Tag: Zaire Franklin

WATCH: Colts block punt, return for TD vs. Jaguars

Zaire Franklin blocked the punt. E.J. Speed scooped and scored. Colts on the board.

The Indianapolis Colts got on the board with their first touchdown of the day with a blocked punt return following their first defensive drive of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After a defensive stop, linebacker and special teams captain Zaire Franklin burst through the line to block the punt. Fellow linebacker E.J. Speed picked up the loose ball and showed some strong vision to find his way to the end zone.

Take a look at the first touchdown for the Colts in Week 10:

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Colts return blocked punt for touchdown against Jaguars

A blocked-punt TD has the Colts up double-digits on the Jaguars

The Indianapolis Colts are out of the gate fast against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Already up 3-0, special teams did the job for Indy as Zaire Franklin blocks the punt and E.J. Speed takes it in for a touchdown.

After the PAT, the Colts were up 10-0.

Colts announce team captains for 2021 season

Here are the team captains for the Colts for the 2021 season.

The Indianapolis Colts announced their team captains for the 2021 season as voted on by the players.

There will be little surprise to the group of players that will have a “C” on their chest throughout the upcoming season. Here are the 2021 team captains for the Colts:

  • QB Carson Wentz
  • WR T.Y. Hilton
  • LG Quenton Nelson
  • DT DeForest Buckner
  • LB Darius Leonard
  • LB Zaire Franklin

Wentz, Hilton and Nelson will be representing the offense. The votes for Hilton and Nelson go without question. It’s encouraging to see the players vote for Wentz to be a captain given all the rumors that went down during his time in Philadelphia.

Buckner and Leonard will be representing the defense. That comes as little surprise given the impact they have both on the field and in the locker room.

Franklin represents the special teams unit, which also is in line with how his career has gone with the Colts since they drafted him in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL draft.

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Colts’ Zaire Franklin on Carson Wentz: ‘He’s locked in’

Zaire Franklin believes a fresh start is what Carson Wentz needed.

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Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin returned to his hometown in Philadelphia this summer, giving back to the community by holding entrepreneur seminars in West Philly.

In doing so, Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer asked Franklin some questions about the Colts’ new quarterback in Carson Wentz, who had a less than ideal departure from the Eagles.

“He’s locked in. He’s really excited,” Franklin told Hayes. “I’m ready to get to [training] camp to see how he is, competitively.”

It has been nothing but positive reviews about Wentz since the Colts conducted their spring workouts in a revised schedule that included 10 voluntary OTA practice sessions.

Linebacker Darius Leonard has put his faith in the 28-year-old quarterback. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. had immense praise for Wentz after the two spent an entire offseason working out together both with the team and on their own.

Even the bonding activities at OTAs proved that Wentz isn’t having any trouble fitting in with his new team.

Getting that fresh start with the Colts seems to be exactly what Wentz needed after the tumultuous ending in Philly.

“I ain’t gonna lie; he’s excited for the fresh start,” Franklin said. “He wishes things had gone better in Philly, but he’s super happy to have a fresh start. Especially him being back with Frank. He and Frank, obviously, already have that connection.”

That connection with Reich will be huge for the potential bounce-back of Wentz. He has been working with Adam Dedeaux of 3DQB in hopes of getting his mechanics back to form.

The Colts will be returning to Westfield for training camp and it seems that time can’t come quickly enough to see just how the new quarterback is holding up with his new team.

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Colts’ special teams unit ranked 4th in NFL

Colts had an elite special teams unit.

Throughout the 2020 season, the Indianapolis Colts were lauded each and every week in how strong their special teams unit was by opposing teams. That trend will continue into the offseason.

In his annual rankings of special teams units, Rick Gosselin of Sports Illustrated had the Colts ranked as the fourth-best unit in the NFL behind only the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.

Gosselin also mentioned that the Colts had the biggest jump from 2019, going from the 29th-ranked unit to fourth.

The greatest improvement was charted by the Colts, who vaulted from 29th in 2019 to fourth in 2020. Special-teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone was hired by the Colts in 2018 away from the Patriots, where he had been O’Brien’s assistant. New England then hired Judge to replace Ventrone. Now it’s Achord’s turn.

The Colts had a strong unit throughout that phase of the game. They had the NFL’s leader in special teams tackles, George Odum, who was named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

They also got strong contributions on the coverage unit from linebackers Zaire Franklin and Jordan Glasgow while long snapper Luke Rhodes continues to be one of the underrated parts of that group.

In the return game, cornerback Isaiah Rodgers was electric on kick returns. He was third in the league averaging 28.8 return yards per kick. Meanwhile, running back Nyheim Hines was sixth in yards per punt return with an average of 10 yards.

This unit was disciplined, physical and well-coached by Ventrone. They were able to flip the field constantly while punting and gave the offense an advantage with their returns.

Special teams may go overlooked often, but the Colts had one of the best units in the league in 2020, and it was a big reason they had the success they did.

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Colts announce team captains for 2020

Team captains set for 2020.

The Indianapolis Colts announced their five team captains for the 2020 season on Tuesday as they prepare for the Week 1 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The five captains include wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, quarterback Philip Rivers, defensive end Justin Houston, linebacker Darius Leonard and linebacker Zaire Franklin. It comes down to two offensive players, two defensive players and one special teams player.

Hilton and Leonard were both captains during the 2019 season as was quarterback Jacoby Brissett. With some new faces joining, there will be some new leadership, especially from under center.

Football is finally back and even though there may not be fans in the stands, these five Colts will have the “C” on their jerseys every week.

Colts detail plan to engage in social change

Colts are set out to make change.

The Indianapolis Colts canceled their scheduled training camp practice on Thursday and used the day to detail a course of action for social change.

While the Colts aren’t the only team to have used Thursday as a day to reflect, plan and engage in conversations about social issues, they did reveal what they came up with in terms of their plan to reach out into the community.

Statements given from quarterback Jacoby Brissett and linebacker Zaire Franklin following Friday’s practice detail what the Colts plan to do in the community.

The plan essentially comes down to four or five major parts. Among the main points include getting out into the community to get the people to vote while also reaching out to local law enforcement to engage in discussions and help rebuild the relationship between the police and the community.

The Colts have been extremely vocal in their social issues this offseason. It really began following the death of George Floyd. It stimulated conversations between players and coaches, which has turned into a full-on movement by the entire organization.

As training camp continues, the Colts have made it clear they will not be silent in their desire to reach out to the community on social issues while also trying to help mend the relationship between law enforcement and the people.