Ultimate Indianapolis Colts Practice Matchup: Quenton Nelson vs. DeForest Buckner
INDIANAPOLIS — Quenton Nelson vs. DeForest Buckner, who ya’ got?
Preseason practices are typically mundane, but that can’t be said for when the Indianapolis Colts put on the shoulder pads at training camp next week and Nelson faces off against Buckner.
Nelson has been an All-Pro guard in each of his two seasons. He’s regarded as one of the NFL’s best players overall.
Buckner, acquired from San Francisco in March for a 2020 first-round draft choice, is a 2018 All-Pro defensive tackle regarded as one of the best at his position. The Colts gave Buckner a four-year, $84-million extension, which shows how much they think of his ability to play the three-technique.
Nelson’s reputation as a run-blocking pancake machine has been much-publicized in social media. The 24-year-old lineman doesn’t just make the block, “Big Q” takes pride in driving defenders into the ground.
Buckner, 26, has the rare skill set of speed and power that enables him to get after the quarterback as a pass rusher but also be a reliable run-stopper.
On a Monday Zoom video conference call, Buckner was asked about going up against Colts offensive linemen, especially Nelson.
“It’s going to be very beneficial for both sides. It’s like that anywhere you go, honestly. You want to go against the best, and we obviously have the best O-line in the league,” Buckner said. “To be able to go against guys like Quenton, it’s going to be a great opportunity for not only me but also the other guys in the room. Being able to go against the best every day, when you go into the game, it’s going to be easy for you.
“I feel like it’s vice versa. There’s not a lot of guys that are like me, big, lanky, powerful, and can also show a little quickness. So it’s going to be a mixture of things I can give the offensive line, different looks at to really approach. I hope I make their jobs easier come game day and vice versa. It’s going to be a lot of fun being able to go against them all year. All you want to do is get better and I feel like that’s what we’re going to do throughout the season.”
In just two NFL seasons, Colts offensive guard Quenton Nelson has established himself as one of the league's best and nastiest players when it comes to taking on defenders.
Jenna Watson/USA TODAY Sports
Nelson wasn’t available for a scheduled Zoom call on Friday, but his thoughts on needing to face quality players in practice to become better are well-known.
In a June radio show “Off Script” appearance with Lance Zierlein and Eric Laden, Colts general manager Chris Ballard shared a story about how Nelson took him to task for facing undersized players in practice.
“We’re playing Kansas City (last) year,” Ballard said, pausing to chuckle, “this is what I love about (Nelson), and I love it when players give me crap. So we’ve had a bunch of injuries that week, and we’ve got like a small defensive end playing the three-technique (defensive tackle) on the scout team, and (Nelson) comes sprinting by me.”
“‘What the $%@#, Ballard,’” Nelson shouted, as Ballard recalled. “‘We’re playing Chris Jones, and you’ve got a 230-pound defensive end. How the hell am I supposed to get better?’”
Ballard chuckled again.
“He sprints back,” Ballard said. “People’s eyes are about that big as he’s yelling at me. Boy, I love that. That’s great. That’s good stuff. He’s passionate. He’s passionate, and it bleeds to his teammates.”
Nelson need not worry about that now when facing Buckner.
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
