The Indianapolis Colts boast one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, but they’ve been without a star on their defense for two seasons. That changed suddenly when Darius Leonard took over in Week 3 and became the team’s defensive leader. The rookie superstar has now put his squad on notice after he made some fiery tweets following their loss to Houston.
The “darius leonard college” is a player for the Indianapolis Colts. He recently tweeted, “I’m not going to let nobody disrespect me on and off the field.”
The Indianapolis Colts are in the midst of one of their most significant offseasons ever. Following Andrew Luck’s retirement, they were yet to find a quarterback, and although appearing like a possible AFC contender at one time in the middle of the season, they fell flat on their faces with Carson Wentz at the conclusion of the season.
All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard is ready to win in Indy after acquiring 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons in a trade.
In fact, Leonard just sent out an angry tweet to his teammates, putting them on notice.
The Colts were placed on notice by Darius Leonard’s ferocious tweet.
The Indianapolis Colts’ Darius Leonard will face the Houston Texans on Oct. 17, 2021. | Getty Images/Andy Lyons
Darius Leonard has been a member of several great Colts teams since joining the organization in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He has, however, been on a few that have underperformed.
Leonard and the Colts finished 7-9 in 2019, after reaching the AFC Divisional Round with Andrew Luck in his first season. Due to Luck’s retirement, Indy was forced to start Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, and he has since shown to be little more than a serviceable backup.
With Philip Rivers, the Colts returned to the playoffs in 2020, but his retirement last summer prompted general manager Chris Ballard to take a gamble on Carson Wentz.
While in Indianapolis, Wentz shown hints of his 2017 Pro Bowl season with the Eagles, and the club looked like a dangerous AFC contender at one point. Between Weeks 6 and 16, the Colts won eight of ten games and needed only one victory in their last two games to enter the playoffs.
However, Wentz’s poor performance (and with other concerns) resulted to Indianapolis losing its last two games and missing the playoffs.
In response, the Colts traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders and signed four-time Pro Bowler Matt Ryan, who will likely be their sixth different Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons in 2022. He provides them a good opportunity to win and contend for the AFC South crown, something Leonard seems to be keen for.
“Damn, I really want to win, and I really want to win right now!” Not next year, not the next year, but right now! “Football season is approaching.”
Darius Leonard via Twitter
Indianapolis still has to make many changes before the 2022 regular season if it hopes to win.
The Indianapolis Colts have a number of openings to fill.
It’s been two weeks since the free agency negotiation period started.
The Colts have made two significant transactions, but have only signed one free agent: cornerback Brandon Facyson.
They presently have the third-largest cap space for the year 2022.
— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) March 29, 2022
This offseason, Indianapolis has filled two of its most critical positions: quarterback and pass rusher. The Colts acquired Yannick Ngakoue from the Las Vegas Raiders before trading for Matt Ryan.
However, this group still has several flaws that need to be addressed.
While the offensive line of Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly is well-known, the Colts want a left tackle and right guard who can not only make openings for superstar running back Jonathan Taylor but also protect Ryan. Indy also needs a tight end with the retirement of veteran Pro Bowler Jack Doyle.
The Vikings have agreed to terms with guard Chris Reed, who had a strong season in Indianapolis last year. Danny Pinter is expected to occupy the Colts’ vacant right guard post, which has been occupied by Mark Glowinski for many years.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) April 1, 2022
Not only that, but there’s more.
The Colts are in desperate need of wide receiver assistance. Michael Pittman Jr. had a breakthrough year in 2021, gaining over 1,000 yards, but no one else had more than 384 yards on the ground.
That’s not even taking into account their secondary weaknesses. In the Ngakoue trade, the front office gave up starting corner Rock Ya-Sin, and Indy could use some assistance at safety.
Sure, the Colts have a quality roster capable of competing against the best in the league. On offensively, Taylor and Pittman are rising stars, while on defense, Leonard and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner are two of the greatest at their positions. However, now that they’ve finally found a quarterback in Ryan (at least for the next couple of years), the Colts must start addressing the rest of their obvious gaps, either via free agency or the NFL Draft.
Darius Leonard wants to win now, and Colts supporters are probably feeling the same way.
Pro Football Reference provided the statistics.
RELATED: Despite Carson Wentz’s disastrous Indy stint, Indianapolis Colts general manager Frank Reich passionately defends the quarterback.
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