April 23, 2025 • 33 mins
Inside Football with Rick Venturi returns with Rick and Matt Taylor to analyze the Colts’ offseason so far and dive into the upcoming quarterback competition between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, offering insight into how it may unfold this spring. Venturi also shares his thoughts on the team’s most pressing draft needs and highlights top prospects he’s evaluated ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Football is about the Jimmy's and Joe's, and x's and o's.
Take New York Voto A Baker Bruce, It's time to
get out the chot board and diagram some plays.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Here's what it all starts right here. That's why Jay
Money Christmas. This is Inside Football with former Colts and
NFL coach Rick Venturie. Inside Football with Rick vent Turrey
is back. Welcome to NFL Draft Week, and welcome to
this pre draft edition of Inside Football with Rick vent
(00:39):
Turrey and his nearly thirty years of NFL coaching experience.
In twenty twenty five, NFL Draft unfold starting this Thursday,
coming up with round number one, and today we're getting
you up to speed with Rick thoughts from him, of course,
on the Colts offseason to this point and how the
Colts might attack the upcoming draft with seven picks as
(01:00):
of right now. Rick, always good to talk to you.
I hope you've been well. I know you've been really
excited for a Draft week, and I always introduce you
with all of those years of NFL coaching background under
your belt, but now I have to add the tag
of Hall of Famer Rick Vin Turrey. The Peoria, Illinois
Athletics newest member of their Hall of Fame, the class
(01:22):
of twenty twenty five. You had the banquet over the winner.
You got up there, you hammered it home. It's a
well deserved honor, my friend. Congratulations on all of that.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Oh man, thank you very much. It was a fun
evening and I'm kind of proud of it, and it
went really, really well. We just had a blast basically
with that. So we're on, and you're right about your
first premise. You know, I love the draft. I love
the process of evaluating players. It goes back to my
(01:53):
college days, you know, when you evaluated guys, particularly at
schools that you know, weren't five star places where you
had to you know, you had to evaluate a lot
of guys that were y, you know, had some some flaws,
but you know you had to project you know, where
they would be, you know, and it's really you know,
even on the top guys, there's nobody perfect. Everybody has something,
(02:16):
and it's just such an exciting process for me. Plus
the other thing is by me studying as hard as
I do. You know, when we get into the regular
season two or three years down the road and we've
you know, we get ready to play somebody. I certainly
have insights into the kind of talent those guys have.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Mm hm, you have. They always crop up on the
cult schedule and yeah, got a new entire you know,
section of your brain dedicated just how prolific he was
in college. And then it translates into the NFL as well.
All right, we got a very busy agenda here as
we get together before the draft, Rick, let's talk about
the off season to this point quickly before we get
into some draft fodder. So, Chris Ballard and the Colts
(02:56):
really busy in the off season. It began in free agency.
They handed out two really fat free agent contracts to
of course Charvarius Ward and Cam bind them. They bring
in some quarterback competition to push Anthony richardson. They also
make sure that right tackle Braydon Smith comes back for
(03:16):
an eighth season. They revised his contract, and they also
re signed a handful of their own valued players, if
you will, in free agency too. So what's been your
as we begin, Rick, your thirty thousand foot view on
the Colts offseason so far to this point as we
near the draft.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Well, I'd use two words I think, you know, it
was uncharacteristic but very productive. I mean, you just mentioned it.
I feel like there's five real significant moves they made
in the offseason that can be very very productive. I
think the one we kind of forget because it happened quick,
(03:53):
you know, is the hiring of lou An Arumo. I
think bringing in a new staff, bringing in a guy
like lou who brings in diversity, brings in a totally
different approach, which we've needed badly for years. You know.
I think that's really a hidden gem here in the
off season. Obviously getting Braden Smith done, and hopefully if
(04:17):
Brayden can pull himself together totally and get to the
level he was not many people will have two guys
on the edges with him and Ryman who are as
good as those two guys. Those guys are legitimate top
tier tackles, and that's something that a lot of people
don't have. And then you know, when you get into
the acquisitions, of course, you know, signing Ward and Bynum
(04:40):
is really is really a good move. You know, first
of all, you have a big need. All you got
to do is go back and look at our past
defense statistics, and you know, part of its scheme, but
part of it is talent. And by bringing in ward
who is a real top tier corner and buying them
who's a very very solid safety, you bring into what
(05:03):
I call upper tier guys in positions of need, and
that's going to be a gigantic help. And then the
other thing that that does is that that gives us
more flexibility in this fourteenth pick, because you know, you've
already filled two needs with real good players. And then,
of course the most important maybe depending on how it
(05:25):
all plays out, is they did try to address the
quarterback situation. And whether you like what they did or
they don't didn't do, they brought in a viable option.
Now I'm on the plus side. Okay, I'm on the
plus side with the quarterback. You know. I like Jones,
you know, I remember when he you know, I like
(05:47):
to evaluate guys. I evaluate them obviously on tape, but
the biggest and most important evaluation is when we see
a guy live, when we're playing against them, either in
a confined practice or in a game, because that's the
thing that stands out to me on real time, real speed,
you know. And he had a great game against Stuffs.
(06:07):
I mean back in twenty two, nineteen of twenty four
two touchdown passes. You know, ran for ninety two touchdown runs.
I mean, he just destroyed us on the field that day.
And then two weeks later people forget this. You know,
he beat the Minnesota vikingstho in the playoffs. He looked
you know, he did his hit. You know, he did
(06:28):
his best, you know, best top quarterback play in those
two games. So you know, obviously we have a guy
who has flashed and he's had his downside. So you know,
to me, when I look at that, and obviously, if
we don't have the quarterback fixed, whether it's ar five
or whether it's Daniel, you know, then the rest of
it may not make too much difference because you're good.
(06:49):
This is a quarterback driven league, right and you got
to have good play there. And I think by bringing
in Jones, one of two things can happen, you know,
two positive things can happen. Happened one, you know, his
presence and competition. If you say it that way, you know,
hopefully we'll get AR five to his ceiling, you know,
(07:11):
whatever that is. Hopefully that pressure will force the work
ethic and all those things that go with it that
maybe he can find the ceiling that we hope he
can get. Or number two, you know, Jones becomes this
year Sam Donald, which nobody would have predicted that for Donald,
and everybody's talking about Donald in the Big Contract, but
(07:32):
nobody would have said a word about that a year ago.
So I mean, those are two outcomes that could positively
happen for us. If neither happens for us, we got
trouble here in the Circle City. But you know, I
think you know, those five moves, those five issues there
that we just talked about, I think could be very
very productive for us.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I mean, throw out Daniel Jones, right, just forget the name,
but just the concept wreck. Are you okay with the
concept of what the cults are doing here, because there's
been a lot of people national folks that are very
critical of this concept of a quarterback competition to try
to push Anthony Richardson because their side of the fence
that they are on is he needs all the reps
(08:12):
that he can get. If you bring in a quarterback
here to push him, you're splitting the reps and therefore
to a degree, stunning the growth of Anthony Richardson even more.
How do you view that part of it?
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Well, I think, you know, I think I think Jones's
pressure it's going to make him better, you know. And
I'm a little bit on the plus side here, and
I see all the negatives. I really do, But you know,
we have to fix that position. And you can't come
out of last year and say that AR five isn't
necessarily the guy I agree with you want him to be.
I mean, he's the fourth pick in the draft, so
(08:45):
it's going to be somebody's tail if he's a total failure.
But you know, I still I come out of last
year and I can't stamp that. I can't say that
guy is going to take us to the Promised Land.
So you know, put some heat on him. Put some
heat on him, and then you know you have Daniel,
maybe Daniel with a new look, a new quarterback coach
and all that. Can you know, get his confidence back
(09:08):
and find it. I mean, it's not like there's a
talent there, and there's been talent shown on the field.
I'm higher on him than most people are in this situation.
So you know, competition itself is probably a bit of
a myth. I don't know how that really works. I
know you're going to share reps, but you and I
know this is you can't judge a quarterback in this
(09:28):
league until it's a real football game. You can't really
judge him in practice. I mean I see the media,
they will always say, well, he was ten for twelve today,
you know, in practice.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
And if you go back to last year in training camp,
Anthony Richardson from a completion standpoint, look pretty good.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Well there's lights out, you know, and you know, I
don't even think you could tell in the preseason. And
so what you're going to have to do is if
you know, if if competition is true, you know, or
this just isn't something to get a boost, then you know,
between April and May and June and July and August,
(10:07):
eventually you're just gonna have to go with your gut
because I don't think you're gonna get a clear cut,
you know, and particularly a quarterback. I think you can
get it at other positions, you know, where you're scrimmaging
and just hard time for me. I've seen so many quarterbacks,
you know, get their second chance once they really got
into competition, Jake Delobe, Kurt Warner. You know, if it
(10:32):
hadn't been for the European League back then NFL Europe,
those guys would have never gotten a shot based on practice.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
No question about it. That's good food for thought as
we start the offseason workout program, and you know, within that,
obviously the biggest storyline is going to be just that,
the quarterback competition, and we know about Daniel Jones and
his exodus from the Giants, and we know about Anthony
Richardson and his inconsistencies on the field and the injuries
that have kept him all off of it. To round
(11:01):
out the quarterback discussion, Rick, how much do you think
will get a sense for how this competition is going
in the spring. You just kind of alluded to it
a little bit. But is there anything that we can
take away from what we hear or what we see
this time of year that gives you an idea of
who might have the leg up there going into either
(11:22):
training camp or the regular season.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Yeah. I don't think you're gonna get any statistical analysis
that's going to prove anything. I just think on a
daily basis, you're gonna get a feel for performance. What
did they say one time in National Heroes? They asked
one of the senators, you know, define pornography. Yeah, and
he said, I when you see it, but I know
it when I say yeah, you know, it's a bit
(11:48):
of a crude analogy, but I think that you know,
it's gonna come down to what you see and in Jones,
I mean, you can't underestimate. Now, this is a guy
I think with seventy starts. I mean, this is you know,
this is a guy who's played a lot of NFL football,
had played some high quality and bad quality. So you know,
(12:08):
you have to let it play out. And I think
the biggest thing you're going to be looking for Richardson
is can he fight a mid range game. That's just
what he doesn't and hasn't shown. He's a great runner,
I mean a tremendous runner with the ball in his hand.
He actually throws very good deep ball, accurate, he can
throw it a mile, he can throw it off platform, yep.
(12:30):
But where he fails is that intermediate that five to
eighteen yard you know, between the numbers, you know, and
that's so important on third down in the NFL, where
you've got to find that tight window or in that
red zone when that window is tight, but particularly on
third down, you know, which is kind of a whole different,
(12:51):
whole different setting in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
All right, So the next step in the off season
process here is the draft. The offseason workout program begins
this week with Phase one, but a lot of eyeballs
on the draft here starting on Thursday night, and the
Colts hold seven picks overall, including number fourteen in the
first round. So a big picture on the draft before
we started get into the weeds here a little bit,
(13:15):
Rick based on what the Colts have on their roster
as of right now, they've got about twenty open roster
spots going into the draft to fill up this ninety
man roster here in the springtime. Just what are your
your top positions of need for the Colts going into
the draft.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, as I look at it, I would say that
the top three positions for me as I look at
this team right now, I think, you know, number one,
if you can get a tight a dynamic tight end.
Now you know, I'm not saying a tight end necessarily
a serviceable tight end, because after we brought Moali back,
(13:53):
we have those guys. We have serviceable tight ends. Mallory's
a good receiver. I mean, it's a lot of our
tight end failure has been Richardson's inability to work that
second level to the tight ends. I think it's maybe
not as bad a situation as everybody's making it out now.
If you can get a dynamic tight end to go
(14:15):
with your receiver corps, and particularly to go opposite downs
in the slot, you know, a guy that can get vertical,
that can separate on his own, then that's a big,
big asset to your offensive team. I would say two
other areas, and I think we're deep here. I think
number one, if you were to bring in a guy
(14:36):
who would be an instant starter at right guard. I
think in that sense offensive line, I think the good
news we'll get into it is all the top tackles
to me, could bump into guard in a second. And
then I think we really need to defensive tackle desperately
in the depth situation as the number one backup. I think,
(14:57):
you know, you know, obviously in the last two years,
when either stew or Buckner has been out of the game,
we've been awful. I mean, we can't stop a nosebleed
when either one of those guys is out, particularly on
the run. So you know, I think defensive tackle, number
swing guy, yep. I think a right guard if you're
going to bring a guy in to be a starter
(15:19):
now that Braden's back, you know, And then a dynamic
tight end. You can go from there. I mean, but
I would say those three things is what I'd like
to see us come out of there with.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Well, when the mock draft season starts really in earnest
in February, that's when I start paying attention to them anyways.
But I mean since then, Rick, you know, I mean
two out of every three mock drafts has the Colts
or has had the Colts picking a tight end, and
you can understand why. Twofold question here, I'll start with
this one as relates to tight ends in the draft.
Does drafting a tight end the first round? Does that
(15:53):
jive with the positional value historically, even though there's gonna
be some really good options potentially on the table for
the Colts to draft and ponder over with the fourteenth
overall pick.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Well, I think dynamic is the key, you know, I
think you're right on. I mean, the tight end in
historically on draft day very important in the game, but
on draft day it has not been a high priority
draft and it has been minimal. But I think dynamic
changes that you're seeing a swing on running backs from
that standpoint. You know, for years running backs, I know
(16:27):
everybody would say you cannot draft one on the first round. Well,
they're making such a difference in games. That's changing. That's changing.
And again the keyword is dynamic, not just a guy.
And I think you do have two guys that are
on the store on the doorstep there, and then you
have some other guys. But to me, the other guys
(16:47):
are that they're they're on the next tier. You know,
there's starters, you know, they can play roles, But when
it really comes down to two dynamic guys, I don't
think there's any question. It's Loveland and Warren.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
And do the Colts need to address another position of
need if you will, in the first round, considering some
of the other tight ends that might be there in
the second round that can give you what you need
in terms of being a dynamic game changer and a
guy that's more than serviceable certainly in the passing game,
but is also valuable in the running game as being
an adequate enough blocker.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Well, you know, I think really what it always comes
down to is the cluster of players that will be
available at fourteen, and you know every other pick along
the way. I mean to me, now, these are my favorites.
This doesn't necessarily mean they're Chris's favorites, although we're not
too far off usually, But you know, my favorite guys
at fourteen if they were there, okay, and then you
(17:45):
would have to make a decision. Within there would be
Loveland Membo, the tackle from Missouri, the offensive tackle who's
a freak, Stuart the defensive ends from Texas A and
m Grant, the tackle I absolutely loved, not Graham. Graham
is going to be gone by fourteen, but Grant is
(18:06):
the other defensive tackle from Michigan. And then a couple
of defensive backs I like is m and Warri and
the kids from Texas Baron are my big six. Now
they will you know, they may all be gone or
there may be some guys there. And then you know,
(18:27):
if I really if the tight ends were gone and
I was looking at offensive line, there's a couple other
guys that would be right there on an equal par
with Membos. So a lot of it just going to
depend on who's there and how You haven't ranked you know,
and what you feel is your biggest need. We always
had a rule that if they're all in the same level,
(18:49):
you know, let's say they're all in the sevens, you know,
then you take the guy you think is the biggest need,
the guy you like the most. And what we always
used to say is, but you never cross a hard line.
In other words, if you have a guy that's eight
on the board, say an eight to three, and then
everybody else is in the sevens in terms of ratings,
(19:09):
you never pass up that eight three guys because in
the end, in the end, and this has not been
something we've done well in the end, that first round,
that upper first round, upper half of the first round,
has got to be a guy that is going to
be an elite player in the league, regardless of physician.
Do you hear what I'm saying, elite player in the league.
(19:29):
He If he's just a guy, just the starter, then
to me, you haven't succeeded in the upper half of
the first round.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
All right, let's go offensive line. The Colts lost two
starters there in free agency, Ryan Kelly and Will Fries,
both the Minnesota So that means the Colts at the
very least on the lookout for some more depth in
the offensive trenches. This is kind of a roster personnel question,
but it also relates to the draft as well. Do
you think as it stands right now, going into the
(19:58):
offseason workout program, do you think Ten Bordolini and or
Matt Gonzalvez already to step into the starting lineup at
center and right guard, respectively. And how does the offensive
line talent in the draft stack up to the Colts possibly,
you know, thinking long and hard about addressing the interior
of the offensive line in the first round.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Yeah. The way I will evaluate that is I think
that both of those guys, both Bordolini and Gonzalves, did
a fine job as rookies. I you know, Bordelini came
in there and played for Kelly until he got hurt
and did a really good job. I mean, I don't
think you noticed that Kelly was out. You know, he's
a bit undersized. The only thing I worry he's really
(20:43):
good athlete. I mean, he's gonna pick up stants. He's
going to get to the second level. I think he's
going to be a decision maker. My only concern with
him is durability. And Kenny handled the big noseguards, the
big top guys that will just try to crush you
in there. And then Gonzalveez was probably the most pleasant
surprise to me in the draft. He to me, really
(21:06):
outplayed my expectations, you know, when they moved him all around.
I think if you played a game tomorrow, he would
be the right tackle and I mean the right guard,
and you know, particularly with Brayden back now, he would
be the right guard. And I think that he will
benefit by having to play in less space. I think
the only thing that's going to get him over a
(21:28):
seventeen game schedule is Canny really handle the top edge guys,
you know, like I say, for seventeen Sundays. But I mean,
I think you could start that way. But that's why
I think you have to keep your eyes open. If
you have a blue chip you know, offensive tackle guard there,
you have to think about that. And because as good
(21:49):
as I think those guys played, you know, it's a
hell of a lot different coming in and playing a
couple of games and playing seventeen Sundays in this league
that's still unproven. So I mean you got to keep
your eyes open. And I think This is just me,
but I think the offensive line it might be the
best position in the whole draft. I think offensive line
(22:10):
running back into some degree defensive line, but offensive line.
And the reason I say that is there's guys that
you know, there could be three offensive linemen going to
top fifteen guys, and then there's a lot of depth.
There's a lot of second and third tier guys right
in this draft. So I mean, you know, if you
really want to take an offensive lineman at fourteen, let's
(22:32):
say you say, no yourself, we got to have that guy.
He's gonna be there. There's gonna be one. I've got
five guys, membo. I'm not sure about Simmons because of
the knee, Campbell from LSU, Banks from Texas, I love
Jackson at guard from Ohio State, and Booker from Alabama.
(22:54):
I mean that's you know, and then there's a lot
of guys really close like Zabel and Connerly. I mean,
but let me just say that, you know, and I
can go way down the list. This is really a
year for offensive linemen, all right.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Then on defense, we talked about this up front to
Forrest Buckner, Grover Stewart. Still, you know, despite both guys
being over the age of thirty, still one of the
best defensive tackle duos in the NFL, certainly the top
dogs for the Indianapolis Colts. They did sign Neville Gallimore
and free agency comes over from the Rams, but after him,
(23:29):
like you mentioned earlier in the podcast, the Colts are
still very much in need of depth quality players to
spell those two guys. You know, we know the Colts
probably need to spend close to a premium pick on
a defensive tackle in this draft, you know, rounds one
through three. How important is the defensive tackle position overall
(23:51):
in this lou Anarroumo defense as he takes over the
reins on that side of the ball here in Indianapolis,
as the Colts try to get more pressure on the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Where I think it's really important, and here's where I
think we really failed a year ago, is that it
isn't as much just rushing the passer because you can
get in different looks. You can move guys around like
Lewis on third down, second and long, you know, kind
of like Odangbo did a year ago. You can kind
of do that with Lewis, kick him inside to get
(24:23):
your rush. But where we really failed, and people just
don't realize it is we couldn't stop the run because
we have Olympians, but we don't have run stuffers, and
that really told its tale. And you know, it's in
modern day football, and I don't understand it totally, but
I see it is that you can't play Buckner and
(24:44):
Stewart a whole game. So you're going to play series
without those guys. So you need somebody that is going
to come in there at least for one of them
and really be able to stop the run number one
and then develop as a pass rusher, because if you don't,
if you don't stop the run when those guys are
(25:05):
out of there, you're sitting second and five all day
without the other team being under stress. And then you know,
like I always to tell my guys, you have to
stop the run to earn the right to rush the passer,
you know, And that's kind of an old cliche, but
there's a lot to it. And so you know, I
just think, you know, we thought we had it with
Raekwon Davis. We didn't. Environment has never given us that
(25:28):
kind of run stuffer and so that, to me, that
is a huge priority and it will be for Low
as well.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
All Right, lastly, Rick, we have some fun here. We
kind of kick this around internally in the office last week.
I'm going to give you four positions, kind of under
the radar positions for the Colts. Maybe they're big needs,
maybe they're not. But you rank them in order based
on need for the Colts going into the draft. And
these are not the top ones we talked about. So yeah,
(25:59):
rank these in order in terms of how you see
them being needs for the Colts in this draft. All right, Safety, quarterback,
running back, and kicker for the Colts. And obviously you
throw that in because of the release of Matt Gay
and his inconsistencies over fifty yards last year, and the
Colts coming out and saying, hey, we believe in in
(26:21):
Spencer Strader, but they're not just going to hand them
the job.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
He was a rookie last year, only made five field
goals over the course of work with three different teams.
So rank those in order, running back, safety, quarterback, and
kicker for the Colts.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
Well, I'll probably get some pushback on this, but I
think number one is kicker.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Damn you know, I said the exact same thing.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
I mean, I guess you know, every place else. Yeah,
we have enough guys to play a game and play
at a high level in my opinion, you know, unless
we get banged up to hell. But I mean, I mean,
I like Strader as a kid, but I don't know
what he's gonna be over seventeen Sundays, So no doubt. Yeah,
and that's so important. You know, you never think about
it until they missed one. It costs you a game,
(27:01):
you know, And you know, and I think Gay just suffered.
You know, he got that big contract. The expectancy just
overwhelmed him and he never was able to live up
to that. And they've moved on. But I just I'm
very nervous about not going into the season with really
a tested and top flight kicker, no doubt about that.
(27:23):
I probably, even though we signed Ward, I would probably
say number two. And this is me because you could
argue the next three. You could argue him back and forth,
depending on what color chevies you like. I would say
corner because I just don't think you can have enough
of him. You get an injury to a guy we
can't count on brunts. I mean, we don't even know
(27:45):
who he is. You know. Ward was a terrific. I
thought Lomac played pretty good till he didn't. Jones has
given us pretty good football. Kenny's top inside, you know,
but I still think, you know, you cannot have enough
corners in this modern day, you know, And I think
there's gonna be some pretty good corners. I don't know
(28:08):
if they'll be there in the third day, but definitely
in a second day. You know. I'll tell you in
terms of let's see, would you ask me, oh safety,
you know, I you know, I mean, honestly, you have
Thomas as the swing guy you got now buying him
and Cross, which is going to give you two real starters.
Thomas is a guy and you could probably put safety second,
(28:31):
you know. Now you know, you know, I don't see
premier safeties, but I see a bunch of solid guys
that you could get as you as you keep going on.
And then the other position that I think is great,
as I said, as I said, other than offensive line
as a running back. And you know, you got your
(28:52):
top four that are going to go pretty high, you know,
in Jant and Hampton and Henderson and Judkins, the too
Ohio State eight guys, those are those are premiere backs.
But then there's there's several guys you know that that
are are there right, that are that are going to
be around as you keep going. I mean it's really, uh,
(29:13):
it's really a really good group. You know. You got uh,
you know, you got all kinds of guys in that
on those next tiers. So I think you're going to
be able to get a running back in that situation.
But you know, like I said, kicker number one. You know,
maybe maybe safety should be number two, you know, the
more you talk about it, but you know, that's all
(29:34):
that's at least we have guys and we even have
a swing guy in each position because at running back
we went out and got Herbert, you know. So I
mean it's but kicker, yeah, that is a question mark.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
No doubt about. I completely agree right there with that
order outstanding job as always, Rick Ventury, that's his breakdown.
I love this annual chat that we have here every year,
especially before the draft, considering everything thing that could be
in play for the Indianapolis Colts. And these chats are
going to continue here in the coming days. Rick Venturrey
(30:06):
is going to be in for instant reaction on Thursday
night and Friday night of the draft, recapping the Colts
picks right away. Those are going to appear on YouTube
with Casey Valier and Bill Brooks. They're also going to
be audio form on the Colts Audio Network as well,
So look forward to those and we will do it
again next week. Rick, you and I recapping the draft
(30:26):
on our post draft edition of Inside Football Here. So busy,
busy time, but I know you love it. I know
you enjoy it, and hopefully we'll see this football team
get better with some premium picks heading in the next
season as the Colts try to make the playoffs for
the first time in four years. Rick, it's a really
important week here, you.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Know it is, and you and I did some I
think some very.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Very good I was just getting ready to do that.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
On evaluations guys that you know, we kind of talked
in general. But there's going to be some good videos
on the website, you know, guys that we name and
show and really go in depth on and I think
fans would love that Before Thursday.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Yeah, check those out. Myself and Rick did do those,
and we hit the four major areas of need for
this team going into the draft. We kind of hit
on those on this podcast. But we went more in
depth with the top players available at each position within
those areas of need tight end, secondary offensive line, and
(31:27):
interior defensive line. So check those out of course in
the coming days to wet your whistle before Draft night,
first round on Thursday, So really really important stuff. And
one final reminder too, as we're hitting everything that we
need to going into Draft night, check out the Colts
official Draft party Thursday night at Lucas Oil Stadium that's
(31:49):
presented by bud Light, where fans can come watch the
first round of the NFL Draft and also have access
to the field and autographs from current players and Colts legends.
I or Franklin's gonna be there, Alec Pierce, Laatsu Latsu
along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Drin James signing
autographs too. So the party is for fans twenty one
(32:09):
and older and tickets can be picked up at Colts
dot com slash Draft ten dollars to the general public,
five dollars for Colt season ticket members. So again check
that out Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night. Cannot wait
for it. Rick A lots of process there but Thursday night,
Round number one and we will see you later this
week and Thursday night, Bright lights in Green Bay.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Can't wait, man, Gail, wait all right.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Rick Ventury taking the caffeine pills. It's gonna be a
couple of late nights for everybody involved, but it's always
a fun time of year. Rick Venturrey, I'm Matt Taylor,
and that will do it for this pre draft edition
of Inside Football here in the Coltsaudio Network. And again
we will do it next week recapping the Colts Draft
Hall right here on the Coltsaudio Network. Again for Rick,
(32:55):
I'm Matt. Thanks for listening to Inside Football. A still
st
Football is about the Jimmy's and Joe's, and x's and o's.
Take New York Voto A Baker Bruce, It's time to
get out the chot board and diagram some plays.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
Here's what it all starts right here. That's why Jay
Money Christmas. This is Inside Football with former Colts and
NFL coach Rick Venturie. Inside Football with Rick vent Turrey
is back. Welcome to NFL Draft Week, and welcome to
this pre draft edition of Inside Football with Rick vent
(00:39):
Turrey and his nearly thirty years of NFL coaching experience.
In twenty twenty five, NFL Draft unfold starting this Thursday,
coming up with round number one, and today we're getting
you up to speed with Rick thoughts from him, of course,
on the Colts offseason to this point and how the
Colts might attack the upcoming draft with seven picks as
(01:00):
of right now. Rick, always good to talk to you.
I hope you've been well. I know you've been really
excited for a Draft week, and I always introduce you
with all of those years of NFL coaching background under
your belt, but now I have to add the tag
of Hall of Famer Rick Vin Turrey. The Peoria, Illinois
Athletics newest member of their Hall of Fame, the class
(01:22):
of twenty twenty five. You had the banquet over the winner.
You got up there, you hammered it home. It's a
well deserved honor, my friend. Congratulations on all of that.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
Oh man, thank you very much. It was a fun
evening and I'm kind of proud of it, and it
went really, really well. We just had a blast basically
with that. So we're on, and you're right about your
first premise. You know, I love the draft. I love
the process of evaluating players. It goes back to my
(01:53):
college days, you know, when you evaluated guys, particularly at
schools that you know, weren't five star places where you
had to you know, you had to evaluate a lot
of guys that were y, you know, had some some flaws,
but you know you had to project you know, where
they would be, you know, and it's really you know,
even on the top guys, there's nobody perfect. Everybody has something,
(02:16):
and it's just such an exciting process for me. Plus
the other thing is by me studying as hard as
I do. You know, when we get into the regular
season two or three years down the road and we've
you know, we get ready to play somebody. I certainly
have insights into the kind of talent those guys have.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Mm hm, you have. They always crop up on the
cult schedule and yeah, got a new entire you know,
section of your brain dedicated just how prolific he was
in college. And then it translates into the NFL as well.
All right, we got a very busy agenda here as
we get together before the draft, Rick, let's talk about
the off season to this point quickly before we get
into some draft fodder. So, Chris Ballard and the Colts
(02:56):
really busy in the off season. It began in free agency.
They handed out two really fat free agent contracts to
of course Charvarius Ward and Cam bind them. They bring
in some quarterback competition to push Anthony richardson. They also
make sure that right tackle Braydon Smith comes back for
(03:16):
an eighth season. They revised his contract, and they also
re signed a handful of their own valued players, if
you will, in free agency too. So what's been your
as we begin, Rick, your thirty thousand foot view on
the Colts offseason so far to this point as we
near the draft.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Well, I'd use two words I think, you know, it
was uncharacteristic but very productive. I mean, you just mentioned it.
I feel like there's five real significant moves they made
in the offseason that can be very very productive. I
think the one we kind of forget because it happened quick,
(03:53):
you know, is the hiring of lou An Arumo. I
think bringing in a new staff, bringing in a guy
like lou who brings in diversity, brings in a totally
different approach, which we've needed badly for years. You know.
I think that's really a hidden gem here in the
off season. Obviously getting Braden Smith done, and hopefully if
(04:17):
Brayden can pull himself together totally and get to the
level he was not many people will have two guys
on the edges with him and Ryman who are as
good as those two guys. Those guys are legitimate top
tier tackles, and that's something that a lot of people
don't have. And then you know, when you get into
the acquisitions, of course, you know, signing Ward and Bynum
(04:40):
is really is really a good move. You know, first
of all, you have a big need. All you got
to do is go back and look at our past
defense statistics, and you know, part of its scheme, but
part of it is talent. And by bringing in ward
who is a real top tier corner and buying them
who's a very very solid safety, you bring into what
(05:03):
I call upper tier guys in positions of need, and
that's going to be a gigantic help. And then the
other thing that that does is that that gives us
more flexibility in this fourteenth pick, because you know, you've
already filled two needs with real good players. And then,
of course the most important maybe depending on how it
(05:25):
all plays out, is they did try to address the
quarterback situation. And whether you like what they did or
they don't didn't do, they brought in a viable option.
Now I'm on the plus side. Okay, I'm on the
plus side with the quarterback. You know. I like Jones,
you know, I remember when he you know, I like
(05:47):
to evaluate guys. I evaluate them obviously on tape, but
the biggest and most important evaluation is when we see
a guy live, when we're playing against them, either in
a confined practice or in a game, because that's the
thing that stands out to me on real time, real speed,
you know. And he had a great game against Stuffs.
(06:07):
I mean back in twenty two, nineteen of twenty four
two touchdown passes. You know, ran for ninety two touchdown runs.
I mean, he just destroyed us on the field that day.
And then two weeks later people forget this. You know,
he beat the Minnesota vikingstho in the playoffs. He looked
you know, he did his hit. You know, he did
(06:28):
his best, you know, best top quarterback play in those
two games. So you know, obviously we have a guy
who has flashed and he's had his downside. So you know,
to me, when I look at that, and obviously, if
we don't have the quarterback fixed, whether it's ar five
or whether it's Daniel, you know, then the rest of
it may not make too much difference because you're good.
(06:49):
This is a quarterback driven league, right and you got
to have good play there. And I think by bringing
in Jones, one of two things can happen, you know,
two positive things can happen. Happened one, you know, his
presence and competition. If you say it that way, you know,
hopefully we'll get AR five to his ceiling, you know,
(07:11):
whatever that is. Hopefully that pressure will force the work
ethic and all those things that go with it that
maybe he can find the ceiling that we hope he
can get. Or number two, you know, Jones becomes this
year Sam Donald, which nobody would have predicted that for Donald,
and everybody's talking about Donald in the Big Contract, but
(07:32):
nobody would have said a word about that a year ago.
So I mean, those are two outcomes that could positively
happen for us. If neither happens for us, we got
trouble here in the Circle City. But you know, I
think you know, those five moves, those five issues there
that we just talked about, I think could be very
very productive for us.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
I mean, throw out Daniel Jones, right, just forget the name,
but just the concept wreck. Are you okay with the
concept of what the cults are doing here, because there's
been a lot of people national folks that are very
critical of this concept of a quarterback competition to try
to push Anthony Richardson because their side of the fence
that they are on is he needs all the reps
(08:12):
that he can get. If you bring in a quarterback
here to push him, you're splitting the reps and therefore
to a degree, stunning the growth of Anthony Richardson even more.
How do you view that part of it?
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Well, I think, you know, I think I think Jones's
pressure it's going to make him better, you know. And
I'm a little bit on the plus side here, and
I see all the negatives. I really do, But you know,
we have to fix that position. And you can't come
out of last year and say that AR five isn't
necessarily the guy I agree with you want him to be.
I mean, he's the fourth pick in the draft, so
(08:45):
it's going to be somebody's tail if he's a total failure.
But you know, I still I come out of last
year and I can't stamp that. I can't say that
guy is going to take us to the Promised Land.
So you know, put some heat on him. Put some
heat on him, and then you know you have Daniel,
maybe Daniel with a new look, a new quarterback coach
and all that. Can you know, get his confidence back
(09:08):
and find it. I mean, it's not like there's a
talent there, and there's been talent shown on the field.
I'm higher on him than most people are in this situation.
So you know, competition itself is probably a bit of
a myth. I don't know how that really works. I
know you're going to share reps, but you and I
know this is you can't judge a quarterback in this
(09:28):
league until it's a real football game. You can't really
judge him in practice. I mean I see the media,
they will always say, well, he was ten for twelve today,
you know, in practice.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
And if you go back to last year in training camp,
Anthony Richardson from a completion standpoint, look pretty good.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Well there's lights out, you know, and you know, I
don't even think you could tell in the preseason. And
so what you're going to have to do is if
you know, if if competition is true, you know, or
this just isn't something to get a boost, then you know,
between April and May and June and July and August,
(10:07):
eventually you're just gonna have to go with your gut
because I don't think you're gonna get a clear cut,
you know, and particularly a quarterback. I think you can
get it at other positions, you know, where you're scrimmaging
and just hard time for me. I've seen so many quarterbacks,
you know, get their second chance once they really got
into competition, Jake Delobe, Kurt Warner. You know, if it
(10:32):
hadn't been for the European League back then NFL Europe,
those guys would have never gotten a shot based on practice.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
No question about it. That's good food for thought as
we start the offseason workout program, and you know, within that,
obviously the biggest storyline is going to be just that,
the quarterback competition, and we know about Daniel Jones and
his exodus from the Giants, and we know about Anthony
Richardson and his inconsistencies on the field and the injuries
that have kept him all off of it. To round
(11:01):
out the quarterback discussion, Rick, how much do you think
will get a sense for how this competition is going
in the spring. You just kind of alluded to it
a little bit. But is there anything that we can
take away from what we hear or what we see
this time of year that gives you an idea of
who might have the leg up there going into either
(11:22):
training camp or the regular season.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
Yeah. I don't think you're gonna get any statistical analysis
that's going to prove anything. I just think on a
daily basis, you're gonna get a feel for performance. What
did they say one time in National Heroes? They asked
one of the senators, you know, define pornography. Yeah, and
he said, I when you see it, but I know
it when I say yeah, you know, it's a bit
(11:48):
of a crude analogy, but I think that you know,
it's gonna come down to what you see and in Jones,
I mean, you can't underestimate. Now, this is a guy
I think with seventy starts. I mean, this is you know,
this is a guy who's played a lot of NFL football,
had played some high quality and bad quality. So you know,
(12:08):
you have to let it play out. And I think
the biggest thing you're going to be looking for Richardson
is can he fight a mid range game. That's just
what he doesn't and hasn't shown. He's a great runner,
I mean a tremendous runner with the ball in his hand.
He actually throws very good deep ball, accurate, he can
throw it a mile, he can throw it off platform, yep.
(12:30):
But where he fails is that intermediate that five to
eighteen yard you know, between the numbers, you know, and
that's so important on third down in the NFL, where
you've got to find that tight window or in that
red zone when that window is tight, but particularly on
third down, you know, which is kind of a whole different,
(12:51):
whole different setting in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
All right, So the next step in the off season
process here is the draft. The offseason workout program begins
this week with Phase one, but a lot of eyeballs
on the draft here starting on Thursday night, and the
Colts hold seven picks overall, including number fourteen in the
first round. So a big picture on the draft before
we started get into the weeds here a little bit,
(13:15):
Rick based on what the Colts have on their roster
as of right now, they've got about twenty open roster
spots going into the draft to fill up this ninety
man roster here in the springtime. Just what are your
your top positions of need for the Colts going into
the draft.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Well, as I look at it, I would say that
the top three positions for me as I look at
this team right now, I think, you know, number one,
if you can get a tight a dynamic tight end.
Now you know, I'm not saying a tight end necessarily
a serviceable tight end, because after we brought Moali back,
(13:53):
we have those guys. We have serviceable tight ends. Mallory's
a good receiver. I mean, it's a lot of our
tight end failure has been Richardson's inability to work that
second level to the tight ends. I think it's maybe
not as bad a situation as everybody's making it out now.
If you can get a dynamic tight end to go
(14:15):
with your receiver corps, and particularly to go opposite downs
in the slot, you know, a guy that can get vertical,
that can separate on his own, then that's a big,
big asset to your offensive team. I would say two
other areas, and I think we're deep here. I think
number one, if you were to bring in a guy
(14:36):
who would be an instant starter at right guard. I
think in that sense offensive line, I think the good
news we'll get into it is all the top tackles
to me, could bump into guard in a second. And
then I think we really need to defensive tackle desperately
in the depth situation as the number one backup. I think,
(14:57):
you know, you know, obviously in the last two years,
when either stew or Buckner has been out of the game,
we've been awful. I mean, we can't stop a nosebleed
when either one of those guys is out, particularly on
the run. So you know, I think defensive tackle, number
swing guy, yep. I think a right guard if you're
going to bring a guy in to be a starter
(15:19):
now that Braden's back, you know, And then a dynamic
tight end. You can go from there. I mean, but
I would say those three things is what I'd like
to see us come out of there with.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Well, when the mock draft season starts really in earnest
in February, that's when I start paying attention to them anyways.
But I mean since then, Rick, you know, I mean
two out of every three mock drafts has the Colts
or has had the Colts picking a tight end, and
you can understand why. Twofold question here, I'll start with
this one as relates to tight ends in the draft.
Does drafting a tight end the first round? Does that
(15:53):
jive with the positional value historically, even though there's gonna
be some really good options potentially on the table for
the Colts to draft and ponder over with the fourteenth
overall pick.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
Well, I think dynamic is the key, you know, I
think you're right on. I mean, the tight end in
historically on draft day very important in the game, but
on draft day it has not been a high priority
draft and it has been minimal. But I think dynamic
changes that you're seeing a swing on running backs from
that standpoint. You know, for years running backs, I know
(16:27):
everybody would say you cannot draft one on the first round. Well,
they're making such a difference in games. That's changing. That's changing.
And again the keyword is dynamic, not just a guy.
And I think you do have two guys that are
on the store on the doorstep there, and then you
have some other guys. But to me, the other guys
(16:47):
are that they're they're on the next tier. You know,
there's starters, you know, they can play roles, But when
it really comes down to two dynamic guys, I don't
think there's any question. It's Loveland and Warren.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
And do the Colts need to address another position of
need if you will, in the first round, considering some
of the other tight ends that might be there in
the second round that can give you what you need
in terms of being a dynamic game changer and a
guy that's more than serviceable certainly in the passing game,
but is also valuable in the running game as being
an adequate enough blocker.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Well, you know, I think really what it always comes
down to is the cluster of players that will be
available at fourteen, and you know every other pick along
the way. I mean to me, now, these are my favorites.
This doesn't necessarily mean they're Chris's favorites, although we're not
too far off usually, But you know, my favorite guys
at fourteen if they were there, okay, and then you
(17:45):
would have to make a decision. Within there would be
Loveland Membo, the tackle from Missouri, the offensive tackle who's
a freak, Stuart the defensive ends from Texas A and
m Grant, the tackle I absolutely loved, not Graham. Graham
is going to be gone by fourteen, but Grant is
(18:06):
the other defensive tackle from Michigan. And then a couple
of defensive backs I like is m and Warri and
the kids from Texas Baron are my big six. Now
they will you know, they may all be gone or
there may be some guys there. And then you know,
(18:27):
if I really if the tight ends were gone and
I was looking at offensive line, there's a couple other
guys that would be right there on an equal par
with Membos. So a lot of it just going to
depend on who's there and how You haven't ranked you know,
and what you feel is your biggest need. We always
had a rule that if they're all in the same level,
(18:49):
you know, let's say they're all in the sevens, you know,
then you take the guy you think is the biggest need,
the guy you like the most. And what we always
used to say is, but you never cross a hard line.
In other words, if you have a guy that's eight
on the board, say an eight to three, and then
everybody else is in the sevens in terms of ratings,
(19:09):
you never pass up that eight three guys because in
the end, in the end, and this has not been
something we've done well in the end, that first round,
that upper first round, upper half of the first round,
has got to be a guy that is going to
be an elite player in the league, regardless of physician.
Do you hear what I'm saying, elite player in the league.
(19:29):
He If he's just a guy, just the starter, then
to me, you haven't succeeded in the upper half of
the first round.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
All right, let's go offensive line. The Colts lost two
starters there in free agency, Ryan Kelly and Will Fries,
both the Minnesota So that means the Colts at the
very least on the lookout for some more depth in
the offensive trenches. This is kind of a roster personnel question,
but it also relates to the draft as well. Do
you think as it stands right now, going into the
(19:58):
offseason workout program, do you think Ten Bordolini and or
Matt Gonzalvez already to step into the starting lineup at
center and right guard, respectively. And how does the offensive
line talent in the draft stack up to the Colts possibly,
you know, thinking long and hard about addressing the interior
of the offensive line in the first round.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Yeah. The way I will evaluate that is I think
that both of those guys, both Bordolini and Gonzalves, did
a fine job as rookies. I you know, Bordelini came
in there and played for Kelly until he got hurt
and did a really good job. I mean, I don't
think you noticed that Kelly was out. You know, he's
a bit undersized. The only thing I worry he's really
(20:43):
good athlete. I mean, he's gonna pick up stants. He's
going to get to the second level. I think he's
going to be a decision maker. My only concern with
him is durability. And Kenny handled the big noseguards, the
big top guys that will just try to crush you
in there. And then Gonzalveez was probably the most pleasant
surprise to me in the draft. He to me, really
(21:06):
outplayed my expectations, you know, when they moved him all around.
I think if you played a game tomorrow, he would
be the right tackle and I mean the right guard,
and you know, particularly with Brayden back now, he would
be the right guard. And I think that he will
benefit by having to play in less space. I think
the only thing that's going to get him over a
(21:28):
seventeen game schedule is Canny really handle the top edge guys,
you know, like I say, for seventeen Sundays. But I mean,
I think you could start that way. But that's why
I think you have to keep your eyes open. If
you have a blue chip you know, offensive tackle guard there,
you have to think about that. And because as good
(21:49):
as I think those guys played, you know, it's a
hell of a lot different coming in and playing a
couple of games and playing seventeen Sundays in this league
that's still unproven. So I mean you got to keep
your eyes open. And I think This is just me,
but I think the offensive line it might be the
best position in the whole draft. I think offensive line
(22:10):
running back into some degree defensive line, but offensive line.
And the reason I say that is there's guys that
you know, there could be three offensive linemen going to
top fifteen guys, and then there's a lot of depth.
There's a lot of second and third tier guys right
in this draft. So I mean, you know, if you
really want to take an offensive lineman at fourteen, let's
(22:32):
say you say, no yourself, we got to have that guy.
He's gonna be there. There's gonna be one. I've got
five guys, membo. I'm not sure about Simmons because of
the knee, Campbell from LSU, Banks from Texas, I love
Jackson at guard from Ohio State, and Booker from Alabama.
(22:54):
I mean that's you know, and then there's a lot
of guys really close like Zabel and Connerly. I mean,
but let me just say that, you know, and I
can go way down the list. This is really a
year for offensive linemen, all right.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
Then on defense, we talked about this up front to
Forrest Buckner, Grover Stewart. Still, you know, despite both guys
being over the age of thirty, still one of the
best defensive tackle duos in the NFL, certainly the top
dogs for the Indianapolis Colts. They did sign Neville Gallimore
and free agency comes over from the Rams, but after him,
(23:29):
like you mentioned earlier in the podcast, the Colts are
still very much in need of depth quality players to
spell those two guys. You know, we know the Colts
probably need to spend close to a premium pick on
a defensive tackle in this draft, you know, rounds one
through three. How important is the defensive tackle position overall
(23:51):
in this lou Anarroumo defense as he takes over the
reins on that side of the ball here in Indianapolis,
as the Colts try to get more pressure on the quarterback.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Where I think it's really important, and here's where I
think we really failed a year ago, is that it
isn't as much just rushing the passer because you can
get in different looks. You can move guys around like
Lewis on third down, second and long, you know, kind
of like Odangbo did a year ago. You can kind
of do that with Lewis, kick him inside to get
(24:23):
your rush. But where we really failed, and people just
don't realize it is we couldn't stop the run because
we have Olympians, but we don't have run stuffers, and
that really told its tale. And you know, it's in
modern day football, and I don't understand it totally, but
I see it is that you can't play Buckner and
(24:44):
Stewart a whole game. So you're going to play series
without those guys. So you need somebody that is going
to come in there at least for one of them
and really be able to stop the run number one
and then develop as a pass rusher, because if you don't,
if you don't stop the run when those guys are
(25:05):
out of there, you're sitting second and five all day
without the other team being under stress. And then you know,
like I always to tell my guys, you have to
stop the run to earn the right to rush the passer,
you know, And that's kind of an old cliche, but
there's a lot to it. And so you know, I
just think, you know, we thought we had it with
Raekwon Davis. We didn't. Environment has never given us that
(25:28):
kind of run stuffer and so that, to me, that
is a huge priority and it will be for Low
as well.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
All Right, lastly, Rick, we have some fun here. We
kind of kick this around internally in the office last week.
I'm going to give you four positions, kind of under
the radar positions for the Colts. Maybe they're big needs,
maybe they're not. But you rank them in order based
on need for the Colts going into the draft. And
these are not the top ones we talked about. So yeah,
(25:59):
rank these in order in terms of how you see
them being needs for the Colts in this draft. All right, Safety, quarterback,
running back, and kicker for the Colts. And obviously you
throw that in because of the release of Matt Gay
and his inconsistencies over fifty yards last year, and the
Colts coming out and saying, hey, we believe in in
(26:21):
Spencer Strader, but they're not just going to hand them
the job.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Right.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
He was a rookie last year, only made five field
goals over the course of work with three different teams.
So rank those in order, running back, safety, quarterback, and
kicker for the Colts.
Speaker 1 (26:33):
Well, I'll probably get some pushback on this, but I
think number one is kicker.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Damn you know, I said the exact same thing.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
I mean, I guess you know, every place else. Yeah,
we have enough guys to play a game and play
at a high level in my opinion, you know, unless
we get banged up to hell. But I mean, I mean,
I like Strader as a kid, but I don't know
what he's gonna be over seventeen Sundays, So no doubt. Yeah,
and that's so important. You know, you never think about
it until they missed one. It costs you a game,
(27:01):
you know, And you know, and I think Gay just suffered.
You know, he got that big contract. The expectancy just
overwhelmed him and he never was able to live up
to that. And they've moved on. But I just I'm
very nervous about not going into the season with really
a tested and top flight kicker, no doubt about that.
(27:23):
I probably, even though we signed Ward, I would probably
say number two. And this is me because you could
argue the next three. You could argue him back and forth,
depending on what color chevies you like. I would say
corner because I just don't think you can have enough
of him. You get an injury to a guy we
can't count on brunts. I mean, we don't even know
(27:45):
who he is. You know. Ward was a terrific. I
thought Lomac played pretty good till he didn't. Jones has
given us pretty good football. Kenny's top inside, you know,
but I still think, you know, you cannot have enough
corners in this modern day, you know, And I think
there's gonna be some pretty good corners. I don't know
(28:08):
if they'll be there in the third day, but definitely
in a second day. You know. I'll tell you in
terms of let's see, would you ask me, oh safety,
you know, I you know, I mean, honestly, you have
Thomas as the swing guy you got now buying him
and Cross, which is going to give you two real starters.
Thomas is a guy and you could probably put safety second,
(28:31):
you know. Now you know, you know, I don't see
premier safeties, but I see a bunch of solid guys
that you could get as you as you keep going on.
And then the other position that I think is great,
as I said, as I said, other than offensive line
as a running back. And you know, you got your
(28:52):
top four that are going to go pretty high, you know,
in Jant and Hampton and Henderson and Judkins, the too
Ohio State eight guys, those are those are premiere backs.
But then there's there's several guys you know that that
are are there right, that are that are going to
be around as you keep going. I mean it's really, uh,
(29:13):
it's really a really good group. You know. You got uh,
you know, you got all kinds of guys in that
on those next tiers. So I think you're going to
be able to get a running back in that situation.
But you know, like I said, kicker number one. You know,
maybe maybe safety should be number two, you know, the
more you talk about it, but you know, that's all
(29:34):
that's at least we have guys and we even have
a swing guy in each position because at running back
we went out and got Herbert, you know. So I
mean it's but kicker, yeah, that is a question mark.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
No doubt about. I completely agree right there with that
order outstanding job as always, Rick Ventury, that's his breakdown.
I love this annual chat that we have here every year,
especially before the draft, considering everything thing that could be
in play for the Indianapolis Colts. And these chats are
going to continue here in the coming days. Rick Venturrey
(30:06):
is going to be in for instant reaction on Thursday
night and Friday night of the draft, recapping the Colts
picks right away. Those are going to appear on YouTube
with Casey Valier and Bill Brooks. They're also going to
be audio form on the Colts Audio Network as well,
So look forward to those and we will do it
again next week. Rick, you and I recapping the draft
(30:26):
on our post draft edition of Inside Football Here. So busy,
busy time, but I know you love it. I know
you enjoy it, and hopefully we'll see this football team
get better with some premium picks heading in the next
season as the Colts try to make the playoffs for
the first time in four years. Rick, it's a really
important week here, you.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Know it is, and you and I did some I
think some very.
Speaker 2 (30:48):
Very good I was just getting ready to do that.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
On evaluations guys that you know, we kind of talked
in general. But there's going to be some good videos
on the website, you know, guys that we name and
show and really go in depth on and I think
fans would love that Before Thursday.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Yeah, check those out. Myself and Rick did do those,
and we hit the four major areas of need for
this team going into the draft. We kind of hit
on those on this podcast. But we went more in
depth with the top players available at each position within
those areas of need tight end, secondary offensive line, and
(31:27):
interior defensive line. So check those out of course in
the coming days to wet your whistle before Draft night,
first round on Thursday, So really really important stuff. And
one final reminder too, as we're hitting everything that we
need to going into Draft night, check out the Colts
official Draft party Thursday night at Lucas Oil Stadium that's
(31:49):
presented by bud Light, where fans can come watch the
first round of the NFL Draft and also have access
to the field and autographs from current players and Colts legends.
I or Franklin's gonna be there, Alec Pierce, Laatsu Latsu
along with Pro Football Hall of Famer Drin James signing
autographs too. So the party is for fans twenty one
(32:09):
and older and tickets can be picked up at Colts
dot com slash Draft ten dollars to the general public,
five dollars for Colt season ticket members. So again check
that out Lucas Oil Stadium on Thursday night. Cannot wait
for it. Rick A lots of process there but Thursday night,
Round number one and we will see you later this
week and Thursday night, Bright lights in Green Bay.
Speaker 1 (32:32):
Can't wait, man, Gail, wait all right.
Speaker 2 (32:34):
Rick Ventury taking the caffeine pills. It's gonna be a
couple of late nights for everybody involved, but it's always
a fun time of year. Rick Venturrey, I'm Matt Taylor,
and that will do it for this pre draft edition
of Inside Football here in the Coltsaudio Network. And again
we will do it next week recapping the Colts Draft
Hall right here on the Coltsaudio Network. Again for Rick,
(32:55):
I'm Matt. Thanks for listening to Inside Football. A still
st
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!