The Colts' Defense, 2025 Season

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Kray007

Yesterday, they encountered the perfect storm. A battered D Line couldn’t hold up at the point vs McCafferty, the Linebackers couldn’t cover Kittle, and a depleted backfield forced Anarumo into playing zone. Add in the fact that they have two premier bookend Tackles who stymied the pass rush, and you have a recipe for disaster.

That really doesn't dispute the fact that this defense, for the last several seasons, disappears at the end of the season, in games, where the Colts have a chance to make the playoffs.

[Kray007]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

That really doesn't dispute the fact that this defense, for the last several seasons, disappears at the end of the season, in games, where the Colts have a chance to make the playoffs.

I would dispute that vehemently. Except for yesterday’s game, they haven’t been losing because the D suddenly stumbled.

They held Pittsburgh to 241 yards of total Offense, 38 on the ground. KC scored 23. Houston managed 20. The Seahawks got 18. They surrendered 36 to Jacksonville, but the Jags didn’t exactly move the ball at will. 17 of their points came on 3 drives that totaled 80 yards. 2 on a Safety.

[Oldcolt]

The whole fucking team disappears when it counts the last decade. Kray I am not sure if we have been watching the same team. This team has no real pass rush to stymie, yeah they get sacks but show inability to get pressure of any significant sort when games are on the line. It has been incredibly frustrating. Mediocre is what we are in all phases of the game. Mediocre that look great against crap teams and suck against good teams. Just like this year, last year the year before and so on.

[Kray007]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

The whole fucking team disappears when it counts the last decade. Kray I am not sure if we have been watching the same team. This team has no real pass rush to stymie, yeah they get sacks but show inability to get pressure of any significant sort when games are on the line. It has been incredibly frustrating. Mediocre is what we are in all phases of the game. Mediocre that look great against crap teams and suck against good teams. Just like this year, last year the year before and so on.

Look, I understand the frustration. But this year isn’t like any of those other years. Last year and the year before that and the year before that, the collapse was inexplicable. This year‘s cause is plain, there is no mystery to it.

The whole next man up ethos is silly on the face of it. When Daniel Jones goes down, you’re not going to get the same performance out of Riley Leonard. No matter how much you wish it to be, Mekhi Blackmon, Jalen Jones, and Johnathan Edwards will never give you the same level of play as Charvarius Ward or Sauce Gardner. A healthy Deforest Buckner solidifies the interior defensive line and makes Laiatu Latu a better pass rusher.

The past few games have seen the Colts playing minus 4, 5, and 6 legitimate pro bowlers. Against San Francisco, they had a RT playing on the left side, a RG playing RT, and two scrubs manning Center and Guard.

That’s not to argue that the Colts front office has put together the perfect lineup. There are holes here and there. Defensive End opposite Latu is a weakness. The linebacker corps cries out for an upgrade, and age is beginning to creep in at a few spots.

My feeling, though, my sincerely help belief, is that this squad, had it remained healthy, would be sitting at 11-4. A healthy Colt team would be 4 point favorites over Jacksonville.

[ChaosTheory]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

Mediocre that look great against crap teams and suck against good teams.

I really wish Jones didn't crack his leg and hamper the playbook right before the entire team got butchered with injuries. It will allow this narrative to persist well into next season.

Not to say they'd go undefeated or some ridiculous shit... If the defense plays like last night, anyone would beat us. 6 turnovers like against PIT, anyone would beat us.

But to say the team was mediocre prior to Jones' injury is nonsense.

-They played some weaker teams and crushed them about as bad as those teams have had it all year.

-They went toe-to-toe with an NFC favorite (maybe led most of the game?) on the road despite AD Mitchell and it took our 6th option at CB tripping on his own feet and giving up a freak 88yd TD with 90 seconds left.

-They beat the Broncos and Chargers who are a combined 24-7 and are the #3 and #4 defenses in the league. And the offense in particular lit both of them up - most yards given up by both teams, most points LAC has allowed, 3rd most DEN has allowed.

[Oldcolt]

I disagree with how some of you grade a teams year. You count the good games and make excuses for the bad ones. When I said we, once again, put forth a mediocre team I am looking at the entire season, not just a few good games when people had not figured us out. I understand injuries, I just have this weird idea that everyone has them and good teams find a way (just look at Philly winning when they lost their starting QB-it can be done) to win. When you are a .500 team year in and year out (give or take a game or two) you find ways to lose. I tend to agree with Bill Parcels, you are what your record says you are, mediocre (or average if you prefer). Spin it any way you want, the Colts will be home with their families for the playoffs again.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Oldcolt

I disagree with how some of you grade a teams year. You count the good games and make excuses for the bad ones. When I said we, once again, put forth a mediocre team I am looking at the entire season, not just a few good games when people had not figured us out. I understand injuries, I just have this weird idea that everyone has them and good teams find a way (just look at Philly winning when they lost their starting QB-it can be done) to win. When you are a .500 team year in and year out (give or take a game or two) you find ways to lose. I tend to agree with Bill Parcels, you are what your record says you are, mediocre (or average if you prefer). Spin it any way you want, the Colts will be home with their families for the playoffs again.

The difference is not spin. It is facts. The facts are that injuries took what was a team on fire and poured a ton of water on it. Had our schedule been reversed, I think we would have won 11-12 games, because the easier games were when healthy, and when we got to the harder part, we had all our key positions outside offensive skill positions out.

[Oldcolt]

Ballard is the longest tenured non multi role (not an owner etc) GM in NFL history to have a losing record and not have multiple playoff wins or a conference championship appearance according to an article I read. It isn't this one year that has lost me. It is the past decade of this. I was in the corner of those who make excuses for Ballard until this year. It has just been to long of having the same front office and getting the same results with a different excuse each year. Injuries are not an excuse in the NFL:

49ers had Purdy, Kittle, Pearsall, Aiyuk, Warner, Bosa, and probably other players hurt for extended periods of time and theyre 11-4.

Chargers lost Slater and Alt, Hampton for a lot of time, Herbert has a broken hand, theyre 11-4.

Texans started 0-3 and lost Stroud for a period of time. They won all their games with Mills at QB. Now they’re 10-5.

I have been thru a many of these bad stretches as a Colt fan over the last 60 years of following them. Those stretches never ended without changes in the management of the team. I think it is time. Again it isn't just about this year. I hope for all of our sake I am wrong.