Anival Ramirez, Fort Wayne, Ind.: Long time fan who finally got season tickets. As a fan that loss to the Jags was like a slap to the face. Watching that game we didn’t really allow any explosive plays, with the exception of the run. The Jags dinked and dunked us for what seemed the entire first half. Personally it feels like Leonard’s energy is missing in the defense.
Is Leonard the only one who can pump some life into this defense, do we need to find some additional leaders at D?
If Leonard plays, my gut says we win week 3. Put that on the record.
JJ Stankevitz: First up, the Colts can win even if Leonard doesn’t play on Sunday. Guess who didn’t play the last time the Colts faced the Chiefs? Shaquille Leonard. The Colts won, 19-13, in Week 5 of the 2019 season.
We’ll find out Friday what Leonard’s status for Sunday’s game will be (if there’s no designation, he’ll play; he could otherwise be questionable, doubtful or out). And if he does play, his ability to create takeaways – he’s the only player in NFL history to have eight or more forced fumbles and four or more interceptions in a single season – can swiftly end drives and give the Colts momentum.
But the energy part of not having Leonard the first two weeks is something defensive coordinator Gus Bradley addressed this week.
“What comes first, does the energy come and then you play faster, or you play fast, and the energy comes? That’s always the million-dollar question,” Bradley said. “We have a spirited group on defense, and I think the whole objective is to ensure that we play fast and right now, we’re thinking a little bit too much out there and when you’re thinking, it’s hard to show that emotion consistently. We have to do a good job with our staff and presenting it to the defense in order to get where they’re playing with great freedom.”
As for the dink and dunk – that’s real, and is a challenge for the Colts to defend going forward. In Week 1, Houston Texans quarterback Davis Mills had the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…