Tag: Gus Bradley

Colts’ keys to victory vs. Patriots in Week 9

Keys to victory for the Colts in Week 9 against the Patriots.

Coming off a heartbreaking loss at home to the Washington Commanders, the Indianapolis Colts will hit the road and head to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots.

In terms of playoff chances, this is a must-win for Frank Reich’s squad which has been underwhelming most of this season. The Colts fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady on Tuesday, leaving the offense entirely in Reich’s hands as he tries to turn things around.

This could be a step in the right direction as second-year quarterback Sam Ehlinger prepares to make his first start on the road.

However, beating Bill Belichick and the Patriots is no easy task. Here are the keys to victory for the Colts come Sunday:

Colts’ keys to victory vs. Titans in Week 4

Here are the Colts’ keys to victory in Week 4 against the Titans.

Coming off a wild win, there is some optimism in the Circle City as the Indianapolis Colts prepare to host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Indy’s previous dominance in this division series has faded over the past three seasons, only winning one out of the last five games against Mike Vrabel’s squad.

This is sure to be a hard-hitting battle as both teams still believe they can turn their slow starts around and win the AFC South. If Frank Reich wants to get his team back on track, here are the keys to victory:

Colts defense still learning Gus Bradley’s scheme

The Colts defense is still learning Gus Bradley’s scheme as they host the Chiefs in Week 3.

The Indianapolis Colts defense has gotten off to a slow start early in the 2022 season, and part of that is due to the fact that the unit is still learning the nuances of Gus Bradley’s scheme.

Taking over as defensive coordinator this offseason, the Colts replaced Matt Eberflus with Bradley, hoping to continue their ways of grabbing turnovers at a high rate while seeing an increase in pass-rush consistency.

Neither have been at the forefront of the defensive effort, and head coach Frank Reich noted that the players are still learning the scheme going into the third week of the season. Even with that, Reich still expects them to play high-level football.

“There is no doubt they are still learning but no mistake about it, we’re far enough along that we should play winning football, right?” Reich said Friday.

It’s not totally uncommon for a new defensive scheme to take time to learn. Simply understanding the play calls and assignments isn’t all it takes. Simulating game action is nearly impossible, and the communication aspect of the scheme can only be sharpened with reps.

As the Colts continue to progress through the season, Reich believes the defense will catch up eventually.

“I do think as a defensive scheme it will continue to get better as the year goes on but there’s still that sense of urgency and demand to play winning football now, which we all expect that we’re at a spot that we can do,” Reich said. “We also expect that we’re going to keep getting better in the system.”

One of the biggest struggles of the defense thus far has been the lack of a pass rush. Only a handful of times during the first two games of the season has the pass rush made an impact.

Part of that is opposing offenses using the quick passing game to negate the pass rush, but Bradley still wants to see the unit overcome those hurdles as other teams do.

“Teams are doing a lot of quick game. I think in the first game and the second game combined, one of the quickest releases that has been in the league thus far with the quarterbacks. The ability to play tighter coverage and get the quarterback to hitch it some,” Bradley said this week.” I think we all think that tighter coverage means man and that is a good point, but you try to confuse the quarterback, make him hitch to where you have time for the rush to get there. Whether it’s tighter coverage through man, tighter coverage in zone where we recognize formations and we use the right techniques and then change up the looks.”

The Colts defense will have its hands full with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense, who come to town for the home opener Sunday. We’ll see if the unit can make any more strides in getting better as a group, especially when it comes to the pass rush.

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Texans QB Davis Mills is mindful of winning turnover battle against the Colts

Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills knows that winning the turnover battle is a big part of beating the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.

The Houston Texans were horrendous against the Indianapolis Colts last season.

The Colts scored 31 points in each of their two meetings. However, the Texans mustered three points in the Week 6 encounter and didn’t put a solitary point on the board in Week 13.

Part of the reason why the Colts dominated the Texans was because of the turnover battle. In the initial meeting, which rookie Davis Mills started at quarterback, the Colts were 3-0 in the turnover battle. In Week 13, which Tyrod Taylor started but Mills finished, it was a little more respectable, though Indianapolis still was ahead 2-1 in the turnover battle.

Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is coach of the Chicago Bears, but the philosophy is still the same under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

“When you look at Gus Bradley’s defense, the Colts in general, is their takeaways,” Mills told reporters Wednesday. “Last year, they were so huge on takeaways. Every guy is really punching at the ball or trying to make an attempt at the ball. I think Gus Bradley being able to be in that zone allows guys to do that, be able to have all eyes on the ball. They fly around and they’re a well-coached defense.”

Mills went 29-43 for 243 yards with two interceptions and took two sacks in his start against the Colts last year. In relief of Taylor, Mills went 6-14 for 49 yards and also took two sacks.

With Bradley coming over from the Las Vegas Raiders, where he spent last season as defensive coordinator, Mills knows he will still have the Colts playing at a high level on defense.

“Gus has been doing it at a high level as a defensive coordinator for so long, so, I’ve got a lot of respect for what he does on that side of the ball,” said Mills.

Houston hosts Indianapolis Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time for Week 1 at NRG Stadium.

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing Week 1 with Colts Wire

The Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts square off in Week 1. @KevinHickey11, managing editor of @thecoltswire, stopped by to preview the matchup.

The Houston Texans take on the Indianapolis Colts at 12:00 p.m. Central Time from NRG Stadium to kickoff the first week of the 2022 regular season.

The Texans’ AFC South rivals have undergone changes throughout the offseason with the big change occurring under center. For the fourth consecutive year, the Colts will have a different starting quarterback on Opening Day, a trend that started when Andrew Luck retired during the 2019 preseason.

To preview Week 1 and get a glimpse inside Indianapolis, Kevin Hickey, managing editor of the Colts Wire, stopped by to answer a few questions about the Colts, who are 0-2 all-time against the Texans on Opening Day.

Gus Bradley sees Colts’ pass rush coming along

The pass rush is coming along steadily at Colts camp.

Throughout the better part of the last decade, the pass rush for the Indianapolis Colts has been inconsistent at best.

With a new scheme arriving under the lead of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, and some new pieces coming in as well, the hope is that the Colts’ pass rush will be able to make a difference moving forward.

Through two weeks of training camp, which included two padded practices, Bradley has seen encouraging flashes that the unit is on the right track.

“Well, we’re always going to ask more of them, right? But I thought there were some good rushes. We’re able to see it in one-on-one, but it’s one of those things – like a two-minute thing that we had where it’s play-after-play, that mentality to have that,” Bradley told reporters Thursday. “So, we’re building it. It’s a work in progress. You see flashes. Like we said, (DeForest) Buckner, you see his flashes, Yannick (Ngakoue) I thought had some flashes, Kwity (Paye). So, we just need to continue to develop that.”

The pass rush for the Colts has often been a reason for late-game losses in recent seasons. The 2021 campaign saw that to an extreme. While former quarterback Carson Wentz was as much to blame for some of the struggles the team had last year, we should be putting equal blame on the lack of pass rush.

It was evident in the games that the Colts couldn’t finish with their pass rush. Even when they had leads—like Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens—the pass rush was nowhere to be found.

Then in the final month of the season, the unit simply couldn’t grasp any momentum to help clinch a playoff spot.

Things are (hopefully) different now. Bradley’s scheme is far more aggressive than that of former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, even if it still relies on the notion of getting home with four rushers.

The Colts also brought in one of the most consistent edge rushers in the NFL since 2016 in Yannick Ngakoue, who hasn’t recorded fewer than 8.0 sacks in a season since entering the league. The emergence of second-year defenders Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyinbgo would also go a long way.

Bradley himself is looking for a core group of eight pass rushers considering how they want to use the rotation.

“Looking at these guys, putting them in different positions to see how they fit. And remember we’re trying to go eight, we’re doing everything we can to find eight guys,” Bradley said. “That fourth-quarter rush as I mentioned before is so critical in this game. So, to find out guys, where they can be in certain situations, how we can play them to keep the whole group fresh.”

The pass rush is relying on a lot of factors going into the 2022 season and if the Colts are going to be serious contenders, this unit must come together in a big way.

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5 reasons why the Colts will make the 2022 playoffs

If the Colts make the playoffs, it’s likely due to a combination of these reasons.

This is a huge year for the Chris Ballard and Frank Reich era. The pair have kept the Indianapolis Colts afloat following the sudden Andrew Luck retirement but with that being farther in the past, they can’t use that as an excuse anymore.

The Colts have only made it to the playoffs once since Luck’s retirement before the 2019 season. Last year’s season-ending loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars left a poor taste in a lot of people’s mouths and a postseason appearance will be the only way to fix it.

The Colts haven’t been to the AFC Championship game since 2014, which was also the last time they won the AFC South. Fans are itching for a deep playoff run this season and they are ready for the organization to finally take advantage of the talent on the roster.

Indianapolis has gained some positive momentum from the offseason and they have an opportunity to carry that into getting into the playoffs this season.

If the Colts wind up making the playoffs, it’s likely going to be because of a combination of these reasons:

What the signing of Stephon Gilmore means for Colts defense

Colts check a big need by signing CB Stephon Gilmore.

The Indianapolis Colts made a big splash in free agency Friday by signing former Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowler, Stephon Gilmore.

Owner Jim Irsay talked about the team going “all-in” this offseason by signing big free agents and it seems Gilmore fulfills that promise. The signing gives Indy a No. 1 cornerback following the departures of Rock Ya-Sin and Xavier Rhodes.

By signing the All-Pro caliber cornerback, this also checks the position off the list as far as early draft needs. When pick No. 42 comes around, expect Chris Ballard to take the best wide receiver or offensive tackle available. There will still be plenty of value at that point in the second round but now drafting a corner is more of a depth issue than a necessary hole to fill. 

However, the signing of Gilmore does not mean the Colts are done addressing their defensive needs. Edge user and defensive tackle will also be positions of need as free agency wraps up and the draft comes around. The trade for Yannick Ngakoue certainly helps with that but does not mean the front office will not want to add some help upfront. 

The Gilmore signing propels the Colts’ defense and allows them to compete with the gauntlet of receivers on the schedule this year. To contain players like Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Justin Jefferson and A.J. Brown, Indy needs all the help they can get.

It should be exciting to see the other key pieces this team will add throughout the rest of the offseason. 

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Back in the AFC South: Raiders expected to trade former Jags DE Yannick Ngakoue to Colts

Yannick Ngakoue will be returning to the AFC South and will be joining forces with Gus Bradley for the third time in his career.

When the Jacksonville Jaguars take the field against the Indianapolis Colts again, former coach Gus Bradley won’t be the only person they recognize when it comes to former Jags employees. He’ll also have one of the players who was drafted to help turn his defense around in Duval by his side, too.

That player is former Jags defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, who the Las Vegas Raiders will be trading to Indy in a player-for-player exchange for cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. Of course, the deal won’t be official until the new league year begins, though, which will be at 4 p.m. EST today.

Ngakoue will join the Colts after signing with the Raiders just last season through a two-year, $26 million contract. However, the team went through drastic changes after coach Jon Gruden resigned when a report surfaced about him releasing e-mails with misogynistic, racist, and homophobic language.

As a result, the team named Josh McDaniels their new coach this offseason. They also recently added edge-rusher Chandler Jones today through a three-year deal worth up to $51 million.

Ngakoue will be playing for his fifth team since being drafted by the Jags in the 2016 NFL Draft as a third-round pick. The Jags traded him in August of 2020 to the Minnesota Vikings, who then traded him to the Baltimore Ravens  in October of the same year.

Ngakoue will enter the 2022 season with 173 combined tackles, 55.5 sacks, and 22 forced fumbles to his name. He’ll join forces with 2021 first-round selection and pass-rusher Kwity Paye and star defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in the process in hopes of leading the Colts’ defense in the trenches.

Colts’ assistant coach tracker: Who’s joining Gus Bradley’s staff

Tracking all of the Colts’ assistant coaching hires under new DC Gus Bradley.

The Indianapolis Colts already announced the hiring of new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, who is replacing former coordinator Matt Eberflus after he became the new head coach of the Chicago Bears.

Bradley’s first task is to assemble an entirely new defensive coaching staff. Only one assistant coach remains from Eberflus’ old staff: assistant defensive line coach Matt Raich. It isn’t clear if he’ll be retained under the new regime.

Here’s a list of Bradley’s coaching staff. Some of these are unofficial and as we learned with Josh McDaniels, nothing is official until the Colts announce it as so.

We’ll keep updating this as hirings are announced or reported: