ColtsSpeak: Tyler Wilke

The latest ColtsSpeak conversation is with Indianapolis Colts fan Tyler Wilke, 30, of Evansville, Ind. The Colts fan shares his views in a question-and-answer chat with AllColts' Phillip B. Wilson.

PhilB: We’re about ready to start Week 1, what’s on your mind when we talk about the Colts today?

Tyler: Obviously, we can talk a little bit about quarterback Philip Rivers. I’d like to kind of get your feel on things. There’s a bunch of Colts fans out here, but there’s also a ton of Colts haters out here.

PhilB: Really?

Tyler: We live pretty close to Tennessee and Nashville.

PhilB: Oh, Evansville is a town divided? I didn’t know that.

Tyler: Well, it’s mostly Colts, but there’s a lot of people who just like to be haters. Every once in awhile, you’ll even see someone wearing Patriots gear and you’re just like, ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’

PhilB: Oh my goodness, not in your town? Come on.

Tyler: Right. But I’ve got several Titans fans out here. One of my best friends is a Titans fan and we just go at it, back and forth all the time. He won’t shut up about how awful Philip Rivers is, how he’s going to have a terrible year. I’m just constantly trying to reaffirm to him that’s not the case. He’s one year removed from an MVP-caliber season. Last year, he didn’t have an offensive line in L.A., whatsoever. It’s going to be a rude awakening for a lot of people, I think.

PhilB: That’s what I was going to say. Everybody has asked me about Rivers more than anybody else. He’s been a popular topic. I’ve done enough of these ColtsSpeaks that I’ve heard different opinions. Some are still skeptical and need to see it to believe it. Others see how it’s perfectly set up for him with the rushing game, the offensive line, adding the weapons, and having the familiarity with the playbook with head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni. I’m in that camp. I’m not totally sold that it’s a lock, but I do believe there are too many positives set up for him. As long as he can get rid of the ball quickly and he can complete a few passes down the field to stretch the defense, he’ll be fine. I basically wrote recently that was the key to this offense, how he stretches the field. The touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton in the scrimmage was perfect. That one covered 47 yards. He was spot on.

Tyler: No problem there, huh?

PhilB: He probably threw it about 30 yards. It was money.

Tyler: So he’s still got his gun then?

PhilB: Well, he had another one that wobbled and hung up there forever and Michael Pittman Jr. couldn’t bring it down because it was underthrown. I think after 30 yards, he has a tendency to throw some hangers that hang up there too long and they’re just risks he shouldn’t take. But I don’t want to be overly critical here. Most of it is positive. The one thing I did notice right away, he gets rid of it quickly. He reads, reacts, and unloads it very quickly. And that’s what this offense needs. That’s what Frank wants.

Tyler: I loved Jacoby Brissett, but man, after a while he was just averaging 180 passing yards per game.

PhilB: Too many times, he looked scared to open it up. The game at Houston was the last straw for me. Jack Doyle jelly-legged a linebacker. He’s not known for getting way down the field, but on this play, he was probably 25 yards down the field. He was that open. And Brissett never saw him. He tucked it and ran for a few yards. That right there, that was it for me. You know what? You don’t have the vision. Then in the Zoom video call we had with him, he acted like he played great last year and he was responsible for the 5-2 start. He was way too full of himself. I was like, you know what? I’m not in your camp. I’m not a 100 percent believer, nor will I ever be.

Tyler: I absolutely loved him as a backup, loved him as a backup. But man, when we throw him in there as a starter, it’s just not what we’re looking for, I would say. Not ideally.

PhilB: An old media friend of mine had a saying: ‘The longer you see a backup play, the more you see why he’s a backup.’

Tyler: Yeah, that’s for sure. That definitely holds true, no doubt.

PhilB: It’s like, what are we seeing?

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Tyler: What do you think about our defensive backfield? I know our D-line is pretty good, and our linebackers obviously, but our defensive backs, what do you think about them? What do you think about safety Malik Hooker?

PhilB: Malik is tough for me because I’m an Ohio State guy. I saw him in college. I got to one or two games a year. When the Colts drafted him, when they drafted Parris Campbell and Tyquan Lewis, I was thrilled because I saw how good they were in college. But the problem is, Hooker made one incredible, one-handed interception of Rivers, but the splash plays are few and far between. Even though he had a career-high in tackles last year, there’s a reason the Colts didn’t pick up his 2021 option and drafted safety Julian Blackmon in the third round.

Tyler: Let’s talk about Julian. I know he just came back. Is he in full pads and contact?

PhilB: They don’t do full contact in practice. He was in full pads for a few days. It’s too early to tell. I’ll say this, he’s a physical specimen. I didn’t realize he’s got some decent size to him.

Tyler: Really? I thought he was kind of like an undersized safety. Didn’t he move from playing cornerback?

PhilB: Yeah, he played cornerback his first three years, so he’s got cornerback speed and instincts. Moving to safety, I think it translates well. I’m not saying for sure he’s going to be a great player. I still think Hooker can be a player. I’m probably wrong on that. I hope not. I hate to see a first-round pick not make it because he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and he hasn’t been able to make enough splash players, but that’s the book on him right now.

Tyler: Yeah, unfortunately.

PhilB: And oh by the way, you’ve got a lot of guys in contact years, and you just paid center Ryan Kelly $50 million. I’ve written about this. I thought Kelly was the No. 1 priority. T.Y. Hilton is two. Justin Houston is three. Marlon Mack is probably four. Then you’ve got maybe Denico Autry or Anthony Walker, then you maybe move Hooker up. And you’ve also got Philip Rivers and Xavier Rhodes on one-year, prove-it deals, too. So if they both play well, you want to re-sign them, too.

Tyler: Right, and Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard have monster contracts are going to be coming up soon. Something I wanted to touch on, and obviously there’s a little bit of bias, but I just think Chris Ballard is the best GM in the league. I know a lot of experts kind of agree with that. I look at it where he doesn’t splurge at all on free agents. He’s basically saving that money. I think the Colts have the most cap space. I think what he’s doing is saving up for those big contacts so we can sign our own guys. He’s not too worried about signing free agents outside. If we can re-sign our own guys, that’s going to be key.

PhilB: I agree. We just listed those guys, and I’m not saying anything bad about T.Y. Hilton but …

Tyler: He’s on the downside, right?

PhilB: I think he’s going to have a bounce-back year, to be honest. But all that said, Nelson, Leonard, Kelly, and DeForest Buckner are the most important guys for the future of this franchise. Even though you want to keep some of they guys we mentioned, there’s no question about those other guys. And you’ve got Buckner and Kelly locked up.

Tyler: I couldn’t believe when Ballard made that Buckner trade. I was ecstatic. I could not believe San Francisco let him go. I think it was a win-win. The 49ers drafted Javon Kinlaw with that draft pick. I think it worked out better for us. I do think Kinlaw will be a stud.

PhilB: The trade blew my mind. That’s not Ballard’s M.O. But it also shows he’s willing to do whatever he thinks needs to be done. If that means trading a first-round pick, when he’s a GM who stockpiles picks, he stepped out of his comfort zone because this guy was too good to pass up. That shows the flexibility of a good GM. Now they just need some results.

Tyler: Who has been the surprise of camp?

PhilB: Tyquan Lewis.

Tyler: Nice, I’ve been reading good things about him.

PhilB: I saw Tyquan beat Quenton Nelson twice on inside moves in the first day of pads.

Tyler: What technique is he playing?

PhilB: He’s going back to using his speed more because new defensive line coach Brian Baker has been telling players to play to their strength. With Lewis, it’s his speed and his get-off. He’s still physical enough to bull rush. I saw him abuse Le’Raven Clark and Danny Pinter with bull rushes. But his strength is his speed. He’s moving quicker and he’s healthy. I came into this camp thinking he was on his way out.

Tyler: I was really relieved. I was high on him when we drafted him. I’m really glad to hear he had a good camp.

PhilB: It’s the best he’s been, by far. But don’t get a hangnail. He can’t get hurt again. Kemoko Turay won’t be ready for a while.

Tyler: Turay was playing so good when that (fractured ankle) happened. Man, that killed me. I was watching the game and I watched his ankle turn backward. I was like, ‘Oh no, he’s done.’

PhilB: I’ll be interested to see how long it takes him. (Turay was placed on the physically unable to perform list, which means he can’t be activated for at least six weeks.) I’ve got to ask one more question of you. What’s your record prediction for the Colts?

Tyler: I hope we go better. I think we go 11-5. We’ll probably lose a couple of close games we weren’t expected to win, maybe a couple of division games that could be close. It seems like we have a pretty good start, a fairly easy schedule overall. I don’t want to say easy, but I think we can go 11-5, we make the playoffs, we can get a bye, and as long as we run that damn ball, I think we’re going to be alright. And obviously, if our defense holds up to where our expectations are right now, I think we’re a top-five or top-10 team in the league. I think 12-4 or 13-3 would be cool.

PhilB: I hope you’re right. Fans like to read about winning teams.

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