Colts' Shane Steichen weighs in on Laiatu Latu's recent practice performance
During the Indianapolis Colts' Thursday night scrimmage under the lights at Grand Park, second-year defensive end Laiatu Latu was extremely disruptive.
Jake Arthur of Horseshoe Huddle would write in his camp takeaways article that Latu had "three legitimate sacks" on Thursday. Arthur added that Latu displayed "impressive burst and bend around the edge."
After practice, head coach Shane Steichen was very complimentary of Latu's play.
"He was," Steichen said about Latu being disruptive. "Obviously, going into his second year. Obviously, you want to see that jump. He's put in the work, put in the effort, had some really good rushes tonight, and we need that this season from him."
Latu finished his rookie season totaling 38 pressures, which was the second-most on the team, and four sacks. Compared to his position group league-wide, Latu ranked 50th in pressures.
However, perhaps a sign of what's to come is that Latu was also 27th in PFF's pass rush win rate metric. Oftentimes, when pass rushers can consistently win their one-on-one matchups, the production will follow.
"My offseason, I definitely honed in on a lot of power and being able to work off of that," Latu said after the Colts' sixth training camp practice on Tuesday, via Colts.com. "I feel like I've been demonstrating that a little bit more this camp as opposed to last year. And just being able to know who I'm working with on the field and stuff like that, so I've definitely elevated my game from last year for sure."
It wasn't only Latu who was generating pressure on Thursday, but most of the Colts' defensive front got in on the action as well. Joel Erickson of the Indy Star mentioned Kwity Paye, Tyquan Lewis, and Adetomiwa Adebawore all getting into the backfield as well.
Helping the Colts' defensive front be more disruptive this season should be the new defensive scheme under Lou Anarumo, which will feature more movement up front, a more aggressive play-style overall, and heavy usage of disguised coverages on the back end.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Why the Colts are an ideal landing spot for Micah Parsons
Cowboys star defensive end Micah Parsons has requested a trade out of Dallas. His frustration with the organization over a new contract has boiled over, and it's possible he's played his final snaps in Dallas. The Sporting News' Dan Treacy named six potential landing spots for the flustered star, with the Colts being one of those destinations. 'The Colts have gotten a combined 16.5 sacks out of Kwity Paye over the last two seasons and have second-year edge rusher Laiatu Latu set for a large role this season, but the pass-rush has been lacking in Indianapolis for a number of years — and neither of those pieces rival the kind of impact Parsons can make,' he writes. Parsons would, in fact, take an Indianapolis pass rushing unit from good to elite status. Having achieved double-digit sacks in all four seasons he's played, he's the kind of player to completely change the dynamic of a defense. Parsons paired with the rotation of Latu, Paye, Samson Ebukam and rookie JT Tuimoloau (plus veteran Tyquan Lewis, who the Colts love) not only creates likely the deepest edge rotation in football, but elevates the entire defense to a level Indianapolis hasn't seen in years. Especially if the offense can sort out the passing game, Parsons could turn the Colts into an AFC juggernaut overnight. But that is a big 'if.' Given the uncertainty on offense, plus the steep price a trade for Parsons would require, selling the farm (or close to it) for an elite pass rusher is risky business. History suggests that the return package would consist of multiple first round picks plus more. And that's only half of it. General manager Chris Ballard would have to come to an agreement on a new contract with Parsons. The Colts have a lot of money invested on defense already in guys like DeForest Buckner ($26.6 million cap hit in 2025), Grover Stewart ($14.2 million) and Kenny Moore II ($10.6 million). The safe and more practical decision would be to stay out of discussions for Parsons. Knowing Ballard, that's the way he's likely to lean. But there is no ignoring that adding Parsons makes the Colts a legitimate contender in the AFC, even if it requires having to jump through a few hoops to make it work.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- USA Today
Former Packers starting cornerback available after release: Could he help Green Bay?
A former defensive starter for the Green Bay Packers is available after being let go by his previous team. Cornerback Corey Ballentine was released by the Indianapolis Colts on Friday, after the team signed another corner in Chris Lammons. Ballentine spent three seasons with the Packers between 2022 and 2024, leaving the team at the conclusion of last season before signing a one-year, $1.338m deal with the Colts on March 14, which included a $167,500 signing bonus and $482,500 of guaranteed money at signing. A sixth-round pick of the New York Giants out of Washburn back in 2019, Ballentine bounced around the league, spending time with the Jets, Lions, Falcons and Cardinals before arriving in Green Bay, where he spent by far the longest stretch of his career. He was a fairly prominent part of Green Bay's defense in 2023, playing 534 snaps and starting six games. Ballentine earned a 60.8 overall PFF grade for that season, ranking 78th out of 127 qualified corners, and had a 62.3 coverage grade. Ballentine notched his lone career interception in 2023 and played more defensive snaps that year than in the rest of his NFL seasons combined (497), and now 29 years old, is looking for a new team. There could be an argument for the Packers having an interest in bringing him back to Green Bay. After jettisoning Jaire Alexander and signing Nate Hobbs this offseason, there is some clarity of their top three corners of Hobbs, Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine, with Javon Bullard also expected to contribute in the slot. The back end of the depth chart is far from settled though, with current or former late-round picks Kamal Hadden, Kalen King, Micah Robinson and Gregory Junior fighting for roster spots alongside former wide receiver turned corner Bo Melton. Ballentine was a special teams regular in Green Bay, playing 450 snaps on teams in his three years with the team between the kick return, kick coverage, punt return and punt coverage units. He would be a known commodity in the cornerback room, although lacks the potential upside of the Packers' younger options at the position. The Packers did not see fit to re-sign him in the offseason and are likely to want to see what they have in their gaggle of young corners as they battle it out during camp before adding someone like Ballentine to the mix. However, he could be an option closer to the season depending on how the next few weeks play out.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Shane Steichen details Anthony Richardson's improvement
The Colts are not giving up on Anthony Richardson Sr. After two seasons of injuries, inconsistency and a lack of preparation, Richardson is under pressure to perform in 2025. A week into training camp, he's responded to that pressure and is showing steady improvement. 'Everything looks cleaner,' Colts head coach Shane Steichen said after practice Thursday night. 'He's playing at a high level, he's making good decisions with the football…it's been really good to see.' Richardson is in the thick of a competition with new signing Daniel Jones for the starting quarterback job. Although the Colts insist the two quarterbacks are neck-and-neck, it's clear that Richardson is much more settled than in years past. Thursday night brought out the best of Richardson in camp as he continues to stack days. His deep ball was working extremely well, hooking up with AD Mitchell down the sideline and finding Ashton Dulin for a touchdown later on. Improvement on the practice field, specifically in the short passing areas, suggests the on-field product will be significantly better. In 11 starts last season, Richardson's ability to execute the easy throws was lacking, leading to a disappointing 47.7% completion percentage. But Steichen sees the change, giving both Richardson and the Colts hope that they can make things work and return to the playoffs under Richardson's leadership.
