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Greg Manusky talks Colts Defense and Robert Mathis

By Luke Schultheis

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At his press conference today, Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said that he’s looking for both more cohesion and communication from his defense heading into this Saturday night’s preseason game against the St. Louis Rams:

"“Well, you know I think from even last week from that situation (against Chicago), we want to see them play together and communication is always a vital thing,” said Manusky. “I always tell you guys, ‘I don’t care what call they play, as long as we’re on the same page’.”“And being in Philly, it being loud, no huddle, all to the line and stuff. That was a little bit (tough), it was loud in our stadium which was great. They got to get that communication factor in. That’s what I want to see going through this week, and I want to see them play together.”"

Manusky also said that he’s excited by the encouraging news that veteran pass rusher Robert Mathis, who was recently taken of PUP, plans to be ready for the regular season opener:

"“With Robert (Mathis) coming back, there’s nothing better,” proclaimed Manusky. “Hopefully, he can regain what he was two years ago and for when we had him for that full season.”“But a dynamic player, he’s like a quarterback of a defense in regards to making sacks and making things happen which was great for him. And now Trent (Cole) and getting (Erik) Walden and (Jonathan) Newsome, we’re going to have combinations of guys working together and we’re going to go through the process to get our 4 best pass rushers out there, whoever they might be.”"

While more has been revealed on Mathis, the Colts are still unsure if starting cornerback Greg Toler will be healthy enough to play on Saturday after suffering a neck injury last weekend against the Bears:

"“Hopefully, we’ll get Greg (Toler) back, we’ll see,” added Manusky. “That’s a day-to-day thing, and if he had the chance to play, it would be great to get all 11 starters that we pretty much know starting to be in there.”"

Either the way, the Colts are clearly looking to fine-tune their defense before the start of the regular season, as there’s still some areas for improvement, specifically with overall communication and cohesion being key.

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