INDIANAPOLIS – In each of the next two weeks, the Colts will have the CBS broadcast team of Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots caling their game.
Earlier this week, Colts.com caught up with Wilcots to get his thoughts on this Sunday's 1:00 p.m. kickoff.
How does Wilcots view the Colts and Titans?
On the Titans offense:
"When people remember the Dallas Cowboys, the first thing they think about is that offensive line. They have three first-round picks on it. Well, the Titans have two first-round picks at the tackle position—Taylor Lewan out of Michigan, Jack Conklin out of Michigan State. They are young. They are strong. Then they bring over Ben Jones in free agency at the center position. Pro Football Focus has them rated as the No. 1 rushing offensive line in the National Football League. In fact both tackles have yet to allow a sack and they've not given up a hit (this season). They are running the ball at 146 yards a clip, five straight games over 100 yards rushing. That's what comes to mind when you think of the Tennessee Titans. They can run the football. They can beat you up with that running game. Everything else comes off of it."
On how much Titans defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau likes to blitz:
"He likes to blitz (laughs). I would say he ranks right up there with the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Jets. He comes after you. This defense is playing really well. They are getting after the quarterback. They have the fifth most sacks in the National Football League. It's almost a feast or famine deal. They are giving up some plays as well. They are giving up a high volume of plays of 10 yards or more. But at the end of the day, they are still playing very good. They are a top 10 ranked defense. They are top 10 against the run. Usually when you can do that, then you are going to win a lot of football games. Dick LeBeau is really good at confusing the opponent's offensive line in terms of their protection scheme and he's really good at third down in confusing the quarterback and forcing the quarterback to make mistakes where he throws it."
On if he believes the Colts can turn it around:
"Absolutely. When I watch the Indianapolis Colts, I see an offense that is ready to take off. I see an offense that is starting to run the ball. Obviously, Frank Gore topped 100 yards rushing (last week). It seems like it's been forever since they had a runner be able to do that. One week T.Y. Hilton is going off. The next week you don't know if he's in the offense. We know that this offense is capable of doing some really good things. They are one of four teams to score 20 or more points in every single game they've played this year. They are capable of doing great things. Now, it's about consistency. Think about it, the Houston Texans are a real good football team. And for three and a half quarters, the Colts dominated that game. It was like an out of body experience for the last portion of that fourth quarter, final three minutes and they allowed the Texans to come back and win that game. They are good enough to beat anybody, but the unfortunate part of it is they are inconsistent enough to lose to anybody. But if they get hot and start to correct it, then I could see them starting to string together some wins and ending up in the playoffs."
On all the injuries at the skill positions for the Colts this week:
"It kind of breaks your heart because you know they've got the talent. When I heard (Phillip) Dorsett was out…you get up for these games and you want to see the stars. I love (Donte) Moncrief and I would love to see more of him. The same with Dorsett. Then when you put it all on T.Y. Hilton, you and I both know how that plays into the hands of your defensive opponents. They can double T.Y. Hilton and force whoever else is playing to beat you. Then you force a team to play left handed. What that means is the tight ends are really going to have to factor into this game for Andrew Luck."
On the inconsistencies defensively this season for the Colts:
"The defense is finding it tough to get off the field. They have given up 143 first downs, more than any other defense in the NFL. They are giving up a lot of plays. They are not getting hits on the quarterback. They are not able to get pressure consistently and you are going to struggle in the NFL if you can't get off the field. They've allowed 22 drives inside of their red zone, sixth most in the NFL. So they are not getting off the field. They are allowing teams to eat time of possession and they are not getting to the quarterback. If you can't get to the quarterback, you are exposing your secondary. If you can get to (Marcus) Mariota, you can make mistakes. If you can't get to him, he's going to get comfortable and eat you alive. Not to mention, they are going to damage in the run game."
