Following the Indianapolis Colts’ monumental collapse to close out the 2021-22 NFL season, the pressure mounted on general manager Chris Ballard’s shoulders. It had concluded three seasons of band-aids applied to the sport’s most important position — quarterback — as the organization attempted to rebound from an unprecedented situation.
That situation, of course, is that of Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement ahead of the 2019 season. Ballard and Co. have been scrambling to right the ship ever since,
eventually falling short with each season that’s passed. While its ever-apparent turnstile at quarterback has by no means reversed course on said shortcomings, the three veteran quarterbacks at the time — Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, and Carson Wentz — were at least provided a worthwhile defense to keep them afloat. After defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus left to become the Chicago Bears head coach following the 2021 collapse, personnel subsequently broke up, the health of its superstar defender deteriorated, and thus, success slowly but surely waned.
That uninspiring sense of self was on full display from Colts defenders for the past three seasons (2022-2024). Sloppy tackling, individualistic play, and a lack of urgency were at the forefront of the Colts’ defense during that timeframe. Manned by Gus Bradley, his once-dominant cover-3-centric philosophy used to torment the league’s best offenses, but has since devolved into a thing of the past. And while it may have, at times, felt like Bradley was not afforded the horses necessary for a league-best unit, the basis of his playstyle is no longer a viable threat moving forward, but rather an outdated one.
The Colts’ defense under Gus Bradley remained near the bottom of the totem pole in scoring, finishing 28th, 28th, and 24th during his 3-year tenure in Indianapolis. He tried his best to maximize his otherwise simplistic ways, but the bend-don’t-break nature of his playstyle is simply not sustainable without fielding a defense littered with all-world talents.
Mutual respect remained between the Colts organization and Gus Bradley, but a changing of the guard was way past due. During an interview on the local broadcast of the Colts’ second preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, new owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon said just that:
“I love Gus [Bradley], but it was time to move on from him.”
This experiment ran its course after this past season, and in turn brought arguably the best move of Chris Ballard’s tenure: bringing in Lou ‘The Mad Scientist’ Anarumo.
It’s only been one week; therefore, it’s nearly impossible to anoint the move as such, but Lou Anarumo’s genius has quickly rubbed off on the Colts’ defense. After just one game, Anarumo has instilled confidence and togetherness into that side of the ball. This collective newfound sense of self was apparent throughout the summer, but has since been legitimized with the defense’s performance in the season opener versus Miami.
Anarumo’s constant in-game pivots proved to be a challenge for Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa early and often. After a first-half shutout that featured two takeaways (Camryn Bynum INT, Kenny Moore II FF), Indy’s defense kept the foot on the gas. They picked Tagovailoa off once more to kick off the second half and refused to let up throughout the second half as Anarumo threw anything he could think of at the timing-based quarterback.
The vaunted Mike McDaniel scheme that originates from his early days with Mike Shanahan and Co. in Washington is predicated on precision-based timing from its quarterback. It’s why Tagovailoa, Hill, and Waddle lit the league on fire in 2023, because it was fresh. As we’ve come to realize, however, it’s also gimmicky. Although the players have to do their part, the unit’s success is largely determined before the ball is ever snapped. This marriage of scheme and analytics has become a polarizing playstyle due to its inherent nature, though it is dangerous if top-tier personnel and vanilla defensive schemes are thrown into the equation.
That was not the case for Mike McDaniel and Co. once they visited Anarumo’s new-and-improved Colts defense. Indy dominated to the tune of 8 points allowed (2nd-least), 211 yards surrendered (3rd-least), 3 takeaways (most), and 3 sacks. It was a showing that resulted in the Dolphins turning the ball over on nearly half of their offensive possessions (42.9%), their highest rate in a game since 2002. Following the victory, Anarumo revealed to the media how he knew they had Tua Tagovailoa rattled.
“There’s panic-type throws where he’s just not sure. Holding the ball longer than they normally do,” said Anarumo. “I thought our guys did a good job in both disguising what we were trying to do as well as ending up in the right spot(s).”
And that was exactly the game plan they had in mind, one they’d go out on the field to execute to perfection. It resulted in the aforementioned stat line, but how it got there was a sight to see for all football fans, especially Colts fans who have yearned for a more aggressive style defensively in recent years.
The game plan was executed to perfection, but the build by Lou Anarumo was aided by former Dolphins All-Pro CB Xavien Howard. The veteran spot-starter on Sunday was a former teammate of QB Tua Tagovailoa, a familiar face who was able to provide some insight ahead of the matchup. Anarumo listened, and the result was magical.
“Me and Lou talked about it,” Howard revealed. “I gave some tips, and he’s a hell of a defensive coordinator, so he schemed some stuff up to get guys in position to make plays.”
Most people assume that to throw off a quick, timing-based quarterback and scheme like Tagovailoa’s Dolphins is to alter the scheduled operation. That’s true, but instead of attempting to speed up an already fast operation, Anarumo elected to slow it down by muddying the waters. From pre-snap to whistle, Anarumo’s defenders are constantly moving to try to gain an advantage. As a result, Tagovailoa was put through the torture chamber to the tune of a 2.7 QB Rating.
According to Next Gen Stats, Tagovailoa led the NFL with the fastest time to throw over the past two seasons (2.42 in 2024, 2.38 in 2023). The proof is in the pudding that he and this Dolphins offense want to get the ball out quickly, but Anarumo didn’t let them. Against the Colts, Tagovailoa’s time to throw was a staggering 2.64 seconds per attempt.
There was a solid amount of conservative coverage on display, which saw a low pressure rate in the pass rush game as a result, but this was a calculated effort. Having countless looks and coverages thrown Tagovailoa’s way resulted in a career-worst showing from the otherwise efficient quarterback, and it is a mere peek at what Anarumo is capable of. Thankfully, general manager Chris Ballard had signed the aforementioned Xavien Howard just weeks before their matchup.
“We knew the guy gets the ball out quickly. Once we take away his first read, it’s panic mode after that, and it showed yesterday. We took away his first read, and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick,” Howard said regarding the game plan in question. “It’s a lot of bang bang, quick throws in the middle. I told them to clog the middle and make sure they throw the ball outside. We ended up with two interceptions across the middle.”
Specifically, Anarumo dished out every base coverage look possible against Miami. Regardless of a man or zone call, or whether or not they showed it pre-snap, the front end looped its way to havoc as the backend was coverage agnostic. It was an outing that just four other defenses mimicked when it comes to playing multiple.
It’s just one game, and while this staff is aware of that, they recognize how important a Week 1 win is. Not only for a desperate Colts fanbase, but for continuity’s sake moving forward. “I think it was great for the guys to come out the way they did with their energy and enthusiasm. You know, certainly, execution fuels the emotion. We came out of the gate hot and did a good job taking the ball away,” Anarumo explained during his media availability on Tuesday. “I was excited for the players who put in a ton of work leading up to that. That’s just one week, we’ve got a long way to go, but I’m happy with where we’re at.”
A change of scenery is, a good portion of the time, a worthwhile move. You are provided as fresh as a slate as someone in the NFL can have, with most of your prior successes outweighing the shortcomings. That is, for players. Most of the time, fired and rehired coaches carry baggage with them to their next stop(s) until they prove their new fanbase otherwise. For that very reason, there was cautious optimism surrounding the recent hiring of Lou Anarumo. After just one showing, the fanbase’s glass-half-empty mindset has turned into a glass overflown with hope.
After being instrumental in the Bengals’ Super Bowl run in 2021, a lack of the means necessary resulted in a downward spiral to conclude his tenure in Cincinnati. Despite Bengals fans’ excitement to change the guard, talking heads leaguewide began to question the firing altogether, citing a subpar stable of horses for Anarumo to utilize. Fast forward to after one game played in Indianapolis, and that familiar tune of Anarumo praise has returned. Time will tell if GM Chris Ballard has done enough to right the ship for not only himself, but also other key components of this team, such as HC Shane Steichen, DC Lou Anarumo, and QB Daniel Jones, but so far, so good.
