Colts hired Lou Anarumo to reinvent a more disciplined, physical defense

“When things are going well, everybody’s going to be on board,” Anarumo said. “Everybody’s pulling the rope (in) the same direction. It’s in those challenging times where we are 4-8. Not playing great and the leadership in the room, guys that we’ve been to war with, whether it’s a playoff game, a preseason game, whatever it may be, we would not allow anybody to let go of the rope.” 

The Indianapolis Colts hired a clever, inventive defensive coordinator to fix the glaring issues in a unit that failed to prevent opponents from having their best performance of the season.

Lou Anarumo spoke with reporters at his introductory press conference Thursday after accepting the Colts DC job on Monday. Communication has become so sophisticated in the NFL, coordinators may change play sheets and verbiage on a week-to-week basis. Anarumo has been coaching football since 1989, so he recognizes it’s important to adapt and have flexibility with his play calls. The 58-year-old is notorious for disguising blitzes with a stampede lurking at the line of scrimmage and unleashing an arsenal of unique looks to keep opposing quarterbacks off rhythm.

“It lends to not just, ‘Hey, you’re going to be in this coverage. You’re going to stay in that.’ It’d be a long day,” Anarumo said. “And then going through the playoffs and things like that and to the Super Bowl, you have to keep those great quarterbacks off balance.”

The Colts finished among the bottom-five scoring defenses in two of Gus Bradley’s three seasons, so head coach Shane Steichen sought out a new voice with a different philosophy to be his new DC. Under Bradley, the Colts were constantly bailing in Cover 3 play after play in an attempt to limit opponents from burning them with explosive plays. Opposing coaches will find it is much more difficult to figure out Anarumo’s tendencies.

Moving to Indianapolis was not far for Anarumo, who spent his last six years just two hours away in Cincinnati. His six seasons featured the best era of Bengals football in the 21st century, restoring a franchise that suffered through 30 years without a playoff win before witnessing deep playoff runs in consecutive campaigns. Anarumo has prepared to battle the NFL’s best signal callers. The Bengals won five playoff games from 2021 to 2022, beating the Raiders, Titans, Ravens, and Bills, then split meetings against the Chiefs in back-to-back AFC Championship games.

Anarumo has a proven track record with progressive results, evidenced best when he reconstructed a defense that reached the pinnacle of professional football. Though far too often this past season, the pressure was on Bengals QB Joe Burrow to rally an electric offense from behind as Cincinnati allowed 25.5 points per game, which ranked 25th in the NFL. The Bengals made a late surge in December, winning each of their last five games, but were still eliminated from the playoffs. Over the final three weeks of the regular season, Cincinnati allowed just 15.7 points per game, which was the second-fewest points allowed in the league during that span.

Behind First-Team All-Pro defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s NFL-best 17.5 sacks, Cincinnati finished top 10 in pressures and QB knockdowns. The Bengals blitzed at a 21.7% rate, compared to the Colts’ 17.5%, which ranked 30th in the NFL. By diversifying his game plan with multiple packages, Anarumo can be one step ahead of his opponent in the most significant scenarios. Anarumo will not hesitate to blitz a versatile nickel off the edge, so veteran cornerback Kenny Moore II, who has compiled 10 career sacks, may benefit the most from his hiring.

One change Colts fans can anticipate is the defense will look different in 2025, but will it significantly change the results? Anarumo inherits a defensive unit that has struggled together for the past few seasons. Indianapolis missed 157 tackles in 2024, which was the most in the league. If the Colts can eliminate errors and force opponents to commit their own mistakes, Anarumo can lead Indy toward an avenue of success. The Colts need to discover critical thinkers and problem solvers who can fix the emanating issues this offseason, not reward mediocre players whose ego does not match their play with extensions. It starts with leadership and accountability from the players to shift the culture inside the locker room.

“When things are going well, everybody’s going to be on board,” Anarumo said. “Everybody’s pulling the rope (in) the same direction. It’s in those challenging times where we are 4-8. Not playing great and the leadership in the room, guys that we’ve been to war with, whether it’s a playoff game, a preseason game, whatever it may be, we would not allow anybody to let go of the rope.”

Over the next few months, Anarumo will assemble his defensive coaching staff, while designing a playbook with Colts personnel. His objective will be to identify the opposing players with game-breaking capabilities and aim to limit the damage. Anarumo will aid Steichen in evaluating potential free agent acquisitions and draftable college prospects who can add depth to the defense and put the Colts in the best position to succeed.