Colts' Darius Leonard Ecstatic To Be Back and Eager To Face Familiar Foe
“The Maniac” lived up to his nickname in the living room, still wearing his No. 53 Indianapolis Colts jersey and going crazy while watching his team defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in primetime TV two weeks ago.
Sidelined for three games in concussion protocol, linebacker Darius Leonard chuckles about how he couldn’t keep his head.
“Oh the whole game,” he said of his in-game reactions. “The whole game. The whole game, I’m screaming at the TV. Wife is telling me to be quiet. Definitely having fun with it.”
Now that Leonard, the NFL’s 2018 leading tackler, is back in the lineup for Sunday’s AFC South Division home game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium, he’ll be counted upon among other responsibilities to keep a watchful eye on quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Leonard knows Watson well. Growing up in South Carolina, Leonard wanted to play in college at Clemson. He would have been a teammate of Watson’s. Instead, Leonard had to prove himself at a smaller school, South Carolina State. When he played against Watson and Clemson in 2016, he had 19 tackles. Watson led Clemson to a national championship that year. Think that stuck with Leonard just a little?
When asked on Monday about facing Watson again, Leonard said it’s like facing a quarterback who is a wide receiver. Watson has such tremendous speed, he gains yards in chunks when scrambling. The third-year pro has averages 5.1 yards per rush with 164 yards and five rushing touchdowns.
“He’s a great quarterback,” Leonard said on Wednesday with a shrug. “He runs the zone read, same thing he did at home in college. He definitely still has the same speed he had in college.”
Lest anyone forget, considering Watson has Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins as a No. 1 target, Watson is on pace to have his best season throwing the football with 1,644 yards, 69.7 completion percentage and 12 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
The Colts are coming off a bye week after besting league MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is also known for his ability to scramble and make big plays in impromptu situations.
But Leonard and Colts head coach Frank Reich agreed that Watson is different when he runs.
“When Mahomes scrambles, he looks to throw,” Leonard said. “When Watson tucks that ball, he’s looking to run because he’s so explosive with his legs.”
Watson has been sacked 18 times this season, a pocket protection issue that resulted in him taking a league-high 62 sacks last year. But the Texans have kept him clean in the last two starts, in which Watson has combined to complete 58 of 75 passes for 704 yards with six TDs and two interceptions.
Watson also ran for two scores in last Sunday’s win at Kansas City as the Texans replicated the Colts’ road accomplishment.
“I just think he is one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL,” Reich said. “You see a very well-balanced team. They can run it. They can throw it. They make big plays. He makes good decisions, he gets you out of bad plays (and) he plays smart.”
Asked about a Mahomes-Watson comparison, Reich added, “Deshaun does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field, but I think as a pure runner, Deshaun has more ability there.”
Expect Leonard to be spying on Watson come Sunday. It’s safe to say after the time away that “The Maniac” is indescribably eager to get reacquainted with an old friend.
