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INDIANAPOLIS – Despite the Colts ranking in the basement of the NFL in points allowed each of the last two seasons, Gus Bradley is expected to return for a 3rd season as defensive coordinator.
Why?
Because Chris Ballard has taken responsibility for a youth movement in the secondary, which has certainly played a role in the Colts issues under Bradley in keeping points off the board.
Ballard confirmed last week that Bradley is under contract for the 2024 season, and the Colts expect the veteran coach to return this fall as the leader of the defense.
“I know that’s been a hot topic for everybody,” Ballard said last week when asked about the Colts ranking 28th in points allowed per game in each of the last two seasons. “Look, it’s an area we have to improve. In a little bit of defense, the year before (Bradley) comes in and we kind of had – I don’t want to say a veteran team, but we had some veteran players. Then I just said, ‘Look, we’re going to go young in some spots.’ We went young in the secondary and there were some rough moments at times in the secondary and I don’t completely put that on them. I put that more on me, but how do you ever develop any continuity, especially with your own guys if you don’t just play them? So I decided to go young. We took our lumps at times, but I think it’s going to pay off down the line for them. I think we had five or six new starters on defense.
“We did do some good things now. It’s not like it’s all bad. The points do need to come down. We’ll continue to have long discussions about where we’re going and how we’ll get that done. But saying that, we had new starters on defense. We did do some good things, too. We got after the passer pretty good. I think it’s got to be a little better, but 51 sacks is pretty good. Took the ball away, we need to be a little better there in that area and we have to take away the explosives. But I would expect us to take another jump here this year on defense.”
These statements followed Shane Steichen offering a much more concise backing of Bradley following the end to the ’23 campaign.
“I worked with Gus for four years at the Chargers so I’ve got background with Gus,” Steichen said, who has apparently decided to retain Bradley for a second straight year, after Bradley was first hired by Frank Reich following Matt Eberflus leaving to become the Bears head coach in 2022.
“Again, I believe in continuity and I’ve got a ton of respect for Gus.”
Acting like Bradley has had no success with the Colts defense would be extremely naïve.
The Colts ranked 8th in sacks this past season—while setting a franchise record in sacks—and continued to be a better than average run defense.
But ignoring a unit that has ranked 28th in scoring each of the last two years would also be refusing to seek out improvement.
In 2022, being so poor in points allowed could be explained with some definite blame towards the offense ranking dead last in giveaways (34 committed turnovers), putting the defense into some awful situations in defending short fields.
That same story isn’t there in 2023, when the Colts were a middle of the pack team in giveaways (17th in the league with 22 committed turnovers).
For Bradley’s defense, it’s not like the Colts have invested a lack of resources into the defense. You have plenty of Day 1 and 2 draft picks in Kwity Paye, Shaquille Leonard (cut in November 2023), Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis, JuJu Brents, Julian Blackmon and Nick Cross. You have notable free agent signings from Stephon Gilmore (2022), Yannick Ngakoue (2022) and Samson Ebukam. You have key re-signings in Kenny Moore, Grover Stewart, Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed. And you obviously made a blockbuster trade for DeForest Buckner.
And the 28th ranking in points allowed is even more alarming when you consider the Colts faced a rookie or backup quarterback in 10 of their 17 games this past season. Of the top 14 quarterbacks in QB rating this season, the Colts faced just 2 of them (Lamar Jackson and Matthew Stafford). If you look ahead to the 2024 slate, the Colts will see 5 of those 15 quarterbacks next year.
Consistent, and timely, pressure remains a problem, with the Colts finishing this past season ranking 29th in hurry rate.
The blitzing question has also been there with Bradley, as the Colts ranked 32nd in blitz rate last season, bringing pressure via that route on just 15 percent of defensive snaps.
More than anything, opponents have often labeled the Colts as one of the ‘easier’ defenses to prepare for in a given week.
A variety of schematic changeups on a week-to-week basis is not something we’ve seen from Bradley’s units.
Far too often this season, the Colts allowed an opposing wideout to go off for one of the best, or second best, games of their respective years. Those names would be: Nico Collins (195 yards, season-high), Puka Nacua (163 yards, 2nd highest game of season), Rashid Shaheed (153 yards, season-high), DeAndre Hopkins (140 yards, season-high) and Davante Adams (126 yards, 2nd highest game of season).
In 2023, Bradley did mix up coverages more than he has in the past, but the results didn’t show up.
“That’s part of our discussions that we’ve been having about what’s the best thing,” Ballard says of Bradley mixing coverages. “At the end of the day, whatever you play – man, zone, blitz – you do one thing to an extreme and everybody wants the other extreme. At the end of the day what it comes down to – who blocks, who tackles, who is fundamentally sound – that still wins in our league no matter what you play. Whatever the coverages are – everybody has got an answer on coverage. Again, they ain’t calling it.
“We’ll work through it, we’ll continue to grow and I think we’ll take another step.”
For now, thanks to Ballard accepting the blame, Bradley is getting a pass.
Will that be the case following the 2024 season, if these results do not change?
