ColtsSpeak: Jacob Osburn

Phil B: What comes to mind when you’re asked about your Colts today?

Jacob: That’s a pretty good question. I’m pretty excited really to see what Philip Rivers can bring to the Colts. I’m glad we focused on offense this year. We got a good wideout and an absolute beast at running back, which I’m pretty excited about. I can’t wait for this season to get started, to see how far we can go, now that we have a quarterback that’s not as afraid to throw the ball down the field and isn’t so conservative. I’m sure there will be more interceptions, but we’ll be scoring a lot more points in my eyes.

PhilB: We just got off a conference call with Frank Reich this morning. I’ve got a story I just posted about how they hope Rivers can play for more than one year with the Colts. Rivers has said he hopes to do that, but he’s got to go out and prove it. If he plays well, the Colts are on board with having him back for 2021 and beyond.

Jacob: That will definitely be pretty interesting to see. I certainly hope so. I’m pretty excited about Jacob Eason, that we drafted. He seems promising, especially learning from Philip Rivers for a couple of years. That would be the best possible fit he could ask for.

PhilB: What else did you think about the draft?

Jacob: I thought we did a killer job. I was really satisfied. I was really hoping that we would focus on offense this year and get some serious playmakers. I think we surely did that with (running back) Jonathan Taylor and (wide receiver) Michael Pittman Jr. We definitely needed somebody in the wide receiver group big time besides T.Y. Hilton because he’s getting up there in age and he can’t do it all. I’m interested to see what (safety) Julian Blackmon can do, too. He’s recovering from an ACL injury, but I’ve watched quite a bit of his highlights and I definitely think he could take the spot of Clayton Geathers in a year or two.

PhilB: They really are high on Blackmon. He probably won’t get much of a chance as a rookie because it takes a year to trust the knee after surgery, but that didn’t dissuade them from taking him. That tells you how much they thought of him. He even said in his call that the Colts told him don’t worry about the injury and just get back right as soon as he can and everything else will take care of itself. They kind of reassured him from the get-go.

Jacob: That’s awesome.

PhilB: So what else can we talk about? The floor is yours.

Jacob: First of all, I’m still depressed that Andrew Luck retired. That’s a big ache in my heart.

PhilB: You and me both. My wife still hasn’t forgiven the Colts for that.

Jacob: If we would have done a better job of getting people to protect him early on his career, he would probably still be playing. But I understand where he’s coming from. A man can only take so much. He definitely took quite a bit of damage. I definitely respect him and wish him the best. I’m glad we went out and got somebody like Philip Rivers, who has been in the league for a while and has that veteran leadership, where he can lead a team.

PhilB: I know there’s some back-and-forth on Rivers, some criticized the signing, but I’ve been told he’s the ultimate team guy. He fights, doesn’t take crap from anybody, and he’s a born leader. He goes out there and lays it on the line for his team. I think you need a guy like that at quarterback, a guy who will lay it all on the line and give it everything he’s got. Not Jacoby Brissett, who is calculated and takes too much time and is hesitant. You need somebody who is going to fire it. Philip is a gunslinger.

Jacob: Yeah, definitely. I never really was a Chargers fan, but I was a big fan of him when he played for San Diego. I saw all the videos of him miked up on the field, running around trash-talking people, not necessarily trash-talking but it’s funny to hear how he plays and how he interacts with people during a game. I think it will be something fun to watch this year.

PhilB: What did you think of the DeForest Buckner trade?

Jacob: I hated it at the beginning, then I came to realize who he was and what did. I quickly changed my mind on that. I was extremely satisfied we went out and got somebody like that. That one person completely changes our defense.

PhilB: You’re right, he does. He’s a rare three-technique in that he can rush the passer or stop the run. Three-technique defensive tackles don’t always do both so well.

Jacob: We haven’t had anybody remotely close to him since Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, even though they weren’t three-technique, as far as defensive skill set goes.

PhilB: I know what you mean, a guy on the defensive line you have to account for who draws double teams and is an impact playmaker. I feel ya on that. I was excited about it from the get-go because I knew how good he was. He was throwing the Chiefs around. He was abusing them. What expectations do you have for this team if Philip Rivers plays well?

Jacob: I feel like if he gets back to his 2018 form, granted I’m not going to expect the highest of high expectations, but I feel like he definitely can get back to where he was in 2018, especially behind our offensive line. The more protection he gets, the more time he has to throw, the better decisions he can make. We can definitely have a winning record and stay above .500 for the whole season. I definitely think we can win the AFC South, for sure.

PhilB: I agree with you. If you’re GM Chris Ballard, what else do you have to do with this roster?

Jacob: I’d definitely go out and get another veteran wide receiver.

PhilB: You can’t have too many.

Jacob: True, true. Granted, we have a good group with some promising players. But adding another piece to that veteran leadership in the wide receiver room would be a good addition. We’ve got to look at the defensive side of the ball, maybe cornerback.

PhilB: They think cornerback Xavier Rhodes can be the All-Pro player he was, but I don’t know. He only cost them $3 million. That tells you how far his stock has fallen. If he can play well, they will obviously want to re-sign him. Beyond him, straight cover guys, you’ve got Rock Ya-Sin and that’s about it. Kenny Moore is a nickel hybrid, he’s great at that, but I think they need depth at cornerback, too.

Jacob: That’s definitely a big need.

PhilB: After this season, the Colts have to decide who to bring back. You’ve got Ryan Kelly, T.Y. Hilton, Justin Houston, Marlon Mack, Denico Autry, Anthony Walker, and Malik Hooker. I think Kelly is the No. 1 priority, even more than Hilton. I’m wondering how you rank priorities if you could only re-sign some of those guys. Who do you definitely have to keep and who do have to let go?

Jacob: You definitely have to keep Ryan Kelly. In my eyes, I would definitely want to keep Anthony Walker, the reason being that he and Darius Leonard are an unstoppable force when they’re paired together. It makes for an extremely solid linebacker group. Of course, I’d love to see T.Y. Hilton back. I’d love to see Marlon Mack, too, depending upon how this season goes. I know he’s been pretty inconsistent with injuries, but if he does well even with Jonathan Taylor there, bringing him back on a two- or three-year contract would be a good idea in my eyes, just so they could have that 1-2 punch for three or four more years down the road. We should let (safety) Malik Hooker walk, honestly. He’s been good somewhat, but he’s just too inconsistent.

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