Colts New DC Gus Bradley to Add to Defense, Not Reinvent Unit

Fast. Physical. Effort. Turnovers.

Those were the four main principles of the Indianapolis Colts defense over the last four years. It was what former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus instilled in his players every day and what helped the Colts to force 33 turnovers in 2021, second-best in the NFL.

But now that Eberflus has moved on to be the head coach of the Chicago Bears, what will the Colts defense be focused on now? According to new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, not much will change.

“Great effort, great enthusiasm, great toughness, mentally and physically tough,” Bradley said on Wednesday when introduced as the Colts’ next defensive coordinator. “A team that communicates and then the final thing, is a defensive unit that plays smart, makes good decisions. I think that style of play. Now, when we’re talking to the players, it’s fast, physical and ball out. It’s not complicated. It’s not complicated. Everything that we do, every call that we design is really designed to get the ball.”

Bradley comes with a bevy of experience as a defensive coordinator in the NFL. After stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers, and Las Vegas Raiders, Bradley has nine years of experience as a defensive coordinator. His “Legion of Boom” defense in Seattle eventually led the Seahawks to two Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XLVIII.

But what’s different from those previous stops is that Bradley won’t have to rebuild the Colts defense from scratch. Normally, Bradley has had to start from the beginning and build up the defense after years of struggling. That won’t be the case in Indy.

With the Colts, he’ll be coaching a unit that finished second in forced turnovers, tenth in scoring, and tenth in rushing yards allowed. It’s also hard to find a defensive unit that has Pro Bowlers at each level of the defense. With DeForest Buckner, Darius Leonard, and Kenny Moore II, the Colts have just that.

“You’re always looking for leadership at each position group,” Bradley mentioned. “Every year is different. Just because you made the Pro Bowl this year doesn’t mean that you’ll make it next year, but the truth of the matter is there’s a Pro Bowl player at every position group – the d-line, the linebackers and the DBs. When you have that, it takes a skillset, a presence, hard work and a mentality to reach that level. And to have that at each position group is unique to walk into a situation like that.”

Instead of overhauling the defense, it will be about incorporating his scheme with the Colts’ current roster but also looking to maximize his players’ strengths. Bradley specifically talked about Buckner and how he already knows how he is going to use him in this defense.

“To have a 3-technique like that, that’s pretty good foundation right there,” Bradley admitted. “I remember we watched him in San Francisco because it’s a similar scheme now, similar scheme in San Francisco. Robert Saleh, who was the defensive coordinator there, was a quality control coach for us in Seattle. So, there’s some similarities. That’s where I think with Buck, he’s looking at it and going, okay, hopefully he has a pretty good idea of how he’ll be utilized. He’s a very talented player, you feel very grateful when you have a guy like that on the unit.”

Not only does he have plans for Buckner, but Bradley’s scheme could help open things up for other pass rushers as well. The LEO position in a Gus Bradley defense is essential for getting after the quarterback and creating pressure. It’s also a position that requires a certain type of player build and skillset.

“The LEO opens up a look at different personnel,” Bradley explained. “I think sometimes in a 4-3 scheme really, those outside linebacker types – back in the day, there was really no place for them. There was the left end and the right end and they were both 275 pounds and that’s how you played. Where a LEO, all it does is open it up to where the scouting department can now look at outside linebackers. Someone that’s 6-3, 250 pounds has a place in our defense now,

He continued, “It’s just to say, you can never have enough pass rushers. I think the LEO position opens up the board now to where for the scouting department, they can say, hey, there is a place for this guy. Like a Chris Clemons (Seahawks) or a Yannick Ngakoue (Raiders), those guys are more LEO types that have played. There’s a place for them in our defensive scheme.”

This position will most likely be held by second-year pass rusher Kwity Paye, the first-round pick who really started to come on at the end of the 2021 season. At 6’2” and 261 pounds, Paye may be a little bigger than the standard LEO, but his speed and burst off the line of scrimmage make him a great fit for this role. The Colts are bullish on Paye’s potential, and the LEO position could be exactly what jumpstarts a breakout season for him.

Both Buckner and Paye will obviously have a big impact on the pass rush, something the Colts know needs to be better. With only 33 sacks and pressuring the quarterback on 18.1% of dropbacks, the pass rush was not good enough, plain and simple. If the Colts want to compete with the elites in the AFC, they must get after the quarterback better. And that’s what Bradley will be charged with doing. We know this defense can take the ball away, but it needs to be able to affect the quarterback.

However, if you’re expecting the Colts to all of a sudden become a heavy blitzing team, that won’t be the case. The Raiders under Bradley actually blitzed at a lower rate than Eberflus and the Colts in 2021. That’s not to say that Bradley is against blitzing, it’s just that he feels the Colts can get pressure and affect the quarterback in more ways than one.

“I’m not opposed to (blitzing) now, if we need to,” Bradley admitted. “There are some games where you look in the past that we blitzed 20, 25 times in a game and that’s because we felt like we needed to. It’s not a philosophy, it’s more what do we need to do to affect the quarterback and how can we make big plays?”

This will be key for the Colts defense to take the next step and become an elite unit. It’s all about bringing the defense together to have an impact on all three levels by getting after the quarterback, stopping the run, and continuing to produce turnovers at a high rate. If Bradley and the new defensive staff can help put the players in a position to do this, the Colts feel they have a great chance at success.

“Really, you’re defined as a defense on your ability to get the ball and score,” Bradley said. “I know some players will say in the past, ‘How do you know when we’ve arrived in this defense?’ I think overall when the defense dictates the outcome of the game. If you look at past defenses, the ones that are really talented, really good, they have some say in what the outcome of the game is. That’s what we are trying to do, is build a defense with that mentality.”

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