INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Like a free agent who tested the waters and found that home was the right place all along, Heather Lloyd is coming back to WISH-TV’s Daybreak.
Llloyd is well-known by fans of the Indianapolis Colts. Dubbed ‘The Blue Mare’ on social media, she is both a fierce fan of the team and a fearless critic when the situation calls for it. Lloyd’s bona fides include time as a writer for the team and several years as a contributor to WISH-TV.
She took a timeout from television punditry last year, but now she’s back with Daybreak visits every week through the NFL season.
“I’m back. I’m refreshed,” Lloyd said with a smile during her WISH-TV return Friday, ahead of the Colts’ season opener. “I missed all of you. I tried to retire and I was like, ‘This isn’t for me. I’m not ready!’”
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Lloyd focused on four keys to a Colts win Sunday against the Texans.
Richardson’s Return: “Call it his re-rookie season, rookie season 2.0, or ‘The Sequel’, this Colts season will rise and fall on the broad shoulders of Anthony Richardson,” she explained. “Richardson is a big, athletic guy. , he can move the ball and his body down the field with ease – but can he improve his accuracy throwing the ball, seeing the field, and protecting himself -and the football- in the process? We shall see.”
Good Hands: “For the first time in a long time, I feel pretty good about Colts receiving corps. Veteran Michael Pittman got paid like a star, hopefully that will translate to the field, I love the addition of AD Mitchell, who I think will shine in his rookie season and with Alec Pierce, Ashton Dulin, and Josh Downs – who will hopefully be back from a high ankle sprain in a few weeks – Richardson should have plenty of targets.”
The Team’s Top Pick: “I’m not going to lie, the draft report on Laiatu Latu made me cringe. He was advised to retire a few years ago, causing some teams to take him off their board completely. But the Colts grabbed him with the 15th pick, and he showed why in the preseason. Latu was a menace to the quarterbacks on the field with him. Together with Deforest Buckner, the goal is that the Colts will have the first dual pass rushing threat since the days of (Dwight) Freeney and (Robert) Mathis.”
The ‘Foot’ in Football: “Special teams players will tell you that their goal is to never be a topic of conversation. But veteran kicker Matt Gay had some misses in the preseason again, and the Colts revealed he’s got a hernia. So, his status for Sunday is unclear. The good news is, they brought back rookie Spencer Shrader, whom you may remember from Notre Dame. He was perfect in preseason, and he’ll be called upon Sunday if Gay can’t go.”
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Lloyd also weighed in on the Colts’ long opening-game dry spell and whether it’s good or bad to start the season with a division rival. To hear Heather Lloyd’s insights all season, join WISH-TV’s Daybreak the morning after every Colts game, win or lose.
Daniel Jones #17 of the Indianapolis Colts in action against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on October 19, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2026 NFL offseason needing to make a decision about the future of quarterback Daniel Jones.
After signing Jones last offseason to a one-year deal in free agency, the Colts liked what they saw from him in 2025. Unfortunately, his season came to an end early after he went down with a torn Achilles.
Before suffering that injury, Jones played in 13 games. He completed 68 percent of his pass attempts for 3,101 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions, while also running for 164 yards and five more touchdowns.
Jones was a free agent entering the offseason. Indianapolis moved quickly to lock him in. The Colts signed the veteran quarterback to a massive two-year, $88 million contract.
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Whether or not the move will pay off remains to be seen. It’s a big risk for Indianapolis, but Jones showed the potential of being a legitimate franchise quarterback before the injury occurred.
Colts Under Fire After Huge Daniel Jones Contract Decision
Chris Ballard and the Colts may be confident in Jones’ ability to be their starter moving forward. Not everyone agrees with the contract the team gave him.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport has named the move as one of the worst of the NFL offseason.
“Maybe Jones will be ready for Week 1 despite the severity of the injury. Maybe he can repeat last year’s success despite his struggles in New York. Maybe he’s the next Sam Darnold,” Davenport wrote.
“Or maybe the Colts should have let Jones play out the 2026 season on the transition tag while they saw how all those ‘maybes’ played out.”
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Last season, Jones faced a lot of doubt as well. After his rocky tenure with the New York Giants, no one could be blamed for having reservations about the quarterback. However, after the way he played in 2025, Indianapolis feels good about its decision.
Indianapolis Has Had a Wild NFL Offseason So Far
Outside of the Jones move, the Colts have been very busy this offseason.
Along with re-signing Jones, the team also brought back wide receiver Alec Pierce. In order to make that move happen, they had to pay out a four-year deal worth $114 million.
Plenty of other moves have been made as well. Indianapolis traded star linebacker Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers and added pieces like defensive end Arden Key, defensive end Micheal Clemons, defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, among others.
Most recently, the Colts have been hit with a trade request from cornerback Kenny Moore.
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Only time will tell how the team’s offseason moves pan out. Indianapolis has taken some risk this offseason and still has holes to fill. However, the Colts looked like one of the best teams in the NFL during the first half of the 2025 season and may not be far off from Super Bowl contention.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
INDIANAPOLIS (WKRC) — Police are investigating after one person was injured in a shooting at an Indianapolis Kroger store, per WTHR.
Crews were called to the store at 680 Twin Aire Drive on the east side of the city around 7 p.m. Saturday. When they arrived, they found one man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery and is now in stable condition.
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department’s preliminary investigation determined the shooting was targeted and started over an argument about Pokémon cards.
A person of interest was detained at the scene, but police say they are still working to confirm if they had any involvement in the shooting.
INDIANAPOLIS — An 86-year-old survived a heavy fire after it ripped through several apartments Sunday morning, according to the Indianapolis Fire Department.
This happened inside the independent living section within the Rosegate Commons American Senior Community. Firefighters say the man was slightly hurt, and he told them he heard a smoke alarm sounding for over 30 minutes but dismissed it, believing it was the neighbor’s alarm.
Firefighters arrived on Rosegate Lane, near South Emerson Avenue and East Southport Road, at around 4:45 a.m., and they found heavy fire showing through the roof. Crews were initially unaware the man was still inside the building. After firefighters had been working to put out the blaze for 25 minutes, the man fully awoke and tried to evacuate. As he reached for the front door, the roof collapsed, and burning debris landed on him. He managed to exit through the back of the structure, where he was met by firefighters.
The man and one firefighter were taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
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The fire was brought under control just before 5:30 a.m. Investigators believe the cause may have been electrical in nature, originating in the attic. Of the six apartment homes affected, five are considered a total loss, while one sustained exterior damage. Aside from the injured people, four others were able to escape safely. A parrot was also rescued unharmed.
Firefighters say if you ever hear a smoke alarm go off, never ignore it, especially in the middle of the night. They urge you to get out of the building if you see smoke and fire and call 911.
