Why Did Lou Anarumo Take Colts Defensive Coordinator Job?
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INDIANAPOLIS – Unlike a good amount of NFL hires, Lou Anarumo did not join the Colts because of a prior relationship with the GM or the Head coach.
Anarumo did have Shane Steichen’s number in a couple of prior matchups though against each other (Steichen’s offense scored 2 touchdowns on 23 drives against Anarumo’s defense over the course of 2 games).
A general amount of respect for Steichen, Chris Ballard, the Colts organization, plus prior ties to this state—Anarunmo coached defensive backs at Purdue from 2004-11—played a role in wanting him to come back here.
“Great organization, form ownership down, know Shane how he runs the team and his leadership, and Chris Ballard, how they’ve looked from afar, always appreciated what this place stands for,” Anarumo said at his opening press conference on Thursday morning.
“Been in this state for a long time, coached at Purdue for a while, my kids grew up here, so it’s somewhat home for us.”
What are Anarumo’s core beliefs as a defensive coordinator, going into his 7th year in the NFL running a unit?
“One of the things we will hang our hat on, we are always going to try and be a smart, fast, physical team,” Anarumo said. “You don’t want to beat yourself in this league. You want to make sure that guys know where their help is going to be every down. No unforced errors, where you can eliminate and win games by just allowing the team to make their mistakes, and we are going to stay steadfast.”
Known for his willingness to change things up week-to-week, or within a game, Anarumo expanded on that belief, which will be welcomed in Indy after a much more basic approach for Gus Bradley.
“You have to be flexible and multiple, when you are playing the quarterbacks, especially on our side in the AFC, it lends to not just, ‘You’re going to be in this coverage and you’re going to stay in that and it’s going to be a long day,’” Anarumo said. “And then going through the playoffs and the Super Bowl, you have to keep those great quarterbacks off balance, I think you have to make them uncomfortable. Even the best ones, you are not going to fool them all day, but it it’s in the most critical situation, that’s what you are hoping to do. We’ve had some success doing that.”
That was a huge catalyst for Anarumo in the Bengals beating Patrick Mahomes to make the 2021 Super Bowl.
With AFC quarterbacks still in the middle of prime years named Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, and budding signal callers in C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix, such an approach is a must.
Had the Colts made the playoffs this year, their route would have been a road game against Allen, followed by a road game against Jackson and then a road game against Mahomes.
That’s quite the defensive challenge.
“You are going to identify what the team does well, identify who the problem players are, where is the great receiver and what do we have to do to slow them down,” Anarumo says of his weekly approach. “Whoever or whatever the issues are we have to put them in front of the guys and say, ‘If we can take these guys away or minimize their damage in the game, we are going to give ourselves a chance to win.’”
As Anarumo arrives in Indy, he sees a defense that doesn’t need an immense personnel overhaul, unlike his early years in Cincinnati.
But he is taking over a defense that had several players calling out others for ego and work ethic issues.
“That can happen in this league,” Anarumo said on Thursday. “Right, wrong or indifferent. I wasn’t here, so I can’t speak to it. But I know this, sometimes a fresh start for a coach, or for players, is a good thing. I know the standard of how we will carry ourselves as coaches. We ask these guys to be consistent as players. I want you to be (steady, and not up and down). My standard is I’m going to be up there and I’m going to be a truth teller. It’s my job to say yes, you are doing it right. Or no, you are doing it wrong. And that will happen. And it’ll happen to all of them, I don’t care number of years in the league. It’s something I’ve always believed in. Good players, great players, want to be coached. They want to know the truth. That’s always been the case. If they don’t, then there’s probably a little bit of an issue there. But the best ones I’ve ever been around, ‘Coach me, coach me hard, tell me what you want.’ I’ve always found that to be true.”
In 2024, the Colts were easily the worst tackling defense in the NFL, which might have been the final straw in Bradley not being retained after 3 years in Indy.
Anarumo knows that’ll be a focus for his new unit.
“It’s a combination of everything,” Anarumo says of the tackling problems. “I think there’s some dynamic players in this league as well all know. Good luck trying to tackle some of these guys 1-on-1. I think the more people you can get around the ball, the better we will be. We certainly have our drills to up that. And it’s not just, ‘Hey, the rules limit us when we can take guys to the ground or be physical during training camp’ In my mind, just a little football, tackling is about timing and angles more than anything. You can work on those things, when we don’t have shoulder pads or helmets on, any time. We will make sure everyone is finishing in the right position. It starts out there. And then we have a set of process to try and help them become better at that.”
Thursday was just Day 2 on the job for Anarumo as he continues to finalize a staff and speak with his new defenders.
Intrigue about watching the big paws of DeForest Buckner batting down a ball or Kenny Moore II blitzing form the nickel, a la Mike Hilton in Cincinnati, have already crossed Anarumo’s mind.
The long-time defensive coach said he had plenty of draft interest in Laiatu Latu last spring.
While it took a couple of years for the Bengals to turn things around under Anarumo’s watch, it doesn’t sound like such a thought is here in Indy.
And that’s needed for a fan base starving to see their team playing the meaningful games Anarumo coached in during his time with the Bengals.
