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Colts 'hopeful and optimistic' Shaquille Leonard will play in opener

https://www.indystar.com/story/sport...r/65399182007/

Well, shit.

Quote:

WESTFIELD — All-Pro Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard still has no timetable for a return.

Leonard, who underwent offseason back surgery to relieve the pressure two discs were putting on a pair of key nerves, remains on the active/physically unable to perform list.

The injury was the source of Leonard’s ankle and calf issues last season, and the Colts are hoping to get a full-strength Leonard back on the field, although he turned in a remarkable 2021 season and missed just one game despite battling the ankle.

“We talk about every scenario,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “I’m hopeful and optimistic that he’s ready, but you’re preparing as if he’s not going to be ready. You prepare for worst-case scenario, but Shaq is preparing like he’s playing Week 1.”

Leonard has been on the field at all practice sessions, standing with the linebackers, learning the defense and helping his teammates make plays.

More:Name change for Colts' Leonard

Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) rushes the ball Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
All of his rehabilitation work has taken place away from the Grand Park practice fields, but Leonard is working hard to be ready to play against the Houston Texans on Sept. 11.

“He’s doing a lot of extra work, and he’s getting his mind right, ready to play,” Reich said. “The player’s got to think he’s playing as soon as he can, and then we’ve all got to get together, trust the process and figure out what’s right.”

Under Reich, the Colts have been willing to let key players open the season on the field despite significant missed time in training camp due to injury. Quarterback Carson Wentz and left guard Quenton Nelson started the season opener in 2021 despite missing almost all of training camp due to foot surgery.

Leonard is the type of player who can follow in those footsteps.

But Reich says he will need more than one full week of practice, which was the barometer often cited for Wentz and Nelson. The Colts want to see how Leonard responds in the work he does rehabilitating on the field, when he’s pushing the sled, going through linebacker drills and the rest.

“I think it’s going to depend those last couple of weeks before he gets on the field,” Reich said. “With Shaq, he’s so instinctive and so smart, he’s really putting in the time, we want to get him as much work as possible, but he’s a unique player, we want him on the field as soon as we can.”

Seems I've heard this before.

Hope he's ready to go, but we start the season w/ 2 games that we should win w/out him. Although we'll probably lose at the Jagoffs even if he plays since that's what we always do :cool:

Don’t come back until your 100% maniac I don’t care if it’s week 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by apballin (Post 235656)

Don’t come back until your 100% maniac I don’t care if it’s week 8

Yep, If we can't win without him, it just shows that we didn't have a very good defense to begin with.

:mad:

Quote:

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish (Post 235684)

Yep, If we can't win without him, it just shows that we didn't have a very good defense to begin with.

He is the Qb of the D. When the Colts lost Manning, he was not easily replaced. He wasn't be best athlete, he might have been the smartest.

Its not just his physical ability, its his football intellect. He “knows” where to be on every play. That is very hard to replicate. Manning was not a great athlete, but opposing team seldom fooled him. Every great D has someone who held it together.

Leonard isn't nearly as important to the defense as Manning was to the offense. I don't even think he is our best defensive player (Buckner). It would hurt to lose him but wouldn't be devastating.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldcolt (Post 235710)

Leonard isn't nearly as important to the defense as Manning was to the offense. I don't even think he is our best defensive player (Buckner). It would hurt to lose him but wouldn't be devastating.

no, but he is the glue for this defense.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldcolt (Post 235710)

Leonard isn't nearly as important to the defense as Manning was to the offense. I don't even think he is our best defensive player (Buckner). It would hurt to lose him but wouldn't be devastating.

I have no evidence of this, but he is the guy on D who is followed. He is the rally point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAFF (Post 235704)

:mad:

He is the Qb of the D. When the Colts lost Manning, he was not easily replaced. He wasn't be best athlete, he might have been the smartest.

Its not just his physical ability, its his football intellect. He “knows” where to be on every play. That is very hard to replicate. Manning was not a great athlete, but opposing team seldom fooled him. Every great D has someone who held it together.

So you're saying that we will have a losing record if Leonard somehow misses how many games?

Hard to say who is the “leader “ of the defense

I’d say maniac definitely is a spark/energy guy that gets everyone going

Quote:

Originally Posted by apballin (Post 235738)

Hard to say who is the “leader“ of the defense is.

I am glad that we can actually have a conversation about who the "leader" of the defense is. We have a number of great players this season:

Buckner
Ngakoue
Leonard
Kenny Moore II
Gilmore

With, hopefully, a few younger guys who by the end of the season are seen as "up and comers"

Paye
Odeyingbo
Okereke
Blackmon
Cross ???

I love what Ballard has done with the defense this year. Adding both Ngakoue and Gilmore to an already solid unit will, hopefully, lead to it being a true strength this year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by apballin (Post 235738)

Hard to say who is the “leader “ of the defense

I’d say maniac definitely is a spark/energy guy that gets everyone going

It appears that our leader on D is now Buckner.
Leonard is getting to that often-injured part of his career...I don't expect he will last more than a few years as a top level player.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanuckColt (Post 236663)

It appears that our leader on D is now Buckner.
Leonard is getting to that often-injured part of his career...I don't expect he will last more than a few years as a top level player.

I don’t think they have or need a leader

I do think this defense is gonna be the best we’ve ever seen in Indianapolis

Quote:

Originally Posted by apballin (Post 236685)

I do think this defense is gonna be the best we’ve ever seen in Indianapolis

could well be, though that is not a particularly high bar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Butter (Post 236692)

could well be, though that is not a particularly high bar.

I would say that the 2005 & 2007 defenses were pretty damn good, giving up 15.4 & 16.4 pts per game respectively.

I think today we would kill for a defense that gives up less than 21 pts per game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by apballin (Post 236685)

I don’t think they have or need a leader

I do think this defense is gonna be the best we’ve ever seen in Indianapolis

Can’t stop the run for shit in preseason. These things have a way of lasting into the season.

I’m not as optimistic.

Maybe if he changes his name back to "Darius" he might have better karma.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Racehorse (Post 235719)

no, but he is the glue for this defense.

And he's a good bit of the fire in the belly. He's got dog in him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ironshaft (Post 235762)

Don’t forget about Rodgers

Quote:

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish (Post 236694)

I would say that the 2005 & 2007 defenses were pretty damn good, giving up 15.4 & 16.4 pts per game respectively.

I think today we would kill for a defense that gives up less than 21 pts per game.

Speaking of the impact of one guy/leader on the field. Bob Sanders plays 14 games in '05 and 15 games in '07. Sandwiched in between was the Super Bowl season where the defense was shit all year until he returned for the playoffs and made them almost unrecognizable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoopsdoc (Post 236695)

Can’t stop the run for shit in preseason. These things have a way of lasting into the season.

I’m not as optimistic.

I've been so caught up in the secondary's role in the new defense that I hadn't stopped to think of this. The Lions game brought back some memories from the Freeney/Mathis days when the pass rush was deadly but teams would absolutely grind on us in the run game. I know it's preseason and backups and all that.

Eberflus' D allowed a lot of pitch-and-catch but was always top-10 against the run. I expect our pass-rush/coverage to be better under Bradley... I just hope it's not at the expense of the run game eating us alive.

I'm curious how Okereke and Leonard will be affected by the new D-line philosophy as opposed to always being freed up under Eberflus.