Colts’ Leonard Wants to Show Rodgers He’s a ‘Game-Changer’
When the Green Bay Packers were getting ready to play the bruised-and-battered San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers called 49ers linebacker Fred Warner an “elite” player.
After the game, Rodgers said the same thing to Warner’s face.
“Ain’t nobody better,” Rodgers told Warner in a video posted by the 49ers’ Twitter account. “There really isn’t. You’re the best. No doubt. And everybody knows it. The field don’t lie, you should be an All-Pro.”
Little did Rodgers know, he would tick off an upcoming opponent.
If Warner’s not the best in the NFL, perhaps that’s Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard. As a rookie second-round pick in 2018, he led the NFL in tackles and was voted All-Pro. In 2019, he was voted to the Pro Bowl. In 2020, he's the driving force behind a defense that is No. 1 in yards allowed, No. 3 in rushing yards per attempt and No. 4 in points.
“I seen it as soon as he said it,” Leonard told Colts beat reporters on Thursday. “You hear things like that and it gives you extra motivation going to play. [Rodgers has] been in the league for a long time. For him to say that about Fred Warner, they play sometimes twice a year, so my first time I want to leave a mark. Hopefully change his mind on what he said about that.”
Tackles are one thing, big plays are another. Green Bay knows that full well with Blake Martinez, who finished first or second in the NFL in tackles in 2017, 2018 and 2019 but rarely made an impact play. Leonard, on the other hand, makes tackles and big plays. He has had a hand in 17 turnover plays (interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries) in just 35 career games.
“Everybody makes tackles; everybody can do that,” Leonard said. “The motivation of a great ballplayer is how well can you change the game. That’s what I think I have on a lot of linebackers. I’m a game-changer. Somehow I get the ball in my hands or I take the ball out of their hands. That’s what makes you a great linebacker, not just making tackles.”
Preventing those game-wrecking plays will be the priority for the Packers on Sunday. Green Bay is third in the NFL in scoring while Indianapolis is fourth in scoring defense. The Packers had a hard time handling the speed of Tampa Bay linebacker Devin White earlier in the season. Speed is Leonard’s game, as well.
“He’s a really fast player, instinctive. Deserves all the credit that he gets in regards to the media and the accolades that he receives,” center Corey Linsley said. “I think our linebackers, the scout guys that we have, play really fast. We get a good look. Obviously, he’s one of the best in the league so it’s going to take our A-game coming out of the gate to be able to control him and the rest of the defense. They’ve got a great front-seven and got a great group of defensive linemen and linebackers. This is a big challenge.”
