INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals are set for their 2018 Week 1 matchup on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It's that time of the week where we Connect The Dots between the two teams, presented by Venyu:
Indiana/Ohio Connections:
• Colts Assistant Special Teams Coach Frank Ross and Tight Ends Coach Tom Manning are from Youngstown, Ohio.
• Ross played collegiately at John Carroll University and served on the team's coaching staff for two seasons (2013-14).
• Indianapolis Offensive Coordinator Nick Sirianni and Manning both played collegiately at Mount Union. Sirianni (2004-05) and Manning (2011) both coached at their alma mater.
• Manning served on the football staffs at Massillon Jackson High School (2006) and Toledo (2009-2010, 2012-15).
• Colts Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus played at Toledo. He also coached at his alma mater for nine seasons (1992-2000).
• Indianapolis Defensive Line Coach Mike Phair coached at Tiffin University in 2001.
• Colts Assistant Offensive Line Coach Bobby Johnson played collegiately at Miami (Ohio). He coached at his alma mater from 1999-2004. Johnson also coached at Akron from 1995-98.
• Indianapolis DE-Tarell Basham played collegiately at Ohio University from 2013-16.
• Colts C-Ryan Kelly is from West Chester, Ohio.
• Indianapolis S-Malik Hooker (2014-16) played at Ohio State.
• Colts LB-Najee Goode and Defensive Backs/Cornerbacks Coach Jonathan Gannon are from Cleveland, Ohio.
• Cincinnati Running Backs Coach Kyle Caskey was an assistant coach at Indiana State from 2006-08.
• Bengals Defensive Quality Control/Linebackers Coach Marcus Lewis played linebacker at Indiana State from 2008-2011.
• Cincinnati TE-Tyler Eifert attended Notre Dame from 2009-2012.
• Bengals DB-Jessie Bates and Eifert are from Fort Wayne, Ind.
Former Colts/Bengals:
• Colts DE-Margus Hunt was selected by the Bengals in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft and played four seasons (2013-16) in Cincinnati.
• Indianapolis Offensive Quality Control Coach Gunnard Twyner played for the Bengals in 1996.
• Colts TE-Ryan Hewitt played four seasons (2014-17) with the Bengals.
• Cincinnati Offensive Assistant/Wide Receiver Coach Dan Pitcher served in Indianapolis' player personnel department for four seasons (2012-15).
• Bengals Personnel Executive Bill Tobin served as the general manager in Indianapolis from 1994-96.
College Connections:
• Colts TE-Eric Ebron (2011-13) spent time with Bengals RB-Giovani Bernard (2010-12) and CB-Tony McRae (2013-15) at North Carolina.
• Indianapolis RB-Christine Michael (2009-2012), Cincinnati K-Randy Bullock (2008-2011) and OT-Cedric Ogbuehi (2010-14) were teammates at Texas A&M.
• Colts RB-Jordan Wilkins and Bengals WR-Cody Core both played at Mississippi from 2013-15.
• Indianapolis S-Matthias Farley (2011-15) and Cincinnati TE-Tyler Eifert (2009-2012) were teammates at Notre Dame.
• Colts P-Rigoberto Sanchez spent one season (2014) with Bengals Secondary/Cornerbacks Coach Daronte Jones at Hawaii.
• Indianapolis LB-Skai Moore and Cincinnati OG/C-Cory Helms spent five years (2013-17) together at South Carolina.
• Colts DT-Hassan Ridgeway (2012-15) and WR-Marcus Johnson (2012-15) were teammates with Bengals OG-Trey Hopkins (2010-13) and LB-Malik Jefferson (2015-17) at Texas.
• Indianapolis S-Malik Hooker (2014-16) spent time with Cincinnati DE-Sam Hubbard (2014-17), LB-Chris Worley (2013-17) and C-Billy Price (2014-17) at Ohio State together.
• Colts LB-Matthew Adams (2014-17) played with Bengals CB-William Jackson (2013-15) and S-Brandon Wilson (2012-16) at Houston.
• Indianapolis C-Ryan Kelly and Cincinnati CB-Dre Kirkpatrick were teammates at Alabama in 2011.
• Colts DE-Kemoko Turay and Bengals TE-Tyler Kroft both played at Rutgers from 2013-14.
• Indianapolis G-Braden Smith (2014-17) played with Cincinnati DE-Carl Lawson (2013-16) and TE-C.J. Uzomah (2011-14) at Auburn.
• Colts Offensive Line Coach Dave DeGuglielmo and Bengals Wide Receivers Coach Bob Bicknell coached together at Boston University for four seasons (1993-96).
• DeGuglielmo was a graduate assistant at Boston College in 1991 when Bicknell played there.
• Indianapolis Defensive Line Coach Mike Phair (2015-17) coached at Illinois when Bengals S-Clayton Fejedelem (2014-15) and LB-Hardy Nickerson (2016) played there.
• Colts S-Corey Moore (2011-14) spent time with Bengals G-Clint Boling (2007-2011), T-Cordy Glenn (2008-2012) and S-Shawn Williams (2009-2012) at Georgia.
NFL Connections:
• Colts WR-Ryan Grant (2014-17) and RB-Christine Michael (2015) spent time with Bengals Defensive Line Coach Jacob Burney (2010-14) and Linebackers Coach Jim Haslett (2010-14) in Washington.
• Indianapolis LB-Najee Goode (2013-17) spent time with Cincinnati Wide Receivers Coach Bob Bicknell (2013-15) and Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor (2013) in Philadelphia.
• Colts S-Corey Moore and Bengals K-Randy Bullock spent one season (2015) together in Houston.
• Indianapolis Assistant Offensive Line Coach Bobby Johnson (2013-14), Defensive Backs/Safeties Coach Alan Williams (2014-17) and TE-Eric Ebron spent time in Detroit with Cincinnati Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin (2014-17) and Defensive Assistant/Assistant Defensive Line Coach Matt Raich (2014-17).
• Johnson (2010-11) and Colts Wide Receivers Coach Kevin Patullo (2010-11) worked with Bicknell (2010-12) in Buffalo.
• Raich also coached with Colts Head Coach Frank Reich in Arizona in 2012.
• Reich played with Haslett from 1985-86 in Buffalo.
• Reich played for the Panthers in 1995 when Bengals Strength and Conditioning Chip Morton coached there.
• Michael and Cincinnati Quarterbacks Coach Alex Van Pelt spent the 2016 season in Green Bay together.
• Colts Assistant General Manager Ed Dodds (2007-2016), Phair (2005-2010), Lazor (2008-09) and Austin (2004-06) spent time together in Seattle.
• Indianapolis Director of Sports Performance Rusty Jones and Lazor spent two seasons (2001-02) together in Buffalo.
• Colts Running Backs Coach Tom Rathman spent the 2016 season with Bicknell and Bengals QB-Jeff Driskel in San Francisco.
• Rathman played for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1994 when Haslett coached there.
• Indianapolis Offensive Coordinator Nick Sirianni (2009-12) and Patullo (2007-08) coached in Kansas City with Bicknell (2007-09).
• Colts Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus (2011-17), Linebackers Coach Dave Borgonzi (2011-13) and Michael (2015) spent time with Bengals Offensive Line Coach Frank Pollack (2013-17) in Dallas.
• Indianapolis Vice President of Player Personnel Rex Hogan and Patullo were with the Jets in 2015 when Cincinnati K-Randy Bullock was there.
• Colts DE-Al-Quadin Muhammad and Bengals T-Justin Murray were together in New Orleans in 2017.
Hometown Connections:
• Colts Special Teams Coordinator Bubba Ventrone and Bengals Linebackers Coach Jim Haslett and Quarterbacks Coach Alex Van Pelt are from Pittsburgh, Pa.
• Indianapolis Defensive Backs/Cornerbacks Coach Jonathan Gannon and LB-Najee Goode and Cincinnati LB-Chris Worley are from Cleveland, Ohio.
Additional Connections:
• Indianapolis Assistant Quarterbacks Coach Marcus Brady and Cincinnati Secondary/Cornerbacks Coach Daronte Jones both coached for the Montreal Alouettes in 2011.
