INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle/end Tyquan Lewis on Tuesday talked to local reporters via video conference. What did he have to say about how he approaches trying to make an impact as a rotational piece along the defensive line, as well as DeForest Buckner's impact up front? Here's the latest edition of "Colts Chatter."
Defensive tackle/end Tyquan Lewis
» Lewis can't predict how many snaps he'll get on a weekly basis, so he tries to make the most out of each opportunity: Through six games, Lewis has been utilized as a rotational piece up front along the defensive line; he's played 86 total defensive snaps, or just less than 23 percent in all, and has seven total tackles — two for a loss — with 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hits.
Lewis had his best overall performance of the year in last Sunday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals, finishing with a career-best five tackles (one for a loss) with a half-sack and one quarterback hit. He stuffed Bengals running back Joe Mixon for a loss of one early in the ballgame, and then had a sequence midway through the second quarter in which he limited running back Giovani Bernard to no gain on a run play, and then combined with Taylor Stallworth for a sack on quarterback Joe Burrow on the very next play.
While Lewis certainly made the most of his reps against the Bengals, he knows it's important not to get caught up in how many snaps he gets on a weekly basis; instead, he just needs to be ready for whenever his number is called.
"Even with the among of snaps I get, I don't count the snaps, I just try to make the snaps count," Lewis said. "Limited snaps shouldn't matter, you just have to go in and make a difference, just make an impact. Just throwing your fastball – coming into the game and just being prepared, knowing what to do, how to attack. Just going in and knowing your job, doing your job and getting it done."
» DeForest Buckner has been a "huge difference maker" for Lewis and the Colts' defensive line: When the Colts acquired Buckner in a trade early this past offseason, general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Frank Reich talked about the effect they expected the All-Pro defensive tackle to make on the defense as a whole.
Sure, Buckner is among the more talented interior defensive linemen in the NFL, and he's backed that up with his play through six weeks, with his 28 tackles (four for a loss), 2.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, one safety caused and one pass defensed. But, as Lewis can attest, Buckner's impact goes far beyond the stat sheet.
"He is a huge difference maker," Lewis said. "A tremendous athlete who can affect the passer. He hustles, he's a great person to take after especially if you're a young player. He's always willing to help. He's a great teammate. I'm happy he's here. I appreciate everything he does for the unit and for this team."
