Tag: Gus Bradley

The Indianapolis Colts introduced their new defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley on Wednesday as he met with the media for the first time since being hired.

Though we still have to wait until we can truly judge his defense, Bradley did give some interesting insight on how his scheme differs (and relates) to former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. Bradley also discussed some of the principles that the unit will be made of.

Here are 11 takeaways from Bradley’s introductory press conference on Wednesday:

With Gus Bradley taking over as the new defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts, there will be one task he must achieve above all else.

Fix the pass rush.

An aspect of the Colts defense that has been a detriment for far too long, the hope is that Bradley will bring some new life into the pass rush with his Legion of Boom style of defense.

The Colts have some solid pieces in place for Bradley to work with. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner should thrive in this scheme while the young talents of Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo should intrigue Bradley plenty.

But there is no denying that the Colts need to add more life to this room, especially on the edge. The Colts simply haven’t gotten enough consistency from their edge rushers during Chris Ballard’s tenure despite the efforts of throwing early-round draft picks at the wall.

Allowing players like Denico Autry and Justin Houston to walk in free agency wound up hurting the Colts more than anything. Now, the pass rush faces a monumental challenge of taking a step forward.

While Bradley’s defensive scheme will feature a lot more single-high safety looks than the one Matt Eberflus implemented, the front should look very similar.

Bradley’s defense mostly uses even fronts to get pressure and if there’s one similarity between the schemes, it’s the lack of a blitz.

Over the last four seasons, Bradley’s defense has blitzed at one of the lowest rates in the league.

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

This means the Colts are going to be looking to get pressure with their four down linemen for the majority of their games. That has been an issue for the defense.

Even without using the blitz, Bradley’s defense in Las Vegas was still able to impact the quarterback in 2021. While they registered just two more sacks than the Colts (35-33), the Raiders finished with the fourth-most quarterback hits in the league (68).

Fixing the pass rush may take some time. It’s unlikely to happen right away. But the Colts have to find a way to improve their pressure numbers going into the 2022 season or else they’ll be just another fringe playoff team fighting for a spot during the final week of the regular season again.

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The Indianapolis Colts have their new defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley with the hiring being reported on Friday night.

While Bradley and head coach Frank Reich will be working together to bring in the defensive coaching staff under the former’s lead, we now know why the Colts ultimately went with the veteran coach.

Though Washington defensive backs coach Chris Harris was thought to be a leading candidate at one point, it was Bradley who wound up getting the job. His experience likely played a part in the hiring.

But it was also his leadership qualities and desire to bring a certain culture to the defense that got Reich hooked, per Zak Keefer of The Athletic.

It was Bradley who ultimately impressed Reich with his scheme and vision — no, the Colts aren’t abandoning the 4-3 — in addition to his willingness to adjust as needed and connect with young players. Bradley’s emphasis on cultivating a culture of defensive identity also stood out in his interview this week. Reich knows with critical pieces in Darius Leonard, DeForest Buckner and Kenny Moore already in place, among others, the Colts have the makings of an elite unit. They showed flashes of it the past two seasons under Eberflus but never could maintain that level consistently.

Bradley has had three separate stints as a defensive coordinator (2009-2012, 2017-2020, 2021) and one stint as a head coach (2013-2016). In all places, he has been cited as bringing plenty of energy and leadership while getting the most out of his players.

Bradley will have a lot of work to do with the Colts defense, especially when it comes to the pass rush.

But given his leadership qualities, it’s no surprise that the Colts thought he was a great fit for their up-and-coming defense.

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The Indianapolis Colts hired their new defensive coordinator in the form of veteran coach Gus Bradley on Friday night.

Now, the Colts will be looking to fill out the rest of the defensive coaching staff under him. But this is the first step in getting closer to preparing for a long offseason.

Here’s how Twitter reacted to the news on Friday night:

The Indianapolis Colts spent less than a week searching for their new defensive coordinator and landed on an extremely experienced candidate in Gus Bradley.

Bradley has a long history as a coach in the NFL that spans all the way back to 2006. His primary scheme as a Cover-3 defense helped develop what turned into the Legion of Boom with the Seattle Seahawks.

Here are seven things to know about the Colts’ new defensive coordinator: