Horseshoe Huddle

Film Room: Andrew Brown Shines Against the Panthers

Colts' defensive tackle had a strong game against the Panthers on Sunday. (Video via Indianapolis Colts YouTube)

Zach Hicks

The Indianapolis Colts beat the Carolina Panthers 21-18 in their first preseason game of 2021. It was fun to get back to football for the Colts, and there were plenty of notable standouts for the team.

One player that continually caught my eye when re-watching the game was defensive tackle Andrew Brown. Brown, 25, is a third-year player that the Colts claimed off of waivers from the Houston Texans back in March. He has 17 tackles and one sack in his NFL career thus far.

Brown is an insanely athletic player that showed off his traits on Sunday. In today's film room, I dive into just how dominant he was and why this performance helps his chances of making the roster.

Elite Explosion

Before jumping into the film, I want to preface how good of an athlete Brown is. He was a bit undersized for a defensive tackle coming out of college, but his weight is perfect for a 3-Tech in the Colts' system. He posted elite agility, speed, and explosion numbers at the NFL Combine back in 2018.

That athleticism showed up on film on Sunday as well. Brown was consistently the first player off the line, even quicker than players like Kemoko Turay and Ben Banogu. This explosion allowed him to live in the Panthers' backfield throughout the game.

Here are two of the best examples of his explosion. Look at where he is compared to the rest of the defensive line right at the snap.

Andrew Brown Pic
Andrew Brown Pic 2

Dominant on Film

Obviously, there is much more to being a defensive lineman than just being explosive. Brown was able to put together a few moves as a pass rusher and be disruptive throughout the game.

This is the first play that caught my eye. Brown gets a good jump off of the line and works his hands inside on the left guard. From there, he is able to put the guard on skates and pressure the quarterback. If this ball is held for half of a second longer, it is likely a sack for Brown.

The 3-Tech position for the Colts is the player on the defensive line tasked with creating the most havoc. Brown does just that on this play. He shoots the B-gap immediately off the snap and forces the run back inside. This leads to Antwaun Woods scraping back against the backside for the run stuff.

While Brown isn't credited with the tackle on this play, his penetration is what directly led to the quick stop in the run game.

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As the game progressed, Brown was able to string together some nice combo's on his pass rushes. On this next play, he displaces the guard with heavy hands at the point of attack. When the guard attempts to re-engage, Brown quickly counters with an arm-over move to get the pressure on the quarterback.

This final clip was the best one of the day for Brown. After hitting the left guard with power all game long, he mixes it up a bit on this rep. He quickly uses a swim move, which leaves the guard grasping air. Brown quickly turns the corner for a quarterback hit on the play.

Final Thoughts

Going into this game, I had Andrew Brown as a somewhat irrelevant bottom-of-the-roster player on this team. After a strong week of joint practices and a dominant game against the Panthers, Brown has put himself in strong contention for one of the final spots on the roster.

In a league where pass rushers are desperately needed, Brown showcased the ability to rush the passer at a high level on Sunday. If he can string together a few more preseason games like this one, it will be hard to keep him off of the initial 53-man roster.

Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.

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Zach Hicks
ZACH HICKS

Zach Hicks is the Lead Analyst for HorseshoeHuddle.com. Zach has been on the NFL beat since 2017. His works have appeared on SBNation.com, the Locked On Podcast Network, BleacherReport.com, MSN.com, & Yardbarker.com. 

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