New Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo made two things very clear during his introductory press conference on Thursday: he expects consistency from his players, and he is going to be a truth teller–whether good, bad, or indifferent.
“We ask these guys to be consistent as players,” said Anarumo via Locked on Colts. “I’ll stand up there in front of them and say the same thing I’m saying to you, I want you guys to do this. I don’t want a lot of that and they gotta expect the same thing from us.
“So my standard is going to be that I’m up there and I’m going to be a truth-teller. I’m going to tell them the truth. It’s my job to say, yes, you’re doing it right or no, you’re doing it wrong. That will happen and it’ll happen to all of them. I don’t care the number of years in the league. It’s just something I’ve always believed in.”
That truth-telling component is going to be an important element when it comes to battling the complacency and ego that has set in on this Colts team, something that defensive tackle DeForest Buckner discussed after the season and GM Chris Ballard agreed was an issue.
That ego issue is something that Buckner would say he could feel and see on tape. And it wasn’t only a player or two, but “a lot of guys” that contributed to the problem. As a leader, Buckner took responsibility for that.
Last season, the Colts’ defense would have its moments of strong play, but they were plagued by inconsistency, giving up too many big plays, continually missing tackles, and surrendering far too many points in the fourth quarter of games.
However, the most egregious performance came in Week 17 where the Colts needed a win to keep their playoff hopes alive, but the defense would instead surrender 38 points to a Giants’ offense that averaged just over 14 per game on the season.
Anarumo’s truth-telling philosophy and standard will be key in making sure that when things aren’t going well, players not only know what’s going wrong but how to fix it.
Also apart of the equation is Ballard and his willingness to bolster the competition on the roster so, again, complacency doesn’t set in.
For three straight seasons, the Colts’ defense has ranked in the bottom-third of the NFL in scoring.
“Good players, great players, want to be coached,” added Anarumo. “They want to know the truth. That’s always been the case and if they don’t then there’s probably a little bit of an issue there. But the best ones I’ve ever been around, ‘coach me, coach me hard, tell me what you want,’ and I’ve always found that to be true.”