Tag: Jacob Eason

Why Brett Hundley is the backup QB over Jacob Eason

Frank Reich gives his reason why Brett Hundley is the backup QB over Jacob Eason.

The Indianapolis Colts are keeping Jacob Eason on the active roster (for now), but that doesn’t mean he’s the backup quarterback in the event Carson Wentz is injured to the point where he can’t play.

Instead, the Colts are expected to make Brett Hundley the backup quarterback over Eason despite the former staying on the practice squad until gamedays. Head coach Frank Reich told the media this week his reasons why that is the case.

“We made that decision earlier in the week last week, really based on experience,” Reich said Monday. “We look at it and said Jacob’s (Eason) done a good job and – we talked to each of them one-on-one and what I said to Jacob was, ‘Jacob, you’re on the right track, you’re doing the right thing. This is not about you. This is about Brett’s (Hundley) experience.’”

When Wentz initially went down with the ankle injury in Week 2, it was Eason who got the call with the Colts down three points. He wound up throwing an interception to Jalen Ramsey late in the fourth quarter on his second pass attempt.

Even though having Eason play would help him in the “he isn’t experienced” department, the history that Hundley has shown the Colts is enough to give him the bump as the backup.

“He’s started nine games, he’s led two fourth-quarter game-winning drives. He’s experienced. He’s a very poised young man. We’re going on the road, playing in a difficult environment and just felt like if Carson (Wentz) wouldn’t play, that would the best option for us,” Reich said. “As far as going forward, we’ll evaluate that this week. We’ve got to sit down and talk that through and see how we feel about it going forward.”

Hundley’s only starting experience came in 2017 when he filled in for Aaron Rodgers. During that span, he completed 60.8% of his passes for 1,836 yards, nine touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 70.6 passer rating.

It will be interesting to see how the Colts continue to handle the backup quarterback situation when Sam Ehlinger returns from the injured reserve list. He was designated for return this week and should be back relatively soon before the 21-day window closes.

But for Week 4, the Colts will have three quarterbacks active with Hundley being the primary backup to Wentz.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=62690,62681,62674]

[listicle id=62687]

Report: Colts may rotate QBs if Carson Wentz is out

Colts may be planning to use both Jacob Eason and Brett Hundley if Carson Wentz misses.

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping that starting quarterback Carson Wentz can suit up against the Tennessee Titans, but they also have to prepare for the chance that he physically can’t play.

It seems part of that plan may be to rotate between Jacob Eason and Brett Hundley during the Week 3 game against the Titans if Wentz winds up missing, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

As Wentz continues to work his way back from the two ankle sprains he suffered against the Rams in Week 2, the Colts are preparing to be without him on Sunday while still holding out hope he can play.

Hundley has been with the team since the beginning of training camp when Wentz injured his foot but didn’t see any reps during the preseason until the final game after rookie Sam Ehlinger sprained his knee.

Head coach Frank Reich was keeping the team’s plans close to the vest when speaking to reporters on Wednesday so the Colts may be planning a rotation after all.

It’s hard to predict just what the Colts will do in Week 3, but it appears all options are on the table and it’s not a guarantee that Eason will get all of the work.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=62268,62265,62257]

[listicle id=62247]

Titans are expecting to see Carson Wentz under center vs. Colts

“I know [Jacob] Eason is a younger guy, but we’ll prepare for both of them,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyh7crnrcs3ypf player_id=none image=https://titanswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

On Wednesday, images surfaced of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz speaking to the media ahead of Indy’s Week 3 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.

Taking a closer look at the photos, you may have noticed that the 28-year-old was boot-less.

Wentz was listed as a non-participant in the Colts’ first injury report released on Wednesday, but a lot can happen between now and Sunday. For now, it appears that both the Titans’ players and coaching staff are prepping themselves as if he will be under center.

“I’m expecting to see [Carson] Wentz, but as the week goes on and more stuff comes out, we’ll prepare for both quarterbacks for sure,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said after practice on Wednesday. “Wentz has been a quarterback in this league for a long time, and I know Eason is a younger guy, but we’ll prepare for both of them. I think both of them are starting quarterbacks in this league, so we’ll see what happens with the injury report.”

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel offered similar sentiments.

“I don’t think that there’s a huge difference in the skill set. I mean, I think they’re gonna operate their offense,” Vrabel concluded. “You know, Carson’s [Wentz] play strength [and] obviously Jacob’s [Eason] limited exposure — but their receivers are tough, they’re physical. [Jack Doyle has been there forever, very productive. You know, their backs are fantastic.”

Wentz was off to a modest start this year before leaving last Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.

The former No. 2 overall pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 completed a combined 45-of-69 pass attempts for 498 yards, with a 3-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio through the first two games.

Eason relieved Wentz, completing just two of his five passes for 25 yards, including a back-breaking interception that ultimately prevented the Colts from at least tying the game.

Regardless of who is under center, the Colts will try to avoid an 0-3 start for the first time since 2011, while the Titans are looking to build off the momentum of their win in Seattle to get to a 2-1 record.

[lawrence-related id=71941,71891,71872]

[listicle id=71813]

Colts confident if Jacob Eason has to step up

Frank Reich likes the growth he’s seen from Colts QB Jacob Eason.

It isn’t yet clear if the Indianapolis Colts will have starting quarterback Carson Wentz for the Week 3 matchup against the Tennessee Titans due to a pair of sprained ankles, which means they may have to lean on backup Jacob Eason.

The second-year quarterback out of Washington hasn’t yet made a true NFL start in his career. He spent his rookie season as a redshirt behind Philip Rivers and Jaocby Brissett while finally getting some action during the preseason.

Head coach Frank Reich is confident Eason can step in and keep the offense afloat if Wentz’s injury keeps him off the field this week.

“There’s no doubt. We’ve got a lot of confidence in every man on this roster. If Jacob (Eason) has to play, then Jacob will be ready. I think Jacob has been doing a really good job. He’s been really dialed in,” Reich told reporters Monday. “If called upon, I’m confident that Jacob will do a nice job. I mean the situation that he got thrown into the other day is as tough as it gets. I can tell you that from experience. But yeah, he’ll be ready if he has to be.”

In his first live-game experience in the regular season, Eason was thrown into the fire. Wentz exited the game late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, and Eason had to lead the offense down three points.

His first pass attempt was an incomplete target to wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to start the drive. His second pass attempt sailed into the hands of Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Even though he has limited experience, Reich likes the growth he has seen from the young gunslinger.

“He’s had a lot of reps during training camp, and he’s worked hard in just the way he’s interacted in the meetings and the reps that he’s gotten out in practice,” said Reich. “You can see the growth. I can see the growth these last two weeks as he was running scout team. I can see the growth from the way he’s run scout team this year compared to the way he ran it last year. He’s making the right steps.”

The Titans defense may not be anything to write home about. They’ve allowed 38 and 30 points to open the season. But the Colts offensive line has been a revolving door of pressure and handling pressure has been one of Eason’s biggest knocks.

Eason will probably get reps with the starting offense this week as the Colts evaluate Wentz’s injury further, but the team will likely be staring at 0-3 if the second-year quarterback does have to start.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=62230,62180,62169]

[listicle id=62241]

5 takeaways from Colts’ preseason win over Lions

Takeaways from the Colts’ preseason finale.

The Indianapolis Colts’ final preseason game played like the fourth game on the previous preseason schedule because both teams didn’t play a majority of their starters.

The backend of the roster showed they had some fight as they had to make another comeback for the third week in a row to leave with the win. Indianapolis finished undefeated in the preseason for the first time since 1994.

There wasn’t much that will carry into the regular season but there are some things to consider as Chris Ballard figures out his final 53-man roster.

Here are five takeaways from the preseason finale:

10 Colts to watch during preseason finale vs. Lions

Here are 10 players to watch in the Colts’ preseason finale vs. Lions

The Indianapolis Colts have their final preseason game before the 2021 regular season on Friday as they head to Ford Field to visit the Detroit Lions.

While the starters won’t be playing in this game, there are still a number of players battling for roster spots and bigger roles for the final time before rosters are trimmed down to 53 players, which will be by Tuesday afternoon.

Here are 10 players to watch during the preseason finale on Friday:

Colts QB Jacob Eason to start preseason finale vs. Lions

Jacob Eason gets the start at QB for Colts’ preseason finale.

When the Indianapolis Colts take the field for their preseason finale on Friday against the Detroit Lions, it will be second-year quarterback Jacob Eason getting the start.

Though the starters won’t be playing on Friday, Eason will be getting the first looks behind center. Head coach Frank Reich told the media Wednesday that they came to the decision to start Eason over rookie Sam Ehlinger, who will also see work in the finale.

“Yeah, Jacob’s (Eason) going to start on Friday. Probably will mix up the playing time. We went back and forth with that,” Reich said to the media Wednesday. “So Jacob will start and we’ll just kind of rotate the quarterbacks kind of like we’ve been doing but we’ll just go with the flow of the game.”

Throughout the preseason, it has only been Eason and Ehlinger to see reps at quarterback. Starter Carson Wentz is just now returning from foot surgery while Brett Hundley is likely going to see at most a few drives.

The battle for the backup quarterback will be an interesting storyline to watch throughout the finale. Eason is 31/48 (64.6%) for 315 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions during the preseason. Ehlinger is 18/28 (64.3%) for 225 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

Both players are battling for the backup quarterback position, but neither will have the benefit of working with the starters during the finale on Friday.

Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)

[lawrence-related id=61180,61178,61172]

Colts still deciding starting QB for preseason finale

Colts are still deciding their starting QB for the preseason finale.

The Indianapolis Colts have one more game to wrap up the preseason when they head to Ford Field for the finale against the Detroit Lions, and they have still yet to announce a starting quarterback.

Even though Carson Wentz returned to practice on Monday and looked the part of a Week 1 starter, it isn’t expected for the 28-year-old to see any game action during the preseason. So the Colts are still deciding between Jacob Eason and Sam Ehlinger.

As of Monday post-practice, head coach Frank Reich said the team hasn’t yet decided on who will be the starting quarterback for the finale.

“No decision yet. These next couple of days are pretty important so I’ll probably wait until after tomorrow’s practice,” Reich told the media. “I don’t even know if I’m up here tomorrow, but if I were I would probably wait until the next morning. As a staff we’ll get together tomorrow night and kind of work through that decision.”

Both Eason and Ehlinger had bright moments during their respective debuts in the opener against the Carolina Panthers. Then, they came down to earth during the second preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. Eason struggled with footwork in the pocket and varying his velocity while Ehlinger made some poor decisions that led to turnovers.

With one fewer preseason game, the Colts will use the finale on Friday as a quasi-dress rehearsal in order to get the starters some final reps before the regular season starts.

“It’s a little bit of that. We won’t go into the third quarter or anything, but we’ll try to get the guys good reps. I’m really leaving it to the position coaches and the coordinators,” said Reich. “We’ll give that range. We know what we’re trying to get out of each guy and it doesn’t necessarily have to be the same for every starter. We might want some starters to play a series longer than other starters for various reasons. This is a big week and a good dress rehearsal for us.”

The battle for the backup role will be on when the Colts take the field on Friday, and it will be interesting to see which player gets the starting nod.

[lawrence-related id=61154,61145,61143]

Studs and duds from Colts’ preseason win over Vikings

Studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason Week 2 win over the Vikings.

The Indianapolis Colts came away with a 12-10 win over the Minnesota Vikings but given that this is the preseason, the focus is more on individual performances rather than the outcome of the game.

Despite the offense struggling to find the end zone, there were still a few encouraging players from Saturday night’s win. On the flip side, there were also some players who didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Here are the studs and duds from the Colts’ preseason win over the Vikings:

5 takeaways from Colts’ preseason win over Vikings

5 takeaways from the Colts’ preseason win over the Vikings.

It was a pretty boring football game if we’re being honest, but there were some positives that showed up in Week 2 of the preseason for the Indianapolis Colts as they visited the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on Saturday night.

Questions surrounding who will help create pressure from the edge might have shown up from a rookie and a player that the coaching staff has been patient with.

Plus, a third-year corner impresses and a receiver continues his case to make the roster. With that being said, Colts fans leave the night with a major concern as they wonder how soon will Carson Wentz come back to their life. 

Here are five takeaways from the Colts’ 12-10 preseason win over the Vikings: