Stampede Blue
Following the Indianapolis Colts’ monumental collapse to close out the 2021-22 NFL season, the pressure mounted on general manager Chris Ballard’s shoulders. It had concluded three seasons of band-aids applied to the sport’s most important position — quarterback — as the organization attempted to rebound from an unprecedented situation.
That situation, of course, is that of Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement ahead of the 2019 season. Ballard and Co. have been scrambling to right the ship ever since, eventually falling short with each season that’s passed. While its ever-apparent turnstile at quarterback has by no means reversed course on said shortcomings, the three veteran quarterbacks at the time — Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, and Carson Wentz — were at least provided a worthwhile defense to keep them afloat. After defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus left to become the Chicago Bears head coach following the 2021 collapse, personnel subsequently broke up, the health of its superstar defender deteriorated, and thus, success slowly but surely waned.
That uninspiring sense of self was on full display from Colts defenders for the past three seasons (2022-2024). Sloppy tackling, individualistic play, and a lack of urgency were at the forefront of the Colts’ defense during that timeframe. Manned by Gus Bradley, his once-dominant cover-3-centric philosophy used to torment the league’s best offenses, but has since devolved into a thing of the past. And while it may have, at times, felt like Bradley was not afforded the horses necessary for a league-best unit, the basis of his playstyle is no longer a viable threat moving forward, but rather an outdated one.
The Colts’ defense under Gus Bradley remained near the bottom of the totem pole in scoring, finishing 28th, 28th, and 24th during his 3-year tenure in Indianapolis. He tried his best to maximize his otherwise simplistic ways, but the bend-don’t-break nature of his playstyle is simply not sustainable without fielding a defense littered with all-world talents.
Mutual respect remained between the Colts organization and Gus Bradley, but a changing of the guard was way past due. During an interview on the local broadcast of the Colts’ second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, new owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said just that:
“I love Gus [Bradley], but it was time to move on from him.”
This experiment ran its course after this past season, and in turn brought arguably the best move of Chris Ballard’s tenure: bringing in Lou ‘The Mad Scientist’ Anarumo.
It’s only been one week; therefore, it’s nearly impossible to anoint the move as such, but Lou Anarumo’s genius has quickly rubbed off on the Colts’ defense. After just one game, Anarumo has instilled confidence and togetherness into that side of the ball. This collective newfound sense of self was apparent throughout the summer, but has since been legitimized with the defense’s performance in the season opener versus Miami.
Anarumo’s constant in-game pivots proved to be a challenge for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa early and often. After a first-half shutout that featured two takeaways ([Camryn...
