Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Ultimate Division Crossover Special, Part III

Episode Date: July 15, 2020

On today's episode, Part III of our Ultimate Division Crossover dives deep into the Colts!What's the expectations for Philip Rivers in Indy? What are some intriguing camp battles to watch? All of this, plus so much more, as we focus solely on your Indianapolis Colts!The Colts are set up to take full advantage of this division, especially with all of the new upgrades made to the roster this offseason.Stay tuned for Part IV of our Ultimate Division Crossover tomorrow! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are back with the third installment in our Ultimate Division Crossover Series little training camp preview for the AFC South. I am the host of the Locked on Titans podcast, Tyler Rowland. We are here with host of the Locked on Texans podcast, John Hickman, host of the Locked on Jaguars podcast, Tony Wiggins, and we are focusing on the Indianapolis Colts today with host Evan Sidery. Evan I just wanted to ask you straight off the jump dive right in with the number one question I think at least in my mind projecting a little that will define the Colts season and that is

does Phillip Rivers have anything left in your experience with him since we last talked? Do you feel better about his signing, worse, or where do you kind of stand in your feelings about that right now? Yeah, the more I've watched of Rivers since that signing happened right away in March in free agency, I'm more and more warming up to the idea because I think he's going to play a role similar to what happened with your quarterback, Tennessee, Tyler, with Ryan Tannehill, kind of have no pressure on him, kind of just be the game manager, take some deep shots here and there,

do some quick passes to guys like T.Y. Hilton, rookie Mike Levin Jr., Naeem Hines, their scat back there as well. I think they have a lot of pieces in place for Phillip Rivers to really cut down his turnovers last year. Of course, he had 20 interceptions. That's sort of why the Chargers moved on and drafted Justin Herbert in the first round because they thought Rivers didn't have much left. But Frank Reich and Chris Bauer have been adamant this whole period that Rivers

saw some juice left in his arm they still think the arm strength is there from the last couple years and they think that he could really bounce back to the 2018 form when the Chargers were 13 and 3 and on the doorstep making the Super Bowl run that they did and going to Baltimore and being Lamar Jackson's rookie year they think you can really have that and more and the piece in place the offensive line with the Colts is the best in the NFL. They are definitely helping out with Phillip Rivers. They should be back to around 15-18 sacks as they were with Andrew Luck in

2018. Jaquay Bursette just held the ball way too long last year. That's why our second was going to play a little bit there. With Rivers' accuracy, his timing, his leadership, I just think he fits so well in this Colts culture and locker room that for a two-year stopgap, I think he's going to in this Colts culture and locker room that for a two-year stopgap, I think he's going to be around for two years,

even though it's a one-year contract. If Rivers does well this year, he'll probably get another one-year deal on board the Colts there. But I really do love the sign the more I talk about more because I think it's such a big upgrade for Bursette, where Bursette was probably a bottom five starting quarterback in the NFL last year, and Rivers is at least average or maybe even top 12. And that's a huge difference in my book.

And that kind of piece really should put the Colts back from a 7-9 team to a team that should be in the 9-10-11-1 range this year because I think Rivers makes that big of a difference, especially with the relationship he had in place already with Frank right from San Diego where he had his career best year percentage-wise at 69.5%. So maybe not gaudy stats for Phillip Rivers here in 2020, Tyler, but I expect a year where it's a lot more efficient

and a lot less pressure on him, especially with the running game having placed him. Evan, go ahead, John. Okay, I'm sorry. Yeah, I got a quick question about Jonathan Taylor. What do you believe his expectations will be for the season and how will he be used in this coach's offense? Yeah, obviously Scott had expectations for Taylor long-term in Indianapolis,

but I think this year in his rookie season, I expect him to be kind of the second fiddle to Marlon Mack, at least the first part of the season, because Mack has entered into last year's contract, and Taylor, of course, had a lot of tread on his tires from Wisconsin. So Frank Reich has mentioned before that's not a one-two punch. They call it a one-one punch in Indy because they think both get a lot of touches this year. Taylor is obviously an explosive back. He's very built like a Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott type, where he can really break off anything at any time. And I think the expectation for him this year is going to be

just give him some patience. I think the numbers might not be there at first, but I think later on in the year, I'm very bullish on Taylor, that he's probably going to take a starting spot from Marlon Mack later in the season, probably around October, November, and kind of take it from there. Because Mack, of course, he's a great back. He has great vision, but he doesn't have the exact explosiveness and burst that Taylor does.

And behind this offensive line, I think Taylor could put up some really gaudy numbers like he did in Wisconsin. And with that combination with the offensive line and Taylor in place, I think the Colts are set up for a very long time. But I think preserving Taylor a little bit this year with Marlon Mack and having those two be a really lethal combination could really help him out and keep him healthy, but also keep Marlon Mack healthy at the same time there. So I think Taylor two be a really lethal combination could really help him out and keep him healthy,

but also keep Marlon Mack up at the same time there. So I think Taylor's got a really big year, but I think it's going to be more of a shared, shared load there with Marlon Mack. Now, let me make this point and then I'll, and I'll ask you a question. Um,

uh, Evan, I think I picked the Colts sort of, you know, in, in one of my podcasts earlier to be that team that you really have to watch out for, and here's why. I don't know if Phillip Rivers is the Phillip Rivers that he was five years ago, but what I do know is I dare you to blitz him like you would another quarterback

who you don't think can process that information quickly. Go ahead, try it. And the other thing is if you do want to blitz a quarterback that doesn't have his mobility, that's losing the edge, you kind of want to get him up the middle to kind of get them off their square well that's the strength that's the strength of the coach's offensive line is right up the middle now the key is the health of the young wide receivers that they had hurt and of ty hilton and then the fact that they continue to address that all of those things coming into play and like you said the familiarity with rivers and

and reich that's why i think they can win three or four games that they didn't win last year give me Coming into play and, like you said, the familiarity with Rivers and Reich, that's why I think they can win three or four games that they didn't win last year. Give me your assessment and thought on that. Yeah, I think overall this offense has some really strong potential. Like you mentioned, Tony, the offensive line is the best in the NFL. Quentin Nelson, I think, is already one of the best players in the NFL as a left guard, which says a lot about him overall and his talent. And also Anthony Costanza, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith,

those guys up front make up that unit. But you look at the playmakers on the outside too. We talked about Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack, that combination there. But T.Y. Hilton is going to have a bounce back year. I think he was riddled by injuries last year. And he was put in a pressure where he was double-teamed almost every single game because the weapons the Colts had just weren't there or they were injured. And Paris Campbell too, a rookie last year from Ohio State,

I have a lot of sky-high hopes for still. I think that he is going to be a very good slot receiver in this offense, but injuries just back-to-back-to-back kept knocking him out for games. And you saw his game-breaking speed, 4-3-1 speed for a six-foot wide receiver. It was crazy to think about. I think he's going to be used a lot more in those drag concepts, the slant concepts, and really have a lot of yards to catch for this Colts team, especially if there was a quarterback there. And you add in Michael Pittman Jr., I think it's one lot of yards to catch for this Colts team, especially if Phil Perver's a quarterback there.

And you add in Michael Pittman Jr., I think it's one of my favorite draft targets for the Colts this year in this draft class because 6'4", big body, no side goal to get the deep ball, which Phil Perver loves, Vincent Jackson type, the Malcolm Floyd type, the Mike Williams type. He fits right into that mold there, and Rivers thrives with those kind of big body receivers. So I expect

a big year for Michael Pittman Jr. as well. Zach Paschal's there for good depth. He had a good year for himself last year. He's fourth wide out there. And you add in reliable Jack Doyle, who I think is one of the more underrated tight ends in the NFL there. I think he's going to have a big year as well. You add in Trey Burton, who they got from the Bears in free agency.

I think he's going to be a good workplace for Eric Ebron, who had a lot of drop issues throughout his career. I think this offense is so well-rounded, Tony, that there's really not many weaknesses. I can't really find a real weakness in this Colts offense, which I think says a lot about this team, where last year I think the issue was a quarterback and the injuries there. So if they stay healthy and Rivers bounces back to at least maybe close to

2018 form, this should be a team that, like you mentioned, should be a 10-11-1 football team. And the real negatives on the board for this offense I really can't find. Do you see any negatives or weaknesses on the defense? Defense-wise, I do a little bit. The secondary is questionable. There are a lot of young guys that are relying on Xavier Rhodes to really bounce back to have a good year.

Jonathan Gannon, the former Vikings defensive backs coach, is now the defensive backs coach with the Colts, and he helped put Rhodes into an all-pro bowl season during his prime of his career in Minnesota. So I think Rhodes, if he helped put Rhodes into an all-pro bowl season during his prime of his career in Minnesota. So I think Rhodes, if he bounced back to least average form, the Colts should be fine at the cornerback spot. Rocky Asin had a rough start to the year last year, but he really started to develop more

and more into a legit number one cornerback in the second half of the season after his really awful outing against Denver Broncos, where Courtland Sutton torched him over and over again. But the safeties as well. Malik Hooker, he has to stay healthy. The decline is fifth-year option. So I don't know if he'll be back after this year. But Kari Willis, I think, is an underrated safety in this league as well.

I'd say Rookie did very well for himself. So a lot of youth in the back end there. I'd say that's the most questionable end there. But I think DeForest Buckner is going to make up for a lot of that because the Colts never had interior pressure like Buckner before. I think he's going to take a lot of pressure off that secondary. That is going to do it for the first half of our conversation with Evan Sidery from the Locked on Colts podcast,

taking a look at the Indianapolis Colts as we head into training camp. We are going to come back with the second part of our conversation next. We are back here for the second part of our conversation about the Indianapolis Colts with Evan Sidery from the Locked on Colts. Also got John Hickman from the Locked On Texans. We got Tony Wiggins from the Locked On Jaguars. I am Tyler Rowland from the Locked On Titans. And Evan, I wanted to kind of kick things off here in our second portion of the show,

talking about something that you hit on a little bit there at the end, and that is Malik Hooker. His fifth year option, as you said, was declined. A lot of the time, that can pretty much be the unofficial end to a player's career in that particular city. Also, someone you brought up earlier, Marlon Matt, do you think the writing's on the wall and both of those guys will no longer be in Indianapolis next season,

or do you think there's a chance one or two of those guys could be brought back long-term? Yeah, I think there's a chance one or two of those guys could be brought back long-term? Yeah, I think there's a chance that both could be brought back. I think, like you mentioned, the writing's on the wall there because I think they drafted their replacements in the second and third round this year. You got Jonathan Taylor, a number 41 overall trade-up, ahead of Jacksonville, who reportedly wanted to get

Jonathan Taylor on board there. And you get him to replace Merlin Mack, I think, after this year full-time. And they drafted Julian Blackman of Utah in the third round, a strong safety, or free safety, excuse me who chris bowers said he believes has legitimate talent and then in this league so he's obviously recovering as well for a torn acla start from the pack 12 title game so he'll be on the public start the year i think later on this season maybe november or so he should be getting some rotations into the defense but i think with hooker and mac

maybe mac comes back on a cheaper deal because i don't know if the mark will be for there for next year. Maybe there is. But maybe $5 million per year. I think it's the Colts bringing him back because they love to run the ball so much with this offensive line. They can still keep that duo together. But they're so bullish on Jonathan Taylor

that I think that Mack's going to walk. I think Malik Hooker's going to walk as well. And they're going to start to recoup these compensatory picks, which the Colts really haven't had a chance to do so far. They have, I believe, 11 starters who are going to be free agents next year. And I don't think they're going to bring, obviously, every one of those guys back. So I think Mack, Hooker, a couple other guys as well,

maybe Anthony Walker at linebacker because they have Bobby Okereke on board there. I think they're going to start recouping those comp picks for 2022, which Ballard has wanted to do, but he hasn't had a chance to do just yet because his Colts team has been so gutted before, but with the Ryan Griggs era not having much talent at all. But Ballard's built up to the point where he can let these guys walk and start to build his team in his own image.

And I think players like Mack and Hooker are on the way out in there. I think it's good for the rest of the league, though, because I think Mack or Hooker, wherever they land are going to be legitimate starting types and really be really good at the position wherever they go. Tyler, I'm sorry, Evan, Frank Reich. Frank Reich came in and then obviously, you know, he got the rug pulled out from under him when Andrew Luck was injured,

and nobody really expected that. It just seems like when you look at the record, if that was somebody else and the situation was different, you go, oh, he's in the hot seat, sort of like Patricia in Detroit. It's the third year now. You got to get it done. But somehow it feels like to me, because of all of the things

that have happened up there, Frank Wright has really kind of outcoached. He's coached those. He's gotten every single thing out of that team that you could possibly get because they've been so super competitive, even though they haven't won as many games as you like. Is this a year where all of those mulligans kind of go out of the window because you do have this veteran and you're probably going to be as healthy as you've been.

Will that grace period or that mulligan, will that get-out-of-jail-free card kind of run out if he doesn't at least get to the playoffs? Yeah, with Reich and Ballard, they're tied in the hip, at least as a GM head coach standpoint. So I see both being around for a long time unless it really hits the fan here and they really have a horrible season back-to-back

or something like that. But with Reich, his coaching ability, he won this locker room over in 2018 when he went for on fourth and two in overtime against the Houston Texans and he galvanized that locker room and helped them go on a 10 to 1 run their final 11 games of the season to make that playoff run go into Houston and beat the Texans in the wildcard round and barely lose in Kansas City in the divisional round and of course Andrew Luck he retired I think this could have been the year last year where the Colts might have been in the AFC title game instead of Tennessee because Luck was in that position to really be in the prime of his career and really take on the best roster

he's seen in his career so far. But with Philip Rivers on board now, like you mentioned, Tony, kind of wipes out the mold in here where Rivers is at least an average to above-average quarterback and a really good fit in this Colts team where there's no excuses anymore. They built this roster up into, I believe, a top 10 roster in the NFL. They should be a bona fide playoff contender. And if they get hot, maybe a bona fide Super Bowl contender

because Rivers, if he gets hot, I think is very hard to stop. We saw it in week one when the Colts played in L.A. last year. I think this team with Reich and Bauer, there's no more excuses anymore. I think it's put up or show up time. Obviously, they're going to be around for another couple years here. But this is a big year in 2020 where they have to prove that the team they've been voting and the team that Reich has put into place, as well as Chris Bauer, is right on track here.

Because the talent is there on paper, but you've got to prove enough deal there. But I think Reich is one of the more underrated coaches in the NFL, and I think he should take advantage of this roster. You know, here's my question. It's a little bit more fun. How is Jim Irsay these days? How's he the bad boy of the NFL? How's Jim Irsay living these days?

Yeah, Irsay's doing well. I think he's really put a lot into this team as far as really giving the keys over to Chris Ballard. I think he's really been apprehensive in the past, even Bill Pullian, where he wanted to kind of have his own say and kind of put his own twist on things, but he trusts Chris Ballard so much, especially after the

Ryan Griggs and DeBopper, where Ballard's been so good at his job the first few years building up this team that he's kind of taken a complete backseat here as far as being involved in operations goes. Him and Frank Reich have the full trust of Ursa. He's built an entire new facility in Annapolis there. They've rebuilt the entire West 56th Street facility they have there for the training camp. And I think overall with Ursa, he wants to win Super Bowls.

He mentioned before Andrew Luck retired, he wants to win multiple Super Bowls during the rest of his career as the owner there of the Annapolis Colts. And I think this is the best time they're going to do here is with this Rivers run. And if they can at least get in the dance, so to say, in the playoffs, then there's a chance. But Ursa himself is doing well.

And I think with the way – how much trust he's putting to Chris Bauer here, I think it says a lot about how Bauer is doing for himself as the general manager of this team too. I think I agree with the way – how much trust he's put into Chris Bauer here, I think it says a lot about how Bauer's doing for himself as the general manager of this team too. I think I agree with you 100% in that. Chris Bauer's done a fantastic job. It's one of those things where when you're in the division and you watch that guy craft a roster just in his few short years, it is something you worry about in the back of your mind

because he is doing such a good job. But one thing that happens when you do a good job building a roster is you have some competitive spots going into training camp. So with an eye looking forward, do you think that there are any starting positions that are available for the Colts right now? Do you think the roster or the starting spots are kind of locked down? Where do you see those battles taking place once,

once players actually get out onto the field? Yeah, I think the starting spots are pretty locked in already with how deep this roster is. But I think as far as battles go, the Mike linebacker spot, Anthony Walker's been entrenched next to Darius Leonard the last couple years. But Bobby Okereke, they're super high on the Stanford clock they drafted last year in the third round.

They think as a future all-pro, pro-ball type talent. Jim Irsay mentioned that as well as Chris Ballard. So I expect them to take more and more snaps at Mike away from Anthony Walker this year. I personally do think that Bobby Okereke beats Anthony Walker this year in training camp and moves him over to Sam Linebacker because Walker is good at runs, but he's a really big liability in pass coverage. And Okereke and Leonard are very versatile in both situations.

So I think that will be your duo there and have Walker move over to Sam, which I think opens the door for Walker to lead as a free agent this upcoming year and recoup another topic, like I mentioned last time there as well. I think as well, wide receiver. I know Michael Mann Jr. is the number 34 overall pick, second round pick this year, but Zach Paschal did very well for himself last year. He's at least earned the chance to be an outside starting receiver opposite T.Y.

Hilton there. So I think there's going to be a battle between Pittman and Paschal. If Pittman has a slower development curve, maybe Paschal starts right away, and then Pittman takes a spot later on in the season. But outside of that, I think it's pretty much all covered with the Colts there because the offensive line is there. They have the skilled position groups in place. Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor would be sharing a load there.

So there's really no true starters, so to say, at that position. Defensive line, they have Justin Houston, Kamoka Turin, the bookends, DeForest Buckner inside. And then at cornerback, Xavier Rhodes, Rakia Singh, Kenny Moore, one of the more underrated nickel cornerbacks in the NFL. And then you have Curry Willis and Malik Hooker at safety. So it's a pretty loaded roster already, but these camp battles will be very intriguing to watch

if they're the most important positions. But that will wrap up the third installment in our Ultimate Division Crossover Series here for the AFC South, taking a look at the Indianapolis Colts headed into training camp. We are going to be back tomorrow with the fourth installment, talking about the Jacksonville Jaguars. Make sure that you subscribe to all of your AFC South Locked On podcast, the Locked On Jaguars with Tony Wiggins,

Locked On Indianapolis Colts with Evan Sidery, Locked on Texans with John Hickman and Cody Davis, and Locked on Titans with me, Tyler Rowland. We are going to be back, like I said, with you guys tomorrow to talk with Tony Wiggins about the Jacksonville Jaguars on this Ultimate Division Crossover Series Training Camp Preview.