Captain's Log: What the Colts Said About the Buccaneers During Week 12
The Buccaneers hit the road this week to take on the Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium and are looking for consecutive wins for the first time since Weeks 6-7.
What are the Colts saying about their guests as they await their arrival?
Let's dive in and find out.
Darius Leonard claims there is no love for Tom Brady in Indy
"I think everybody in Indianapolis hates Tom Brady."
Thoughts: Leonard was obviously joking when he made the statement and while it was funny, I'm sure there's plenty of truth behind it. The Colts and Patriots battled back and forth for a decade and the Patriots won most of those matchups, so it makes sense that the city of Indy doesn't like Brady.
Frank Reich wasn't surprised by the Bucs' 2020 Super Bowl run
"It didn't surprise me only because of the defense and the quarterback. Obviously, they have great skill on offense, as well. Todd Bowles -you know I've gone up against Bowles a handful of times- I just think he's one of the best defensive coordinators that I've gone up against. So, you've got that combination there and then you got, you know, probably the greatest player ever playing quarterback for you and he's still playing at a super-high level. They got it going and believed and it was fun to watch. It was obviously a great accomplishment."
Thoughts: Reich may not have been surprised, but I'm sure plenty of others were. Indy's head coach is also one of the more level-headed, unexcitable personalities (compliment) in the league, so that probably had a lot to do with it, as well.
Bobby Okereke thinks Rob Gronkowski is smooth
"He's smooth. He moves smooth, he moves like, with a swiftness. He runs hard and he's just a big body. And he's obviously very savvy, so it's a good challenge."
Thoughts: A smooth talker, a smooth and savvy player - Gronk just does it all, doesn't he? But, he's apparently not smooth enough to get that USAA membership.
It's all about timing with DeForest Buckner
"Yea I think a lot of [the Bucs offense] is timing, so we gotta do a good job, obviously, disrupting routes in the back end and stuff like that. They're a big-time passing offense, obviously, but when they do run the ball they're pretty efficient at running the ball and they have a solid offensive line. They do a lot of the Tampa double teams up front, those things like that. So, to really get after it in the passing game we gotta make sure we do a good job of knocking out the run game."
Thoughts: Buckner also talked about how important it is to get in Brady's face in terms of pressure. Tampa Bay is likely to be without Ali Marpet, so it will be very interesting to see how the Bucs handle a front such as the one Indy possesses.
Matt Eberflus says you can't fool Tom Brady
"You're not fooling Tom Brady. No, that's not gonna happen."
Thoughts: Well, there ya have it. It's a wrap! Bucs are 8-3 heading into Week 13! But in all seriousness, Brady has been around long enough to where he's seen everything, but that doesn't mean Eberflus and Co. won't get the best of him come Sunday.
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