First win secured, more work ahead | Colts Roundtable Live

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Speaker 1: Welcome to Colts Roundtable Live on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan. We're talking Colts and recapping the action.
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Speaker 2: Now, here's the voice of the Colts.
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Speaker 3: Matt Taylor. Hello, welcome to Colts Roundtable Live, a full hour of Colts Breakdown with you every Monday night here in the regular season on 93.5, 107.5 The Fan, brought to you every week by Citizens Energy Group. Proud to be the Colts Conservation Partner, where you can find winning conservation tips at citizensenergygroup.com. I'm Matt Taylor. Hi again, everybody. Welcome again on a Monday night, talking all things Colts for the full hour until 7 p.m. And tonight, we're talking about a winning football team. The Colts notched their first win of the season on Sunday, knocking off the Texans 19-17. Coming up tonight, we'll hear from head coach Shane Steichen. Also, analysts Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz will join the program. And as always, we want to hear from you as well, the fans. You can interact with us tonight using hashtag ColtsRoundtableOnX and get your questions on the show and We'll rummage through the best ones tonight and hang on to that hashtag all season long as we'll use it every Monday night here on the program. But the Colts were victorious, like we said, in Week 3, edging out the Texans 19-17. The win snaps a nine-game losing skid for the Colts dating back to last year, and it snaps a five-game losing streak to the Houston Texans. The Colts gave up more than 1,000 total yards through the first two games, but they came back to Lucas Oil Stadium and beat their rival in dramatic fashion on a last-second field goal. The Colts controlled much of the afternoon, building up a 13-7 halftime lead behind a touchdown pass from Daniel Jones to Keenan Allen and a pair of long field goals from Spencer Schrader. Daniel Jones finished 24 of 36 for 235. Josh Downs led the receiving core with 77 yards, and Keenan Allen added 63 yards in the game's only Colts touchdown reception. The biggest story, however, was the response from a defense that had been under heavy scrutiny. After allowing a league-worst 74 points over the first two weeks, the Colts limited C.J. Stroud and the Texans to just 223 total yards. and held Houston to 17 points. Much of that damage from Houston didn't come until the fourth quarter. DeForest Buckner and Adetomwa Adebare for the Colts combined for three sacks as the Colts' defense consistently disrupted the Texans' offense. The Colts forced five three-and-outs on the afternoon, and Houston only had 93 net yards through the first three quarters.
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Speaker 4: Still, though, the.
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Speaker 3: Drama was far from over. Houston mounted a late fourth-quarter drive following a Daniel Jones fumble and grabbed its first lead of the day when Woody Marks scored from one yard out with just a minute and 48 seconds remaining, putting the Texans ahead 17-16. But Daniel Jones led one final march, moving the Colts into field goal range and setting the stage for Spencer Schrader. Despite dealing with a groin injury earlier in the day, Schrader drilled a 53-yard field goal with 16 seconds left, sending Lucas Oil Stadium into celebration mode and ending the Colts' long wait for victory. So the Colts are now 1-2. They pick up a crucial AFC South win and head into Week 4 with renewed confidence after a statement response in all three phases. And the Colts win a game while also losing the turnover battle at minus 3. All right, loaded up per usual on the program tonight. A full show with you until 7 o'clock. Again, coming up here in Segment 1, Head Coach Shane Steichen will join us here shortly. We'll also get to our weekly feature with him. We call that Inside the Mind of Shane Steichen, where we're going to dive headfirst into some coaching decisions and play calls from the first win of the season. Think about some of the things that happened and decisions that were made there in the final drive of the game. And then starting on segment two, Colts radio analysts Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz will join me and we'll examine the game film from yesterday's win in great detail. But again, now it's time for our weekly chat with Colts head coach, Shane Steichen, he's settled in studio with us here right now, grabbing the microphone, getting ready for our segment here. Coach, awesome win yesterday, gritty win, first of the season, snapped a nine-game losing skid dating back to last year. Describe the locker room scene for us, if you can, following the game after that gutsy performance for the Colts.
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Speaker 5: Yeah, there's a lot of excitement in there. Anytime you get a division win, especially at home, first one of the year to get to one and two there, it's huge. So I was really excited, very pleased with everyone's effort, and obviously found a way to win that game.
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Speaker 3: And we talked a little bit about this last week as well. I mean, the team's been grinding since late July when... Everybody showed up for the start of training camp. When you factor that in, plus how last season ended, how much did the team just need a win, right? Especially a close win to get things, I mean, just the vibe, the mojo, whatever you want to call it in the right direction.
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Speaker 6: Yeah, it's huge.
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Speaker 5: I mean, a lot of these NFL games come down to these one-score games, as we know. And so to find a way to win there and get the first one, like I said, a division opponent, it's great vibes, great confidence builder, you know, going into the following week.
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Speaker 3: All right, so the Colts win a game. You talked about this earlier. Colts win while losing the turnover battle minus three. That is an incredibly rare thing. In fact, the Colts hadn't done that as a franchise since 1999. But what does that say about how the team fought and the way the defense played for most of that afternoon yesterday?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, I think it speaks volumes to the resilience. Obviously, it's an anomaly when you lose a turnover battle three to nothing like that. But I thought our defense handled the sudden change situations. You know, we have the interception there, you know, backed up. We held them backed up right there. So defense responded really well. And that's what you need, you know, in those situations when, you know, stuff like that happens. So I was just really pleased with everyone in those situations.
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Speaker 3: And for the Texans, Will Anderson Jr., Daniil Hunter, two of the best defensive ends in the game. They made their mark in this game. Anderson had two and a half sacks. The last one set up the Texans' last drive, or their late drive, when they went down the field and took the lead there with under two minutes left. What did you see up front from those guys, and from your perspective, Coach, how tough is it to call plays all game long knowing those guys are lurking across the line of scrimmage from you?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, those two guys, like you said, they're unbelievable players. So much respect. Will Anderson, he's as good as it gets, and then Hunter on the other side is just as good, too. So you know, being smart with those situations as much as you can, trying to get the ball at as fast as you can, and you got to get it out quick because these guys are coming, you know, down the barrel in those situations.
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Speaker 3: Defensively, again, for the Colts, five three and outs at one point on Sunday, six of the seven Houston drives went for four plays or fewer. Obviously, a huge bounce back performance from that defensive unit coach. What stood out about the defense's day when you turned on the film last night and today?
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Speaker 5: I think it was just very fundamentally sound. You look at the run fits, the gaps were all sound. We had great coverage on the back end, too. There weren't guys running wide open. And I think everyone was connected to the receivers and tight ends. And we went into that game saying, hey, we got to limit Schultz. And I think he only had three catches in the game for 30 yards. And so I thought we did a hell of a job shutting him down. And especially in the run game, too, with Montgomery, I thought our guys did a hell of a job defensive line You know, Buckner, Grove played great. You know, Law, too, played good.
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Speaker 6: JT played good. Key played good.
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Speaker 5: Overall, it was just a really, really solid performance by everybody.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, Schultz wasn't heavily involved, but the Colts tied in. Tyler Warren was. A career-high nine catches for 55 yards. From your perspective, how important is it to scheme him up, find ways to get him the football? even if it's at least so far on the on the season coach not for those big chunk plays that he can provide for the offense yeah it's.
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Speaker 5: Very important you know every week we go in game plan and trying to get our playmakers the ball you know that's the name of the game is try to get those guys the ball and you know tyler's a big part of that and uh he can do so many different things for us as many touches as that you know he can get um in a game is you know beneficial for our offense you.
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Speaker 3: Know again not Not giving anything away here schematically, but the Colts were able to find holes in the Texans' defense yesterday, dovetailing off the Tyler Warren question. Downs was involved. Keenan Allen was involved. I mean, those three guys combined for nearly 200 yards receiving. So you've got a lot of playmakers, but, you know, Alec Pierce is still out. He's going to miss at least the next three games as well on injured reserve. How are you feeling the trickle-down effect of that, and how is that affecting the challenge of still getting the big plays with the guys that you do have, like Downs.
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Speaker 6: Warren, and Allen? Yeah, no, it's a good question.
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Speaker 5: I think, you know, every week is a challenge, you know, and you've got to do your best as a coach to get these guys open. You know, like you said, those three guys had big games for us, and we've got to continue that, you know, moving forward because they're all very talented players. I think Downs is playing at a very, very high level right now. Obviously the third down threat that he brings along with, you know, Keenan as well in there is very beneficial for our football team moving the chains.
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Speaker 3: All right, let's go to the special team. Shane Steichen with us, Colts Roundtable Live tonight. Spencer Schrader, the hero there, obviously. Four for four in the kicking game after dealing with a groin, let's just call it tightness, during warm-ups. Coach, when did you realize he might be playing compromised?
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Speaker 5: I don't know, about 20 minutes. I went back on the room right after we left the field and, you know, heard that he had a groin, so I went back and checked him, you know, in the training room, and he said he was going to be fine, and so he went back out right before the game started and was kicking, and we were just keeping an eye on it. You know, we had Rego do the kickoffs in that game just to be safe with it, and I thought Rego did a phenomenal job, but He felt good during the game having those conversations, you know, with Mason on the sideline, you know, where he's at, you know, physically. And he felt good. And obviously, you know, like you said, four for four and kicked a game winner.
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Speaker 3: As the ball coach, though, I mean, when did you know that he was going to be okay? And did that change your play calling or your approach to the game as the game went on?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean, when I heard in the locker room, my mind, you know, I had some thoughts in my mind about, you know, obviously we've got to be aggressive, more aggressive than we would be if he wasn't available. But as soon as we got back out on the field, you know, right before the national anthem, he was kicking and he felt good. And our special teams, you know, coordinator Mason said, hey, he's good to go.
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Speaker 6: So I said, all right.
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Speaker 3: All right. That conversation leads us into our weekly feature here with head coach Shane Steichen. We call it Inside the Mind of the Great Shane Steichen.
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Speaker 4: Oh, good job.
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Speaker 3: Nice check.
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Speaker 7: Oh, yeah.
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Speaker 4: Got him. Wide open.
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Speaker 3: See ya.
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Speaker 4: Nice. Oh, honey. Got him. Keep it going now.
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Speaker 8: Keep it going.
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Speaker 5: Oh, sit down right there.
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Speaker 4: Boom.
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Speaker 5: I love that.
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Speaker 6: It's time for Inside the Mind of Shane Steichen.
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Speaker 3: This is a big one. Third and six at the 41.
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Speaker 6: Jones out of the gun.
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Speaker 3: Four receivers into the pattern. Two go to the right side. Daniel Jones, quick fire over.
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Speaker 2: The left side. Caught at the 35-yard line. Keenan Allen with a grab, and he makes it for a first down at the 35. And the Colts immediately ask for a timeout on a slant left to Keenan Allen, who secured the grab. First down produced for the Colts.
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Speaker 3: All right, Coach, so the play there, third and six from the Texans' 41-yard line. 24 seconds left with the Colts trailing 17-16. The play comes from the left hash, two-by-two look. To the left, you've got Tyler Warren in the slot. Out wide is Keenan Allen. Kamari Lassiter, he's the corner on Allen, playing off about 10 yards. Jones throws that quick slant to Allen. Everybody thought it was a first down to the 35-yard line. More on that in just a minute. But walk us through that play and that call and why you thought it was going to work there late in the game.
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Speaker 5: Yeah, it was just all slants. Everyone was running slants with the back running a swing. And, you know, Daniel said, you know, pick your best matchup, pick your best look. And they brought Blitzer on that situation and brought the house there. And obviously Keenan ran a good route and Daniel put it right on him right there. And I was right at, you know, like you said, at the first down marker on that one.
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Speaker 3: The first play in that sequence of downs was the first down run by Taylor to the 40. And that occurred with just over a minute to go. And then the clock runs all the way down to about 29 seconds. So then it was second and five from the 40. So walk us through what you're thinking there. Were you comfortable with where you were with Schrader at that moment in terms of field position late in the game?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, wanted to get a little closer, but we also wanted to bleed all the clock as well there in that situation. And we brought that thing all the way down. And in a perfect world, you know, we hit that slant right there. And then obviously there's a timeout call and they're checking the spot. So it was going to be a 10 second runoff. And so I was sitting there like, well, if it's going to be a 10-second runoff, we'll take the 10-second runoff. We get the timeout back, and then I'll call a timeout with four seconds. So they ended up calling the timeout with 20 seconds there on the fourth and one. So we ended up kicking the field goal, and we got the ball to the 35 right there.
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Speaker 3: So you go from thinking, hey, we got a first down to the 35 with 20 seconds left, and then all of a sudden it's ruled that Allen is down short of the line to gain by less than a yard. Was there any idea there to go for it on fourth and one, knowing– Schrader was still going to have a long field goal from about 53?
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Speaker 5: No, because he's done it before. He did it earlier in the game. He did it against Denver and had a ton of confidence in that situation for him to kick it.
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Speaker 2: All right.
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Speaker 3: And then lastly, I think people are really interested in this. I mean, from a game management standpoint, I mean, when you're in clutch moment like that, you know, it's coming down to the wire under two minutes. How much does the end of the game clock management take? stress your thinking? What is the communication like in your headset in those moments?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, there's a lot of communication and there's a lot of prep that goes into it. You know, every Thursday we have a situations meeting and we go through situations around the league like that that come up and how we manage the clock. And my game management corner does a really good job. Harvard grad, really smart with numbers. So, You know, he's got the chart in his head on those situations, whether we're trying to get the ball back, and let's say we're on defense in those situations or we're on offense in those situations, on when we need to call the timeouts and when we don't need to call the timeouts and how we play it. And that's talked through, you know, before the drive starts as well on when we want to use those. So there's a lot of prep that goes into it, but you've got to be on it, you know, when the time comes.
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Speaker 4: Indeed.
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Speaker 3: Good stuff right there. That's inside the mind of Shane Steichen. All right, time for a few fan questions here. Before we close out, Colts Roundtable Live every Monday night using the hashtag ColtsRoundtable on X. Let's go to Mitch. Coach, how impressed have you been with DeForest Buckner and his ability to come back and look like the same old Buck?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, it's phenomenal to see him back out there. His process that he went through to get himself healthy and back playing is a testament to him. And to see what he's doing like he's always been doing is phenomenal, not only for him but for.
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Speaker 6: Our football team. All right, let's go to Norm.
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Speaker 3: Coach, what about our defensive performance do you think can carry over to future weeks?
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Speaker 5: We've got to continue the momentum is the biggest thing, and I thought our guys did a great job of playing fundamentally sound, playing connected out there. They were gap sound integrity in the run game, and they were tight in coverage on the back end, and that's what you need. The rushing coverage works together, and the run fits are very important. That's all about preparation. going into every week.
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Speaker 3: All right, last one from Dean. Says, Coach, what are your travel plans this week to London? Obviously, you've Been through this before the last couple of years on trips to Germany. And the second part is, how do you get the necessary game plan work in around the abnormal travel overseas?
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Speaker 5: Yeah, I would say for the most part, it's pretty normal. You know, Wednesday, Thursday is a normal day for us. And then we take the red eye out Thursday. And that's when we, you know, guys get the rest. They sleep on the plane. It's about a seven and a half hour flight, I want to say. And then when we get there, we check in. We have our meetings online. Instead of doing like our normal Friday practice there, we'll do a walkthrough Friday just because the guy's been on the plane for seven and a half hours. I've been a part of situations early in my career where I went over there and we've got off the plane and went right to practice and started running around and guys pulled hamstrings. So I learned my lesson as a young coach not to do that going forward.
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Speaker 3: I know about Germany. I probably should have looked this up before we started. I know about Germany, but have you played a game in London?
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Speaker 5: I have. We played the Tennessee Titans, I want to say, in 2017 with the Chargers, and they went for a two-point play to win.
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Speaker 6: We stopped it.
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Speaker 3: It's amazing how I can just say, you know, date, time, location, and you just go. All right, great stuff, Coach. Appreciate the time. Thanks for squeezing us in, and safe travels overseas, and we'll talk to you heading into Week 5.
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Speaker 5: All right, sounds good.
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Speaker 4: Thanks.
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Speaker 3: That's Head Coach Shane Steichen with us tonight, as always, on Colts Roundtable Live, brought to you by Citizens Energy Group. Save at home on monthly bills when you conserve water and energy. And for money-saving tips, visit citizensenergygroup.com. The Colts scored only one touchdown on Sunday. That was the touchdown pass from Jones to Keenan Allen. But it still means you can grab a free 10-piece McNuggets tonight with a $ 2 minimum purchase only inside the McDonald's app. All right, when we come back, we'll welcome in analysts Rick Venturi and Joe Wright to the program. We're going to start breaking down the game film, from yesterday's win against the Texans. And then coming up in segment three, we'll move into a segment called Game Balls and Lunch Pails. Who are the stars of the game and who are the unsung heroes that aren't being talked about enough tonight and also through three games of the season. So we'll break it down and categorize those two things later on in the program. But that's all coming up tonight. Colts Roundtable live with you until 7 p.m. here on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.
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Speaker 1: We now return to Colts Roundtable Live. Once again, here's Matt Taylor, the voice of the Colts.
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Speaker 7: It was great. There was a lot of energy. Everybody was excited getting the job done, especially a big game, a division game that we needed to get, get the season kicked off with our.
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Speaker 3: First win, and now we've got to keep stacking them. As to Forrest Buckner, after the game on Sunday, the Colts get their first win, an important one at that. 1-0 inside the AFC South, knocking off their rivals from Houston, snapping a five-game skid to the Texans. It drops Houston to 0-3 on the season for the second consecutive year. Welcome back. Colts Roundtable Live tonight is brought to you by Hotbox Pizza. When the Colts score, you score. Check out your favorite Hotbox locations for 50% off your entire order every Monday this season with the promo code COLTS. Again, I'm Matt Taylor here on the program. Colts Roundtable Live tonight. with you until 7 o'clock. Now my pleasure, as always, in segment number two to be joined by former Colts coach Rick Venturi and former Colts offensive lineman Joe Reitz. Joe, always good to be with you, man. How goes it on this late September Monday evening?
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Speaker 7: It goes great, man. Victory Monday. I tell you what, man, what an atmosphere yesterday for the game. I mean, 74 degrees, sunny, roof open, touchdown town was live, and I just love it that we went out and we got the win and we got some juice and excitement. But I tell you what, for a Sunday afternoon NFL game day, they don't make them any better than what God created yesterday afternoon.
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Speaker 3: It was picture perfect. The roof and the window were open at Lucas Oil Stadium. And Rick, that game film, I'm sure it wasn't perfect like the weather, but it's a lot easier to digest it after a win. compared to the alternative, considering now the Texans are 0-3 and they're in a big-time hole.
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Speaker 4: Oh, my goodness. It was wonderful to watch, even though I'll be analytical, because that's my nature and that's my job. But it was wonderful to watch. It's beautiful to be sitting here, sun shining on the 13th fairway here of Arbor Trees, and I'm going to tell you what, all is well. On the Morse Reservoir today.
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Speaker 3: There you go. Busy show the rest of the way tonight. Coming up in segment three, we've got a fun segment. We call it Game Balls and Lunch Pails. And then coming up in segment four, as always, we leave time to take your social media questions. But on this segment, we let the fellas comment on their initial reactions from week three. We call it the Tale of the Tape.
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Speaker 1: Let's go, baby.
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Speaker 7: Raising hell today, okay?
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Speaker 8: That's the way to go, fellas.
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Speaker 3: Bang, bang, play.
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Speaker 4: Bang, bang. Keep the hammer down, all right?
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Speaker 6: Keep talking to one another, man, and clean it up.
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Speaker 4: That's all. Get ready.
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Speaker 9: Get ready.
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Speaker 1: Yes.
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Speaker 3: Yes.
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Speaker 4: Yes.
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Speaker 6: The projector is on. The notebook is full. This is the tale of the tape.
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Speaker 3: All right, fellas. The Colts spent all offseason saying they've got to find a way to to win ugly games. That's exactly what they finally did on Sunday in week three. Spencer Schrader buries the 53-yard field goal to beat Houston by two, and it was a win the Colts needed in the worst way after the 0-2 start. The Colts didn't trail until the final two minutes of the game. They found a way. They're now 1-2 on the season heading into week now where they get ready to fly to London to battle the Commanders. later on this week so joe the floor is yours my friend walk us through your film session that you had this morning on the tail of the tape with the colts winning over the texans.
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Speaker 7: Yeah matt my number one point you mentioned is winning ugly you know it's something that shane's really talked about and and that was an ugly game at times but to think that you have a nine point lead going into the fourth all of a sudden you're down one you're under two minutes and you got to drive to score the game you know those are some of those coin flip games especially against houston that we've lost in previous years so it's great to see the offense go and get it done Schrader obviously with the huge kick hats off to him for you know kind of battle on that pre-game injury but you know when I just look at the game the fact that we were minus three turnovers right and yes we need to do a better job of taking care of the ball but if you're minus three turnover differential your chance to win the game is like less than 10 percent historically so clearly the Colts outplayed Houston in a lot of facets I thought we shut down their run game I mean Marks and Montgomery, less than 50 yards total on the ground. And it was tough sledding running for both teams. I thought our offensive line, re-watching it, Houston was very aggressive, trying to knock us back. And there wasn't a ton of room for JT. But we kept dialing up the runs. We kept dialing them up. He was more productive in the second half. I think moving forward with the run game, we got to do some different things schematically just to change it up a little bit rather than just kind of the straight downhill runs. I'd love for us to get Jones on some zone reads. I think just his ability to get outside the pocket and make them account for him would be good. And then kind of the same thing in the pocket. Obviously, pass protection, Will Anderson had a really big day. But I think number 51 on that side, I think he's the best pass rusher in the NFL. And I know Travis struggled with him. But thankfully, I guess you've got to see him one more time. But there's not a lot of Will Andersons out there. Um, and I think, you know, one thing is they just kind of condense the pocket, condense the pocket where, you know, if we're able to keep Jones on the move a little bit more, that can alleviate a lot of that stress. I like what we did in the screen game early on, you know, trying to run the screens. I liked what we did with Warren, putting him outside, flexing them out, moving him around. I think he's really, you know, such a dynamic weapon, him and downs, you know, continuing to move those guys around downs, get him free releases and get out there. Cause he's, he's uncoverable, you know, and he's got room to run in space, but Overall, I'd say hats off to the defense, too. For a team that really had been struggling, you know, give up 500 yards plus the last two weeks, we really controlled the line of scrimmage with our front. We really tackled well, and we tackled sound. We covered much better on the back end. And when we needed to, we got some big rushes, right? Buckner in there, Adebara in there, who continues to be really tough to block when he's at that three technique. And so a lot of positives, but also a lot of great things you can work on. This team is far from an unfinished product. And again, you're going over to London now, and you're playing a team with their backup quarterback. But in a way, I kind of like that Washington won for a couple reasons. But one, that gets your attention that, hey, they were ready to play with Mariota, and that's not going to be a cakewalk over there. I do like the fact, though, that Shane now has been overseas twice, and we're 2-0, right? So that recipe and what you do and the formula, the odd week, You know, there's a track record there of success, which, you know, that gives you a lot of confidence as a player.
00:25:14
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think first of all, if you're a Colts person, Colts nation, and certainly we are, it was a great day. Tremendous day with a great outcome. It was a day that we purged some demons. We ended the streak. And most importantly, we won the desperation bowl. I think the game, in my opinion, had all three areas of the team actually contributing to the win. I thought the defense came out and played, for the first time, cohesive, number one. Altogether, physical and very aggressive. And for 56 minutes, you know, really kept an anemic Texan offense in check. 223 yards, 70 rushing yards. One great fourth down snap and stop and three sacks. I think we found respectability again, and I think that was really important. It was good, unfortunately, until it wasn't. They really couldn't finish the game, and we'll talk about that as we go. In crunch time, gave up a big drive there for the score. But overall, much, much better. Obviously, the competition wasn't nearly as good. Offensively, we certainly dominated the box score. you know, at 35 minutes and 13 seconds. Really good ball control, started fast. I thought that we worked the ball pretty well, Shane's style. I thought Shane did a really good job of moving Warren, Downs, and Allen in much different spots and creating a little bit better matchups for all of them. And then I thought we began to pound really well late, which is his style with JT and even McGowan. Now, JT had the big run that called back, and that was a killer because that would have, first of all, got us over 100 and got us right down inside the goal to go. I think Joe hit it on the head, recovering from four sacks and three turnovers. That's a big, big hill to climb. And I got to give Danny a lot of credit. I mean, the one thing you want in your quarterback is a guy that has selective amnesia comes right back over a bad turnover fumble, and leads us down to win it. Obviously, the winning drive with a minute and 50 seconds to go was terrific. That was finding the way to win. I thought Danny played really well on the drive. We protected him well. On the deep dagger that we threw to Treadwell, both tackles one-on-one did a terrific job. and gave Danny the opportunity to throw that aspirin tablet in there. And, oh, late in the game, Treadwell had another big play. There's no question about it. But, you know, that was finding a way to get down there and score. And then finally, one of the great stories in the NFL is Schrader. There's no doubt about it, despite coming back from that brutal, brutal injury and then a groin pull yesterday. What a day. Four field goals. Put 12 points on the board for us, including a 58er. And the last one, 53, under pressure at the gun right downtown. And again, we talk about this all the time. And yesterday was an example. This game in the NFL is going to come down to that last possession, one possession, and basically our Colts offense found a way to get it down there. And Schrader snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
00:28:49
Speaker 3: Indeed he did. More on Spencer Schrader coming up in the next segment. Again, that's Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz. That's the tale of the tape. Now, we always transition. We're doing this differently this year. This is the third week in a row we've done this. Now, that's the tale of the tape. Now, we always transition after that into a little feature here called Venturi's Red Pen. This is where Rick gets to circle a couple things on his notepad and drive home his postgame message to the team. and then Joe's going to react to that message with a former player's perspective. So, Rick, you're first. Again, as a former coach, what would you be stressing and saying to the team today after an ugly win that was still far from perfect, but the first win indeed of the season, and you get it inside the AFC South?
00:29:34
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm going to say treasure the win and spit it out by one o'clock, okay? All right, and what I'm going to emphasize to both sides in two different ways is the word finish, okay? Finish is everything in the offensive line. To the defense, it's all about finishing the game, finishing the fourth quarter when everything is on the line. And I think we have to develop a mindset, a more aggressive calling, more aggressive offense, and there almost has to be an arrogance about you that you believe they cannot score in this situation, and we're going to dominate you, and we're going to beat you in your matchups, and we're going to finish the game. So for the defense, it's finish the game. For the offense, it's finish drives. Despite the win, it was four field goals. I mean, we left a lot of points on the board. because we only got one out of three finishes in the red zone for seven, and then we had the bad turnover on their side of the ball. So essentially, we left a lot of points on the board. Thank God we held them down, and thank God Schrader is who he is. But I think I've got to emphasize to them, when you look at it, boys, in the next two weeks, Washington scored 33 with Mariota, and Pittsburgh scored 30 with Rodgers. So you've got to mentally feel like you've got to score more points to win these next two games.
00:31:05
Speaker 7: Yeah, Coach, I agree with you on finishing. I think I look at it from an offensive perspective. We've got to finish drives. We've got to do a better job of finishing every play in the run game for the strain for those extra yards, and especially in pass protection, right, to give Jones that extra half second he might need and just strain more protection wise and not let those guys kind of get into his lap because you know he got sacked and fumbled but you know he got hit on some other wasn't some Aaron throws and yeah I think with you too you're talking about the red zone and then there was also the the play when we got down to about the 27 28 and we threw the pick there that won't go in the stat books but you know we gave up points right there on the interception to Blankenship so I agree to me this is a uh it's great to get the first win it's great especially from a confidence perspective to beat Houston especially what they've done to us the last couple of years. But this is a wash it off quick. And for me as a player, I'm thinking, OK, I've been to overseas twice.
00:31:59
Speaker 4: I've played.
00:31:59
Speaker 3: I've won.
00:32:00
Speaker 7: And it's communicating to the other guys, the younger guys that haven't been there, that this is a business trip. This is how we do things. This is how we have the formula. We buy into everything the coaches are saying. We're going to be really happy departing on that plane and flying back across the pond on Sunday afternoon.
00:32:15
Speaker 4: Indeed.
00:32:16
Speaker 3: Good stuff right there. Tail the tape and Venturi's red pen segment number two here on Colts Roundtable Live. Coming up, segment number three, we're going to get into a little segment called Game Balls and Lunch Pails. Who are the stars of the season so far, and who are the unsung heroes through three games? That's coming up next when we come back here on Colts Roundtable Live tonight, presented by Citizens Energy Group, proud to be the Colts conservation partner. Find winning conservation tips at citizensenergygroup.com. Back in just a moment, stay with us on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.
00:32:51
Speaker 1: Welcome back to the Colts Roundtable Live on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan. Here's Matt Taylor, the voice of the Indianapolis Colts.
00:33:02
Speaker 8: We practice those situations a lot. I think, you know, obviously Shane knows how to handle those situations, how he wants to operate, you know, throughout it. So our job is to execute. And I think we felt like we were in a good spot. I think, you know, at the end, obviously, maybe A few more yards would certainly help us, but huge credit to Spence. It's a big-time kick.
00:33:22
Speaker 3: That's Daniel Jones on the Colts' execution there on the final drive of the game. Jones now has 11 fourth-quarter comebacks and 13 game-winning drives in his career, and that was the first one here in 2026. Welcome back. Colts Roundtable Live returns presented by Citizens Energy Group. Proud to be the Colts' conservation partner. Find winning conservation tips at citizensenergygroup.com. Tonight's show is also brought to you by Meijer, the official super center of the Colts and proud sponsor of hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Back on the show here with Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz. I'm Matt Taylor, and it's time now for Game Balls and Lunch Pails. Who are the stars of the game versus the Texans, and who are those unsung heroes that just flat out are not being talked about enough tonight and through three games of the season? But let's go Game Balls first, and I think... The biggest game wrecker and the most consistent piece so far this season, Rick Venturi, on the defensive side of the ball for the Colts is DeForest Buckner. Suffered a season-ending neck injury last year, underwent surgery to repair a disc in his neck, briefly talked about the possibility of retirement, but he's worked his tail off trying to fight his way back, and now he is back, and he's Quite honestly, he's the same player he was pre-injury, and I think you could also argue he might be even better, believe it or not. Three games into the season at age 32, he's got three sacks, and again, far and away the most impactful presence on the defensive line. On Sunday, Rick, he's got six tackles, he's got a sack and a half, two quarterback hits. He's just been the biggest shining star for the Colts' defense. here on the young season, despite the ups and downs here in the month of September on that side of the ball for the Colts.
00:35:12
Speaker 4: Oh, Matt, you're right on everything you said. He is really special. He's one of my all-time favorite players that I've ever been around. He's everything you want in a player. There's no question about it. I would have loved at some point in my career to have an interior player like him. The best compliment I can give to him is he is our one on defense. He is our one ambient player. And I define that by meaning that if you're on the other team, you're looking at him and on Tuesday night, you're figuring out a way how you're going to handle him schematically. He's not only one of the great three techniques in the game, but he is the best interior lineman as far as running to the football and showing example to everybody else on his team that I've ever seen. You know, he's getting after the quarterback. You'd never know he was injury, and that's a tough one to come back from a run, you know, for a defensive line standpoint. You just can't ask for a better guy and leader. Even when things were going bad last week, he was just stepped up with honesty and a purpose to go forward.
00:36:24
Speaker 3: All right, let's talk about another game ball here. Joe, let's go special team. Spencer Schrader, man, what a whirlwind it's been for him the last couple of months. Was looking back in training camp, he was going to lose out on the position battle there to Blake Grupe as he was still recovering from a knee injury that he suffered in October of last year. And then late in camp, he finds consistency. He's knocking down clutch long field goals in the preseason to win the job. Yesterday in pregame warm-ups, he felt a pull in his hamstring slash groin area. He was questionable to kick to start the game, and not only did he go out there and kick, but he didn't miss, Joe. He made four field goals, including two over 50, and the game winner from 53. He's now eight for eight on the season, three makes over 50, Joe. He's just proving to be one of the biggest weapons the Colts have on this team. So let me ask you this, Joe. From a former player's perspective, you played all those years with Adam Vinatieri, arguably the greatest clutch kicker ever. What's your confidence level now? As an offensive player out there on that final drive, knowing in the back of your mind, hey, we still have got this secret weapon there on the sideline in Spencer Schrader. All we have to do is our job to just get him in field goal range, and then he'll take care of the rest from there.
00:37:39
Speaker 7: Yeah, no question. You know, it's funny. My first thought was you think about Vinatieri, and I realize Vinny's a Hall of Famer and he's the best there ever was. But you can see there's some of that same confidence in Schrader that, hey, we get the ball to the 40-yard line, and with his leg, knowing he can go to 60, on a consistent basis that just changes things up. But I know for me watching the game, it's like, all right, we got them there.
00:38:02
Speaker 6: Boom.
00:38:02
Speaker 3: It's through it.
00:38:03
Speaker 7: You just have that confidence and you kind of sense that around the team too. So I think that's one. And then two kind of to Vinatieri, his toughness. I mean, when the game starts, you're wondering, is Rego going to kick field goals? We're going to go for it every fourth. How are we going to do this?
00:38:16
Speaker 4: Yeah.
00:38:16
Speaker 8: Right.
00:38:16
Speaker 7: And then he, then he comes in, he hits four, two from 50. But I always said that about Vinatieri, um, You defined him. You said he's a football player first and a kicker second.
00:38:26
Speaker 4: Right.
00:38:26
Speaker 7: And I think that gets changed. A lot of times people say, oh, he's just a kicker. You know, he was a football player and Schrader, you know, his toughness that goes a long way now. Right. And I think, you know, for to be viewed just in that light. So very happy for him. And, you know, just a tremendous young man.
00:38:41
Speaker 4: Right.
00:38:42
Speaker 7: You know, hopefully we'll be continuing to kick these game winning kicks. for years and years to come with this franchise.
00:38:47
Speaker 3: All right, Joe Wright's right there. I'm Matt Taylor, Rick Venturi along as well. You're listening to Colts Roundtable Live tonight here on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan. We've got game balls and lunch pails. Let's go to our first lunch pail here. Rick, let's put the spotlight on Atatama Atabare. On Sunday, the defensive tackle posted three tackles, a tackle for loss, and a career-high one-and-a-half sacks. All training camp long, Rick, you were talking about this guy. and he's proven you're right. He's one of the best interior pass rush options the Colts have, and he's also a mainstay on special teams. How have you seen Adebare's arrow go up over the last couple of years? As let's not forget, he's heading into the final year, or I should say is in the final year of his rookie contract here in year number four with the Colts.
00:39:35
Speaker 4: You know, going into this season, I thought Pierce was maybe the most improved player over three years that I'd ever been around. And I think Addy is right there with him. I mean, he is one of the most improved players I've ever seen up front. You know, he came to us from the cradle as a really raw athlete.
00:39:59
Speaker 3: You say that with no bias, right?
00:40:01
Speaker 4: As a raw athlete, you know, that didn't make a lot of plays, just ran around and looked good running around. But he has just improved, and he is a force interior rusher. I tell you what. It's Buckner 1, and it's him 1A now. I mean, as far as inside rushers, we've gotten six sacks out of our inside guys, and, man, those two guys are really a threat. Now, if you turn to Buckner, which you basically have to do, and you give Addy a lot of one-on-one, he's actually going to do a great job. He's excellent on passing downs, and I think he's actually getting better on the running game.
00:40:41
Speaker 3: The pride of Northwestern right there. Atta Tomawa, Atta Barre, Atta boy, Atta boy. All right, our last lunch pail here. Joe, I kind of pegged Seth McGowan for this because I think he's doing a great job returning kicks. He's handling the backup running back duties behind Jonathan Taylor pretty well. Yesterday goes for four carries for 14 yards, but when he's out there, he's running his tail off. He had a long of seven. He just keeps on churning and takes tacklers forward with him. And then on special teams, averaging over 30 yards per kickoff return so far. He's got a long of 66 on the season. I just thought one of the biggest plays of the game, and it kind of kick-started that last drive for the Colts, he had the presence of mind late in the game to take a touchback as he caught the kickoff barely in the end zone, which gave the Colts great field position to start their game-winning drive at the 35-yard line. So, Joe, I mean, let's talk about the lunch pail there with McGowan. What kind of early potential have you seen out of him? Looks like he could be a player that could really contribute consistently this season as a rookie.
00:41:49
Speaker 7: Yeah, no question. I mean, you talk about the presence of mine as a rookie to make that play just a really cerebral play right there to catch that last ball in the end zone to get to the 35. And I agree. To me, he's the definition of doing your job, right? And it's a simple thing to say. It's a hard thing to do, I think, especially for young guys. But go dominate on special teams. Be a core four stud. And then whether you get one carry, four carries, 10 carries, whatever it is, run hard, possess the football, two hands on it, don't have any sort of turnovers. He's doing a great job, right? For a guy that's only played three games, the arrow is up on him, as they say. And he's going to end up looking like a really big steal. for where the Colts got him in the draft.
00:42:34
Speaker 4: Indeed, yeah.
00:42:35
Speaker 3: Late round pick in the seventh round. All right, game balls and lunch pail guys. Anybody that we missed? Anyone else, guys, that you want to shout out? Any other game balls or lunch pail guys? How about Laquan Treadwell, maybe? Lunch pail guy. Big catch yesterday. One grab for 20 yards on the heels of what he did in overtime last week on Sunday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs. Rick and Joe, anybody that we may have missed that you want to highlight there?
00:43:01
Speaker 4: Well, I will highlight one guy, and you're right. Late in the game, Treadwell. That's the new nickname for him. But I think the guy that kind of goes unnoticed, that just does one hell of a job, and he hasn't caught a lot of balls, obviously because of Warren. But I think Mo Ali Cox, I think he does a great job. This is the guy that came, as Turvin said during the game on Sunday, he couldn't even get in a three-point stance when he got here, and he has more longevity, I think, than Most tight ends in the league.
00:43:33
Speaker 3: Yeah, he's almost played 100 career games.
00:43:35
Speaker 7: Absolutely.
00:43:35
Speaker 4: He's a blockin', Jesse. and he caught a big check down and rumbled down in a critical situation. I just think he's a good blue-collar guy. Indeed.
00:43:45
Speaker 3: Mo Alleycox, his first grab of the season yesterday. Rumbled downfield for a big one, 16 yards.
00:43:52
Speaker 4: All right.
00:43:52
Speaker 3: The research and data used in that segment brought to you by NextGenStats, presented by AWS. AWS AI is how the NFL elevates the game. Time for a quick timeout here. On Colts Roundtable Live, when we come back, we're taking your questions. Get them in on the mailbag. Use Twitter X, hashtag Colts Roundtable, and we'll get to the best ones when we come back. You're listening to Colts Roundtable Live. Back in a moment on 93.5 and 107.5, The Fan.
00:44:22
Speaker 1: This is Roundtable Live, a full hour dedicated to Colts football. Here again is Matt Taylor, the voice of the Colts.
00:44:32
Speaker 9: Same process for every single kick regardless of the circumstance, but you do settle into the game a little bit. So it does feel good to make a kick, to kind of carry some momentum in, but you just have to just go same process every single kick. It doesn't matter what happened before, whether it's a make or a miss, and just go out there and execute because we could be having a very different interview if I made those first three but not the fourth one. So every kick is a new kick and a new opportunity, and you just have to go do the best with it that you can.
00:44:58
Speaker 3: That's Spencer Schrader from postgame yesterday. Perfect on the season, as we discussed earlier. Eight for eight, four for four on Sunday, including the two big makes over 50. The game winner from 53 with less than 30 seconds left to lift the Colts up to a 1917 win over the Texans. Colts now one and two, and they notched their first AFC South win of the season. Welcome back here on Colts Roundtable Live. Matt Taylor with Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz with you until 7 o'clock tonight. It's time now to go to the mailbag. This is one of our favorite segments of the week. Always talking to you, the fans. You can submit your questions for the show tonight and every Monday night here on Colts Roundtable Live using hashtag ColtsRoundtableOnX. That's what Jake has done. Jake is asking, hey, Rick, how did Justin Wally bounce back in a big way for our secondary? How much better did he play compared to the first two games? And is he on path to being a star player for us?
00:45:57
Speaker 4: Yeah, it's a credit to his mental toughness that he's come back and he didn't let it bother him. He didn't dwell on it, which the good corners have to do. He wasn't perfect, but he was really improved, made some plays, some big plays. And I think what you've got to understand, even coaches have to understand, is when a guy moves from outside to inside or inside to outside, depending on the position, it doesn't make any difference. there is a difference in your space mentality and how you view it. For instance, Wally was primarily an outside guy in college. And when you're an outside corner, you have the boundary to your outside, which limits how much room there is there. When you're a nickel and you're inside now, you've got a lot of field to cover. You're vulnerable to the slot seven or the slot over. And he struggled more with the slot over. And I think what he's got to learn and what he will learn and he got better at is, and unfortunately for him, the three best receivers that we've played on the three teams are all slots. You've got Flowers, probably the best in the game, Rice in the upper tier, and even Noel. Those are the three best players in terms of receivers on their team. But what a nickel has to learn how to do, particularly within man-to-man games, and he doesn't have help in the middle other than the free safety. He doesn't have the rat. We play our rats low. They can't really help on the over route.
00:47:30
Speaker 3: And what do you mean by rat? For those that don't know, Rick, what is a rat?
00:47:34
Speaker 4: A rat means we've got a deep player and a whole player. I call him the rat because his job is to either cut somebody, meaning absorb your coverage, or sit in the middle and help on anything that comes in the middle. I've always referred to him as the rat. I'm sorry on that. But our rats play low, and so they don't really cover and help anybody on the over routes, which still kill us a lot. So I think what the nickel has to learn to do is use what I call a transfer technique. I learned this from Nick Saban, actually. And that means you have to line up to the inside, even though technically you have help. And you've got to be able to cut off that field first. And then if the stem is upfield, not over... Then you transfer and you slip to the outside and you gain outside leverage. And a good nickel has to learn how to do that. And that will come with him. But, you know, he's just assumed that. And like I said, unfortunately, he's played against the top guys. So I'm confident when he learns how to do that and gets that feel for the space he's in. Remember, it's a two-way go at nickel. He's going to be pretty damn good.
00:48:44
Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean, he's too good of a player in terms of potential play. To have the stain or the first initial perception of the first two weeks follow him for very long. All right, good stuff right there from Rick Venturi. All right, Joe writes, we've got time for one more. This is coming from Sean. He says, hey, Joe, how do you guys assess the way Daniel Jones is playing so far this season? Three games. I know he's seeing the game the same way as he did last year, but the turnovers have me concerned. And by the way, that turnover total so far, On the young season, Joe writes, is five for Daniel Jones.
00:49:20
Speaker 7: Yeah, I see it the same way as you, Sean. I think, you know, the turnovers are the one thing that's concerning. He's been solid. You know, you think yesterday were seven of 15 on third down, two of two on fourth down, putting us in position. You know, I mean, we put up 30 the week before. And so I like what he's doing as command of the offense. The one thing I'd like him to do is maybe use his legs a little bit more. You know, you think about kind of that botch play, the quick snap when he ran around the edge there and looked great doing it for that key first down. But, you know, I think sometimes in the pocket, you know, especially yesterday, and I know some of the time the pressure was on him quick, but you get that edge pressure. Can you step up and find a way? Because I just know on the other side, all of a sudden you get a quarterback that sees an opening gap. They step up and run for seven or eight yards and slide on a third down. That's just a killer. And so I think, you know, whether it's that or in the run game, you know, kind of using him and his legs either as a decoy or just to run it, especially with the focus that Taylor's on. I think that'll help Jones and help open up our offense even more.
00:50:15
Speaker 4: Indeed.
00:50:16
Speaker 3: Joe Wright's right there. Rick Venturi. I'm Matt Taylor. That's the mailbag segment tonight. Thanks to everybody for their submissions tonight on X with the hashtag Colts Roundtable. Write that down and save it for later use. on future shows here on Colts Roundtable Live. The Colts, by the way, did score one touchdown yesterday, so that means you can grab a free 10-piece McNuggets tonight with a $ 2 minimum purchase only inside the McDonald's app. We'll close out the show when we come back. We call it the Locker Room Test. Joe's going to give his final thoughts on the first win of the season and the international travel coming up, and then Rick will do the same from inside the coach's office. You're listening to Colts Roundtable Live. Brought to you by Citizens Energy Group, proud to be the Colts conservation partner. Find winning conservation tips at citizensenergygroup.com. Back in a moment, here on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.
00:51:11
Speaker 1: Welcome back to Colts Roundtable Live on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan. For more Colts Breakdown, here's Matt Taylor, the voice of the Colts.
00:51:22
Speaker 3: Welcome back for the final time on Colts Roundtable Live. Tonight brought to you by Citizens Energy Group, proud to be the Colts conservation partner. Find winning conservation tips at citizensenergygroup.com. Matt Taylor here with Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz closing out the show. And we do it with the locker room test. Joe's going to give his perspective on week three from a player's perspective inside the locker room. And then Rick will do the same thing from inside the coach's office. And Joe, for you, You know, to close out here, give me your final thoughts on that gritty Week 3 win for the Colts. And now that the challenge at hand, it's so unique. You've got to play a good commander's team that just beat Seattle, and you have to do so playing them in London. And the Colts and the players and the coaching staff here, they're going to have to negotiate, what, a seven- or eight-hour flight later on this week. You've done this. You've played in London. with the Colts back in 2016. So walk us through just how choppy and abnormal and disruptive this week is because of where the game is being played.
00:52:26
Speaker 7: Yeah, I always felt like as a player, it feels like a playoff game in terms of the buildup and excitement, but you know that the stakes aren't quite as high, so it's different. You have to acknowledge that, but beyond that, I think it's don't talk about it too much, right? Yes, it's a flight. Yes, you're playing overseas. The positives for the Colts is they did it last year and they won the game. They did it a couple years ago in Germany. So you've got a lot of guys in that locker room that there should be a lot of faith that we understand the process and we trust what we're doing with the coaches, and that should give them confidence to go out there, get this win in London, and be really happy on that plane back, coming back 500 to the United States of America.
00:53:02
Speaker 4: Yeah, I'm going to trust the coaching staff. They've done a really good job. They've gotten great performances in the past. I expect that in the beginning. I think the greater issue right now, is when a team gets a great win after losing a lot of games, there's a tendency to take a deep breath and have a sigh of relief. One thing you can't do in this business, you cannot have a sigh of relief. Coaches got to stay on them, got to push the hammer down, because sometimes it's more difficult living with success than it is really getting there. And I think that's really important. Do not have a sense of relief getting that one-week capsule. All that's important now is Washington.
00:53:49
Speaker 3: No sigh of relief here on the show. We keep on plugging, and hopefully for you, the fans, you feel like we're putting out a good product right there. Rick Venturi and Joe Reitz, fellas, thanks as always for being part of the program. Outstanding perspectives from the coach and the player. My thanks to Shane Steichen, who joined in the first segment tonight. And again, if you missed any of the entire show, the podcast version of this program will be posted here shortly. You can check it out on Colts.com, the Colts mobile app, and the Colts podcast channel. Download it anywhere that you download your podcast. Enjoy the rest of your week, everybody. And we'll have plenty more discussion and analysis for the Colts and Commanders coming up in London. I'm Matt Taylor. This is Colts Roundtable Live here on your home for the Colts. Thanks for listening, everybody, on 93.5 and 107.5 The Fan.
00:54:36
Speaker 5: Good night.