Indianapolis Colts: All-time Indy Roster

Middle Linebacker:

(2003-2011)

A fan favorite throughout the Manning-era, Brackett was a mainstay of the Colts defense and excelled in the Tampa-2 scheme. Brackett wouldn’t see time as a starter until his third season in the league, but he made the most of his snaps when he took the field.

One of the knocks on Brackett was his size and durability, which made him an excellent coverage linebacker but also led to injuries. Reading his coverage stats, you might think Brackett was a defensive back. He finished his career with 12 interceptions and 29 passes defended.

Over his nine years, Brackett credited with 521 tackles, five forced fumbles, four sacks, and three defensive touchdowns. He was the prototypical middle linebacker for Tony Dungy‘s defense and his abscense in the 2008 playoffs was sorely felt. In 2008, Darren Sproles ran free against a defense that lacked leadership and partially led to the loss (an unreal performance by a punter was the other reason).

Next: Cornerback