Behind Enemy Lines: Voice of the Colts Matt Taylor Previews Week 2
HTown Football goes 'Behind Enemy Lines' with Voice of the Colts Matt Taylor, as he breaks down the Houston Texans Week 2 opponent.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (0-1) at HOUSTON TEXANS (0-1)
Sunday, September 17, 2023, 1:00pm ET | FOX: Chris Myers, Robert Smith, Jen Hale
(Photos: courtesy Colts.com)
All-Time Series: Indianapolis Leads 31-10-1 (won 4 of past 6) | Postseason: Indianapolis leads 1-0 | Last Time: 1/8/23: Houston 32 Indianapolis 31
HTown Football goes 'Behind Enemy Lines' with the Voice of the Colts Matt Taylor, as he joins host Ric Serritella to preview the Week 2 matchup between the Indianapolis Colts at the Houston Texans. In a showdown between rookie signal-callers Anthony Richardson and CJ Stroud, this game also features two first-year head coaches.
Voice of the Colts Matt Taylor dissects initial reactions from Week 1, the ongoing Jonathan Taylor saga, how the defense will keep Indianapolis in close games and much more on thew new Shane Steichen era. Tune-in for the lowdown on Houston's Week 2 opponent and be sure to join us at halftime for our Twitter Spaces Roundtable @HTownFB
TALE OF THE TAPE
Colts O vs Texans D
21.0 — Scoring — 25.0
280 — Total Yards — 265
215 — Passing — 155
65 — Rushing — 110
Colts D vs Texans O
31 — Scoring — 9
342 — Total Yards — 268
237 — Passing — 196
105 — Rushing — 72
Head Coach: Shane Steichen, 1st Season
A very aggressive Shane Steichen was hired as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts on February 14, 2023. At his introductory presser, Steichen stated that the Colts will pass to score and run to win. He has 13 years of coaching experience, including the last 12 seasons in the NFL. Steichen served as the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles the last two seasons and helped the team reach Super Bowl LVII in 2022. Prior to Philadelphia, Steichen spent seven seasons (2014-20) with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers where he served as offensive coordinator (2020), interim offensive coordinator (2019), quarterbacks coach (2016-19) and offensive quality control/wide receivers (2014-15). Steichen also calls plays in his first year as headman.
Jim Bob Cooter, 1st Season
Cooter rejoins the Colts in 2023 as the team's offensive coordinator after previously serving three seasons (2009-2011) as an offensive assistant in Indianapolis. Known for his work with quarterbacks such as Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford, he has 15 years of coaching experience, including the last 13 seasons in the NFL. Prior to Jacksonville, Cooter was a coaching consultant with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021. He worked with Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen, who was the Eagles' offensive coordinator at the time, and worked on special projects for the coaching staff.
Gus Bradley, 2nd Season
Bradley was hired ahead of the 2022 season after spending the previous year in Las Vegas under the same title. He typically runs a single high 4-3 defense predicated around Cover 1 and Cover 3 schemes. Bradley has 10 seasons of experience as a DC in the NFL, first establishing himself in Seattle before eventually getting hired by the Chargers, Raiders and Colts. Bradley was the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars for four seasons from 2013 to 2016.
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS WEEK 2 DEPTH CHART
Quarterback
Anthony Richardson [24-37 (64.9%), 223, 1/1; 10-40-4.0-1]
Steichen is finding out rather quickly that Richardson is not quite Jalen Hurts, yet. The Colts failed on three fourth down attempts in the fourth quarter…before the two minute warning arrived! Steichen was uber-aggressive during his time in Philadelphia, a trait he inherited from Nick Sirianni. The fourth overall pick became the youngest player during the Super Bowl era (21 years, 111 days) with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown in the same game. However, Steichen may want to consider pumping the brakes a bit and reel Richardson in some before risking games.
"I talked to (Richardson) when he first got here. I told him, you're gonna be compared to Bryce (Young) and C.J. (Stroud) your whole career, no matter what. But at the end of the day, those aren't the guys you're competing against. You're competing against Pat (Mahomes), you're competing against Josh Allen. You're competing against the big dogs." — LB Zaire Franklin via Colts.com
Running Back
Zack Moss (season debut) Deon Jackson [13-14-1.1-0; 5-14-2.8-0] | Jake Funk [2-10-5.0-0; 1-12-12.0-0]
The black cloud which is Jonathan Taylor still lingers over the organization. Last week’s starter Deon Jackson averaged one yard per carry in his place, while backup Evan Hull had eight carries before suffering a season-ending injury. Zack Moss was a full participant in practice this week after sitting out last week and is expected to get the start—he had a career-high 121 yards against Houston in Week 18 last year.
Wide Receiver
Michael Pittman Jr. [8-97-12.1-1] | Alec Pierce [1-5-5.0-0] | Josh Downs [3-30-10.0-0]
Opening week kickoff saw Michael Pittman Jr. emerge as the early go-to target for Richardson. Alongside Alec Pierce, they have a young dynamic duo on rise. Mix in shifty slot wideout rookie Josh Downs and it can become troublesome for the Texans, as they will also have to focus on containing Richardson who is a dangerous rushing threat.
Tight End
Kylen Granson [4-39-9.8-0] | Andrew Ogletree [1-20-20.0-0] | Mo Allie-Cox [0-0-0-0]
The Colts like to employ multiple tight end sets. Last week, the breakdown involved Kylen Granson for 44 snaps, Mo Allie-Cox for 30 snaps and Alec Ogletree for 15 snaps. All three are capable pass-catchers.
Offensive Line
OT Bernhard Raimann | OG Quenton Nelson | C Ryan Kelly | OG Will Fries | OT Braden Smith
General manager Chris Ballard has done a nice job developing an in-house offensive line which struggled to move the ball on the ground but held up adequately in the pass game. Houston will need to own the trenches in order to win this matchup.
Defensive Line
Kwity Paye [4tck, 2tfl, 1sack] | DeForest Buckner [7tck, 1tfl, 1sack, 1ff, 1fr, 1td] | Grover Stewart [5tck, 1tfl] | Samson Ebukam [2tck, 1tfl]
Indianapolis will utilize multiple bodies along the defensive line. The Colts had eight down lineman receive double-digit reps. While the edge rushers aren’t star-studded, Indianapolis has a great pair of players on the interior with DeForest Buckner, who was a one man wrecking crew last week against the Jaguars and Grover Stewart. In addition to their starters, backups who played extensively include Dayo Odeyingbo (35), Taven Bryan (24), Tyquan Lewis (21) and Eric Johnson III (10).
Linebackers
Shaquille Leonard [8tck, 1tfl] | Zaire Franklin [18tck] | EJ Speed [5tck, 1tfl, 1ff]
Tackle machines Shaquille Leonard and Zaire Franklin roam the middle of the defense and cover an immense amount of ground. Backup middle linebacker Segun Olubi served somewhat as an unsung hero, as he led all Colts players with 23 special teams reps last week.
Cornerbacks
Darrell Baker Jr. [4tck] | Dallis Flowers [5tck] | Kenny More II [3tck]
This could be a confidence booster game for Texans rookie signal-caller CJ Stroud, as the Colts lack any top caliber lockdown corners. Last week, Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence carved the Colts on 24-of-32 passing, as they had a difficult time defending the pass.
Safeties
Rodney Thomas II [3tck] | Julian Blackmon [5tck]
Bradley tends to employ three safeties often, so Tony Brown and Jaylon Jones are expected to see a fair amount of reps in addition to Thomas II, a seventh round revelation a year ago who had an interception during their last meeting and Blackmon.
* Be sure to follow Aaron Wilson and H-Town Football on Twitter for the latest Texans news!
INJURY REPORT
Did Not Participate
Wednesday G Quenton Nelson (toe), TE Andrew Ogletree (concussion), T Braden Smith (knee, ankle)
Thursday G Quenton Nelson (toe)
Limited Participation
Thursday TE Andrew Ogletree (concussion)
Full Participation
Wednesday RB Zack Moss (forearm) Thursday RB Zack Moss (forearm), T Braden Smith (knee, ankle)
HTOWN FOOTBALL ARCHIVES
09/14/23 — Dameon Pierce Reacts To Lackluster Week 1 Ground Attack: 'We Can Run It More'
09/14/23 — HTown Breakdown Podcast: ex-NFL Scout Says CJ Stroud Could Be Best QB In Division
09/12/23 — Ramifications of Texans' "Bad Luck" Injuries
09/11/23 — Texans Ring In A New Era With Rookies During Week 1 Loss