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Colts coach Shane Steichen was asked if he’s confident Gus Bradley can fix the defense.

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Colts coach Shane Steichen was asked if he’s confident Gus Bradley can fix the defense.


GREEN BAY, Wis. — Colts coach Shane Steichen is standing behind defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.

But the Colts head coach also made it clear the Indianapolis defense needs to get fixed after hemorrhaging 474 yards in the running game through the first two weeks, leading to an 0-2 start for a team that has playoff hopes.

Bradley was asked earlier this week if he’s worried about his job security in his third season as the team’s defensive coordinator, and after another dismal performance on the ground, Steichen was asked if he’s confident Bradley can fix the defense.

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“Absolutely,” Steichen said. “One hundred percent.”

Bradley explained the team’s ugly run performance in the season opener, in part, by saying that Indianapolis focused its game plan on slowing down Houston’s big-play passing attack.

The Colts cannot say the same this week.

An injury to Green Bay starting quarterback Jordan Love forced the Packers to start backup Malik Willis, and the Packers clearly wanted to throw the ball as little as possible. Willis attempted just 14 passes, and the Packers threw just five passes in the first half.

It didn’t matter.

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Green Bay ran all over the Colts anyway, piling up 237 rushing yards in the first half, the most Indianapolis has given up in a first half since the Jaguars in 2006.

“I think the biggest thing there is we have to get it fixed,” Steichen said. “It starts with myself. I am the head coach, and we have to get in our meeting room on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and get it fixed. That is the bottom line. We have the guys in the locker room to do it. I have no doubt about that, I’m not going to lose any faith in that. We just have to get it fixed.”

Bradley is in his third season as the Colts defensive coordinator, a holdover who was retained by Steichen after being hired to run the defense in Frank Reich’s final season as head coach. Bradley’s defensive unit collapsed down the stretch in the fires of an ugly 2022 season, and in 2023, Indianapolis finished 28th in the NFL in scoring defense, 24th in yards and 20th in defensive DVOA.

Doyel: With holes on their roster and coaching staff, 0-2 Colts are teetering on edge of disaster

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Bradley’s job security was questioned at the time.

But Steichen elected to roll with the defensive coordinator, who he’s known since they coached together with the Chargers. In the past, the Indianapolis head coach has expressed alignment with Bradley in the coordinator’s emphasis on preventing big plays — an emphasis that means Indianapolis does not blitz often — and he cited his belief in continuity as a reason to retain Bradley after the 2023 season.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard also defended Bradley by saying that he did not believe he’d given the coordinator a secondary experienced enough to play the style of football Bradley prefers to play.

Indianapolis is once again dealing with deficiencies on defense this season. The Colts lost starting cornerback JuJu Brents to injured reserve with a knee injury last week, did not have strong safety Julian Blackmon against the Packers and lost their two best pass rushers, DeForest Buckner and Laiatu Latu, to right ankle and left hip injuries, respectively, on Sunday.

The Colts have not been able to find any answers for their first two opponents defensively.

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“I don’t know if I look at it and go, ‘Oh boy, I wonder if I’m on the hot seat,’” Bradley said when he was asked about his job security last week. “I think you always feel like that. You want to do what’s best for the fans, the organization, the players, the team. You’re always in that competitive mindset, because you’re competitive.”

From the sounds of it, Bradley will have a chance to find answers to his defense’s problems.

The Colts need him to find them quickly.



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Indianapolis, IN

Affordable housing project breaks ground in Indy’s Bates-Hendricks neighborhood

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Affordable housing project breaks ground in Indy’s Bates-Hendricks neighborhood


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The southeast neighborhood development broke ground today with the goal of bringing affordable housing access.

It’s located in the Bates-Hendricks neighborhood.

The East Street Flats will have five residential units and one commercial unit. Officials say the project is designed to increase access to quality affordable housing.

‘And as Bates-Hendricks has transformed…then the neighborhood is understanding that transformation. Leave no one behind, provide opportunity to everyone,” Major Joe Hogsett said Monday during the announcement.

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Officials say grants and redevelopment programs helped fund the flats.

This article was written using a script that was aired on WISH-TV.



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Indianapolis, IN

IND airport to launch first CLEAR+ checkpoint in Indiana

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IND airport to launch first CLEAR+ checkpoint in Indiana


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Officials at the Indianapolis International Airport are gearing up to open the first CLEAR+ checkpoint in the state.

New York City-based CLEAR operates biometric identification systems at airports and entertainment venues across the country. IND will join 60 other U.S. airports in adding a CLEAR+ checkpoint.

The service is fully voluntary. The company says it offers a quicker way to get through airport security checkpoints.

“Enjoy faster, frictionless experiences at airports, arenas, and everywhere in between,” CLEAR said about its services on its website.

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CLEAR+ uses facial features and other data to create a distinctive biometric ID for members.

The company also claims its members save on average four hours per year going through security at events.

CLEAR and IND officials will officially launch the new CLEAR+ checkpoint on Tuesday, ahead of what’s expected to be a busy summer travel season.



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Indianapolis, IN

How Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stays ready in crunch time

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How Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stays ready in crunch time


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — On Saturday night inside Mohegan Sun Arena, Fever guard Sophie Cunningham caught fire in crunch time.

Cunningham returned in Saturday’s road matchup against the Connecticut Sun after missing the previous game with a right elbow injury.

On Saturday, Cunningham scored 11 consecutive points in the final two minutes of Saturday’s 85-75 win against the Sun and hit a season-high three triples, all in the last two minutes.

Cunningham told reporters how she’s always prepared for the moment when her number is called.

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“You just have to stay ready,” Cunnigham said. “I think that’s kind of been my whole career is you’ve got to control what you can control, and that’s about being a pro. You can’t always control when you’re going to be out there, who you’re going to be out there with. But you got to make it count, and so I did that tonight, but also shoutout to my teammates for getting me the ball when I was open.”

Both Cunningham and Caitlin Clark shared the floor down the stretch of Saturday’s double-digit win. Clark finished with 25 points and connected on five triples, her second-most threes in a game all season.

While it is usually Clark hitting the game-sealing type of shots most fans are used to, this time, it was Cunningham’s moment to put the game on ice.

Cunningham described how much energy she gets from playing alongside Clark and the rest of Indiana’s star-studded lineup.

“I like playing with C [Caitlin Clark],” Cunningham said. “I think that C is an aggressor, I think that AB [Aliyah Boston] is an aggressor, I think Kelsey’s [Mitchel] an aggressor. When you have three elite players like that who all can dominate a game and take over a game, it’s really up to you, so when you get the ball, you can do what you do. I think that you just have to have a feel for the game. Sometimes the energy is low, so you have to go out there and be the aggressor and bring the energy up. But when they already have it, you just got slide right in and don’t drop the energy.”

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Cunningham is averaging 8.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game through 12 games played this season.

The Fever are currently 8-5 and will host the Toronto Tempo inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse this Tuesday, June 16th.



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