@MikeWellsNFL defense has been bottom 3rd of the league since Pagano took over.. could this be his best defensive unit to date? #ColtsMail
— Tim (@icebergtim) July 21, 2016
Mike Wells: I don't know about that. The Indianapolis Colts will be without defensive lineman Art Jones for at least the first four games following his suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs. There's uncertainty about when defensive lineman Hendy Anderson will return. The pass rush that totaled only 35 sacks, which was tied for 22nd in the NFL, last season. Three of the four expected starting linebackers are over 30 years of age. Any quarterback will pick apart a defense when given time in the pocket to survey the field.
“We love pressure, but pressure can come from a variety of different ways,” new defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said earlier this spring. “We can come from three-man pressure. We can rush four and affect the quarterback by forcing him to hold the football and getting a guy home. We can bring additional rushers. We can bring additional rushers and drop guys who are typical rushers. But yes, I’m a pressure guy. There’s enough variety that you’re not going to know who it is and where it’s coming from.”
Safety Clayton Geathers, cornerback Patrick Robinson, linebacker Nate Irving or Sio Moore could be the only new starters. That’s not a lot of wholesale changes for a unit that finished 26th in the league in total defense last season. How good the Colts could be on defense will also depend on Monachino, who replaced Greg Manusky.
“I think what you should be able to expect is simple and sound, expect fast and physical,” Monachino said. “You should be able to expect that our guys are going to do what they do best most often, and you’re going to see that we play together really well.”
