Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 8/28/19: Why the Colts are still legit contenders with Michael Lombardi

Episode Date: August 28, 2019

On today's episode, the great Michael Lombardi joins us with his unique insight to provide his own thoughts on the Indianapolis Colts' latest roadblocks.Lombardi gives his take on Andrew Luck and his career before moving into some first-hand knowledge on Colts QB Jacoby Brissett. Does Lombardi believe Brissett has the qualities needed to be a franchise QB in today's NFL? He saw first-hand in New England alongside Bill Belichick.How do the Colts stack up in the AFC South? Lombardi believes it's completely wide open, and the Colts are still set up to steal it and host a playoff home game behind an all-around unit.Finally, some NFL-based thoughts on modern-day philosophies that translate most to team success and the latest trade winds Lombardi is hearing. This was a quick and fun episode with a top insider, so you don't want to miss this one! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome into Locked On, Colts Party Locked On Podcast Network. Today, as always, my host, Evan Sutter, and my very, very special guest today, Michael Lombardi. You've known him from around multiple outlets. He's also worked with a million patrons in the past. He has a great book that I've read before, Gridiron Genius. Michael, how are you doing today? I'm doing great. Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. No problem at all. And this is definitely an interesting time. We were discussing coming on a couple weeks ago and a lot's changed since then and Andrew Luck retired from the NFL so what was your initial

reaction to that Michael because the Colts all of a sudden went from an MVP caliber quarterback to a team that might be just scratching and calling to get in the playoffs now well I mean look I think anybody who tells you they weren't surprised you know obviously is lying I mean that you know we're all by it, but I think the reality of it is he did what he felt was in the best interest of what he had to do, his body. We don't know how these players' bodies feel during the season. We don't know how they feel during the offseason, and I think he made a decision which is in the best interest of him, and certainly you have to kind of respect that. Yeah. I think with Andrew Luck, what do you remember most about him, Michael? Because obviously he was a guy who probably if you go 10 years from now won't get the accolades he probably deserves. But if he would have played a full career,

I think he would have been one of the better quarterbacks of this era. What do you remember most about Andrew Luck when you watched him play? I think the expectations were too high for Andrew. I really do. I think when you look at him, he's thrown 13 touchdown passes in the playoff games, 12 interceptions. No, I'm sorry, 12 touchdown passes, 13 interceptions. You know, he's been in eight playoff games, two in home, six on the road. You know, and they've struggled to win those games.

They've won some. I think he's thrown balls that I could have made a playoff or I could have made a reel of mistakes. I think the expectations of him being the next John Elway were hard on him. And I think people expect him to be John Elway. I think he's a really good quarterback. I don't deny that whatsoever. But I do think there was a lot of opportunities where you watched the tape and said, wow, he got away with one there. He got away with one there. I think he's really smart. I think it's unfair for him that his career went the way

it did because they never really drafted offensive linemen to help him. And I think that was the biggest issue of all. You know, your quarterback's your franchise. You got to protect them. They didn't do a good job of that. Yeah, unfortunately, it was just too little too late because I wanted to ask you about this because it's definitely a lot different than it used to be with Chuck Bogano and Ryan Grix and now the Colts have Chris Bowden and Frank Reich. This obviously is a sudden news break with Andrew Lux retiring. But do you feel confident more so than maybe a lot more other front offices with a combo of Chris Bowden and Frank Reich moving forward? Well, I think you have to.

I think the reality of it is, is that, you know, Chris is in for, you know, some organizations have situational values, which means they make decisions based on the situation at hand. Some have sustainable values like the Patriots that make decisions for today, tomorrow, and down the road. I think clearly that that's where Chris Ballard will go. He'll make decisions based on sustainability. He'll make decisions which are the best for the team. They're in no rush to sit there and think, oh my gosh. And I think what my, my, my word on, on, on luck is, is that I think there's a level that people think luck played at that Chris knows the level that's real and finding a player that can fit that level might be, some would say difficult,

but it may not be as hard as you might think. I mean, look at the NFL this summer, Ryan Finley, the Cincinnati Bengals played has played really well. Jarrett St Ryan Finley of the Cincinnati Bengals has played really well. Jarrett Stidham of the New England Patriots have played really well. There are quarterbacks and what Frank Wright has proven he's been able to do is find quarterbacks and develop a system within that. That's the key

for Ballard. That's the key for Reich. It's a new season. Antonio Brown is on the Raiders. Le'Veon Bell is with the Jets. Odub Beckham is in Cleveland. Andrew Luck all of a sudden retired from the NFL. The one thing that hasn't changed though, it's where I'm putting my money down on all the games. MyBookie is the place to bet on F football every weekend. MyBookie has better bonuses and more prop bets than any other sports book, period. This year, they're hosting the first online handicapping super contest. First place is guaranteed to win

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I know you were, I think you might have left right beforehand, or maybe you were there for the first few months in New England. What's your thoughts on Jacoby Brissett as a quarterback, and do you believe, Frank Reich and Chris Bauer have been saying for months now they believe Jacoby Brissett is the top 20 quarterback in the NFL. What's your thoughts on Jacoby Brissett as a quarterback? And do you believe, Frank Reich and Chris Bauer have been saying for months now, they believe Jacoby Brissett is the top 20 quarterback in the NFL. What's your thoughts on Jacoby Brissett? I love Jacoby as a human being. I think he's one of the great leaders.

I think he's got a great ability. He's a tremendous human being. It starts with that. And then he's come in and it's not too big for him, which is another big key component. The game's not too big. He didn't get intimidated by being in a room with Jimmy Garoppolo and Tom Brady. He's very comfortable who he is.

That's B. And then I think you have to also look at the fact that, you know, he's got a presence about him, and he can create people to follow him and move forward with that. Now, that being said, you know, he's got some issues that he's got to handle. He's not a great anticipation quarterback, meaning he doesn't throw the receivers to the open spot.

He allows receivers to – he needs to see them open before they'll do that. And so I think they've got to revise the system of him offensively where he's utilizing his skill set as a play-action pass and cut-the-defense type offensive plays. How would you go about that if you're Frank? I can just allude to it there a little bit, Michael. Do you think it's more of a quick pass game with Bursette? I know he has a can of an arm, but his decision-making is probably a lot worse

than it was just comparing head-to-head to a guy like Andrew Luck. Well, I think you've got to change the system. Andrew Luck's system doesn't fit what Bursette's going to do. I could see him being under center a little bit more. I could see being a read a lot of read option stuff a lot of stuff where he says you were throwing the ball here we're throwing it there and it happens to a lot of quarterbacks here's what we don't understand about the national football league is with the exception of about three or four quarterbacks everybody else has to be managed and the teams do it really well i mean look let's face it derrick golf before sean mVay got there, was not playing at all,

wasn't even looking like an NFL quarterback. Now that's improved. Has it improved the level that Goff can go somewhere else and carry a franchise? I don't think so. I think McVay is more important to Goff, and I think that that's the way it's going to have to be set up for Indianapolis.

I know Jacoby's entering the last year of his contract here, Michael. What do you expect? I mean, obviously's entering the last year of his contract here, Michael. What do you expect? I mean, obviously it's a little too early to tell here with a completely new system compared to 2017, but do you expect Brissette to really maybe thrive in this system? I know he has probably the most talented team. He's stepping into a system where it's kind of like he's going to drive a Ferrari now with one of the more talented teams, I think, from top to bottom in the league. Well, I think, look, here's the reality.

He's got to prove he can play well. I mean, and look, this talented team, this football's a team sport. The name on the front's more important than the name on the back. And what's got to happen here is they've got to be able to win games in multiple ways in terms of play complementary football with their offense and their defense. And I think that's something that can happen. And they've got to win it as a unit. They can't win it as Andrew Luck carries them.

Because the reality here is Andrew Luck didn't carry them. That's the reality. He didn't. He played a part in their winning. He didn't just put the team on his back and carry them. Because the team was good around them. They played better on defense. They did some really good things.

He's a really good player. And they're going to have to fix the void of that, but we make too much of it, and I think we get to the point of extremes when we talk about how we're going to replace the player. Let me ask you this, Michael. Do you believe the Colts? I know it's a tough sell. I mean, maybe not so. Going from luck to Bursette, do you think this team is still a playoff contender? Look, I do. I wrote about it for The Athletic. I mean, the only thing that's changed is how the Colts are going to play, not their aspirations. I think for the people that booed them or the people that are upset, look, you're wrong. You're rooting for the Colts. If you just want to root for Andrew Luck, then that's why you bought your ticket. That's fine. But you're a Colt fan,

and the Colts will bounce back from this. They're going to have to win a different way. Will it be pretty early? Probably not. They'll find their way. I think Reich's a tough guy. I think the team will respond. And look, I think the more people write about how Luck's losing has killed their chances, I think it helps Frank Reich as he motivates the team. How would you tier up the ASU South here? Because obviously the Colts, I think, were the easy favorites now before this Luck news, and they still might be. How would you rank them compared toU South here? Because obviously the Colts, I think, were the easy favorites now before this luck news, and they still might be. How would you rank them compared to Houston, Tennessee, and Jacksonville?

You know, I've been not very impressed with Houston this summer. Their offensive line does not look like it's gotten better. Now, Max Hillel has a play to left tackle. Henderson, the right tackle. You know, they're going to play their first-round pick, Titus Howard, at left guard. We'll see how that works out. Whether they kick him out the tackle, I don't know. But defensively, they're going to lose Clowney in the next day or a week or two,

whatever it is. Once he signs a tender, he'll get traded. So I don't know how good they are on defense. I think they're trying to rebuild their locker room. They're trying to get more, quote, unquote, patriot type players in there. I think there's going to be a little bit of an evolution that goes on there. You know, Jacksonville's really good on defense, and I think you can see it. I think Jacksonville's not quite to the level they were once when Malik Jackson played the defensive line,

but they're good on defense. I'm not sure where they are on offense. Who's their playmaker on offense? Fournette is a good back. I think he's better in the eye than he is in the offset, so I think that there's some question marks there. And then Tennessee, to me, Mariota is still a huge question mark. They don't have that fixed yet. It's going to take some time, and I think that's a big problem. And defensively, they're good. They have three of the highest-paid corners in football. When you see Malcolm Butler, Logan Ryan, and then Adoree Jackson come in,

and their offensive line, to me, just got their butts kicked last week when they played against New England. They're not very good in the offensive line. I think that's going to be a problem for Mariota. So I think it's up for grabs. I think it's up for grabs. And I think the Colts, you know, have as good a chance to win this as any team. The NFL season begins next week, which means Crossover Wednesday is back.

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What I like the most about them is they have a philosophy. I could draft for the Colts defensively. I know what Ibra Floos wants on defense, and I know what they want on offense. And whenever somebody who's not in the building can draft for that team, then they have clearly established what their philosophy is, and that's a really good thing. And I think that's what they've done. Chris comes in.

He's got a unique philosophy. He wants to play a certain way. Frank adheres to it. They've got a philosophy of an offense. Bubba Patron on special teams, you know, they've got that, so I think they have a philosophy, if you lose your franchise quarterback tweaks for the regular season starts? I know Jacoby is a guy who seems very much poised to handle the situation, but how would you go about winning these games?

Because it seems like more so than ever, we talked about it before early in the podcast, where it might be a more quick game for them, more under center. Do you think it's going to be a lot of pressure here on the offensive line and Marlon Mack early on? Well, I think it's going to be more pressure on them. They're going to have to run the ball a little bit more they're going to have to do it in different ways I think the pressure is going to be on them to kind of be

able to establish a play action pass game because that's what's going to lead to Brissette making chunks yards down the play down the field they were very good last year on third on first down they were the third best offense on first down that's the best time of the year to really take big shots down the field they were very good at last year they were unbelievable on first down. That's the best time of the year to really take big shots down the field. They were very good at it. Last year, they were unbelievable on third down. Best third down team in football, only allowed 18 sacks. Now, they're going to have to duplicate that in a certain style in a certain way. And I think a lot of it's going to have to be, they're going to have to be very good at selling their run game. They don't have to say they've got to run it. I'm saying they've

got to do a good job of selling it, much like the Rams do. Yeah, that's definitely a really good point to bring up there, Michael. Let me ask you this, getting off topic of the Colts for a second, what do you think are the modern-day NFL trends you're noticing most that are really keying in more towards success more than ever? Well, I think, look, the way the league's set up now is if everybody's zigging, you should zag. One thing I think the trend is, is because of the lack of practice time and the lack of physicality of preseason, I think the teams that stay in great shape, that really emphasize conditioning, emphasize pad level,

are the teams that at the end of the year come out to be the best teams. How do you see, this has been a topic I've noticed a lot here over the last few months, and especially now more than ever, which is the revenue of the NFL. Do you eventually see maybe the next CBA agreement that's going to be up to 18 games to 16? I know maybe that's going to be a fight from the Players Association, but I feel like we're pushing more and more towards that with the preseason. Yeah, I mean, I think you're going to have to. I mean, look, these preseason games are unwatchable.

Nobody's playing anybody. It's difficult to go through. We've got a Thursday night. All you want is the clock to run. So for me, it's very challenging to do it. But I think we need games to help the players become good. I just think it's a challenge on how this is going to get packaged. Yeah, that's a good point to bring up there as well.

And we can close things out here in the last couple minutes, Michael. Appreciate the time as always. And how would you tier up the AFC right now? Because I think with luck being out, I think the Patriots and now the Chiefs are in the biggest beneficiaries, maybe the Chargers as well. How would you maybe say the top three or four teams

in the AFC are now after this luck news? I still think Pittsburgh's a really good football team. I think Devin Bush makes them really good. I think James Washington will replace the Juju Schuster role, Smith Schuster role. I think Smith Schuster will replace the Antonio Brown role. I think Smith Schuster will replace the Antonio Brown role. I think the hungriness

and the whole perception of having a locker room cleared out, not perception, but the locker room being cleared out will make them much better in Pittsburgh. I think Pittsburgh, I think Kansas City, I think New England's defense is fabulous.

I think New England's big. They're physical on defense. They can cover in the back end and they're going to create a lot of problems. They're going to bring five defensive linemen that you're going to have a hard time blocking one-on-one. As individuals, they may not be great, but as teammates, together they are.

You really referenced this a lot on Twitter, and you're a must-follow on Twitter, MLombardiNFL. What are the latest trade wins you're hearing as far as that goes, Michael? Well, I talked about the Clowney you're hearing as far as that goes, Michael? Well, I talked about the Clowney deal. I mean, that was pretty, you know, that was,

I thought that was going to get done last week, and it probably would have been if Clowney would have signed his tender. I think he would have gone to Miami. That being said, I think that you'll see Clowney get traded. I think you'll see a lot of trades for offensive linemen that the fans haven't heard about. I think you'll see, because it's so hard to find offensive linemen and nobody wants to risk trying to claim the guy on the waiver wire, I think there'll see because it's so hard to find offensive linemen and nobody wants to risk trying to claim the guy on the waiver wire. I think there'll be some traits.

Look, we know this. There'll be 25 to 35 guys claimed at the wire because that's what always happens. Michael, hey, this is fun. I know you're a very busy man this time of year. You can go and follow him on Twitter at MLombardiNFL and you can also find him on multiple platforms, including the athletic. Appreciate the time, Michael. Thank you so much. Hey, thank you. I appreciate that. Yeah, no problem at all. We wanted to keep it quick for you. I know you're a busy guy, so appreciate your time, Michael.