Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore looks like one of the big winners with Lou Anarumo as the team’s new defensive coordinator.
One of the hallmarks of Anarumo’s defense is versatility. This allows him to disguise coverages to keep opposing offenses off-balanced and guessing. And generally speaking, that versatility element helps generate game-plans that are flexible and can adapt on the fly to what the offense is doing.
As noted on the ‘Locked on Colts Podcast,’ this component should pair well with Moore, who has the ability to wear a variety of hats and thrive in a number of different roles.
Moore can play close to the line of scrimmage to help out on running downs. He’s comfortable in both man and zone coverage schemes, and can handle the responsibilities that come with occupying different parts of the field.
In addition to that, we are likely going to see Moore asked to blitz a lot more often under Anarumo.
Moore can be a real chess piece in the middle of Anarumo’s defense. With his ability to fill a number of roles, that’s going to make it difficult for opposing offenses to get a beat on what Moore’s responsibilities are on a given play or even the area he’s going to be defending post-snap.
Anarumo cut his teeth in the NFL coaching the secondary before getting opportunities as a defensive coordinator. Throughout his six year tenure with the Bengals, the defensive backs were steadily a position group that produced for the Cincinnati defense.
In 2024 alone, the Bengals ranked top 10 in interceptions and passes defensed, along with being 11th in completion rate allowed.
You pair Anarumo’s coaching background and his scheme with Moore’s abilities, and you get a really good match–which oftentimes leads to production.