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Colts’ Defense Surging

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Colts’ Defense Surging


The Indianapolis Colts’ fanbase was in near unanimous agreement that Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley had to be fired at the end of the season following the team’s 37-34 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in week five. Amid the Colts’ own offensive turmoil in the month since that game, Bradley has quietly figured out a winning formula with his defense since that disaster.

The Colts’ defense has been on a steady roll these past four games, ranking as the 8th-best defense in terms of EPA/play, the 9th-best defense in drop back EPA, and the 10th-best defense in rush EPA. While it could be easy to attribute this success to games against Will Levis and Tyler Huntley, the Colts also managed to hold the Minnesota Vikings and the Houston Texans below their usual offensive averages in EPA/play (and rank 6th in EPA/play in general as a defense the past two weeks).

There are a lot of contributing factors to the Colts’ defensive rebound over the past month. It helps to have back-to-back get-right games against vulnerable offenses like the Tennessee Titans and the Miami Dolphins to kick off the stretch, and the momentum built up from those games has carried over into big contests against playoff-bound opponents.

Another factor that has contributed to the Colts’ success has been the return of DeForest Buckner to the lineup. Buckner has been back in the lineup for the Colts’ last two outings, logging four hurries, three quarterback hits, and two sacks since returning to the field. His elite presence on the interior has paved the way for the rest of the Colts’ defensive line returning to their early season expectations.

The final massive factor in this defensive growth in none other than Gus Bradley himself. Once the old dog that would never learn a new trick, Bradley has changed this defense up a good bit in recent weeks. A man known for his lack of aggression and for sitting back in cover three all day long has shifted to more of a blitz-heavy cover two defense in recent weeks.

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This shift for the Colts’ defense is eerily similar to the style of play that Matt Eberflus once deployed in his time as the Colts’ defensive coordinator. Sit back in cover two shells, eliminate the vertical passing game, pressure the quarterback, and force turnovers. The Colts have forced seven turnovers in their past four games and they lead the league in fumbles recovered as a defense with nine this season.

The smartest aspect of this adjustment for Bradley is playing to the strengths of his linebacker group. Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed are fine run chasers that can ROBOT back against play-action, but they are at their best playing downhill and attacking what is in front of them. This blitz-heavy, cover-two approach from Bradley has allowed the Colts’ linebacker duo (along with Grant Stuard in base sets) to be in attack mode on passing downs and get after opposing quarterbacks.

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Even when the Colts are getting into some cover three looks, the secondary has shown fantastic growth this season in their zone recognition and assignment integrity. Nick Cross has developed some pretty good instincts this year and Jaylon Jones (despite the rough game on Sunday night) has flashed playmaking ability.

This interception by Cross might be one of the more instinctual plays in zone coverage from a Colts’ player the past few seasons.

There are even more wrinkles that Bradley has thrown in this season to hide the flaws of this defensive group, including mixing in three safety sets on passing downs to get more coverage players on the field. This unit still has some issues to iron out, but Bradley has done a good job adjusting to his personnel and finding an answer in this past month of play.

There is work to be done with this defense overall. Run defense is a bit leaky and some of the middle passing windows are far too uncontested for opposing offenses. That being said, there has at least been steady improvement on that side of the ball from the coaching staff and from the players on the field, something that can’t be said for the Colts’ offense in this past month of play.

Bradley may be the odd man out after the season, but he deserves credit for adjusting the defense after the Jacksonville disaster. His unit has been playing fast, hungry, and forcing turnovers in recent weeks, which has given the Colts’ offense a chance to win games. This is winning-caliber defense from Bradley of late, now it’s on Shane Steichen and the Colts’ offense to return the favor going forward.

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The Zone Extra | February 19, 2026

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The Zone Extra | February 19, 2026


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was another busy week in high school sports in central Indiana.

The show starts with highlights from four girls basketball regional championships featuring teams from central Indiana.

Check out highlights from some of the biggest boys basketball games from the week, and see who is ranked in the top five in Class 4A.

Former Center Grove star Trayce Jackson-Davis was honored back at his high school last week. See the IU basketball great and current Toronto Raptor back home and hear about how special the state of Indiana is to him.

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Carmel girls swimming won the state title for the 40th consecutive year. Hear from the Greyhounds after their championship.

Cathedral boys basketball head coach Jason Delaney joins the show for a coaches corner conversation.

Heritage Christian girls basketball’s Riley Johnson is this week’s featured athlete of the week.

Plus, hear from IHSAA commissioner Paul Neidig on this week’s Ask the Commissioner.

All that, and more, can be found in the video above.

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Ending the Jones era makes sense in a number of ways. – Indianapolis Recorder

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Ending the Jones era makes sense in a number of ways. – Indianapolis Recorder


Daniel Stephen Jones has been through a lot in his professional career and, as a result, taken an enormous amount of physical punishment that every quarterback endures in the brutal world of NFL football.

The savage nature of the game America can’t get enough of plays no favorites, often ending careers in a cruel, premature manner. While Jones played some inspired football for the Indianapolis Colts last year, he also sustained some serious injuries in the overall process, and left some so-called football “experts” wondering what might have been had he remained healthy the entire season.

While we’ll never know the exact answer to that hypothetical question, it is safe to say that Jones will undoubtedly have a tough time recovering from both a fractured Fibula and a tear of his Achilles. Those are the facts of the matter for a twenty-eight year old player who will receive the best health care in the world in his attempt to bounce back.

Then there’s the contract situation, which makes this matter even more of a challenge (or nightmare) for his most recent employer. 

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The Colts wisely limited Jones’ deal last year to a one year term and, while that fourteen million guaranteed dollars ended up being a good investment, their oft-injured starting quarterback is now a free agent seeking to land a significant amount of guaranteed money on a new contract, despite the fact he more than likely won’t be able to play football when NFL training camps open. 

KANSAS CITY, MO – NOVEMBER 23: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) throws a pass during an NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Kansas City Chiefs on November 23, 2025 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Jeff Brown/Indianapolis Recorder)

Before you say, ‘just slap the dreaded Franchise Tag on him,’ you might want to consider the enormous amount of money that one-year deal would represent, especially in an off-season in which a decision on wide receiver Alec Pierce’s future must be made as well, along with the hope the team can land a legitimate edge rusher in the free agency market.

While Carlie Irsay-Gordon recently made a big decision to retain her General Manager and Head Coach when many were screaming to jettison both, now it’s time for her to decide how to financially mortgage the future of the franchise in terms of what to do with Jones, who is in no way guaranteed to recover both physically and mentally. 

While backups Riley Leonard and Anthony Richardson certainly won’t keep any opposing defensive coaches up at night devising plans to thwart them, they are indeed healthy and would represent about a minimum combined twelve-million-dollar salary cap hit this season, which is far less than what an injured Jones would account for. 

The Colts really don’t know what Leonard can give them, and many of you are ready to move on from the saga of Richardson, but it may be time to find out what the combination of the two can represent this upcoming season, as opposed to giving Jones a staggering amount of money he hasn’t earned. 

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Sure, it’s clearly another reset of sorts, but it’s an insurance policy against what could very well be a catastrophic investment in a courageous but unproven commodity. 

Jones will land elsewhere and most likely revert to his former self as a quarterback, which isn’t that impressive. The biggest difference is the Colts won’t be saddled with a contract that restricts their immediate flexibility in terms of managing both the salary cap and the team’s future. 

Danny Bridges, who wishes Daniel Jones a complete recovery and future success elsewhere, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.






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Man receives 70-year sentence for 2022 murder in Indianapolis

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Man receives 70-year sentence for 2022 murder in Indianapolis


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man has been sentenced to 70 years in prison after his conviction in a 2022 fatal shooting on the city’s east side, according to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office.

Cashmenn Moore in January was found guilty of murder for the 2022 shooting death of Clarence Holder lll after a three-day trial.

At 2 a.m. Nov. 30, 2022, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer received a report of a person down in the 600 block of Woods Crossing Drive. That’s in the English Crossing housing addition off English Avenue just west of I-465.

IMPD detectives arrived on scene and spoke with the initial 911 caller, who stated that he was driving home when he noticed a body lying in the street. Detectives also spoke with nearby neighbors, who stated that they called 911 around midnight to report shots fired.

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Investigators found 9mm shell casings and Holder’s cellphone at the crime scene.

While searching the phone, detectives discovered several messages between Holder and another person via Facebook Messenger. They also discovered a CashApp link was sent to Holder so he could pay the person. After running the phone number through the CashApp account, detectives learned that the account belonged to Moore.

Investigators were also retrieved video footage from a neighbor that captured a vehicle travel and stop near where Holder’s body was found.

On Dec. 19, 2022, the IMPD violent crimes unit detectives began surveillance on Moore. Detectives saw him get into a vehicle matching the one captured by the neighbor’s home surveillance near the crime scene. As the detectives attempted to initiate a traffic stop, Moore fled, speeding through a yard before crashing into an IndyGo bus. After the pursuit, detectives searched the path where Moore fled and recovered a 9mm firearm.

The Crime Lab matched the firearm to the shell casings collected from the crime scene and the bullet that was recovered from Holder’s body.

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Previous reporting from WISHTV.com was included in this story.



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