Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - The Mo Alie-Cox breakout + Colts vs. Bears deep dive

Episode Date: September 30, 2020

On today's episode, Anthony Smith of Coast To Coast Scouting joins Evan to talk through the Colts' 36-7 win before diving deep into Sunday's game against the Bears.First up, how can we not talk about the Mo Alie-Cox breakout? Another solid outing from Big Mo has us believing he could be the future at tight end for Indy. Keep feeding Alie-Cox, and Colts OC Nick Sirianni mentioned that will happen as well. Is it possible Big Mo is the Colts' leading receiver in 2020?Philip Rivers continues to be efficient. He's made the Colts' offense do a complete 180 compared to last season. Even though it's not gaudy numbers, hard not to notice the difference versus Jacoby Brissett in 2019.Diving into the Bears, are they a fraudulent 3-0? We believe so, and the Colts should capitalize off it. Nick Foles took over for Mitch Trubisky, but will he actually be a better QB matchup for Indy? With a 50% chance of rain in the forecast, expect a heavy ground attack from Jonathan Taylor.All of this, plus so much more, as we close in on next Sunday in Chicago! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back into your latest episode of Locked on Colts, probably Locked on Podcast Network. Today's live is your host Evan Sutter and joined by Anthony Smith of Coast to Coast Scouting as we are here to talk through the Colts-Jets game as well as really dive deep into the Bears game on Sunday. An important road matchup for the Colts in Chicago where it's expected to be downpour rain. So that could really be a really ugly slugfest type matchup we could hit on

yesterday as well with Stephen Rhea Stampede Blue. We're going to dive even deeper into that, though, because, of course, the Bears, are they a fraudulent 3-0 team? I think we're going to hit a lot on that, too, today as well, Anthony. How are you doing today? Doing all right, man. I just have one thing to say, and that is welcome to the starting lineup. Mo Alley, Cox, tight end one.

Nailed that when we were on a few days ago. Yeah, another awesome game for Big Mo. Let's start off with him. I mean, might as well because against Minnesota, goes for five for 111 and a touchdown. Against the Jets, three for 50 and a touchdown. Catches over his four in his career touchdown pass in his future Hall of Fame career.

At this point, we heard Nick Sirianni off at's a corner mentioned today even though jack doyle is coming back trey burton is coming back not too surprising we had on this like you mentioned last week too that if molly kock kock's keeps playing the way he is he should be tight in one he should be getting a lot more more targets a lot more reps and we saw him out snap jack doyle on sunday and he really is starting to show he's a great blocking tight end. But I think he becomes more of a threat in the receiving game. In his last two games, he's caught eight of nine targets for 162 yards, two touchdowns averaging over 20 yards per reception as well.

He's a mismatch nightmare now. And Phillip Burrus, you're going to see the trust. He's up there even with maybe T.Y. Hilton, as far as guys he trusts the most are in that receiving game. Yeah, he seems like a guy that's really just going to continue to build confidence. I mean, he only had three catches on three targets, of course, since it was a bit of a blowout against the Jets last week.

And so it's not like he had a huge target share, but you can just see his impact in both in being able to spread the field and also really improving as a blocker. He seems like a guy that's really going to continue to develop and build some rapport with Phillips. So I'm excited to see what happens for him and the rest of the offense as they continue to move on. Yeah, hitting on Mo for a second too, because when Nick Skirani mentioning earlier today as we're recording this on Tuesday evening, that Moley Cox could be probably receiving even more of a target share

moving forward here. What do you think is the upside with Malik Cox? I mean, we already hit on how good of a blocker he is. He's shown that the last couple of years in Indianapolis. But if he becomes like an Eric Ebron-esque receiving threat with maybe more versatility, I mean, what's his ceiling? Because we already seen in pro football focus, again, a plus 90 grade for Malik Cox, the best rate tied in the NFL.

Incredibly enough, Anthony, he's the fourth best player in PFF's ranking so far this whole season. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, TJ Watt are the only three guys ahead of him so far in PFF grading. I mean, is it fair to say that if this continues and he keeps ascending, he could be a top five tied in the NFL? I don't want to be too hyperbolic here because it's only been three games, but, I mean, the ceiling is immense with him.

Yeah, like you mentioned, I mean, small sample size of course so you know we got to pump the brakes a little bit but I mean if if you're you know projecting on on what this team could do or excuse me what uh Mo Ali Cox can do you know in the future he seems like a guy that uh like you mentioned top five doesn't honestly seem out of you know the the realm of possibility of course you know you have your Kittles and Kelseys and Ertz. Darren Waller, those are probably the top four in some order that most people are going to name right off the bat. But I think that as long as he continues to get looks

and continues to develop, we'll see him start to get up into the upper echelon, maybe comfortably sit somewhere in the second tier of really good tight ends in this league. So I think it's going to be really awesome to watch. And that was an absolutely great find for the Colts. Let's hit on an unfortunate injury for the Colts. Now three weeks in a row, they're suffering an injury on the offensive side, a starter

to Marlon Mack week one. Then we saw, of course, in week two, Paris Campbell goes down along with Malik Hooker on defense. Week three, after the game ends, Michael Pittman Jr., it's reported he has compartment leg syndrome. He has to have surgery later that night to repair it. Ian Rappaport mentioned that he's going to be out probably until the bye week, which means he's going to miss the next four games for the Colts. So how big of a blow is that now, Anthony?

Because this is really deja vu over again for this Colts team because last year they were one T.Y. Hilton injury away again from being starting Zach Paschal's number one wide receiver. Yeah, yeah, that's a big blow. Hate to see Michael Pittman go down for what looks like it's going to be probably about half of the season. I mean, I think what this does for now is really it's going to put a bigger strain on Frank Reich and, of course, Nick Sirianni as well, you know, with this play calling,

I think we're going to see them get, you know, even more creative, you know, some of the things that we saw with Paris Campbell, you know, early on this season with creative sweeps and things like that. I think that we're going to need to see the pulse do something similar.

Getting Naheem Hines more involved in the, in the passing game that he already is put him him out wide in the slot if you need to. We got to get our guys, our faster guys on the field to make up for this lack of talent between the injuries. So as long as Frank and Nick continue to keep the tempo, I think things will be fine. And of course, the running game is still rock solid, but it's definitely going to be a bit of a test, I yeah totally agree with you there and moving forward now ty hilton's number

one of course you have zach paus was your second receiver and then the third receiver probably be either reese fountain marcus johnson desmond patman all those guys probably be getting reps moving forward here now you also have to see of course how this cold team is going to adjust now i mean you have to imagine though at least for the next two or three weeks that this team is going to be probably like we saw in week two against Minnesota, Anthony, probably run the ball about 65 to 70% of the time they're on offense. Yeah. Yeah. Totally agree. I think we'll see, um, you know, another, another big game, uh, as far as touches for Jonathan Taylor. Uh, we saw Naheem Hines and Jordan Wilkins get extra touches as well, uh, against the jets partially

because, you know, such a blowout and there's no need to put so much wear and tear on JT. But I do think that we'll see it'll transition back to run first rather than, you know, having Phillip try to work with an injury-riddled wide receiver core. Now, three straight weeks now, we've seen Phillip Ursa have a super efficient game. I'm not really going to count that Jaguars game just because the interceptions obviously we're on phil there but throwing it 46 times i don't think we're ever going to see that again this year honestly unless they really get into a true shootout with the team on their schedule but i mean what can you say about phil burris at this point i know it's not gaudy numbers in the box score here but just so

impressed with the way he's just making this offense look so efficient right now yeah he i mean he's doing exactly what i i I really, what I hoped for. I mean, like you mentioned, hopefully we're not seeing him in the, in the mid to high forties anymore. And he has games unless there's a real big shootout or an OT game or something like that. But I mean, he's looked really good apart from, you know, a couple of gaffes with, with some interceptions and enforcing things like we've talked about before. I really feel like he's a guy that can lead this team deep into the playoffs.

I mean, we've seen already that he's such an upgrade over Jacoby as far as, you know, his playmaking and his ability to fit passes in a tight window. So even though we're not asking, you know, a ton from him, I don't think he expected to, you know, throw the ball 40 times. So I'm really liking what I'm seeing so far from Phillip Rivers. Colts fans, rockauto.com is the place to go if you want to save money on your next car purchase, whether it be a new oil change, new tires, you want to get a fuel pump assembly for $150 plus less than the competitors out there, big chain front stores.

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Write Locked On again at rockauto.com in their How-To-Buy Box, send it over to us and we'll send you. An underrated aspect to this Colts team so far, Anthony, compared to last year, has been will ever need. Write Locked On again at rockauto.com in their Howdy Brats box. Send a Locked On cold saying over there. An underrated aspect to this Colts team so far, Anthony, compared to last year has been the special teams unit. And I want to hit on Rigoberto Sanchez, who has definitely not gotten a lot of mention on this show. He's not like a hot topic. But I think it's fair to say over the last three weeks,

and I saw a stat from Kevin Bone earlier today at 107.5 The Fan, that Rigoberto is not a touchback on a kickoff since this calendar year of last year, week two of 2019. The way he's been able to really just pen teams deep in the field position, we've seen for the first three weeks of the year that Colts are number one in field position advantage so far, too, starting above their 30 most of the time, and the opponent is either starting around their 18, 20-yard line as well. I mean, it's fair to say that it's incredible. The gem that Chris Bauer found in Rigoberto Sanchez as an undirected free agent when he first signed on here,

because going from Pat McAfee, one of the best kickers of the last decade at the pump position to Rigoberto really has not been much of a drop off at all. Yeah, completely agree. And that's something that I tweeted as well on Sunday after a couple of the punts that he had. It was really a flawless transition from Pat, who of course is one of the best punters we've seen in recent memory, to Rigo Sanchez. He's just an absolute killer as far as flipping field position, keeping their guys pinned and creating opportunities

to make plays on these short kickoff and punt returns. So he's been absolutely stellar. This special teams unit as a whole really has been really solid. So I'm looking forward to seeing his development. And it's crazy that, you know, we're talking about a punter on a podcast, but that's how impactful he's been for this team. Yeah, it truly has been. This special teams unit so far has been awesome in 2020.

Last thing on the Jets game here before we dive into the Bears preview, Anthony, what was your assessment of that defense performance on Sunday they had that one bad drive where Darnold went down to a touchdown but from there just complete utter domination against this Jets offense and we kind of expect they should there's no excuse they don't win by 10 plus points or at least cover that 11 half point spread they definitely did that winning 36-7 by 29 points I mean it's fair to say it's one of the best performances we've seen on defense in the last five, six plus years for this Colts defense. Yeah, absolutely. Very, very solid. Very balanced performance. We saw impacts at all three levels. We saw the linebackers getting after guys.

Of course, the group that we have on the defensive line between Justin Houston with the late game safety, DeForest Buckner of course making plays. It's been really fun to watch. And then the development of our defensive backs, you know, Julian Blackman. Of course, very, very good game for Xavier Rhodes, as well as TJ Carey with two pick sixes. And that's really what this team has needed, you know.

Rather than just creating turnovers, you know, being able to, you know, turn those turnovers into big, big plays like the pick sixes that we saw, that just completely changes the momentum of the game. So, you know, it was a little bit unfortunate to see that the first points the Jets scored in the first half all season, you know, came pretty easily against the Colts. But of course, they tightened up and looked really, really good after that. Let's dive in now to this Bears game here on Sunday, where last I checked, late last night, we're recording with Stephen Reed of Stampede Blue. There's a 40% chance of rain in Chicago on Sunday. We also saw this Bears team replace Mitch Trubisky now that the Mitchie Biscuits era is over in Chicago as Nick Foles comes in and is the starter. It was

announced on early Monday that he will be the starter against the Colts, and I imagine the rest of the season too. What's your assessment overall of this Bears team? Just excluding the Colts matchup for a moment. Just what do you think about them overall? Just the way I feel like it's unfair to say, of course, because I feel like it's impossible to really play that draft game with the quarterbacks up front and look at revisionist history. But if the Bears had Deshaun Watson or Patrick Mahomes instead of Mitch

Trubisky, I mean, this team with the way their defense played a couple of ago and even last year, too, they might already have a ring or two. Yeah, I completely agree. I mean, you look at, you know, first what they had to give up to get Mitch, you know, that setting them back a few years on its own and then the fact that he hasn't really been able to develop into this franchise cornerstone has really been absolutely devastating, it feels like, for the Bears. I mean, you have guys like Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace, the GM,

that were getting so much praise early on when the defense was running at full steam and they picked up Khalil Mack and everything. They've really, really not been able to put it together since then. So I think that Nagy's on the hot seat. Obviously, the move to, excuse me, move from Trubisky to Nick Foles is a big one. But I think that's the right move. I mean, he seems like a guy that has a better grasp of what it takes to be a quarterback in the NFL.

So, you know, it's unfortunate for the Bears that, you know, they picked the wrong guy. I think they definitely would have been a really, really strong contender, of course, with Mahomes or Deshaun Watson. But the draft is a really, really uncertain thing. And for them, unfortunately, it looks like they're going to have to cut ties with a guy that they had a lot of hope for. Yeah, number two overall pick, and I don't know if he's going to make it past his rookie contract at this point.

They did his fifth-year option, but we're going to replace a quarter of the way through the season for Nick Foles, who they traded a fifth-round pick for this past year. It really says a lot about Trubisky's future there in Chicago. But before we dive into this matchup, too, just looking at their schedule now for the next four to six weeks, I mean, they're one of seven undefeated teams left, Anthony, so, I mean, they're going to be getting some national publicity at least until they lose the game. They play the Colts on Sunday, and they play at the home against the Buccaneers

at Carolina, at Los Angeles, and then against at the home against the Buccaneers, at Carolina, at Los Angeles, and then against the Saints, Titans, Vikings, Packers. I mean, that's a super tough schedule for them. I don't know, maybe they have like two more wins out of those next six or seven. That's a really tough selecting for them if they don't win on Sunday against this Colts team. Yeah, they, I mean, people have been saying this on Twitter,

and I, you know, hate to harp on Bears fans when they're feeling pretty good about their team so far, but it feels like somewhat fraudulent 3-0, if we're being honest. I mean, we know that that defense is rock solid, and they've kind of willed their way to 3-0, but it hasn't looked pretty. So I think the jury is still out on them. I don't know that we can say that they're an absolute bona fide contender

in the NFC North or in the NFC as a whole, especially with making this quarterback change so early on. It's going to be interesting to see how they progress through the next few weeks, but like you mentioned, it's a tough slate. We could see them start to tank a little bit and end up towards the bottom of that division after just a few weeks. From the Colts standpoint, maybe it's crazy to say, Anthony, just because we saw, I mean, Mitchell Trubisky, we've seen Sam Darnold do this as well.

Even Gardner mentioned week one, these more mobile quarterbacks at least have some sort of mobility to them, give the Colts some problems as far as evading the pocket a little bit. I feel more confident in this matchup against Nick Foles is more of a pocket statue as quarterback because we saw last year against Jacksonville, they won 33-13 in his first start back from his collarbone injury. If you put pressure on consistently, and especially now adding DeForest Buckner to the mix, I feel like there's a really good chance his defense will go off on Sunday.

Yeah, I agree. I think that we saw several plays really from Sam Darnold last week that should have ended up in sacks, and just his fluidity and mobility allowed him to escape and make some really good plays and you know extending the play I don't know that we'll see that from Nick Foles I believe the Colts only recorded two sacks this past Sunday but I think we'll see maybe three or four at least this this upcoming weekend because I do agree like I said I think that you know between the

familiarity Frank Reich has with Nick Foles and as well as the defensive line and that defensive unit really clicking right now, I think we should be able to rattle him a little bit more. Built Bar is the best tasting protein bar ever. They've added six new flavors onto the original 12 to make 18 amazing flavors, including nut and non-nut flavors. For example, I mean, they're great for the health conscious guy out there. They're covered in 100% chocolate and they're soft and easy to chew. They help you lose or maintain weight while doing you a delicious treat. The bars are low calorie, low sugar, high protein,

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Instead of 40% chance of downpour rain, it's 50% chance now of torrential downpours on Sunday. What are you expecting now? If that's going to be the case, which seems very likely now, this could be like an old Jonathan Taylor-Wisconsin game, couldn't it? Yeah, yeah. I mean, if more rain means we're pounding the ball on the ground, I would think, and so that fits perfectly into what this team likes to do anyway. I do agree.

If it's going to be a wet and rainy day, we'll see a real trench battle. Might not see 36 points again, potentially. But the Bears, luckily, their defensive run unit and statistics as a whole haven't been great this season, so we could potentially see a really solid game from Jonathan Taylor. Totally agree with you there. I could really see maybe some quick game as far as that goes, too, from the passing game for this Colts team. I imagine it's probably going to be, like we mentioned at the top of the show, more so like the Vikings game on Sunday,

where we get around 35 carries for this Colts offense moving forward here. But let's dive in just to your overall preview of this game. What are your three keys to, like you mentioned, I agree with you about the Bears being a fraudulent 3-0. They barely beat the Giants. They had to come back and beat the Falcons as well. I feel like if the Colts established dominance early, this could be a game where the

Bears struggle to move the ball. The Colts really kill the clock and have about 35-40 minutes of this game. Maybe it's not like a high scoring blowout game. I could see maybe along the lines of like a 20-9 type of game for this outing for the Colts against the Bears. Yeah, I think it'll be relatively low scoring. I think we'll see probably maybe like a 21 to 13 or a 24 to 16, something like that. As far as my three keys for the game, number one, I would say would be big plays.

We haven't seen a ton of really dynamic, explosive 20 plus yard plays this season. And it's really interesting. I learned today that Jonathan Taylor actually doesn't even have a 20 yard run yet. So I would love to see, you know, a big, you know, outbreak or breakout, excuse me, from, from him, as far as some of these big plays and hitting holes with a little more conviction. Number two, I would say would be probably quick passing. If it's going to be, you know, a rainy and wet game, you're not going to be looking for these huge developing routes down

field most likely, especially with the injuries that we're seeing. So I expect some quick passes, let guys like Naheem Hines, TY, Mo'Ally Cox, get their yards after catch like they're so good at doing. And then number three, and really this could be one every week is going to be protect the ball, especially if it's raining. We know this Bears defense is still really good. They still have some great playmakers there. And so as long as you can avoid these silly interceptions, any fumbles and things like that, I think that the Colts should be in good position to control the clock. And I think that the defense is going to be good enough to slow down that Bears offense led by Nick Foles.

What's been your prediction now? According to DraftKings, the Colts are two and a half point favorites on the road here. So pretty much a touchdown favorite if you exclude the three-point home field advantage. I don't know if they're factoring that in, honestly, this year with most fans not having fans in the stands. I think Chicago's the same way where there's no fans this year at Soldier Field. But do you think the Colts cover that spread, Anthony? What's your prediction for this one? I'm going to probably stick with my prediction, just thinking about it a little bit more the last couple minutes. I'm going to go 20-9, this Colts team, and a real true muddy slugfest.

I'll take – I think I'll go 24-13. I think we will get at least one big play, one big turnover. And once the ball gets rolling, I think that Reich will be able to keep the ball in Indianapolis' hands. Always enjoy talking with you, man. You guys can go follow him on Twitter at Ant underscore the Oreo, and also go read his work over at Coast to Coast Scouting.

Anthony, appreciate the time. We'll talk to you again in a week or so. Absolutely. We'll see you later.