The Indianapolis Colts will be ushering in new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and with him will come along a relatively new scheme that hasn’t utilized the blitz in a long time.
While Bradley’s defense has constantly ranked among the lowest blitz rates in the NFL over the last few seasons, it doesn’t mean he’s opposed to using that method in order to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
“Well, I think – a big blitz guy, it depends, right? If you have to bring pressure to affect the quarterback or to stimulate the defense to make plays – last year we were in a position that we could affect it with a young secondary or inexperienced secondary,” Bradley said in his introductory presser. “Some of that was just getting a feel, can you we affect him, can we make him hitch, and put the pressure on your best players. So, each year it’s different. I’m not opposed to it now, if we need to.”
Defenses under Bradley’s command have been among the league’s lowest rates of blitzing. For reference, here are the blitz rates for Bradley’s defenses since 2018:
| Season | Blitz Rate | League Rank |
| 2018 | 17% | 30th |
| 2019 | 13.7% | 32nd |
| 2020 | 16.3% | 32nd |
| 2021 | 12.1% | 32nd |
The Colts have been in an eerily similar boat during that stretch. Over the last four seasons, the Colts have ranked 27th (2021), 31st (2020), 27th (2019) and 29th (2018) in blitz rate.
While the Colts have had issues generating constant pressure, Bradley’s defense has been able to impact the quarterback without blitzing. In 2021, the Raiders ranked fourth in quarterback knockdowns and 15th in pressure rate.
Blitzing isn’t an aspect that Bradley feels is a philosophical concept. Instead, it’s more used as a measure to aid a pass rush that needs it. If a four-man rush is getting the job done, Bradley sees no reason to change anything.
“There are some games where you look in the past that we blitzed 20, 25 times in a game and that’s because we felt like we needed to. It’s not a philosophy, it’s more what do we need to do to affect the quarterback and how can we make big plays?” Bradley said. “Really, you’re defined as a defense on your ability to get the ball and score.”
The Colts defense and the new defensive staff have one objective: generate more consistent pressure. It is the single most important aspect that needs to be improved for the Colts if they want a chance to compete in January.
Bradley will have some solid pass rushers to work with. Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner is still one of the best three-techniques in the league while there is plenty of promise when it comes to Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo.
It will be interesting to see how Bradley feels about this defense and even though he’s not opposed to it, we shouldn’t expect a ton of exotic blitzes right off the bat.
Like Colts Wire on Facebook
Follow Colts Wire on Twitter
Follow Kevin on Twitter (@KevinHickey11)
