10/2 indystar articles

[JAFF]

INDIANAPOLIS — The seeds of the Colts’ overtime loss to the Rams were planted months ago.

Or, more accurately, weren't planted.

Faced with a transitional season, the Colts decided to roll with young, inexperienced players at cornerback and the offensive line, and those decisions played key roles in a 29-23 overtime loss to the Rams.

Ultimately, the weak spots might end up being the reason the Colts cannot take advantage of the surprising poise and play they’re getting from rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in Shane Steichen’s first season as head coach.

Richardson nearly brought Indianapolis back from a 23-0 deficit Sunday. If the Colts had more experience in the secondary or behind the starting offensive line, he might have pulled off the comeback — or faced a much smaller deficit than the one he ran down.


Los Angeles built that lead by taking advantage of the Indianapolis weaknesses.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 14 of 18 passes for 185 yards in the first half, directed two touchdown drives and put Los Angeles in scoring position on seven of its first eight offensive series, taking advantage of an Indianapolis secondary starting rookie JuJu Brents at one cornerback and Dallis Flowers, an undrafted free agent in his second season, at the other.


Indianapolis had been able to overcome its lack of experience in the secondary the previous two weeks by relying on the play of a defensive line that racked up 12 sacks, tied for second-most in the league over three weeks.

“Phenomenal,” defensive backs coach Ron Milus said of the Colts defensive line. “When we look at it, it jumps off the screen, the way our guys have been able to be disruptive, not just in the run game, but in the pass game. … We’ve got to be able, at our level, to match what they’re doing.”

But Stafford is the kind of quarterback who knows how to neutralize the impact of a good rush, especially on a day when the Colts’ best pass rusher, DeForest Buckner, was on a pitch count due to injuries.

“He knows everything that’s going on,” said Kenny Moore II, the only experienced Indianapolis cornerback, after picking off Stafford at a key moment in the second half. “He feels the checks, he feels the pressure that’s about to happen. He has accelerated vision.

The Rams quarterback spent most of the day getting the ball out of his hands before the rush could get home or dancing away from pressure.

“It’s tough, staying consistent in your rushes and keep on attacking when you’re not necessarily getting home on time,” Colts defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo said.

Indianapolis tried to counter Stafford’s quick-strike approach by disguising its coverages, specifically with the way strong safety Julian Blackmon was deployed.

“Disguise, we were trying to do everything that I could. Our coaches were trying to put me in positions to kind of hold, so he had to pat-pat on the ball,” Blackmon said. “He’s been in this league for a long time, he knows what he wants to do, he’ll slide protection so he has more time to throw the ball.”

Another way to make Stafford hold the ball long enough for the pass rush to get home is to cover Rams receivers well enough to make him extend the play.

The young Indianapolis secondary instead found itself chasing open Rams receivers for most of the first half.

“It’s just savvy coaching, savvy quarterback,” Brents said. “They don’t allow you to get up there and press guys, challenge guys, what we like to do. They just get you in tough situations with your leverage.”

A secondary with more experience, more established players might be less vulnerable to the tricks of Stafford and Rams head coach Sean McVay.

Less likely to make a mistake in a key moment.

After making enough plays to allow Richardson to pull off a 23-point comeback, the Colts couldn’t stop the Rams in overtime. On the game-winning play, Brents made a mistake that allowed Los Angeles rookie Puka Nacua to get wide open for a 22-yard touchdown.

Los Angeles bunched three receivers to the right side, and at the snap Nacua ran a deep in, while tight end Tyler Higbee ran a quick out. Brents, the rookie, stayed with Higbee, who was already covered by Moore, leaving Nacua wide open.

“Bad communication,” Brents said. “I have to be better on that play, have to execute better. Take the high cut, be better on the in and outs.”

Indianapolis thought Rams receiver Tutu Atwell should have been flagged for a false start on the play.

[JAFF]

What's next for Jonathan Taylor and the Colts? A look at all the options
Nate Atkins
Indianapolis Star


INDIANAPOLIS -- Jonathan Taylor has a chance to come back and play for the Colts this week.

When he actually does is now the question.

Indianapolis' All-Pro running back is eligible to return from the Physically Unable to Perform List as early as Monday. Per NFL rules, he had to miss the first four games once the Colts placed him on the list to end the preseason, which they did for what general manager Chris Ballard described as pain in the ankle.

Here are the options facing Taylor and the Colts now:

When can Jonathan Taylor play?

The Colts can add Taylor back to the 53-man roster as soon as they wish, but they don't have to. They can open a practice window for him that keeps him on the PUP List but allows him to work with the team during the week in order to ramp back up to speed. They can keep that window open for up to 21 days.


So, it's possible that Taylor will stay on the PUP List until the start of Week 8 before he's added back to the active roster.

But Taylor has shown signs of returning to form. He posted a video to his Instagram in Week 1, showing him running a route and making a sharp cut on the ankle he had surgically repaired in January. He hasn't had a football practice since Week 13 of last season, so he could need some time to build up to the state needed to run the ball in games.


Could the Colts still trade Jonathan Taylor?

The Colts granted Taylor permission to seek a trade after he requested one in training camp, and though they didn't make a move before placing him on the PUP List, it is an option if the two sides still can't figure out a working relationship, or if a team blows them away with an offer. They have until Oct. 31 to work out a potential trade.

The odds of an offer blowing away the Colts appears to be low, considering Ballard said no team came close to the price tag in the preseason, and the return is only likely to get worse after Taylor missed the first four games. The Dolphins were one of the teams reportedly in the mix, but they have had no issue becoming the most explosive offense in the NFL without him. The Packers were another, and they do have a need for more offense, but that need might be too widespread for a running back to fix.

The Colts want to see Taylor bounce back from his ankle issues to run like the rushing champion he was in 2021, and other teams could feel the same way. Taylor shared the Instagram video early in the season to show a glimpse into those capabilities. But he might need to show it in games first. He could play up to four games before the Oct. 31 deadline, if he were to come back this week.


Does Jonathan Taylor want to play?

What the Colts and Taylor are allowed to do and what will actually happen are two different conversations.

This stand-off now dates back to the early part of the summer, when Taylor switched agencies and made his feelings known publicly about his desire for a new contract and the difficulty getting that message through to the Colts. Indianapolis had a track record of rewarding cornerstone players entering the final year of their first contract, from Quenton Nelson to Shaquille Leonard to Braden Smith to Kenny Moore II to Nyheim Hines.


It ramped up in July, when Taylor requested a trade the day he told the Colts he had pain in his ankle, and the team placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform List. Since then, he's taken his rehab off-site for a week, and he's mostly trained away from the rest of the team, avoiding all practices and games since the preseason began.

"The situation sucks," Ballard said at the end of the preseason. "I’m not going to sit here and give you some rosy picture like everything is OK. No, it sucks. It sucks for the Colts, it sucks for Jonathan Taylor and it sucks for our fans. It does.


"It’s where we’re at and we’ve got to work through it, and we’re going to do everything we can to work through it. Relationships are repairable. They’re repairable. Guys get emotional and take a stance. You’ve got to be able to work through those."



In August, Taylor's agent, Malki Kawa, tweeted "I doubt it" to a suggestion that the relationship could be repaired. Taylor has yet to rescind his request to be traded. But he also hasn't spoken publicly since July, so his full feelings on the situation remain a mystery until he does.

Ultimately, Taylor wants to be paid at a market rate for his position, which is between $12 million and $16 million annually, with multiple years and guarantees that allow him to feel right about the injury risk he assumes anytime he steps on the field. The Colts haven't wanted to extend that kind of offer, and they haven't been willing to promise that they won't use the franchise tag this year or next, which would pay him at least $10 million but offer no guarantees beyond that season.

[Racehorse]

Line play league-wide is not very good. Backup linemen are iffy, league-wide. All of the athletic guys are playing defense, where the real money is. Plus, college style of play does not develop linemen for NFL play.

[JAFF]

'Look forward to having him': Colts RB Jonathan Taylor to practice Wednesday, could play Sunday
Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts will get Jonathan Taylor back on the practice field Wednesday.

They might get him back on the Lucas Oil turf against the Titans on Sunday.

Taylor has been on the team’s physically unable to perform list since the beginning of the training camp in order to rehabilitate the ankle he had surgically repaired in January, and at the same time, the running back has been locked in a contentious standoff with the Colts over the state of his contract.

“He’ll be back with the team, he’s practicing Wednesday,” head coach Shane Steichen said. “Had great conversations with him. He’s super-excited to be back with his teammates, and I look forward to having him.”


More:What's next for Jonathan Taylor and the Colts? A look at all the options

The state of contract negotiations remains in limbo.

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard said he does not plan to offer Taylor an extension until his rookie contract expires at the end of the season, citing the team’s 2022 collapse and a desire to see how Taylor fits in Steichen’s offense. In response to that position, Taylor — who has seen the team reward stars like Quenton Nelson and Shaquille Leonard, among others, before the final year of their rookie contracts began — requested a trade at the beginning of training camp, and although Colts owner Jim Irsay balked at the idea at first, Taylor was ultimately granted permission to seek a trade at the end of training camp.


No team met the Colts’ demands.

“Jonathan is valuable, and at the end of the day, I’m not going to just let him walk out the door,” Ballard said at the time. “I’m not going to do that. That’s not the best thing for the Colts and the organization.”

Neither Taylor nor the team have commented on the contract standoff since the end of training camp.


But Taylor is eligible to come off the PUP list now, and Indianapolis plans to use the former All-Pro if he’s ready.

“He’s in good shape, conditioning-wise,” Steichen said. “Obviously, putting on the pads and practicing is a different deal. I know it’s been a long time since he’s played football. We’ll see how practice goes this week, see where he’s at physically, from putting the pads on, and we’ll go from there.”

The Colts head coach has stayed in contact with Taylor throughout the entire ordeal.

“The conversations I’ve had with him have been great through this whole deal,” Steichen said. “He’s in a good spot.”

If Taylor is fully healthy, the running back could form a devastating tandem with rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, who has already proven he’s an explosive complement in the running game.

Veteran backup Zack Moss has rushed 66 times for 280 yards and a touchdown in three games during Taylor’s absence, but he’s averaging just 4.2 yards per carry and lacks Taylor’s ability to turn any run into a game-breaking play. A bruiser who doesn’t have Taylor’s breakaway speed, Moss’s longest run through the first three games is 24 yards.

“You like the fact that hey, you hand the guy the ball, he bounces a run, that thing might go for 60,” Colts running backs coach DeAndre Smith said last week. “And that’s what you need, those chunk plays.”


Even the threat of those chunk plays might be enough to take some of the attention off Richardson, who has 131 rushing yards, averages 5.7 yards per carry and has already scored four touchdowns despite missing almost two games.

The presence of Taylor also gives the Colts an option to give their running backs some rest, a luxury Moss hasn’t enjoyed the past three weeks. Moss has played 173 of a possible 205 snaps the past three weeks, an 84% share of the snaps that is unsustainable over a full season.

A healthy Taylor would be the Indianapolis starter.

But the emergence of Moss in the past eight games with Taylor sidelined also means the Colts do not have to ask Taylor to take every single carry.

“You add a guy back like J.T., and then you know, Zack and Anthony, you’ve got three guys who are really good runners,” Steichen said. “Then there can be some times where you have breather plays, where Anthony’s not always running zone read or something, and you just hand off to 28 or Zack and go play ball.”


The key now is getting a feel for Taylor’s conditioning in practice this week.

Taylor has not practiced yet, to be sure, but other NFL stars — notably San Francisco defensive end Nick Bosa, Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones and New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara — have returned to full workloads almost immediately despite absences of varying lengths.

“I think, obviously, just seeing how practice goes, feeling him, where he’s at from a football standpoint,” Steichen said. “Obviously, the conditioning, he’s been working his tail off with the rehab process, he’s feeling good. We’ll have those conversations throughout the week and then make that decision.”

After everything that’s happened, Taylor could be on the field against Tennessee this weekend, forcing defenders to make a catch-28 decision between the explosiveness of an All-Pro back and a dynamic rookie quarterback.

“If he feels good,” Steichen said, “we’ll rotate him in if he’s ready to go.”