Colts: Defensive stars might’ve helped save season with players-only meeting
By Jerry Trotta
The Indianapolis Colts were fighting to save their season against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Though it took some second half adjustments from the coaching staff, who finally decided to let Jonathan Taylor loose, the Colts pulled out a win against a team they should beat nine times out of 10 if they’re both at full strength.
Coming into the game, though, the Colts were tailspinning.
Quenton Nelson landed on injured reserve with a high-ankle sprain. Jacob Eason was a healthy scratch, and there were concerns about who would start in the secondary with no TJ Carrie, Rock Ya-Sin, or Khari Willis.
That would devitalize any 0-3 team. However, DeForest Buckner made sure his teammates understood what was at stake on Sunday.
Per Zak Keefer of the The Athletic, Buckner was among the leaders who called a players-only meeting after Indy fell to 0-3.
DeForest Buckner among those who called a players-only meeting after the Colts’ 0-3 start.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 3, 2021
DeForest Buckner might’ve helped save the Colts’ season.
Buckner has been a revelation for the Colts’ defense, but it’s clear he’s made a similar impact on the culture and morale of the locker room. It takes guts to call a team meeting — though it’s worth noting the Indy Star reported that Kemoko Turay introduced the idea — and Buckner stepping up proves why he was named a team captain before the start of the season.
Buckner, Darius Leonard (of course) and Al-Quadin Muhammad were the only players to speak in the meeting, and their message was threefold: focus on your job, trust your teammates and play through pain.
The Colts responded by turning in their hardest practice of the young season on Wednesday. The session was so physical, in fact, that Frank Reich had to scale things back on Thursday and Friday so his players weren’t exhausted for Sunday.
Nothing like a physically-demanding practice a couple days before a game to remind a team that its season is on the line. Based on their performance on Sunday, the Colts’ players clearly rallied behind this message, so it worked in spades.
“If you’re hurt, you’ve still got to practice.”
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) October 4, 2021
After the 0-3 start, the Colts were fed up. So DeForest Buckner called the team’s first players-only meeting in three years.
What was said, who spoke up and the role it played in Sunday’s win: https://t.co/vLWsVImmnK
Having said that, this roster has been decimated by injuries this season. Maybe we can avoid the need for another statement practice from here on out? That’d be great, because the Colts cannot afford to see another star go down.
All told, it’s awesome to know that Buckner is tired of losing. Before he was traded to the Colts, he went 12-36 in his first three years in San Francisco. He also got a taste of what losing in the Super Bowl feels like when the 49ers finished 13-3 and lost to the Chiefs with a championship on the line in 2019.
That offseason, Buckner was traded to the Colts. For as long as he’s on the roster, Indy’s players will be held accountable. Losing is toxic, and the All-Pro defensive tackle made sure to nip it in the bud before it engulfed the locker room.
