Colts' Star Linebacker Reminds Team To 'Not Get Satisfied' Ahead Of Season Finale
Just a few short months ago, the Indianapolis Colts were viewed as a bit of a disappointment, considering a rough 1-4 start and some frustrating up-and-down performances that had the Colts on the outside looking in on the playoff picture in the AFC.
Fast forward to present day and, after receiving a ton of praise following a stretch of six wins in seven games, the Colts now sit just a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18 away from locking themselves into the AFC playoffs as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Sure, Indianapolis is coming off of a frustrating 23-20 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at home in Week 17 that extended their bid to clinch a playoff spot another week, but the Colts control their own destiny — something they've controlled all season after a rough start.
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It's been fun to see the Colts receive all the national attention during their run of great play, but Colts' star linebacker Darius Leonard is not satisfied, and sent a sharp reminder to his teammates ahead of the Week 18 finale in Jacksonville, a place the Colts haven't won since Leonard was a freshman in college at South Carolina State.
“I tell them all the time, don’t get satisfied with what you did. We haven’t done anything," Leonard said to reporters Thursday, according to video via Colts.com. "We don’t have a playoff spot. For the four years we’ve been here, we haven’t been past round two. So, I just don’t want guys to fall into the trap of when we were 1-4, everyone talked down on us. Then, once we went on that run, everybody started praising us. I feel like people felt like they were accomplished and we did something. It’s not even that. So I just let them know you get one opportunity. It’s hard to get into the playoffs and it’s hard to win in this league. So, we got to make sure we can control what we can control. That’s just playing good, sound football in all three phases and just dominate and be the best team that’s out there on the field.”
That's a tremendous message from a team leader for a young group staring down a win-and-in game on Sunday in a place they haven't won at in six seasons.
If the rest of the Colts are like Leonard and head coach Frank Reich — and there's no reason to believe they aren't based on history and the exposure through HBO's Hard Knocks — this group of Colts isn't satisfied and knows it needs to not only take care of business on Sunday, but also figure out a way to make a deep playoff run, especially with the amount of talent compiled on this team this season.
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It's certainly hard to get into the playoffs and hard to win in the NFL on a week-to-week basis, but the Colts have figured out a way to do that. Now, it's all about making a run. Should the Colts get in and the standings remain the same, Indianapolis will likely face a trip to Cincinnati on Wild Card weekend to take on the red-hot Bengals, led by Joe Burrow.
That would be a perfect matchup to draw some attention and kick-start a hopeful deep playoff run for the blue and white.
Have thoughts on Darius Leonard's message to the Colts? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know how you feel!
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