien's job to lose, the backup job. I thought Tolzien threw it fine.

I think he had one struggling day, maybe the first day of veteran minicamp, and then had a really strong day to end it. But yeah, I think if it's a short-term thing, if you need Tolzien in a week, I'm fine with him being your backup. I think if you're a Colts fan, I think

against Pittsburgh last year, yeah, does he want to play back inside the 10? Of course. But, you know, T.Y. had some drops. Moncrief had some drops. Dorsett had some drops. I mean, he didn't get a lot of help around him either in that game. Not at all. And then, of course, Antonio Brown and company speak for themselves

when it comes to the ball. So, yeah, and it goes back to number crunching for me. I just don't see a way you keep 53 men on your roster, three quarterbacks on your 53-man roster. But Morris is going to get a chance here in the preseason, probably more so than he normally would. I just assume Lux reps in the preseason won't be the same. Now, they might look differently.

It might be one of those things where, you know, Lux plays more in week three and week four of the preseason than he would in week one or week two, or, you know, who knows how that's going to be divvied up. So maybe Morris does get more first team work with extended action in training camp, but right now it's Scott Tolzien. Interesting. I'm a fan of Stephen Morris just from what he showed in the preseason last year. And basically also what Scott Tolzean showed in training camp. He was really scary early in camp. And even preseason didn't look like he was much of anything to back up Luck.

I think that a lot of his issues were released from him as he got into the Pittsburgh game. I thought, like you said, he didn't get a lot of help. I thought he played really well, and he overdid my expectations of him for sure. I'm just so intrigued by Stephen Morris' ability to get out of the pocket. He's got a live arm, and he offers a lot, I think, in terms of between the ears and physically to maybe overtake somewhat of a statue at Scott Tolzien at the number two spot. But like you said, a lot of that is going to be, it's all going to shake itself out with the reps this preseason and in camp with Luck

ultimately, probably for a large part of that on the sidelines. And Pagano's spoken to him ultimately having whatever you want to call it, a pitch count, probably in camp too. I mean, even with no contact, just doing the simple passes, he's going to run through a few of those guys, and then the backups are going to go and they're going to do the rest of the drill. I mean, he's not going to overthrow or he's not going to get himself to where he is tired every single day. They're wanting to work him out, of course,

but they can't risk anything being pushed ahead of schedule. You know, that's just not an intelligent approach. No, no way. I mean, it's like a baseball pitcher coming off a DL. You know, at first he does a bullpen session or he long tosses or, you know, then he throws a simulated game. Then he goes down to AAA. There's going to be progression with that.

So, yeah, Morris is going to have a chance. I think it also just goes back to what do you want in a backup quarterback? Do you want a guy that has a huge ceiling and you might need him for one start during the year and he has no experience and who knows what's going to happen or do you want more of a safety valve than a guy like Tolzien to where, okay, he's not going to make too many mistakes, he's going to keep you in the game, blah, blah, blah.

So I think that's the debate that in an ideal scenario you'd have room for three quarterbacks. But in my eyes, I just think when you start crunching numbers, it's really hard to keep three on a 53-man roster. But if Steve Morris goes out and has a great preseason, that's going to change everything. Yeah, it could, but I agree with you. I don't think either way, regardless of that, that they keep three quarterbacks in any situation. Too tough in my eyes.

Yeah, for sure. And you know what? They didn't lose Steve Morris when they waved him last year. So, I mean, I think that if they feel that everything's equal there, I think they'll be happy with him being on the practice squad again. So let's kind of finish this up here with just about luck. We've talked about his injuries a little bit, you know, here and there, and it is an issue with, you know with kind of seeing where he comes back.

I'm not too worried about it. Even if he misses the first couple weeks of the season, it just does not worry me because of the way that this team is being built for the future. And if they play really good this year and they have a season that surprises everybody, that's great. But this team is being built for 2018. I just don't think there's any question about that.

Luck, on the other hand, there are some things that he really needs to improve on. I think with only 13 interceptions last year, it doesn't immediately strike you as an issue. But I broke down recently on Stampede Blue all of his interceptions, actually, to kind of see, you know, is it the offensive line that was at fault? Was it Andrew Luck just throwing the ball all willy-nilly? And I think that I came to the realization that either 10 or 11 of his interceptions were on him despite any pressure. There was some pressure at times from the outside where Luck could have stepped up to where he continued to backpedal and just threw the ball up in the air or he threw into you know a ton of coverage or just whatever a second year of Brian Schottenheimer with Andrew Luck because I felt like in training camp last year there was such

good connection between those two I thought that he really helped Luck kind of see some of the more fundamental aspects of the position I think with Luck's injury and the combination of another year with Brian Schottenheimer that we could see the best Andrew Luck ever this year. Is that far-fetched to you, or is that something that's possibly attainable, you think? No, I don't think it's far-fetched at all. The biggest thing is going to be just that shoulder and just how does he bounce back.

What does the most unique offseason of his life do to him? Because he was honest with us. You know, he said that the longest he's gone without throwing a football has been one month in his life, you know, in his football life. And here he is now approaching, assuming he doesn't throw now, I mean, it's seven months. And, you know, that is foreign. That's an unknown.

We just don't know. But let's say Luck is healthy. I do think, and the Schottenheimer point is a great point to make because, you know, he has drilled in single-digit interceptions, becoming more efficient. I do think Luck made some strides in that last year. He can still make more. So, you know, we saw his highest completion percentage of his career. I think I want to say the interception rate was the second best of his career.

We saw just a more efficient Luck definitely in 2015, but it still can take another step or two. So, yeah, and honestly, I think the injury has probably opened his eyes a little bit. He's had more time to have the mental side of the game, you know, fine-tuned, you know, maybe isn't the right phrase to use. But, you know, he has had more of a look into that. He's had a second offseason with a guy like Brian Schottenheimer and Rob Chisdinski and guys that, you know, have experience working with, you know, elite quarterbacks before. So, yeah, I do think if luck is healthy, the weapons are in place,

the offensive line, you know, Matt, you and I agree that, you know, should be making steps in the right direction. You know, I see no reason why luck doesn't get back to being a definite pro bowler and this offense in general being a top 5 to top 10 offense because if the Colts are going to make the playoffs that's what has to happen. The offense has got to be

a top 5, top 10 unit that finishes in the red zone and the defense you hope, last year you were 30, if you hope it climbs probably to the early 20s I guess would be somewhat realistic. If those guys can get on the same page, if the Colts do that, if they can win 10 or 11 games and win this division.

And that, of course, I think sets you up potentially down the road for a bigger season. Yeah, I totally agree. I don't think the Colts have to be a top-10 defense. I think they just have to be in the middle third of the league in order to make significant strides as a complete team. Because I think, like you said, this offense is really set to impress, I think. And, you know, defensively, make some strides.

Every little bit's going to help. There's a few games where if the defense makes a stop, the Colts win 10 games as bad as they looked last year for a large part of the season. They still win 10 games last year with just a couple extra stops in the fourth quarter. So it's a very interesting offseason. Very excited to see what this team offers in camp and to see kind of the approach that everybody involved takes from the front office to the coaching staff and the roster in general. Kevin, again, really appreciate you stopping in today to talk, man.

Had a lot of fun getting some points of view from you, and I really appreciate your time. Is there anything that you're doing that you wanted to plug to the listeners? Yeah, we're starting kind of a burning questions series on colts.com. That's starting up here now with training camp two and a half-ish weeks away, I guess. So, yeah, we're starting that back up kind of day by day. We'll look at each position group, three or four questions regarding that position before training camp starts on July 29th.

And then just kind of some of these season preview articles, you know, Ripsy playing time, you know, looking at guys heading into a contract year, injuries to watch once training camp gets here, just kind of bringing everybody back up to speed because, you know, as we've talked about Matt over the past hour or so, there's plenty, plenty of questions heading into the 2017 season. And I think a lot of people are excited to see all of these play out because there's so much unknown with both sides of the ball,

with the injury to luck on offense and the offensive line trying to make strides and then all the questions over on defense. So, yeah, a lot of interest, and I definitely enjoyed it, and I would love to do it again. Absolutely. I appreciate you having on. Definitely will be having you on again. And I think you touched on one of the funnest parts about this offseason.

Between yourself and me and anybody else in the Colts community who write or podcast or do anything, I think that we've asked about all of the possible questions that we could with this new Colts team heading into the offseason and throughout the offseason. The camp period and after are going to be a lot of fun trying to answer and see what's being answered about all of those questions we've been asking for so much, so long.

Time for answers, right? Absolutely. They're needed, and they're going to be a lot of fun figuring out. Thanks again, Kevin, for joining me. You guys, make sure that you guys are following Kevin on Twitter. Kevin, what's your Twitter handle for everybody? Yeah, it's kbowen, B-O-W-E-N, and then also on Instagram at kbowencolts as well.

So just some behind-the-scenes stuff. It's Colts Traveling this year. And, yeah, I enjoyed it, Matt. Absolutely. Kevin does great work on colts.com. Make sure you guys are checking it out there. And, again, make sure you guys are getting that call in line at 516-574-2881. Also get yourselves on Apple Podcasts and get us a rating and review.

Those are helping more than you can imagine. So keep that up, and I look forward to talking to you guys all again later on this week. So I will check you all out on Wednesday right here on Locked On Colts. You are Locked On Colts, your daily podcast on theed 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.