Tag: Gus Bradley

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:

How the Seahawks defense has evolved under Pete Carroll’s different coordinators

To see how we got here, let’s examine how the defense has evolved over time under different coordinators.

The Seattle Seahawks named Clint Hurtt their new defensive coordinator a few days ago, making him the fifth different individual to serve in that position during Pete Carroll’s time as the team’s head coach.

Hurtt has his work cut out for him, for certain. A high standard has been set for this defense over the years under Carroll and meeting it won’t be easy. While Hurtt has some exceptional individual pieces, overall this unit can’t be expected to compete at the same level as the all-time great defenses that were the norm for the first half of the last decade.

To see how we got here, let’s examine how the defense has evolved over time under different coordinators.

Gus Bradley’s defense ‘not opposed’ to the blitz

Colts new DC Gus Bradley has a history of low blitz rates but that doesn’t mean he’s opposed to it.

The Indianapolis Colts will be ushering in new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and with him will come along a relatively new scheme that hasn’t utilized the blitz in a long time.

While Bradley’s defense has constantly ranked among the lowest blitz rates in the NFL over the last few seasons, it doesn’t mean he’s opposed to using that method in order to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

“Well, I think – a big blitz guy, it depends, right? If you have to bring pressure to affect the quarterback or to stimulate the defense to make plays – last year we were in a position that we could affect it with a young secondary or inexperienced secondary,” Bradley said in his introductory presser. “Some of that was just getting a feel, can you we affect him, can we make him hitch, and put the pressure on your best players. So, each year it’s different. I’m not opposed to it now, if we need to.”

Defenses under Bradley’s command have been among the league’s lowest rates of blitzing. For reference, here are the blitz rates for Bradley’s defenses since 2018:

Season Blitz Rate League Rank
2018 17% 30th
2019 13.7% 32nd
2020 16.3% 32nd
2021 12.1% 32nd

The Colts have been in an eerily similar boat during that stretch. Over the last four seasons, the Colts have ranked 27th (2021), 31st (2020), 27th (2019) and 29th (2018) in blitz rate.

While the Colts have had issues generating constant pressure, Bradley’s defense has been able to impact the quarterback without blitzing. In 2021, the Raiders ranked fourth in quarterback knockdowns and 15th in pressure rate.

Blitzing isn’t an aspect that Bradley feels is a philosophical concept. Instead, it’s more used as a measure to aid a pass rush that needs it. If a four-man rush is getting the job done, Bradley sees no reason to change anything.

“There are some games where you look in the past that we blitzed 20, 25 times in a game and that’s because we felt like we needed to. It’s not a philosophy, it’s more what do we need to do to affect the quarterback and how can we make big plays?” Bradley said. “Really, you’re defined as a defense on your ability to get the ball and score.”

The Colts defense and the new defensive staff have one objective: generate more consistent pressure. It is the single most important aspect that needs to be improved for the Colts if they want a chance to compete in January.

Bradley will have some solid pass rushers to work with. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is still one of the best three-techniques in the league while there is plenty of promise when it comes to Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo.

It will be interesting to see how Bradley feels about this defense and even though he’s not opposed to it, we shouldn’t expect a ton of exotic blitzes right off the bat.

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Every coaching vacancy the Colts must replace this offseason

On both sides of the ball, the Colts have several assistant coaching vacancies to fill.

The Indianapolis Colts coaching staff will look different when the 2022 season arrives and they’ve already begun filling in some spot.

The biggest hit with the coaching staff came when former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was hired to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He took with him four of the assistant coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

This led to the Colts essentially cleaning house when it came to the defensive coaching staff and then hiring Gus Bradley to be the new defensive coordinator.

The Colts have also seen a few other assistants take on new roles with other teams.

Here’s a quick look at all of the coaching positions the Colts will have to replace this offseason:

How Philip Rivers played a role in Colts hiring DC Gus Bradley

Colts new DC Gus Bradley came away impressed from all the praise Philip Rivers gave the organization.

As the Indianapolis Colts were interviewing candidates to fill their defensive coordinator vacancy, former quarterback Philip Rivers reached out to Gus Bradley to let him know just what the latter would be getting into.

Bradley, who impressed during his interview with the team, got some big insight form Rivers on what the organization is all about. Suffice it to say, Bradley came away impressed with the praise Rivers gave the Colts organization.

That relationship with Rivers—stemming back to their days with the Los Angeles Chargers—was a factor in Bradley accepting the role as the new defensive coordinator.

“Now, as far as this organization, once he found out that I was interviewing here, it wasn’t, ‘Well, I’m going to get involved in this.’ I think he did maybe the opposite. He just said, ‘Hey Gus (Bradley), are you considering it and where are you at?’ He said, ‘I’m just going to tell you what I think of the organization,’” Bradley told the media on Wednesday. “I can tell you, it wasn’t five seconds. It was a long talk about first of all, Frank (Reich) and Chris (Ballard) and the Irsays and the ownership here, the community, the training room and the equipment room and the locker room, the people, and it just kept going on and on. It was like, it can’t be this good, can it? It was one of those type things.”

Rivers may have only spent one season with the Colts in 2020 but he certainly made an impact. The veteran quarterback helped lead the Colts to a playoff berth as a wild-card team and even though they eventually lost to the Buffalo Bills, his impact was felt immensely.

Bradley and Rivers spent three seasons together essentially competing against each other. Rivers would lead the offense trying to get the best of Bradley’s defense—a test that the latter feels helped evolved his scheme.

It’s a relationship that formed naturally and one that still holds strong today.

“There’s only so many people that you develop really, really close relationships. It is a relationship business. He ranks right up there for me and for our family. I think the world of him,” Bradley said of Rivers. “We talk very, very often and even though we weren’t together, there’s just a very close relationship and he means a lot to me.”

After speaking with Rivers and then having his meeting with Frank Reich and Chris Ballard, Bradley is certainly grateful for the opportunity.

“Very appreciative of the Colts organization, very appreciative of my time with both Frank (Reich) and Chris (Ballard) – tremendous meetings learning more and more about the organization,” Bradley said. “Tremendous relationship with Philip Rivers in my time with the Chargers, and he also gave me some insight on the short time that he was here. But the overall process, how it was handled, the interview process gave me a very good idea what the whole organization was like. I just feel very grateful for the opportunity.”

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