Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
It’s been a nightmarish 2 weeks for Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
First, he watched his unit let former Colts practice squad quarterback P.J Walker march the Browns down the field (with the help of some ill-timed and controversial penalties) and score the go-ahead touchdown to put Cleveland ahead of the Colts for good. Then, the following week, he saw the Saints and their mediocre-at-best offense score 38 points.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr, who had garnered headlines over his obvious frustration with his wide receivers, had his best game since joining New Orleans. He repeatedly picked on the Colts banged up secondary, mainly cornerback Tony Brown, who had an all-timer of a bad game.
Make no mistake, Colts GM Chris Ballard deserves a large portion of the blame for the Colts woes against the passing game. He is the one who did nothing to replace Isaiah Rodgers when he was busted by the league for gambling, and then later released by the team. He is the one who made the choice to trade Stephon Gilmore, the team’s best and most experienced cornerback.
Fortunately for Ballard, and unfortunately for Bradley, Ballard more than likely bought himself more time by taking Anthony Richardson 4th overall. Bradley also has the bad luck of being a holdover from the Frank Reich era. Meanwhile, his defense is currently ranked 28th in the league, and has now had 3 straight games where they gave up 35+ points. They have allowed 371.3 yards and 28.6 points per game; the latter figure is the most in the NFL. Will Shane Steichen still be okay with someone who isn’t “his guy” running the defense, especially if that defense continues to play this poorly?
Steichen, for his part, spoke to the media on Monday, where he backed his defensive coordinator.
“I have a ton of faith in Gus. Obviously kept Gus here because I believe in what he does.”
How long that faith lasts remains to be seen. The Colts have been ravaged by injuries in the secondary, and the loss of Grover Stewart in the trenches cannot be overstated. At some point, however, the excuses will run out. Steichen isn’t going anywhere, and neither is Ballard.
That could leave Bradley as the odd man out, and the fall guy should the defense continue to struggle.
During Monday’s edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Stephen Holder of ESPN about the Colts loss to the Saints. Stephen spoke about some of the glaring issues he saw, including on the defensive front. Listen to that conversation below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
