Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 9/3/19: Jacoby Brissett inks new deal

Episode Date: September 3, 2019

On today's episode George Bremer of The Herald Bulletin stops by to talk all the latest Colts news. First off, Jacoby Brissett inked a 2-year, $30 million deal. Really, it was a savvy move by GM Chris Ballard to give him the franchise tag type of money now but spread it over two years for a cheaper cap hit in 2020. Also, it allows Indianapolis to evaluate Brissett for two full years if they would like.Also, what does George think of signing Brian Hoyer? In reality, it was the best option out there for a multitude of reasons with an easy out after this season. However, what does this mean for Chad Kelly? Will he replace Phillip Walker on the practice squad? For that to happen, he needs to clear waivers first if the Colts won't carry three QBs on their 53-man roster.Finally, we close with a deeper dive on Colts vs. Chargers before going into your Twitter Tuesday questions from the @LockedOnColts account.Note: The audio on Evan's end was a little choppy due to George's reception driving in traffic, but George's audio was perfectly fine. It will be resolved next episode, thanks for your understanding! Shouldn't impact a great Tuesday podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into Locked On Colts, probably Locked On Podcast Network. Today is August 7th. I'm joined by our weekly Tuesday guest, George Germer, the editor of the Herald Bulletin. How are you doing today, George? Good, good. How are you doing today? Doing great. Thanks again for coming on. I appreciate the time. And we're going to hit on a couple of topics today. We're going to dive in a little in-depth across the show and answer your guys' Twitter questions here on Twitter Tuesday. But first off, George, let me ask you about Jacoby Bursette

because it's a little surprising to me, even though maybe it shouldn't have been when we saw Brian Hoyer get his contract of $4 million per year. But what was your thoughts on Jacoby Bursette getting a two-year contract extension, so to say? Because there was some language confusion at first. They thought it was a three-year deal, but it turns out it was just a pay raise this year

going from $2 million to $15 million, then $15 million again in 2020. What was your thoughts on that deal for Brissette? I think it was necessary. You brought in a backup quarterback who was going to be making about four times what your starter was making. And so you give him that financial support that you've been verbally giving him throughout the last few weeks.

You take care of him that way. Everybody's mind's a little bit at ease. And now you don't – and you didn't put yourself in any kind of long-term problems with it. It's a deal that's structured as such that they can kind of deal with whatever they need to next year. And then if things work out this season and Jacoby Brissett plays as well as the team thinks he will,

then I'm sure you'll see another renegotiation process and probably another extension during the offseason. Dingo's sort of a savvy move there on Chris Ballard's part because I know it's almost like they did the franchise tag about six months in advance because the franchise tag is going to be $26 million. They kind of just spread it across over two years now so that now he can give himself more flexibility. Let's say they want to franchise tag a guy to be $26 million. They kind of just spread it across over two years now, so now they can give themselves more flexibility. Let's say they want to franchise tag a guy like Eric Ebron, for example.

Yeah, and it's sort of what we've seen happen with Ballard at all positions, really. He's always looking for flexibility, trying to take care of the player and take care of the team at the same time, give himself some room to still do other things that they might want to do. And really, like I said, I think the biggest thing of it is they've been talking now for basically a week about how much they believe in Jacoby Brissett

and how much he is the answer for them moving forward. Now you kind of put your money where your mouth is, and I think it's good for everybody all the way around. If Jacoby Brissett doesn't get this extension, the whole year is going to be spent with speculation about his future. Will he get the franchise tag? Will the team move on? Will he ask for too much money and move on himself?

So now you just kind of take all that off the table, and it's eliminating distractions and allowing him to do his job and the team to do its job in the best possible atmosphere things also I know after we sign a lawyer there it made awful lot sense to get pay grade up to where it is now the 19th highest pay correct the NFL for starting seller it's pretty good but do you think it's also sent a message to the locker room to like we've been talking in the media this whole time that we believe you Toby's a top 20 correct we really believe in him do you think it's also something to measure to the players as well like now we're putting like you said george you're kind of putting your money

where your mouth is and really showing the locker room too that you're again paying your own guy and you're you're showing them that yeah it's definitely sending a message to the locker room and telling them that guys are going to be rewarded you know they're not going to let i think letting your starting quarterback play on the deal that he was on and letting your backup quarterback make so much more than him, it's a recipe for disaster. It's the kind of thing that can breed not just, you know, some discontent within Jacoby's part, but the players looking at that

and saying, hey, man, if they're not going to take care of him, if they say they believe in him and he's our starter and they're not going to take care of him, what's going to happen to me when my deal comes up? Guys, like what they just did with Brissette, what they did this offseason with Luke Rhodes, with Kenny Moore, the extensions that they've gone out, Rigoberto Sanchez, all of that I think is sending a message to the locker room that says, hey, if you do your job and you meet the standards that we set around here, you'll get your money.

And it just helps with that atmosphere. It helps guys have a little bit of peace of mind. And, you know, it's something that's unique to the pro game, how that affects chemistry. But I think it's something that Chris Ballard, from the day he got here, has done a really good job with managing sort of the politics of the locker room in that regard. Let me ask you this, George, on Jacoby, because it feels like this deal to your 30 million, I'm all aboard it personally, because like you mentioned there, it's kind of stretching just the franchise tag over across

six months instead of doing it all the money at once in March. But if Bursette isn't up to par where they really believe he is as a top 20 quarterback, does this still really put him in a position where if he doesn't perform well, they can still move up in the draft and get a quarterback? Because it seems like Chris Ballard has all the assets still needed if Jacoby doesn't pan out. Absolutely. It's making a financial commitment to him that's real and that shows everybody that you believe in him. But at the same time, it's leaving things open.

They've got so much cap space right now. I think before this extension and signing Hoyer, it was something like $138 million projected next year, so you're still going to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $109 million, $110 million, something like that. They've got plenty of money to do whatever they want to do. They've got a lot of capital in the draft to move around if that's what they want to do. And this deal doesn't prevent any of that.

I expect no matter how well Jacoby Brissett plays, no matter if he ends up being exactly who they think he is and leads this team to the playoffs and has an exceptional season, I still expect them to draft somebody next year. It's just a matter of what round that's going to happen. Obviously, the better Brissette plays, the lower that priority will be. But you look at the way that Chris Ballard's handled this position. When he had Andrew Luck, and he had every reason to believe he had Andrew Luck for the next 10 years, he still went out and he traded for Jacoby Brissette,

brought him in here with the idea that he was somebody that could start in this league. He still went out and he found Chad Kelly, brought him in as a tryout for rookie camp and looks at him as a developmental guy. He's not going to stop bringing in guys now. No matter what happens with Brissett, he's going to continue to add to that position and try to make as much competition and find guys that they can develop in any way they can. It just – I think all Brissette's play is going to determine is how much they're willing to devote, how much they're willing to spend

to bring that next guy in. Yeah, that's an interesting point there. And it's going to be certainly something to follow through the out the season here for the Colts. But let's pivot to Brian Hoyer here for a second, George. He signed a $3 or $12 million contract. But it turns out in the language-through, the out the season here for the Colts. But let's pivot to Brian Hoyer here for a second, George. He signed a three-year, $12 million contract, but it turns out in the language of that contract, it's sort of like a one-year, $8 million to $9 million deal.

What did you think about that when you first saw it? Because I think Hoyer, I mean, if we're looking at the guys they talked about this time last week, Brock Osweiler, Brandon Whedon, some of those guys, it's just off the street. It seems like this is probably by far the best option they could have gotten right now. Yeah, when he got released by the Patriots, I thought this guy makes the most sense. You never know what they're going to do.

But when you just look at the inexperience in that quarterback room, Phillip Walker obviously on the practice squad again, never been on a 53-man roster. Chad Kelly has taken one snap in a regular season game in his NFL career. Jacoby's going to be making his 18th career start on Sunday against the Chargers. You needed somebody who's been around a little bit. I think that's the thing about Hoyer. As much as this is about having a guy who's proven that he can do a competent job, handle the duties on the field well, they're also paying for his mind. You know, this is a guy that Tom Brady, of all people,

has credited with help getting him ready for opponents week in and week out. He's seen just about everything you can see offensively, been in just about every kind of offense that you can be in. So you know that Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni are going to want to pick his brains about ways to change this offense. We learned last year how much they're going to be open to in-season change, to adding new things, you know, even from week to week. Hoyer is going to be, I think, somebody who can assist in that category as well.

But then also, just to be an extra set of eyes for Jacoby Brissett when they're watching film, when they're playing the game on Sunday, I think his role is going to be very similar to the role that Matt Hasselbeck filled for Andrew Luck. A veteran guy who's been around, who can guide the younger quarterback a little bit and give him a perspective that maybe he doesn't have at this point in his career. What do you think also with the contract too, George? It looks like it's three years, $12 million. And it's kind of like Ballard's always done with his contracts,

get himself an hour a year, lots of guaranteed money up front, but kind of really front load that pretty heavily. And the rest of it's kind of just an options for the next couple of years. I think it was an injury closet saw from pro football talk and NBC sports. What do you think about the flexibility they made with this lawyer deal? Because I think there's, there's a chance he's on this team for three more years, but I think there's also a chance maybe if they do draft a quarterback next year, that will be fine.

Yeah. It's sort of same thing as what they did with Jacoby Brissett. You give him a real money that shows that you're committed to him and that you like the idea of him coming in here and being a backup here for potentially three years. But at the same time, it's open to the idea that a draft pick might come in and beat him out. I think Chad Kelly is still a part of all of this.

He's probably going to be the number three quarterback this year, and whether they carry him on the main roster or the practice squad remains to be seen. But I think he's a guy that they want to watch and keep an eye on as a developmental guy. I really think, and I thought this really before the weekend, that Ballard's approach was going to be along the lines of bring somebody in now, in this case Hoyer, who can help out this season and maybe be an answer going forward. Keep Chad Kelly around, make sure he's part of the equation in the offseason.

Then you bring a rookie in too, and depending on how Jacoby Brissett plays, you have a battle royal next spring either for that backup spot behind him or for the starting role as well with everybody involved. It's just sort of the way that Chris Ballard operates. You now have a chance to bring in some new guys and let them prove it on the field, and I think that's the best for the team. It'll shake itself out. The contracts are worked out in a way that they won't lock anybody into any particular spot.

Let them determine it on the field and move forward from there i'm glad you brought up chad kelly george because i've had a lot of listeners ask me over the last couple days about what this means for chad kelly i know he gained a really big following here during precinct did really well in that but where do you expect chad kelly to be after suspension ends i heard today i saw your tweet that mentioned that he's actually still in the facilities and he's he facilities and he just can't practice. That's a thing. What do you think is the next step for him as far as when he's back from suspension?

Do you think that he's going to replace Phillip Walker in that practice squad? Yeah, I think that's the floor. I think that's the bottom line thing that'll happen for him. A lot of it depends on what's going on with the rest of the roster. How's the health of Jabal Sheard, for instance? How's the health shaping up at running back?

Do they need to carry an extra guy here or there? There's a lot of things you can do with that 53-man roster if you really want to. If they want to carry three quarterbacks, they can. I don't know if they're going to need to. I don't have the fear that a lot of other people have of exposing him to the waiver wire. I think at this point, he's still a guy that's going to be a hard sell for a lot of other people have of exposing him to the waiver wire. I think at this point he's still a guy that's going to be a hard sell for a lot of owners in week three because of his past

and because he hasn't really done anything yet in the regular season. I think the Colts have a lot of optimism about what he can grow into, and I think they want to take a look at that. And we'll see. Again, I think so much of it depends on how the roster plays out between now and and then injuries happen and you end up needing to carry an extra guy here there then he'll probably be a practice squad guy in a perfect scenario they can carry three quarterbacks though and and protect them that way what do you think the odds are Georgia let's say they do Jabal Shears back in the first couple weeks or maybe week three, and maybe they can't keep Chattahoochee

on the 53-man roster as a third quarterback. What do you think the odds are that he clears waivers? I think they're pretty good. I mean, you're still dealing with a guy for as much as he did to excite people around here in the preseason, and all that's real. And I'm not downplaying any of that. He looked outstanding. He's done everything that this franchise has asked him to do,

and he's done it at a high level. And like I said, I think the team feels very much like this is a kid with a bright future, and they want to continue to invest in him and keep him around. But if you're looking from the standpoint of an outside franchise looking to bring him in in week three, when your quarterback situation is theoretically set, he's still a guy with three times as many arrests as snaps played in the nfl right now so i think it's a hard sell for an owner to for a gm to go in right now and say we really like what

this guy did in the preseason and we think we should bring him in most owners are probably going to say is there another option at this point. You never know how things are going to play out. And quarterback obviously is the most important position on the field. So maybe somebody takes a chance. But I think there's a really good chance right now that he would go through waivers and they could get him to the practice squad. The opening week of the NFL is brought to you by Mack Weldon. Mack Weldon is a premium men's essentials brand that believes in smart design and premium fabrics.

Mack Weldon is better than the way you're wearing right now. I guarantee that. Promo code LOCKEDON gets you 20% off at MackWeldon.com. That is M-A-C-K-W-E-L-D-O-N.com. Again, that is MackWeldon.com and the promo code LOCKEDON. That's a good sign because I agree. I like what I saw from Kelly and Preece. He's a good developmental option. If Case lasts an emergency, you have to just hit that Chad Kelly button,

so to say. I feel like he might be able to get you something moving forward. But we'll have to obviously follow that moving forward in the next couple of weeks, George. But let's dive in now to the Chargers-Colts game. We're finally going to be able to preview a game here, which is nice to say. What do you think are the keys now?

Obviously, it's a lot different story two weeks ago than it was when Andrew Luck was still a quarterback. But now going to L.A. here on Sunday, what's your expectations for this team against a Chargers team? It looks a little injury depleted. Yeah, it's always tough for the teams that are going west and the teams that are going from the west to the east. Those kind of far, long trips, cross-country road trips

always tend to be difficult games. Everything about it is hard. The travel, the heat, you know, everything in that regard is difficult. So the Colts have got to overcome that. And for a young roster in particular, that can be tough from time to time. But also I think they've got to take advantage of some of those problem areas the Chargers have. And first and foremost, the offensive line.

Russell Okun's not going to play. We have seen this defensive line be pretty dominant throughout the preseason, throughout training camp. I think it's very important for Justin Houston in particular, Kamoku Ture, whoever's in there rushing the passer, to take advantage of a banged-up Chargers offensive line, put pressure on Phillip Rivers, make him uncomfortable all day. I think it starts right there for this team.

And then the flip side of it is that the Colts offensive line has to play better than they did during the preseason. And that caveat comes with that, that the first-team line was never together. We never saw one game with all five starting linemen together. So they needed to play at the level they were at a year ago. And that doesn't just mean protecting Jacoby Brissett, which is the obvious element of that. That means opening up holes for Marlon Mack and allowing him to be successful

the way he was, especially late in the season. The Colts can run the wall the way they did against the Texans, the way they did against the Cowboys. That's going to make Jacoby Brissett's life a lot easier and going to increase the opportunities they can win this game on Sunday. I think we're on the same page as far as the main theme of the game because if you look at Carter's defensive line, you have Bost and you have Ingram on the edges there

against Costanza and Braden Smith. You also have the Colts defensive line going against a really weak Chargers offensive line right now. Okun's going to be missing for week one as well. No Melvin Gordon as the running back position. Do you think that game on Sunday is going to be really one of the trenches there, whoever wins on both sides of that? Yeah, I mean, almost

every game in the NFL is, and this one in particular, because if you let Phillip Rivers have time and pick apart this defense, then it's going to be a long day for the Colts. If they can get to him, keep him off his spot, keep him uncomfortable, rush his throws, it changes everything about the game.

And I think it changes everything for Jacoby Brissett. If Rivers is comfortable putting points up on the board early and often, now all of a sudden the pressure on Brissett increases. If Rivers is struggling and that offense is struggling, then Brissett can feel a little bit more comfortable in his own skin. And if the Colts can score early, it can work the other way. What are some other keys to the game you're looking out for, George? Because I know Colt Rivers is definitely the one that we should focus on

because I know Matt Everpool has mentioned to his press conference that that's the main thing that you're looking for with this L.A. team. What other trigger points are you watching for from the Chargers side, things for the Colts they have to really capitalize on. Yeah, one of the injuries we didn't discuss that's as big as any on that Chargers sideline is Derwin James. He's not going to play. He was probably the runner-up to Rookie of the Year last year to Darius Leonard. And we know Jacoby Brissette has a big arm.

Say what you want about the way 2017 went, how much we can and can't take from that season in terms of trying to project what's going to happen this year. But one thing that was undeniable, 32 plays of 20-plus yards that season. His first completion was a 50-yarder, Dante Moncrief. We know he's got a big arm. And if Derwin James is not back there playing center field, you know what T.Y. Hilton's game is.

You know what he likes to do. I think the Colts need to take advantage of that big play potential and get some field position flipped early in that game and get that Chargers defense on the field a little bit. I think another big key for this, George, because I mentioned Derwin James being out there, how do you think the running game is going to have to be in this one? Because I really feel like the Chargers are going to send a lot of pressure.

As Cody Brissett said, it's his first start in over almost two years now after luck played all last year. What do you think they're going to have to do as far as the offensive game plan goes against this Chargers defense? Even though they're a little depleted, but Bosa and Ingram are no joke on the edges there. Yeah, they're absolutely. Pass protection is obviously such a major key for Frank Reich,

and they have those meetings every week with everybody involved, the offensive linemen, the running backs, tight ends, the quarterbacks, all in the room studying what the Chargers in this case do and how the game plan is going to go to try to slow them down. But as you mentioned, the running game I think is a big part of that because if you can get Marlon Mack going, you can kind of slow those rushers down a little bit, make them worry about where he is and what he's capable of doing.

But also a little bit of that short passing game, getting that hot route, getting rid of the ball quickly, hurting the Chargers when they blitz, you know, making it painful to come after Brissette. That's another big part of this. You've got to have enough problems with Bosa and Ingram. You don't want them sending a bunch of extra people as well. You want to make sure the Chargers are thinking twice about sending that extra blitzer, and that means Jacoby Brissette's got to be on his game in the short passing situations.

I think something he's struggled with in the past, getting into that rhythm, he's going to have to do that quickly and, again, make the Chargers pay. If they bring the extra rusher, throw it to that spot, get rid of the ball quick and make them pay for that decision. I'm glad you brought that up too, George, because this feels like an opportunity. I know he only played in one preseason game.

He really laughed a little bit when he was in there. Do you think the quick pass game is a thing where I think Harris might be able to make a big impact on Sunday? That's what his role is going to be. Those crossing patterns underneath, catch the ball, run, turn it into a big play. That's his game. You would think

there's a lot of things that he missed because of the injury in training camp. That's something that I think translates very quickly. It's what he did in college. It's a staple of this offense. He's a guy that Jacoby Brissett's going to undoubtedly be looking for early in these play calls. Underneath, easy throws, get him the football and let him, you know, create and make plays. Outside of the few guys you talked about, George,

who are maybe some under-the-radar players that you're watching for on Sunday? You mentioned Ture a little bit earlier. I think he's a guy that could be a breakout candidate for this team this year. And with that Chargers offensive line having some question marks, I think he's a guy that could have a big factor in this game. If he can get a sack or two

and then just consistently keep that pressure on Rivers, it can make a big, big difference for this team. And then the secondary as a whole, not necessarily one player, but that group right now, I think it's a deep defensive secondary. It's an athletic group. They're in a mindset of getting turnovers, creating takeaways. I think they can make a big difference in this game too. If the defensive line is making life a little bit difficult on Phillip Rivers, there should be opportunities

there. Some throws that come out earlier than they want them to, some throws that don't come out with the accuracy that you want them to, and the defensive backs need to take advantage of that, make plays on the ball, and maybe flip the field and give this offense a couple extra possessions. It's time to celebrate. Football is finally back. In DraftKings, the leader in one-day fantasy football has huge week one contests. The first one starts this Thursday night when Chicago and Green Bay kick off the season in a single-game showdown with $2.5 million in total prizes up for grabs. Draft your single-game showdown lineup and feel the sweat like never before.

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I really think that those types of players are going to be big on Sunday, really throughout the year. I'm really with you on Kamoko Ture. It could be one of those big breakout candidates for the Colts this year. But I'm going to get my prediction for you in just a couple minutes, George. But before we do that, we're going to do some Twitter Tuesday questions here, a couple extra ones from this time last week. And the first one up here is from Bob Sacamono at Jacket Off Sports.

And he asked you, George, what's your new over-under as far as the run for the Colts run for the quarterback? Yeah, I had to put a prediction into the paper right after this came out for our NFL preview page, and I said 9-7. I think that'll be enough to win the AFC South. I think it's going to be a really interesting division this year. I think 9-7 or 10-6 might get it done. So I put the win total over under right around 8.5.

I think there's definitely going to be an adjustment period, especially early in the year, probably similar to what we saw a year ago. Hopefully they can get through that at better than a 1-5 clip. As the year goes on and they hit midseason and Brissette gets comfortable and the team gets comfortable with him, hopefully they'll be able to kick it into another gear and finish the year strong like they did in 2018. I had 9-7 too, George, but good to know someone else is on that train with me.

I really think the AFC South this year is going to be a division where you can win it with nine games. Ten probably guarantees it. But next one up on our Twitter Tuesday list for you, George, is from Mitchell B., and he asked about Deion Kane. Where does he fit into how much time do you expect for him week one and throughout the season? Yeah, Deion Kane is going to be a real interesting guy in this offense. We know that QI Hilton, Devin Funchess are going to get the majority of the snaps.

You figure Parrish Campbell and Chester Rogers are going to get the majority of the role in the slot. So I think Deion Kane is looking at that fourth, fifth receiver's role. But they want to be able to take advantage. This is a guy at Clemson that really can take the top off defenses. I think he's a guy that when you can line him up opposite T.Y. Hilton, you're going to make some defenses make some really difficult choices in terms of how they want to play that. If you overload Hilton's side, then Kane is capable of kind of running past your defense

on the other side, and it just makes a lot of tough decisions out there for defenses. I would imagine at least a couple times a game, the Colts are going to want to take a look at that and keep that in an opposing coordinator's mind. Next one up for you here, George, is really on both Deion Kane and Paris Campbell. He asks, who has more potential to break out this year, Kane or Campbell? I think Campbell just because he's going to get more opportunities. What we just discussed, when you look at the way that the wide receivers shake out right now, it won't stay that way the whole year, obviously. If somebody's underperforming, you know,

there's a chance for guys beneath them to move up. But I just feel like Campbell's a guy that they've got big plans for. It's why they drafted him when they did. You really look back at his Ohio State tape and you look at his skill set, what he did. In a little bit of time, we saw him in the preseason, this is a guy that really fits what this offense wants to do. So I think the opportunities are going to be there more for him.

The numbers will be bigger for him. Again, I think with Deion Kane, it's going to be situational. They're going to take their spots, call their shots there, and when he gets that opportunity to come in, he's going to need to take advantage of it. Next one for you, George, here from Damian Leninger, and he asks, with Jacoby Brissett now in the quarterback position, do you think we will see more emphasis on the run game throughout the season?

I think we were going to anyway. I mean, that's something Frank Reich discussed all the way through the offseason when they thought Luck was going to be good to go and never change. That's something that you saw Philadelphia do well when they ran into the Super Bowl title and Frank Reich was the offensive coordinator there. That's something the Colts definitely have as a goal. They've mentioned specifically they want to be a top five rushing offense this year.

I don't think anything about the change in quarterback alters that in any way. I think the key is to be able to run when they want to run. It's not so much about numbers and how many carries they get per game. It's about running the ball when they want to run the football and knowing that that's there whenever they want to pull that out of the golf bag. This is a similar question to that one. It's from Josh Hunter George, and he asks, what are your expectations for Marlon Mack this year at the running back position?

Because it seems like, personally, he's going to have to have a leap year, so to say, to be healthy all 16 games. I have felt like all offseason long, this is a guy that is probably the leading breakout candidate for this team. He didn't miss a practice the whole offseason. That didn't happen in either of his first two years in the league. Doesn't mean something won't happen early in the year to him. He's obviously in a position to take

quite a pounding, and we know that. But this is a guy that I think is primed and ready behind a great offensive line with a lot of other weapons in the passing game. I think it's going to be a big year for Marlon Mack, and I think probably somewhere in the range of 1,100, 1,200 yards

should be probably the bottom line expectation for him this season. Where do you think Marlon Mack lands on the spectrum, George, of these running backs out there? Because I was looking at running backs who rushed for 1,200 yards last year. It was only Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Saquon Barkley. So where would you place Marlon Mack on the running back threshold? I think he's a top- 10 running back in this league. Do you think he'll be close to that for this year?

I think he'll be close to that at the end of this season. And I think so much of it has to do with the role that he plays. It's not just what he does individually. It's the offense he's in, the scheme that Frank Reich runs. Again, much like Paris Gamble, Marlon Mack is very well suited with his skill set for what this offense wants to do. I think that's as big a part of it as anything else. His speed, his breakaway ability, it meshes really well in this kind of RPO scheme. If defense has any hesitation on what's coming,

Mack's going to make them pay in a heartbeat. We saw it again and again at the end of last season. Once he finally got healthy, you saw just how good of a fit he is in this heartbeat. We saw it again and again at the end of last season. Once he finally got healthy, you saw just how good of a fit he is in this game. Last question for you here, George, before we go on to your predictions here. This is for Michael. Who were under for two-way percent touchdowns

on Sunday against the Chargers defense, two and a half? Do you expect more of a passing attack to a slice to the Chargers defense or a rushing attack? I'll go to Marlon Mack. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how that plays out because we really haven't seen anything from this offense in the preseason.

T.Y. Hilton didn't take a snap. Devin Funches barely played. Jujubee Brissett barely played. The offensive line, as we mentioned earlier, never played one game together, all five starters. So I think there's a lot of mystery here as to how that's going to play out. The Colts, Brissett, Sirianni, Reich, all to a man have said this offense is not going to change. The way they interpret it will change a little bit.

But it's not going to be a big overhaul of kind of what they've done from last year. So they want balance. But I think this is an offense that wants those big plays. Jacoby has the arm to make those big plays. I think two touchdown passes is a reasonable expectation for him on Sunday. Now, we can close things out here, George, your predictions. I know Indiana's legalized sports gambling, so I'm going to involve this freighter for a second.

I think the last one I saw was six and a half points. The Chargers were favored over the Colts. One, do you expect the Colts to cover that? And two, do you think the Colts are going to win this game? I think the Colts will cover. I think it's going to be a close one. I still think the Chargers pull it out when all is said and done.

It's an awful lot to ask this young team to overcome everything that's happened in the last two weeks. They've done a good job of putting it aside, but now you've got to go out on the field and play without Andrew Luck for the first time. You've got to do it across country, and you've got to do it with a roster that even with the injuries they have,

top to bottom, this is one of the most talented rosters in the NFL with the Chargers. It's a lot to ask, I think, of a young team in week one when they're still trying to find their ways. I think they'll be competitive. I think they'll have their moments. But I think in the end, the Chargers' experience will win out. I don't want to spoil any articles we might have for the Herald Bulletin,

George, but do you have a score for us? Somewhere around neighbor 24 to 21. I'm expecting something like that. Pretty good game. Pretty solid play from both teams. And, again, I think at the end of the day, I'll go with the more experienced group at home. It's definitely going to be a close game on Sunday for sure, George.

If you haven't already, please do so, listeners. Go follow George on Twitter, at GMBremmer. Read all the stuff on the Harold Bullets and Anderson. Appreciate your time, George. We'll be talking again next Tuesday, recapping the game. No problem. Looking forward to it.