Tag: E.J. Speed

LB Zaire Franklin explains his Week 4 frustrations with Najee Harris

Zaire Franklin finally cleared the air regarding his frustration-induced social media response to Najee Harris’ pregame antics in Week 4.

Social media was abuzz after the Steelers’ Week 4 loss, but for all the wrong reasons. Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris rubbed Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin the wrong way with his pregame antics, flipping off the Indianapolis crowd. This led to an outburst on social media, calling out the Steelers’ running back for being “soft” and claiming that Harris’ teammate, Cordarrelle Patterson, was better.

Franklin spoke with his teammate E.J. Speed on his podcast, the Trenches Show, about the situation. Both men stated that they did not want any additional animosity but also let Harris know that next time, he should leave the city of Indianapolis out of it:

“I wouldn’t say I have personal feelings toward that guy, but what I will say is…you flipping off my city coming in and then you gonna go put out that type of performance, I’mma speak on that.”

Franklin and Speed added that their anger stemmed from having children in the stands, including Franklin’s own child.

With Week 4 in the rearview mirror and Week 5 on the horizon, hopefully, Zaire Franklin and Najee Harris can move past this lapse in judgment and let bygones be bygones.

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Colts LB E.J. Speed has ‘bone to pick’ with Texans, C.J. Stroud

E.J. Speed is adding more fuel to the rivalry between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans with each podcast appearance this offseason.

For those wondering, the Indianapolis Colts are moving up the list for the Houston Texans’ top rival every time linebacker E.J. Speed utters something on a podcast. 

For those who currently have another team listed as the “golden rival” entering 2024, you might have to make a few switches to the ranking process. 

Speed, who since the Week 18 loss against Houston for the division title, has created a bit of a feud with star quarterback C.J. Stroud. Last month, he said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast  that he plans to “mess [Stroud] up for the rest of his career.” Stroud responded several weeks later stating that players will talk smack on the mic but then won’t back it up on the field. 

“Where I’m from, we say, ‘Why didn’t you do something when you were mad?’ You were mad right there, do something.

“You could have made hella plays, bro. You could have made plays, dog. You could have shut me up right there, but you didn’t.”

Speed, who has become a villain of sorts in Houston, doused more fire on the heated rivalry Wednesday when he appeared on the Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams, stating that the Colts would be ready for Week 1’s showdown in a highly-anticipated rematch.

“We actually match up very well against the Texans,” Speed said. “One, I’m on the field, let’s get that clear. I’m on the field, and then we’ve got our guys. They made some big moves in the offseason, though. I’ll give them that. But I have a bone to pick with the Texans. They said I didn’t make as many plays, so I have to put the proof in the pudding, huh?”

Speed and Stroud equally provide bulletin board material for each fan base and internally among opposing rosters. In Week 2 last season, Stroud put the NFL on notice with his 384-yard performance.

Too bad it came in a loss, and Speed thinks the beatdown would have been worse if fellow rookie Anthony Richardson never left with a concussion. 

Stroud and the Texans got the last laugh with a game-sealing stop on fourth down to clinch the division title in January, though Speed thinks the season would have been different if Richardson wasn’t limited to four games. 

Stroud doesn’t care to live in the “what if” moments after last season. He’s also said he respects Speed and the rest of the Colts for the talent they’ve acquired to build a contender.

That doesn’t mean he’s backing down. Neither is Speed entering June. 

Stock up, stock down from Colts’ 2023 season

The Colts’ stock report from the 2023 season.

When we take a look back at the 2023 season for the Indianapolis Colts, it was a good year for the franchise with several players having their best seasons of their career while having some setting new career-highs.

Finding players who raised their stock was easy but narrowing it down to a few was debated heavily. I went with the ones I believe saw a significant increase. As far as for players who saw their stock drop, that was a little more difficult.

There was a clear one who’s performance dropped off from 2022 but for the last two spots, I went with players that could’ve made more of an impact with their time spent on the field.

Let’s take a look at six Colts’ players who either saw a rise or fall in their stock from the past season:

Colts’ year-end awards from 2023 season

Handing out awards for the 2023 Colts.

The 2023 season ended in disappointing fashion for the Indianapolis Colts, but there are plenty of reasons to be excited for the future given what they showed throughout the campaign.

Considering where the Colts were just one year ago at this time, the outlook of the franchise is far more positive. They have a strong leader in Shane Steichen, a young quarterback in Anthony Richardson who shows promise, and some solid pieces to work off of this offseason.

But before we get into the thick of the offseason plans and predictions, it’s time to take a look back at the 2023 season and hand out some awards.

From MVP to the biggest disappointment, here are the Colts’ year-end awards from the 2023 campaign:

Studs and duds from Colts’ 23-20 win over Raiders

Taking a look at the studs and duds from the Week 17 win.

The Indianapolis Colts (9-7) defeated the Las Vegas Raiders (7-9) to continue their playoff push.

The Colts jumped out to a 7-0 lead early and never relinquished that lead throughout the entire game. The Raiders pulled within three points, but they ultimately failed to recover a last-second onside kick.

Here’s a look at the studs and duds from the Week 17 win:

5 takeaways from Colts’ 30-13 win over Steelers

Here are five takeaways from the Colts’ 30-13 win over the Steelers.

It looked like it was going to be another week where things were going to go wrong for the Indianapolis Colts.

Following a shanked missed 56-yard field goal attempt by Matt Gay, the Pittsburgh Steelers marched down the field for a touchdown, but missed the PAT attempt to make it a 6-0 game. On the following drive for the Colts, they would go three-and-out, and the Steelers blocked the punt to set up their second touchdown of the game for the 13-0 lead early in the second quarter.

Then the game got flipped upside down. Indy would score a touchdown to respond to Pittsburgh and would go on to score 30 unanswered points despite losing Michael Pittman Jr. and Zack Moss in the second quarter.

This win ended the eight-game losing streak to the Steelers and the Colts are now 7-0 when they have the lead at halftime.

This was a crucial win for Indianapolis with the Cincinnati Bengals winning early today to keep their playoff hopes alive entering the final three weeks.

Here are five takeaways from Indy’s victory:

Colts vs. Steelers: Final injury report for Week 15

Here is the final injury report for the Colts and Steelers in Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) released their final injury reports Thursday ahead of the Week 15 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here’s a look at the final injury report for the Colts in Week 15:

*DNP = Did Not Participate — LP = Limited Participant — FP = Full Participant*

Notes

  • CB Julius Brents will play for the first time since injuring his quad in Week 7.
  • RT Braden Smith will miss his second consecutive game and seventh game of the season.
  • RB Jonathan Taylor will miss his third consecutive game after undergoing thumb surgery.
  • LBs Segun Olubi is trending in the wrong direction after failing to practice Thursday. His status is truly up in the air.
  • LB E.J. Speed will return to the starting lineup after missing last week due to a knee injury.

Here’s a look at the final injury report for the Steelers in Week 15:

The Colts and Steelers are set to kick off Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium.

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Colts vs. Steelers: Updated injury report for Week 15

Here’s the updated injury report for the Colts and Steelers in Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) released their updated injury reports Wednesday ahead of the Week 15 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here’s a look at the updated injury report for the Colts in Week 15:

*DNP = Did Not Participate — LP = Limited Participant — FP = Full Participant*

Notes

  • The Colts returned to practice Wednesday after starting the short week with a walkthrough.
  • CB Julius Brents appears to be on track to return after logging two full practices for the first time since suffering his quad injury in Week 7.
  • RT Braden Smith and RB Jonathan Taylor don’t seem likely to play this week unless they log a practice Thursday.
  • LBs Segun Olubi and Zaire Franklin are new additions to the injury report this week.
  • The Colts will release their final injury report with designations Thursday.

Here’s a look at the updated injury report for the Steelers in Week 15:

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Colts vs. Steelers: Initial injury report for Week 15

Here’s a look at Tuesday’s injury report for the Colts and Steelers.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-6) and Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6) released their initial injury reports Tuesday ahead of the Week 15 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Here’s a look at the initial injury report for the Colts in Week 15:

*DNP = Did Not Participate — LP = Limited Participant — FP = Full Participant*

Notes

  • The Colts held a walkthrough Tuesday so participation levels are estimations.
  • CB Julius Brents was listed as a full participant for the first time since injuring his quad in Week 7.
  • RT Braden Smith and RB Jonathan Taylor are the only players to start the week as DNPs.
  • After being inactive in Week 14, it seems LB E.J. Speed could make his return this week.

Here’s a look at the initial injury report for the Steelers in Week 15:

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Colts’ E.J. Speed, Julius Brents ruled out vs. Bengals

The Colts downgraded two defensive starters to OUT in Week 14.

The Indianapolis Colts downgraded the injury statuses of linebacker E.J. Speed and cornerback Julius Brents from questionable to out ahead of the Week 14 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Speed has been dealing with a knee injury this week and was only able to log a limited practice Friday. He was questionable on the final injury report but it appears his knee isn’t quite healthy enough to play in the crucial game Sunday.

Speed will likely be replaced by Ronnie Harrison Jr., who has been working as the No. 3 linebacker during the last two games. Grant Stuard and Segun Olbui also could see an increase in snaps.

Brents made his return to practice this week for the first time since injuring his quad in Week 7 against the Cleveland Browns. It’s an encouraging step considering he logged two limited practices this week, but it’s no surprise the Colts are being cautious with his return.

The Colts will rely on fellow rookie Jaylon Jones and second-year undrafted cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. to cover the boundary against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

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