ANDERSON —
When Indianapolis Colts first-year coach Chuck Pagano confirmed during his introductory press conference that the team would be installing a new defensive system, many of the team’s returning players silently celebrated.
The decision by Pagano to switch from a more traditional 4-3 alignment to a more aggressive 3-4 hybrid scheme was met with near widespread approval and more than a little bit of curiosity.
Indianapolis has not played any form of a 3-4 defense since the early 1990s. In recent seasons, Tony Dungy’s Tampa Two formed the framework of the defensive game plan.
But as the defense evolved over the last couple of years, depending on injuries and roster moves, the Colts became less aggressive with its linebackers and defensive backs. Indianapolis depended on a pair of smallish pass-rushing defensive ends — Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis — to create most, if not all, of the havoc up front.
The team’s cornerbacks were often stationed six or seven yards off opposing wide receivers, giving up too much of a cushion and allowing easy toss-and-catch completions to keep offensive drives alive. While fans often became frustrated with particular players — such as Tim Jennings and Jacob Lacey — the real blame should have been centered on how the defense was being used.
With the introduction of the new 3-4 hybrid system, though, things are about to change. The Colts are expected to challenge offenses more up front and in the secondary. There are drawbacks to ramping up the aggressiveness, however. Cornerbacks often will be given more man-to-man pass coverage responsibilities, which could result in big pass plays downfield.
One thing is certain. Pagano and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky aren’t going to hold anything back. They’re not prepared to play cautiously on defense. Indianapolis will want to challenge teams. They’ll be a work in progress, though, until they get all the bugs worked out.
The possibility of making mistakes early on is not deterring the Colts coaching staff. They are committed to the 3-4 hybrid defensive package.
“I think that is the best thing about a 3-4, you just don’t know where [the pressure] is going to be coming from. From our standpoint, if they want to double [outside linebacker] Dwight [Freeney], then that is great,” Manusky explained.
“Maybe we will drop him a little bit and send [outside linebacker] Robert [Mathis] and put him on the match-ups that we are looking to get. We are looking to get Robert or Dwight on a tight end or a running back. I will take that every day.”
Aggressiveness is the key.
“We want to strike people and we want to separate from people. We don’t want any [trading plays] one-for-ones. We want to make sure we can kick a player’s butt and then go make the play. That’s what we talk about,” the Colts’ defensive coordinator said.
“The first thing is we’ve got to make sure we stop the run by setting the edge with the two guys we got on the edge [Freeney and Mathis] and the second thing is never trade one-for-one. I think across the board guys can beat guys across the board. And then the third thing is we just have to have a tempo each and every snap and each and every play.”
n Still learning — Free safety Antoine Bethea knows that Indianapolis’ defensive unit still has a lot of work to do before the regular season gets under way. They’ll get the first real test Sunday when the St. Louis Rams visit Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts’ preseason opener.
“We’re still working. We’re most definitely getting more comfortable with it. The coaches, they’re doing a great job just going back and installing the packages, really every day. The more we see different routes, the more combinations we see, the more comfortable that we will be,” Bethea said Monday.
“We’ve been out here practicing amongst the offense. We just want to get that continuity on all phases, offense, special teams and defense and really identify with ourselves what type of team we are going to be this year.”
Strong safety Tom Zbikowski, who played in Baltimore’s 3-4 hybrid defense, has been impressed by how well his new Indianapolis teammates have been picking things up.
“It’s pretty impressive to take an entirely new scheme and by a week into training camp, really be in the fine nuances of the defense, not trying to still get down some blitzes and some things like that,” he said, adding that the Colts want to make their own name for themselves on defense and not rely on how the Ravens did things in Baltimore.
“We’re not trying to be Baltimore, we’re trying to be the Indianapolis Colts. We don’t want to take on the personality of another team. That’s taking away from who you are and then you’re only going to be second- or third-best to someone else who is that. So we’re trying to have our own personality and our own mentality.”
• No plans for Luck against Rams — Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians confirmed Monday that he’s not sure just how long rookie quarterback Andrew Luck will play against the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.
“Still up in the air. We want to see how long we’re going to play that first [offensive] line and the entire group. We really haven’t sat down and talked about it yet. We’d like to get them about 20 plays, maybe 25,” Arians said.
“It’s just the number of plays and how we get a feel for how the game is going. Hopefully we don’t go three and out, three and out and have to play him into the second quarter. We’d like to get a good drive going. We’ve got so many guys we want to look at. And it’s a long, long season.”
The key is for Luck to get as much quality real-game work in before he goes to the sidelines.
“He needs to play against somebody else than ourselves and see different coverage and different fronts. [I’m] looking forward it,” Arians said, adding that Indianapolis will not game plan for St. Louis.
“We practice against the Colts full speed and we play the Rams when they show up. We don’t have time to prepare for another team in the preseason. We just give them a little film work, walk through some stuff and show them the basic defense and let them play football. We’re still getting better fundamentally and everything else that we don’t have time to game plan and prepare for another team.”
• Luck update — During Monday’s afternoon practice, the Colts’ rookie starter connected on 15 of 29 passes with three touchdowns and one interception. His scoring passes included two to veteran receiver Reggie Wayne and one to rookie wide receiver LaVon Brazill.
Luck completed two long TDs, one each to Wayne and Brazill. The throw to Brazill covered 70 yards into the back corner of the end zone. One of the scoring passes to Wayne was drilled over the middle and split the seam between three defenders.
Updating Luck’s training camp passing statistics, he has completed 165-of-232 passes for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.
Brazill also completed a pass, taking the handoff from backup quarterback Drew Stanton on an end-around and then threw downfield to a wide open Austin Collie.
• Injury report — Wide receiver Donnie Avery did not practice Monday after suffering an apparent hip contusion midway through Sunday afternoon’s practice. No word on when Avery will be able to resume practice, although Arians said that the former St. Louis and Tennessee receiver is not expected to play against the Rams on Sunday.
Also sitting out Monday were outside linebacker Mario Addison, wide receiver Jarred Fayson and cornerback Chris Rucker. Rookie cornerback Buddy Jackson and cornerback Justin King were able to return to practice.
Colts
Defensive about-face: Switch to 3-4 embraced
- Colts
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Colts' coordinators enjoying getting rookies acclimated
While the Indianapolis Colts put their rookies and a handful of second-year players through workouts this weekend at the team’s Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, a pair of first-year coordinators are getting a chance to do some valuable on-field work as well.
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Werner, 36 others open Colts’ mini camp
The Indianapolis Colts welcomed 37 players to the start of the team’s rookie mini camp Friday at the West 56th Street headquarters.
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Colts hoping for more high marks on draft picks
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts received high marks for the impact players the team added through the NFL draft.
Of the 10 players selected, five ended up either starting or seeing extensive playing time (quarterback Andrew Luck, tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and running back Vick Ballard) during the Colts’ 11-5 season.
While this year’s class may not rival that group in terms of name recognition and flash, it may produce just as many major contributors once the 2013 season gets underway. -
Werner at top of game
Bjoern Werner was a late comer to football. But after being selected in the first round of the 2013 National Football League draft by the Indianapolis Colts, Werner realizes that he has reached the pinnacle of the sport in a relatively short amount of time.
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Colts select pass rusher Werner in first round
The Indianapolis Colts selected Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner. The 6-foot-3, 266-pound defensive lineman can also play left outside linebacker.
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Colts in wait-and-see mode for tonight’s NFL draft
As the 2013 NFL draft gets underway tonight at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Indianapolis Colts are continuing their wait-and-see stance in regard to the first-round pick.
The draft begins at 8 p.m. — televised by the NFL Network and ESPN — with the Kansas City Chiefs making the night’s first selection. Teams will have 10 minutes to make their decisions during the first round. Indianapolis will have the 24th overall pick in the first round.
There will be only one round tonight. The second and third rounds are scheduled for Friday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with seven minutes allotted per pick in the second round and five minutes allowed in the third. The final four rounds are slated to begin at noon Saturday with four minutes between selections.
As it stands now, Indianapolis does not have a second-round pick. It was traded to Miami last fall in exchange for veteran cornerback Vontae Davis. But second-year general manager Ryan Grigson has nut ruled out the possibility of trading down from the first round if the Colts aren’t satisfied with the players available. -
Direction clear for Colts in 2013 draft
The Indianapolis Colts head into the 2013 NFL Draft with some definite plans.
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Colts veteran among those excited to see Luck's growth in 2013-14
Veteran defensive end Cory Redding is a big fan — literally and figuratively — of Indianapolis Colts second-year quarterback Andrew Luck.
Redding, who has become one of the Colts’ lockerroom leaders after just one season with the team, thinks he has some reasonable expectations of Indianapolis’ former No. 1 draft pick. -
Heyward-Bey feeling fortunate to hook up with Luck
Add one more player to the list of veteran free agents signed by the Indianapolis Colts this offseason.
Former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey agreed to a a deal with the Colts late Monday evening. Bey, who played collegiately at Maryland, was the seventh player selected in the first round of the 2009 National Football League draft. -
Colts sign nose tackle
Another day, more player signings for the Indianapolis Colts.
Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin agreed to terms with the Colts on Tuesday evening and officially signed with the team Wednesday. Franklin (6-1, 315) is a 10-year NFL veteran with stops in Baltimore (2003-06), San Francisco (2007-10), New Orleans (2011) and San Diego (2012). -
Colts sign Matt Hasselbeck to back up Luck
The Indianapolis Colts’ roster moves just keep coming.
While the Colts haven’t yet added that big-name wide receiver that team owner Jim Irsay hinted at in tweets over the weekend, Indianapolis has addressed one area on offense.
Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck had agreed Monday night to be the Colts’ primary back-up to second-year starter Andrew Luck. He officially signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the team Tuesday morning.
“We are very pleased to announce the signing of Matt Hasselbeck,” general manager Ryan Grigson said in a prepared statement. “His body of work, intangibles, and extensive league experience speak for themselves. Those factors, plus his familiarity with our offensive scheme, will make him a great asset to our team and its vision as we move forward.” -
Colts likely done signing free agents, for now
With the possible exception of adding a few lesser-priced players, the Indianapolis Colts’ big-time foray into the veteran free-agent marketplace is pretty much done.
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Landry, Jean Francois join Colts defensive unit
After adding five veteran free agent players to the Indianapolis Colts roster on Tuesday, general manager Ryan Grigson plucked two more plums late Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.
New York Jets safety LaRon Landry and San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois both signed contracts with the Colts. Landry, a strong safety who appears to be a bigger version of former Indianapolis Pro Bowler Bob Sanders, and the versatile Jean-Francois are expected to make immediate impacts on the Colts’ defensive unit. -
Colts introduce free-agent signees
What the Indianapolis Colts accomplished last season — posting an 11-5 record and earning an AFC wild-card berth with a young team plus having that kind of success without its head coach on the sidelines for 12 games — didn’t go unnoticed by players around the NFL.
That was especially true for the five veteran free agents who were added to the Colts’ roster Tuesday. Offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus (Detroit), cornerback Greg Toler (Arizona), outside linebacker Erik Walden (Green Bay), offensive guard Donald Thomas (New England) and linebacker Lawrence Sidbury (Atlanta) admitted as much Wednesday.
“I felt like this would be the best fit for me at this point in my career. I really liked what I saw was happening with the program here and the way things have taken shape. I feel like we have a really great team here and it’s on the rise. I really wanted to be a part of that,” Thomas said during a teleconference interview with the Colts’ media. -
Colts sign five free agents, filling needs at offensive line, cornerback
The Indianapolis Colts were a busy team on the opening day of the National Football League’s veteran free agent market, which got underway at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
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Jeff Saturday retires as a Colt
An Indianapolis Colt for life. Pencil in Jeff Saturday for that honor.
The 14-year veteran center in the NFL put an official stamp on a career Thursday that began in Baltimore in 1998 and ended in Green Bay in 2012. But it was those 13 seasons in between — from 1999 to 2011 in which he played for Indianapolis — when Saturday earned his greatest rewards. -
Saturday thrilled to retire as a Colt
The 14-year veteran center in the National Football League put an official stamp on a career Thursday that began in Baltimore in 1998 and ended in Green Bay in 2012. But it was those 13 seasons in-between — from 1999 to 2011 in which he played for Indianapolis — that Saturday earned his greatest rewards.
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Saturday to retire as Colt on Thursday
Former Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday will make his retirement from the National Football League official on Thursday.
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Indianapolis franchises punter McAfee
A week ago, Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano said it was a priority that the team retain the services of punter Pat McAfee.
McAfee, an unrestricted free agent who’s contract is due to expire March 12, was designated as the Colts’ franchise player Friday. The move allows Indianapolis extra time to work out a long-term deal for the team’s special-teams ace.
“He’s huge. He’s a major priority in free agency. Obviously, we’ve reached out and are working to get Pat re-signed,” Pagano said during the National Football Scouting Combine. “We saw what he did for us last year. He’s a great weapon, not only kickoffs and touchbacks. -
Colts GM enjoying time at combine
Indianapolis Colts second-year general manager Ryan Grigson makes no bones about it. He enjoys watching prospective football players strut their stuff.
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Colts keeping eye on large crop of talented linemen in NFL Draft
According to most National Football League draft observers, this year’s crop of prospects is deep with quality offensive and defensive linemen.
Among the offensive line candidates who have been showcasing their talents at the National Football Scouting Combine, which began in earnest Thursday and wraps up on Tuesday, the spotlight has been on the offensive tackles. Offensive left tackles in particular. -
Colts' Pagano back to full work schedule at combine
Back and ready to go.
That’s the attitude Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano is taking during the National Football Scouting Combine, which completed its second day of operations Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium. During a wide-ranging press conference at the combine, Pagano confirmed that he is back to a full work regimen after missing 12 games last fall as he battled a rare form of leukemia.
After undergoing cancer treatments that featured heavy doses of chemotherapy, the second-year head coach was able to return to the sidelines for Indianapolis’ final regular-season home game against Houston and for the team’s AFC wild-card matchup with eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore. -
Colts looking forward to different approach to draft in 2013
A year ago, the Indianapolis Colts had the first overall pick in the 2012 National Football League draft.
It was a foregone conclusion that the Colts would select former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the selection. While Indianapolis front office and player personnel officials certainly had to do their due diligence in preparing for the draft, the Colts find themselves this year in a bit different situation.
The team will have the 24th overall pick in the first round, which is a double-edged sword. Indianapolis picks lower in the round due to a successful season. But the pool of available can’t-miss talent isn’t quite as plentiful as drafting earlier in the round. -
Former Pro Bowl selection Freeney won't return to Colts
The news coming out of the Indianapolis Colts headquarters Friday afternoon was not totally unexpected. Team officials have confirmed that two veteran players – former Pro Bowl defensive end/outside linebacker Dwight Freeney and wide receiver Austin Collie — will not be returning for the 2013 season.
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Colts’ new offensive coordinator will offer variety
Quarterback Andrew Luck running the Pistol offense? Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton lining up in the Wildcat?
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Colts moving on to the off season
Moving on. That’s the immediate plans for the Indianapolis Colts as they head into the off season.
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Baltimore ends Indy’s playoff run early
The Baltimore Ravens want one long final ride for Ray Lewis. Having disposed of Andrew Luck and the Colts, they now face a more imposing challenge.
Next up, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. -
Switching sides: Colts-Ravens matchup includes old friends on new teams
Just as Baltimore Ravens players and coaches will be seeing some old friends returning to M&T Bank Stadium today, several Indianapolis Colts veterans will also have an opportunity to renew acquaintances with a familiar face.
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Pagano prepares Colts for tough crowd in Baltimore
As a former resident of Baltimore, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano knows all about the hard feelings that still run strong about the move of the Colts franchise to Indianapolis in 1984.
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Pagano marvels at Colt’s progress
In the minutes after last Sunday’s win over AFC South champion Houston, Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano marveled at how the 2012 season has progressed for his team.
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