You stay in this game long enough and you start building relationships along the way. Chris Sheperd of Stampede Blue and I have been doing five questions for the last five years and it has been an enjoyable ride. Even though the Colts and Tecans are enemies on the field doesn’t mean we have to be enemies in the proverbial press box. Yet again, the Texans and Colts stand in each other’s way for playoff contention. Two 0-2 teams are coming off of two tough weeks and that is where our conversation began.
Battle Red Blog: Like the Texans, the Colts have started 0-2 but against quality opponents. Are you concerned or feel like the start is a function of the difficult competition?
Chris Shepard: Most Colts fans believe the sky is falling and given the history of the last decade they may be right to believe that.
I am less concerned than most but concerned all the same. The defense went through a big turnover this offseason. Colts fans were largely over linebacker Zaire Franklin on and off of the field, but he was a long tenured leader of the defense as was corner Kenny Moore. Indy was right to move on from them in an attempt to do a soft reset on a leadership group that had yet to find sustained success.
Just because it was the right thing to do doesn’t mean it’s going to yield immediate positive results. The Colts added a lot of young players and lower level free agents and so far we’ve seen them struggle to get to speed. Week two was a large improvement for the defense but I expect this defense won’t hit it’s stride until week 8 or 9, if they ever come together at all.
Facing Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes back to back against a young defense with so many new pieces was always going to be difficult and while I don’t think CJ Stroud is in that tier of quarterbacks, it’s not like things are going to be significantly easier for them in week three.
BRB: Injuries are a part of the game obviously. We all saw Alec Pierce leave the game on Sunday night. Are there any other injuries you are concerned about?
CS: Sauce Gardner went out in the second half with an injury, he was able to return but he was in obvious pain. Sauce has been very good through two weeks so I’ll be monitoring his progress throughout the week.
BRB: Who are some new faces we haven’t seen in this matchup that will play a key role on Sunday?
CS: Rookie safety AJ Halucy has gotten every opportunity to contribute so far thus season. Halucy, a third round pick out of LSU, hasn’t been bad but he has made some rookie mistakes. I suspect they’ll continue to give him the majority of the snaps at strong safety and there is plenty of reason to believe he’ll make more of an impact as the season goes on.
Rookie linebackers Bryce Boettcher (Oregon) and CJ Allen (Georgia) have been working their way into a linebacker rotation. Allen missed more than a month of training camp due to injury and is working his way back. Neither player has made much of an impact yet but week by week they should see more time on the field and week three should see another uptick of snaps for both.
BRB: This is an annual question. Who are you most concerned about in the AFC South and how do you see the division shaking out? Which divisional opponent do Colts fans enjoy beating the most?
CS: The Jaguars are my biggest concern followed closely by the Texans. Houston figured things out last season and while defensive success is more difficult to sustain year over year, DeMeco Ryans is a very good coach and I expect they’ll turn things around in short order.
The Jaguars combination of Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen has been solid. I’m less sold on Coen long term than I am on Ryans, I think that when things start to go bad for him he’s more likely to be unable to right the Jacksonville ship. But until that happens, the combo of Coen and Lawrence with that offense puts them at the top of the division.
Ultimately, I think it’ll land on the Jaguars at the top and I hope Indy and Houston are in a battle for a wildcard spot headed into week 18 but given Houston’s recent history they absolutely have the advantage right now.
BRB: Fanduel has the Texans favored by 2.5. How do you see the game going on Sunday? Are there any other bets you feel comfortable recommending?
CS: I think that’s a fair line.Both teams are desperate and both are capable of winning. I see this one coming down to the wire, with both teams trading shots until the final moments.
In games like this one anything can happen and while I hope the Colts pull it off, Houston being the favorite makes sense.
We want to thank Chris for taking the time to answer our questions and for being such a joy to work with for all of these years. Remember, if you want to catch the best Colts coverage, please feel free to catch his site at Stampede Blue. We want to wish Chris the Colts the best of luck for the rest of the season. That is of course except for when they are playing the Texans.
