Could Lou Anarumo be the first real casualty if the Colts’ defense keeps sputtering?
That’s the question hanging over a season that already feels like it’s moving fast. The offense has shown enough to keep the conversation alive, but if the defense again fails to do the basic things a defense has to do to help win games, the heat is going to land somewhere. And right now, Lou is the name at the center of it.
The idea coming into the year was that this group would be built to let Anarumo work his version of a flexible, week-to-week defense - the kind of “Mad Scientist” setup that could adjust to different offenses. The front office made moves to give him the pieces to do it, too.
Bynum, Ward and Gardner were added to strengthen the defensive backfield, and day two draft picks Walley and Haulcey were used with that same vision in mind. Players who had worked with him before also came in, at least in theory knowing what the system asked for.
But that has not translated cleanly. Taylor-Britt and ADG are already in the mix, yet others who came through in the past have moved on after proving ineffective.
The linebacker plan, in particular, was supposed to be lighter than what most teams carry. The thinking was that Lou’s scheme only needed two linebackers, maybe even just one in certain situations.
Carlies was supposed to fit that role. Instead, the defense learned that linebackers who can stop the run - Franklin and Pratt among them - can become major problems in pass coverage.
That’s why ADG arrived, along with a pair of premium draft picks.
One of those picks is C.J. Allen, and he has only six snaps through the first two games.
He likely isn’t ready yet - the preseason made that pretty clear - but the bigger issue is that the bar hasn’t been set very high by anyone else either. Even if he makes mistakes, it’s not like the current standard is demanding.
The pass rush has been another source of frustration. Before this season, most of the blame was placed there, and it does look a little better now, even if the numbers may not fully support that.
Still, there’s irritation over how often the best pass rusher is being dropped into coverage. There’s also the same old soft spot in zone that keeps making third downs too easy for opposing offenses.
And because the head coach does not have a defensive background, the sense is that he’s letting Lou run things as he sees fit. That makes the whole staff feel tightly linked, almost joined at the hip.
But as Yogi Berra put it, “It’s getting late early”. If the defense keeps missing tackles and taking bad angles to the ball, patience is going to wear thin in a hurry.
At some point, the conversation shifts from what should be fixed to who gets moved. If this really is a “Must win” game and it goes the wrong way, changes start to feel inevitable.
A few other thoughts are already floating around. Tankathon has the team taking Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown early in the second round, which fits the current defensive mood. There’s also hope that Slayton can provide something, especially since he was cut and the Giants are on the hook for most of his salary, making him seem like a pretty appealing pickup for a team looking for help.
And Burks needs a bigger role than just the jet sweep stuff. He played only three snaps in the last game, and ran the ball on two of them. Keep using him that way, and the surprise element disappears fast.
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Seth McGowan could see a bigger role if the Colts are looking for a fresh spark, while Justin Walley has a chance to show he belongs as a starter in a game that will demand sharp coverage. Keenan Allen, meanwhile, is one of the more proven pieces on the roster, but Indianapolis needs more from him than name value if it is going to keep pace in Houston. [Read more 🡒]