Connect with us

Indianapolis, IN

This Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Will Need to Step Up in 2024

Published

on

This Indianapolis Colts Linebacker Will Need to Step Up in 2024


Last season, the Indianapolis Colts waived three-time Pro Bowl and Defensive Rookie of the Year linebacker Shaquille Leonard. Within a couple of weeks, he was signed to a one-year deal by the Philadelphia Eagles. The Colts released Leonard due to his decline in health and subsequent decline in production. Therefore, upon his release, Indy relied on fifth-year linebacker E.J. Speed to step up in Leonard’s absence.

The 2023 season was Speed’s first season, starting the majority of games. With the leadership and dominance of Zaire Franklin, the two combined for 185 solo tackles. Heading into the 2024 season, the Colts will look to these two linebackers to continue to produce and dominate opposing offenses. Franklin has shown that he can produce consistently each season. Speed will need to prove to the Indianapolis Colts that he can be the dominant linebacker that they need him to be.

E.J. Speed Will Need to Step Up in 2024

His Career Thus Far

E.J. Speed was drafted in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Tarleton State University. After having minimal playing time in his first two seasons, Speed started his first NFL game in a road victory against the Arizona Cardinals. In that 2021 contest, he accumulated eight solo tackles and displayed athleticism and potential to be a starter in this league.

Entering the 2022 season as a backup, Speed was given more opportunities to start due to Shaquille Leonard sustaining injuries. In 2022, Speed started five games and appeared in all 17 games. He accumulated 37 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss, one quarterback hit, and recorded his first sack. While the injury to Leonard was unfortunate, the Indianapolis Colts were fortunate to have comparable depth at linebacker.

Advertisement

As injuries piled up for Leonard, Speed was given more opportunities to start games. In 2023, he took over as a starting linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts. He started 11 games and subsequently recorded career highs in every major category by mounting over 100 total tackles, 78 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and 24 assists. Although Speed’s numbers are unquestionable, the 2024 season will be his first season entering as a primary starter. Therefore, there is some added pressure to perform and keep the momentum that he started last season.

Looking Ahead as a Primary Starter

E.J. Speed will enter the 2024 season as a primary starting linebacker alongside Zaire Franklin. After these two accumulated monster numbers in 2023, the hope is that both will continue to dominate in 2024. The Colts defense got better with player extensions and draft picks. However, the middle of the defense remains relatively the same. The primary starters in that unit are still Franklin and Speed, but there is room for some depth pieces to make a splash. Fourth-year linebacker Grant Stuard will look to move into a starting position. Rookie linebacker Jaylon Carlies will also look to compete for a starting position.

Regardless, E.J. Speed’s position as a primary starter is his to keep. He has proven that he can produce and dominate for this team. Speed also has room for development and growth. Keep in mind that he is going into his first season as a primary starter and only has 17 total starts in his career over five seasons. If the Indianapolis Colts want to keep this linebacker unit in a place of dominance, E.J. Speed will need to step up and keep the momentum from last season.

Main Image: Grace Hollars – USA Today Sports



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Indianapolis, IN

Unsettled Friday and Saturday, then summer heat returns early next week | July 10, 2026

Published

on

Unsettled Friday and Saturday, then summer heat returns early next week | July 10, 2026


TODAY

Partly sunny and warm with scattered showers and thunderstorms likely through much of the bookends of the day. Highs reach the mid 80s, with a west southwest breeze around 5 mph. It does not look like nonstop rain from start to finish, but this is the least reliable daytime period in the forecast, and any stronger storm could drop a quick heavy downpour with a gusty burst of wind. 

TONIGHT

Scattered showers and thunderstorms remain possible through the evening, then another lower-end storm chance lingers late overnight. Lows settle near the upper 60s, with light wind. The severe risk looks lower than it is Thursday night, but a few pockets of heavier rain are still possible if a boundary stalls close enough to central Indiana.  

TOMORROW

Mostly cloudy and not quite as hot, with another chance for showers and thunderstorms developing mainly after mid afternoon. Highs reach the low to mid 80s, with a light northeast breeze around 5 mph. Much of the first half of the day should be usable, but later afternoon and evening plans will still need a weather eye.  

TOMORROW NIGHT

A few showers and thunderstorms may linger early, then the trend turns quieter with mostly cloudy skies overnight. Lows fall to the upper 60s, with an east northeast breeze around 5 mph. It is a calmer setup than Friday night overall, even if an early interruption is still possible.  

SUNDAY

Mostly sunny and warmer with highs in the mid 80s. An east breeze around 5 to 10 mph keeps the day from feeling too stagnant, and this looks like one of the cleaner forecast days of the stretch. Most of central Indiana should stay dry from start to finish.

Advertisement

SUNDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear and seasonably mild, with lows around the mid 60s and a light east northeast breeze. Quiet weather continues overnight with no meaningful travel concerns.  

MONDAY

Sunny and hotter, with highs climbing into the upper 80s. A light east wind around 5 mph holds through the day. After the unsettled end of the workweek, this looks like a very usable summer day with heat becoming the main story instead of storms.  

MONDAY NIGHT

Mostly clear and warm, with lows near 70 and only a light breeze. There will be little trouble overnight, and the warmer pattern settles in more firmly.  

TUESDAY

Sunny and hot again, with highs near 90. Wind stays light, becoming east southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon. This is another day where the weather looks broadly quiet, with heat the main thing to plan around.  

7 DAY FORECAST

The main concern in the near term is the unsettled Friday into Saturday period, when repeated rounds of showers and thunderstorms could bring quick heavy rain, especially Friday afternoon and evening. After that, the pattern trends warmer and drier from Sunday into at least Tuesday, with highs returning to the upper 80s and lower 90s while heat index values stay more manageable than the late-June heat. By Wednesday and Thursday, isolated afternoon and evening storms begin to creep back into the forecast, with a more noticeable thunderstorm threat showing up later next week into next weekend.  

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Indiana Workforce Pell Grant options limited so far

Published

on

Indiana Workforce Pell Grant options limited so far


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Education leaders on Thursday said waiting for rulemaking limited the number of programs approved for a new grant program, but they expect more approvals soon.

Created as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that President Donald Trump signed last year, the Workforce Pell Grant program allows students to use Pell Grants for short-term, direct-to-workforce training programs. The program began on July 1. Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana and Vincennes University, which are Indiana’s two two-year vocational and technical institutions, are the only institutions in the state authorized for the program so far, though state officials have said they’ll consider expanding it to other institutions depending on the results of the first year.

So far, state education officials have approved three programs for Workforce Pell Grants: certified clinical medical assistant programs at Ivy Tech and Vincennes, plus an electrical maintenance technician bootcamp Vincennes offers. Final approval must come from the federal government, which has not yet green-lit any of those programs.

Molly Dodge, Ivy Tech’s senior vice president for workforce and careers, said Ivy Tech leaders needed to make sure they thoroughly understood the requirements they would face. To be eligible, a program must have at least a 70% completion rate and a 70% job placement rate. It also must lead directly to a job in a high-growth, high-demand job sector. Dodge said the rules were finalized this spring. After that, she said Ivy Tech leaders began going through each of their courses to see which ones would be eligible.

Advertisement

“Workforce Pell has a significant requirement related to job placement and wages, and so we need to backward design from an employer, in many cases, to make sure that we’re successful in launching these Workforce Pell programs,” she said.

Tony Hahn, Vincennes University’s vice president for government and legal affairs, said July 1 was the earliest under federal statute the program could begin. In practice, he said the rollout will take some time because programs must be offered for one year in exactly the same format before they become eligible for the Workforce Pell Grant.

“These are often programs that we have offered through Next Level Jobs programs and other Department of Workforce Development funding, but didn’t have the exact same requirements on number of classroom hours or number of total weeks offered,” he said. “And so, we made some modifications and we’ll be able to expand this list.”

Both Dodge and Hahn said leaders at their respective institutions are reviewing their course catalogs for other potentially eligible programs. They said they expect to add approved programs in the coming months.

Dodge said Workforce Pell-eligible programs are often designed with the expectation that you will go to work with a partner employer upon completion of the program, but that doesn’t mean education ends there. She said Workforce Pell Grant programs are stackable and can be pursued as part of a longer-term higher education strategy. Students can qualify for both traditional Pell Grants and Workforce Pell Grants, though not at the same time.

Advertisement

Hahn said prospective students won’t be able to apply for Workforce Pell Grants until this fall or next spring. If you’re interested, he said you should fill out a federal student financial aid form. He said Vincennes University leaders expect to add information about eligible programs to their application website once approved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Indianapolis, IN

Man dies after car crashes into pole on near NW side

Published

on

Man dies after car crashes into pole on near NW side


INDIANAPOLIS – A man died in a crash on the near northwest side of Indianapolis.

According to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, officers were dispatched to 505 W. 16th St. around 4:15 a.m. Thursday.

A person died in a crash on West 16th Street on July 9, 2026 (WXIN/WTTV)

There, officers discovered a vehicle had crashed into a utility pole. The driver was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.

The incident remains under investigation.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending