The Indianapolis Colts watched as the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl with their defense, not on the arm of quarterback Peyton Manning. The Colts thought they would become a respectable defensive team when they hired coach Chuck Pagano in 2012.
That hasn't happened yet.
Defense/Special Teams
ESPN Fantasy Projection: 41.3 sacks, 14.2 interceptions, 5884.7 yards allowed
Over or under: The Colts defense has been one of the two major problems – offensive line is the other – under Pagano the past four seasons. There’s no reason to believe it will be dramatically better than the 26th in total defense it finished last season after not making any significant changes to the roster during the offseason.
Take under on sacks because linebacker Robert Mathis, who tied for the team lead with seven, is 35 years old and defensive lineman Kendall Langford, who also had seven sacks, may miss the start of the regular season after undergoing knee surgery recently.
The Colts have what it takes in the secondary to surpass last season’s 17 interceptions. Veteran safety Mike Adams has 10 interceptions and cornerback Vontae Davis has eight interceptions over the past two seasons.
Also take the over when it comes to yards allowed. New defensive coordinator Ted Monachino is emphasizing an aggressive, attacking style of defense. With that comes the possibility of the Colts giving up a number of big plays.
“I think that fits our DNA, first of all,” Monachino said. “Defensive players want to be aggressive. I think by nature those are the calls that they like the most. That’s how I’ve built my philosophy of being aggressive. We have calls that aren’t necessarily – they don’t look aggressive but there are aggressive components in all of them. I think we all would like to be viewed that way, that, ‘Hey this guy is an aggressive go-getter, play-caller.’”
