10/14 indystar

[JAFF]

How JuJu Brents gained Colts coaches' trust with one play vs. the Titans
Nate Atkins
Indianapolis Star


INDIANAPOLIS - JuJu Brents needed two weeks of sitting out to earn the trust of his coaches, but the rookie's growth to now can be summed up in one play.

The Colts were defending the Titans on a 2nd-and-18 from the Colts' 22-yard line. It was the third quarter, and with Anthony Richardson out of the game, the Titans were trailing by four and looking to take the lead.

But as Brents lined up as the outside cornerback to the left and got ready to press the receiver, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, he could feel something happening.

"We were in a Cover-2 scheme, and when you're in the higher red zone, you know you could potentially get a shot," said Brents, a second-round pick out of Kansas State. "I'm pretty much a flat corner on that play, just trying to give a jam for my safety over the top. But just the way they were playing, DeAndre Hopkins was being a little bit aggressive in that area."


As he pressed Westbrook-Ikhine to an outside release, Brents kept his eyes on Hopkins, who ran a deep in from the slot. Hopkins was the Titans' clear top target, finishing the day with eight catches for 140 yards, and Brents knew he would draw the attention of Colts free safety Rodney Thomas II, who was lined up deep and over him.

"Then, hell, the ball might come your way,” Brents said.


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"With two verts, if I'm jamming him and seeing that (the slot) is going vertical, it's a good bet that (the outside receiver) is going vertical as well if he's not crossing my face. Seeing that, feeling that and continuing to keep sinking.”


Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill spotted the double coverage on Hopkins and immediately looked to Westbrook-Ikhine, who was open up the left sideline with no safety in sight. But Brents was lurking within a few yards, and he sprinted toward the end zone before spinning back around to reach his hands up to the ball, which flew off his fingertips and incomplete.

"You've gotta finish," Brents said. "That's the main goal is to get the ball back for our offense. It was tough. It was an OK play, but it could have been a great play."

Indianapolis Colts second-round rookie JuJu Brents has now become the team's top outside cornerback.
Brents didn't come down with the interception, but he did prevent a touchdown to bring up a 3rd-and-18. The Titans settled for a field goal and still trailed by a point. Those were the last points they scored in a 23-16 defeat.

The play didn't make many highlight reels outside the building, but it had Brents' coaches raving.


"That was a key play in the game," Milus said.

Added defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, "For every maybe bust, there was a cover that he made."

This is the situational awareness the Colts have been waiting to see in the rookies they have playing one of the most difficult positions in a passing league. They drafted Brents in the second round because of his athletic potential, which ranked in the top 0.01% of cornerback prospects in the history of the NFL Combine; as well as his fit in their Seattle-style scheme at 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds.


But they were patient to play him after he spent the spring recovering from wrist surgery and then pulled his hamstring twice, giving him only a handful of practices by the start of the regular season. Indianapolis made him a healthy scratch the first two games, which was a hard pill to swallow for a Warren Central graduate.

But Brents has shown confidence and an ability to get to the ball since that Week 3 activation in Baltimore. He punched a ball out from Kenyan Drake and recovered it in that game and then had the play to save a touchdown against the Titans. In that time, he's ascended to the Colts' top outside cornerback option following Dallis Flowers' Achilles tear.

The ups come with some downs, too, like the game-winning touchdown he allowed to Puka Nacua and the Rams. But the Colts are fine with that. It's the trust in situations they're looking for, and they're starting to see it in him.

"It's all about improvement and growth," Brents said. "Every single day. Every single rep."

[JAFF]

Colts rookie Blake Freeland likely replacing Braden Smith at RT after two weeks at LT
Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star


INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts are asking rookie tackle Blake Freeland to handle a difficult role, a role typically reserved for a veteran who’s been around the block a few times.

Freeland is the team’s swing tackle, meaning he’s the first man up on either side of the offensive line.

Freeland made the first two starts of his career at left tackle the last two weeks in place of an injured Bernhard Raimann, and with Raimann potentially coming out of the concussion protocol this week, he likely has to switch to the right side this week in place of Braden Smith, who suffered a hip injury in practice Thursday.


“I feel good about it now,” Freeland said. “I’ve been working it all through camp, all through the season, both sides. … I was flipping and flopping so much.”

Freeland, a fourth-round pick out of BYU, was better suited to the role than most rookies.

He spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career at right tackle, then switched to the left side between his sophomore and junior seasons.


As simple as it might sound to play the same position on the other side of the offensive line, it is remarkably difficult, like a right-handed boxer suddenly being asked to switch to southpaw or an American on vacation trying to drive on the left side of the road.

Nothing feels right at first.


“The first time is way harder than it is now,” Freeland said. “I remember my transition between my sophomore and junior year, switching between right and left, the first week and a half of spring training was a little rough. … After you’ve done it so long, it becomes a much easier transition.”

Freeland might be stepping into the lineup on the right side for more than just this week’s game against the Jaguars.


Indianapolis is still evaluating the extent of Smith’s hip injury. The veteran right tackle was walking around the practice fields and locker room on Friday, but Colts head coach Shane Steichen wasn’t sure if Smith’s status would be day to day or longer than that.

“We’re just going through that process right now,” Steichen said. “We’ll keep you updated.”

The first time Freeland had to start, he barely had any time to get ready.

Freeland was told he was starting at left tackle against the Rams on Friday afternoon; he essentially had only a walk-through to prepare for a Los Angeles defense that included Aaron Donald.

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“Obviously, Aaron Donald’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer, he’s one of the best players to ever play this game,” Colts offensive line coach Tony Sparano, Jr. said. “You talk about baptism by fire a little bit there, you get thrown out there and see that dude lined up across from you a few times, it’s like, ‘Whoa.’”


Freeland struggled at times against the Rams, then played better in his second start against the Titans.

If he’s on the right side this week, he’ll likely be matched up most of the time against Jaguars star Josh Allen, who already has six sacks this season.

“That’s what this league is,” Sparano said. “They might not all be as special as Aaron Donald is, but certainly, every team has got really good players in their front. … I was in Jacksonville with Josh Allen, I know how he works, how he prepares, the caliber of player he is. … Blake, the one thing I’ll say about him, he’s a cool customer. He’s not rattled easily.”

For Freeland, like most rookie offensive linemen, the jump in talent level was the toughest thing to adjust to right away.

The more he played, though, the more confidence he built, and it helped him get ready for the role he’s playing right now, finding out the week’s assignment at a moment’s notice sometimes.


“There wasn’t really an ah-ha moment, but throughout OTAs, I felt more and more comfortable,” Freeland said. “The coach and my teammates have shown a lot of confidence in me, and I think that just helped with my preparation and being ready to play.”

He has to be ready to play again this week.

Another tough assignment is on tap.

[JAFF]

Insider: 10 things to watch as Colts try to break curse in Jacksonville

Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star


INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts have a curse to break this week.

Indianapolis has lost eight consecutive road games to the Jaguars, a streak that includes a loss in London but is almost entirely dotted with inexplicable, confusing losses in Jacksonville.

New head coach Shane Steichen gets his first chance to end the streak at 1 p.m. Sunday in a game televised on WTTV-4, armed with backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, who opened his career on the other side of the rivalry, beating Indianapolis in the 2020 season opener for Jacksonville’s only win of the season.

And there are early-season stakes to this matchup.


Indianapolis (3-2) and Jacksonville (3-2) are tied for the AFC South lead, although the Jaguars currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Colts 31-21 in the season opener. If the Colts can turn the tables on Jacksonville and break the streak this Sunday, they’d not only take control of the AFC South lead, but erase the head-to-head advantage.

Can Gardner Minshew break the Jacksonville curse?

1. Based on the way the Jaguars defense has played so far this season, Minshew might have to carry the load this week. Jacksonville’s defense is giving up 7.25 yards per dropback and 262.4 yards per game, and the Jaguars have only nine sacks through the first five games. The Jaguars are tied for seventh in the NFL with five interceptions, making the job simple for Minshew. If the veteran can avoid the big mistake — his career interception rate is just 1.5% — there should be opportunities for big yardage.


2. Expect the Colts to emphasize short, high-percentage throws and getting the ball out of Minshew’s hands quickly, even though Jacksonville’s pass rush has struggled so far. Minshew’s strength is his ability to find the right read quickly, and under Steichen, Indianapolis will always cater to the quarterback’s strengths. If Indianapolis sticks to the quick game, Michael Pittman Jr. (31 catches, 297 yards, one touchdown) and Josh Downs (23 catches, 255 yards) will likely get a lot of work.

3. Indianapolis hasn’t been able to get second-year wide receiver Alec Pierce involved consistently yet, and it will be interesting to see if the Colts can get him going with Minshew at the helm. The veteran backup missed an open Pierce on a couple of long throws against Baltimore, and Minshew’s style of play doesn’t exactly fit Pierce’s skill set. Pierce is best at stretching defenses vertically, but if the Colts want to get him involved, they might have to expand his role in the offense.


4. The Colts could get left tackle Bernhard Raimann back for the first time in two weeks, but rookie swing tackle Blake Freeland has the difficult assignment this week, and not only because he’s switching to the right side after two weeks stepping into Raimann’s place on the left. Edge rusher Josh Allen has six of Jacksonville’s nine sacks so far — two of his three sacks in the season opener were recorded running down rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson at the line of scrimmage — and typically rushes off the left side, putting him up against Freeland.

How many carries for Jonathan Taylor this week?

5. Jonathan Taylor should get more than the 10 snaps he played last week, although it’s probably smart to continue rotating snaps at the running back position, considering the way Zack Moss is playing. Moss has 445 yards on 89 carries this season, a 5.0 average, and if he continues to play that way, the Colts should be able to keep both running backs fresh, rather than running one into the ground.

6. Only one NFL quarterback — Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa — gets the ball out of his hands faster than Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who is averaging 2.46 seconds from snap to throw this season, a number that makes it difficult for the pass rush to get home, but the Jaguars haven’t always reaped the benefits this season. Lawrence has been sacked 13 times, a number that ranks in the middle of the NFL, and when they’ve come, they’ve come in bunches. Kansas City got Lawrence four times, and the Bills got him five times in London last week.

7. DeForest Buckner is likely going to face a slew of double teams, as he always does, but if defensive coordinator Gus Bradley can find a way to get him one-on-one, the left guard spot seems like a good target. Jacksonville left guard Walker Little is out with a knee injury, pushing Tyler Shatley into the starting lineup. Kwity Paye is expected back in the lineup after missing last week’s game with a concussion; Jaguars right tackle Anton Harrison has given up three sacks already this season.

8. The pocket might be the best place to take the ball away from Lawrence. The Jaguars’ star has thrown two interceptions in 180 attempts, but he’s already lost three fumbles this season. Whoever gets home in the pocket should be looking for the ball.

9. The absence of wide receiver Zay Jones should not hurt Jacksonville’s passing attack much. Jones has eight catches for 78 yards this season, and five of those catches came against Indianapolis in the opener; four Jaguars weapons have more catches and yards than Jones this season. Wide receivers Christian Kirk (30 catches, 335 yards) and Calvin Ridley (22 catches, 333 yards) face a Colts cornerback trio that has changed completely since the season opener. Kenny Moore II remains, but on the outside, rookies JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones have replaced Dallis Flowers (injury) and Darrell Baker, Jr. (ineffectiveness), and neither rookie played much defensively against Jacksonville.

Look for Jaguars tight end Evan Engram to have a big game

10. Jacksonville tight end Evan Engram ranks second on the Jaguars with 29 catches this season, and the Colts have had a little trouble with tight ends so far. Opposing tight ends are averaging 5.8 catches and 59 yards per game against Indianapolis this season.