Inside The Shoe: Clean House Defensively
Blaming and pointing fingers at the players for a bad play or two doesn't solve anything. To bring about real change in the defense, we need to let go of Gus Bradley and the defensive coaches. It would be best to keep the same scheme so that the players don't have to adjust again, but we must bring in new, young, high-energy coaches on the defensive side of the ball to increase the team's intensity.
Defensive Meltdowns
It's frustrating to see how many times this team has collapsed, yet nothing has changed. There have been a few games where they decide to melt away in the second half, like against the Vikings last year and the Saints last week. Losing to the Vikings was the largest comeback in NFL history, which is not something fans want to see. These types of performances should eventually result in firings. I think it's time to fire Gus at the end of the year. It should have been done last year, but the Colts decided to retain him for the first-year coach, Shane Steichen.
Shuffle The Deck
The corners on our team indeed need improvement, but they're still young. Unfortunately, our biggest mistake was trading Stephon Gilmore to the Cowboys before the season began. Things got even worse when Isaiah Rodgers faced gambling allegations. To make matters worse, I think it's time to trade Kenny Moore while his value is high. Although some might disagree, I think it's better to do it now since we'll have to resign him soon anyway. However, we should keep our core defensive line intact. It's rare to find an all-pro defensive tackle like Deforest Buckner, so we shouldn't let him go. In my opinion, this was one of Chris Ballard's best moves as general manager. While we can always find another slot corner, finding another player like Deforest Buckner would be nearly impossible.
A Look Into The Future
It's important to choose a young defensive coordinator for our team. Let's explore some options together. When considering young coaches, there are two names that come to mind - Kris Kocurek, the current defensive line coach for the San Francisco 49ers, and D.J. Elliot, the linebacker coach for the Philadelphia Eagles. D.J. Elliot has also been a defensive coordinator before in college for Kansas.
Personally, I think Kris Kocurek would be the perfect fit for the role. Even though he's a defensive line coach, he has a great ability to create a high-intensity atmosphere for the D-line. Imagine what he could do as a defensive coordinator!
I wouldn't mind exploring the possibility of hiring a current coordinator from the college rankings. Glenn Schumann, who is currently the linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator, seems like a great fit in my opinion. However, I am unsure if he is interested in making the jump to the NFL. It is possible that he may be waiting for a head coach job in college, and there's a chance that he might be interested in the Alabama job after Saban, as he is an Alabama alum.
I would like to mention one former head coach, Mike Zimmer. During his tenure as a head coach, Zimmer struggled with offense but was great defensively with the Vikings. However, he won't have to worry about that as a defensive coordinator for the Colts, although he is old and mostly retired. Not exactly what I want, but not a terrible option if Steichen wants to keep some head coaching experience in the locker room.
It is important to note that the main person responsible for the poor performance of the defense is none other than the head of the defense himself, Gus Bradley. Despite his reputation as a defensive back expert and the creator of the famous "Legion of Doom," it is time to take action and hold him accountable. The first step to fixing the problem is to remove Gus from his position and then clean house defensively. The offense is scoring with the best of them, but the defense can't stop a cold. It's time for a new beginning.
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