After talking about who will benefit the most from the new offense, it’s time to move over to the defensive side of things. Who will benefit most from the scheme change?
The Colts defense has been maligned for a long time. They haven’t had a decent defense since the year the won the Super Bowl back in 2006. And even in that season they still couldn’t stop the run until the playoffs started. It isn’t from lack of trying though.
Indy hired Chuck Pagano back in 2012 to try and fix the defense. He was a defensive mind who was supposed to fix the issues. His 3-4 scheme did not fix anything, and might have made the defense worse. In addition to still not being able to stop the run, the defense didn’t force as many turnovers either.
Now with Matt Eberflus running the show as the defensive coordinator, he has brought back the 4-3 base. Although his system is also going to run a lot of nickel packages as well. Which player will benefit most from this switch?
It could be any number of players on the defensive line. There’s no doubt that is the unit that benefits the most from this switch. They now have more of an opportunity to rush the passer and plug running gaps. One defensive lineman in particular could benefit the most though.
Tarell Basham made waves in mini camp. He also showed flashes of his potential last season in terms of rushing the passer. But now that he can move back to the defensive end position, he can use his pure speed to get to the quarterback even easier now.
Basham has a chance to be a starter when the new season rolls around. Even if he doesn’t this new system is a Godsend for him. He can do what he does best a lot easier now, and the Colts need him to. They lack the ability to rush the passer on a consistent basis.
Next: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Report From OTA's
Hopefully Basham continues to improve as a second year player and can have a big impact next season on the defensive line.