Zigeunerzelt » While the offense got a lot of the headlines this season

with the remaking of the offensive line and the return of Andrew Luck Rock Ya-Sin Jersey , it was actually the defense that offered the most encouraging improvements on the Colts roster. Today we’re going to dig in to the winners and losers from the 2018 season on defense.WinnersDarius LeonardWho else could kick off our list? From one of the “worst picks in the draft” to First-Team All-Pro and a very likely Defensive Rookie of the Year award, this guy did it all. He set a new record for the franchise in tackles, he changed the mentality on the Colts defense, and he just kept making game-altering plays. Even in a truly ugly divisional round game he was there, forcing a fumble and giving his team a shot to get back in it. This Colts team hasn’t had a player like Darius Leonard on it in a long time, and Chris Ballard said today that he has the potential to be the same kind of player as Brian Urlacher. High praise from a guy who has worked with him. Leonard did that in just his first season in the league and in a new defense. Imagine what he can do with another year under his belt?Kenny MoorePhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesNo one deserves to be right up here as much as Kenny Moore. Moore went from a waiver claim to the best corner on a tough defense and did it largely over the course of this season. He has a real knack for getting to the quarterback on blitzes, and has repeatedly come up big on critical 3rd down plays to break up passes. You could really see his confidence and swagger coming on later in the season as he got more comfortable in Eberflus’ system. The best part is, he is just 23 years old. His jump from year one to year two was big, but another step forward could make him an unpleasant man to deal with.Denico AutryThere were quite a few people scratching their heads when Denico Autry was signed by the Colts this offseason. Most of us knew precious little about the rotational defensive lineman from the Raiders, and he came on at a time where the Colts were getting killed in the media for not spending in free agency. Hardly the big splash everyone was looking for. All Autry did was put up 9 sacks, 37 tackles, and 11 QB hits in his 12 games played this season. If not for injuries that kept him out of four games, he would have likely had a 10-sack season. Quite a steal for a guy no one knew about. If the Colts can get a similar season out of him next year, and if he can stay healthy, he can be a major contributor on the defense.Quincy WilsonPhoto by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesThe verdict had just about come down on Quincy Wilson as a bust through the first quarter of this season. He had failed to make a mark in his rookie season, too immature to work hard in practice and butting heads with the coaching staff. The same issues seemed to plague him early on. Then, the signing of Mike Mitchell happened. Mitchell took it upon himself to mentor and guide Wilson, and that proved to be essential. Over the back half of the season, Wilson began to find himself getting more snaps and making plays. He looked like a guy who was waking up to what was needed from him. The question with Wilson has never been whether he was talented, but what he would do with that talent. If he continues to develop and work hard, he might end up a solid player after all.Anthony WalkerAfter a frustrating rookie season where he spent most of the year in the training room T.Y. Hilton Jersey , Anthony Walker had a great comeback year. Working as a de facto rookie, he paired with Leonard to help turn the linebacker room from team weakness to a source of strength. He and Leonard attacked the football effectively, helping make this defense one of the best against the run. While there is certainly room for him to improve, the fact that he came on so well despite having very little time on the field last season bodes well for his future.Clayton GeathersPhoto by Bob Levey/Getty ImagesClayton Geathers was a huge part of the heart of the defensive secondary. He hits hard, tackles soundly, and plays up in the box with the kind of presence and tone setting that this defense needed. It wasn’t long ago that we were uncertain whether he would be able to continue to play given his neck issues. He seems to have overcome these and had a solid year to finish out his time under contract. Chris Ballard talked today about loving Clayton and the work ethic and mentality that he brings to the Colts. Geathers shared a similar sentiment, saying that he wants to be a Colt. While the Colts will undoubtedly look at every option in the offseason, there is no doubt that this defense had something special, and Geathers was a part of that, and of remaking his career after a serious injury. Pierre DesirDown the stretch, Pierre Desir had a truly impressive run. He limited DeAndre Hopkins twice and Amari Cooper once, on his way to making himself a surprising headache for number one wide receivers. Desir played solid coverage, and improved as the season went on, which was fortunate for him, because his deal with the Colts only extended through this season. Whether it is the Colts or someone else, Desir has likely made himself some money with his play this year.Jabaal SheardPhoto by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesIn a locker room filled with young guys, Jabaal Sheard, as the 29-year-old veteran, became a leader and voice of experience this season. The stat sheet isn’t wild with Sheard. He had just 5.5 sacks on the season, but unselfishly took on the jobs that go unrecognized. His work largely allowed others to be effective, and his 13 QB hits said that despite a relatively low number of sacks Darius Leonard Color Rush Jersey , he was getting to the quarterback and having an impact all the same. Matt EberflusThe Colts defensive coordinator did such a great job molding this young group of men that he was already getting calls to be a head coach. Thankfully, he was not hired anywhere, and so will have another year to grow this group of players and continue developing them into a stronger unit. He grew as a play caller and a leader throughout the season, with a notable change in his approach over the last several games of the season, where he developed a great feel for how to dial up blitzes and how to keep the opposing offense on their toes. The Colts are very fortunate to get another year with him.LosersNate HairstonLast season Nate Hairston took nearly every snap at the nickel corner position. He looked primed and ready to be a solid starter or better if he took a step in his sophomore season. Instead, by the end of the year he was relegated almost exclusively to special teams. Much emphasis has been put on how guys practice by this coaching staff, and that is likely what differentiated Hairston. Whatever he is or isn’t doing, he’ll need to see improvement in the coming year if he wants to be on this roster for long.Hassan RidgewayPhoto by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesOn a team with a crowded defensive line group and up against a draft class loaded with defensive line talent, Hassan Ridgeway needed a strong year. What he got was, well鈥?not a whole lot. Ridgeway has been disappointing since his selection in 2016 in the 4th round. He may already have missed his chance to be a part of this roster long term.Malik HookerThis one can be debated, and I’m sure will be in the comments. However, this year was clearly a bit off for Hooker, who seems to still be struggling to make his way back from his season ending ACL and MCL tear of his rookie year. In addition, Hooker seemed to struggle all season long with an unknown hip injury that cost him a few games and left him playing injured for others. When he was able to play, there was no doubt that he made an impact. He simply wasn’t able to look quite like himself a lot of the season. Some of this was due to the scheme, and a lot can likely be attributed to him both recovering from injury and learning a new defensive system. Hooker is still remarkably new to the safety position and will need to continue to grow. Ultimately, it will be important to see Hooker back to his usual self with an offseason of rest. That alone is likely to push him back into winning form. The Indianapolis Colts’ defense has been on a hot streak in recent weeks, as they’ve climbed up to a top 10 defense in football according to DVOA numbers. They faced a fairly tough task though heading into Sunday as the Cowboys’ entered the game with the NFL’s leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott and one of the better receivers in football in Amari Cooper. Even with the Cowboys having these two marquee players, the Colts were able to shut down the Cowboys offense and it all started with the big guys up front. The Cowboys simply had no answers for the Colts defense as they were shut down in all aspects of the game. Elliott was held under 100 yards for only the seventh time this entire season. Dak Prescott only managed 206 yards passing and 0 rushing yards while being sacked three times. Cooper was held to just 32 yards receiving on just four catches. Just a smothering effort all around by the defense.This piece is part two of two in a film room series dedicated to the Colts dominating the trenches this past Sunday. The defensive line of Denico Autry, Margus Hunt, Tyquan Lewis https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Denzelle-Good-Jersey , and Jabaal Sheard has been playing lights out of late and this game was no exception. Lets jump into the film to see how well these guys really played.Film ReviewIn the first run of the game the Colts’ defensive line is able to get a ton of penetration. The play all around isn’t this dominating rep but it set the tone for the rest of the game. The entire defensive line from Hunt to Al- Quadin Muhammad is able to get up field and past their blockers. Obviously they didn’t get the stop because it was an outside run but by beating their single blocks and double teams, the linebackers were left free to make the stop. Good gang tackle by Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker to end the play. Also notice Sheard crush the tight end who tries to block him on the left side.The Colts were able to get pressure even rushing just four guys on Sunday. Autry gets the initial pressure up the middle as he drives the center right back into the lap of Prescott. Hunt does a stunt with Muhammad who is able to drive the guard back into Prescott’s lap as well. Hunt and Sheard keep Prescott in the pocket by keeping outside contain. This great interior rush by Autry and Muhammad leads to Prescott having to find his check down much sooner than he would like. This next play is won in the trenches from the snap of the ball. Both Grover Stewart and Hunt get an excellent push into the backfield to disrupt the run. Muhammad takes on the tight end block in the hole in order to free up the linebacker. The star of the play though is Leonard as this is a marvelous run fit by him. Displaying insane quickness and play recognition, Leonard is able to beat Elliott to the hole and stuff the run for no gain. Hunt also gets partial credit for the tackle as he sheds his blocker and also hits Elliott in the hole. The Colts didn’t just dominate the trenches on defense, they also did on special teams. Showing great hustle and determination, the Colts are able to get the blocked field goal early in the game to preserve the shut out. Excellent job by Autry to fight through the double team up the middle and get a hand on this kick. Also a shout out to Muhammad as he nearly breaks through on the left side for the block as well. This rep is just all heart though by the guys up front and it took the Cowboys’ soul out of the game early on. On top of holding Elliott under 100 yards for the day, the Colts also were effective rushing the passer on Sunday. Rookie defensive end Tyquan Lewis notched the first two sacks of his career on Sunday and was disruptive rushing the passer all day. This rep is nothing special as the Cowboys only ran two receivers out on initial routes while the Colts only rushed four. Lewis does a nice job of keeping his legs moving and not giving up on the play, as he fights through blocks and gets the sack. Muhammad also had a decent rush on the outside which forced Prescott to step up a bit in the pocket.This next play may have been the play of the game for the defense. The Cowboys had all the momentum right here as they just drove effortlessly down the field and were within five yards of their first score of the day. They just suffered from a big drop on the play before but have a fourth and one with arguably the best running back in football. Seems like an easy conversion right? Well Margus Hunt had different plans. He explodes through the line of scrimmage and is able to stop the flow of the play by contacting Elliott behind the line of scrimmage. Matthew Adams sets a hard edge on the outside forcing the run back inside and a combination of Hunt, Adams, and Pierre Desir are able to bring down Elliott for a loss. Game changing play by the defense.The Cowboys tried to get the screen game going after a couple of scoreless drives but the Colts are ready for it. The play is mostly blown up by Sheard just dropping the right tackle on a nice bull rush and forcing Prescott out of the pocket. Autry recognizes the screen as well as he also slows up his rush and stays in the lane of the potential pass to Elliott. Sheard ends the rep by registering a QB hit on Prescott as he throws the ball away. Another play shut down by the Colts’ defensive line.I love the scheme up front on this next play and it really shows how far Matt Eberflus has come since the start of the season. Gone are the days of vanilla zone coverage as even when Eberflus isn’t blitzing, he draws up a stunt like this. Here the tackles both line up at end and the ends line up inside. Hunt and Autry stunt inside to their normal positions as Lewis and Sheard stunt back to the outside. The Cowboys’ line is confused by the movement up front, Prescott drops his eyes, and the result is another Lewis sack. Gold star to Eberflus for this stunt play.Another quick pressure by the Colts forcing Prescott to find his checkdown. The key to success for the Colts this season has been to limit big plays and keep everything in front of them. The Cowboys— knowing this— tried all day to hit the deep ball. They simply couldn’t make that big play though because of quick pressures like this one from Hunt. In the most perfect example of a stunt play gone right, Sheard absolutely annihilates rookie Connor Williams— welcome to the NFL rookie— as Hunt is able to twist outside untouched for the near sack. Pressures all day like this one made Prescott come to his checkdowns much sooner than he wanted to.This next rep is excellent run gap discipline up front by the entire defense. Stewart takes on the double team very well and is able to hold his ground in the middle of the play. Both Hunt and Muhammad do a nice job of staying home and making sure Elliott doesn’t have a cut back lane. Leonard and Lewis both clog up the main rushing lane. Every single hole or gap to escape from is clogged up by the defense and Elliott is forced to just take what he can get and go forward on the play. Great disciplined and aware defense here by the entire front.Late in the game is where these pass rushers really succeed, when they can pin their ears back and get after the passer. Both Sheard and Autry have excellent rushes on this play to disrupt the passing play. Autry fires through the A-gap and is too quick for the center who is forced to just hold Autry to prevent the sack. Sheard is able to get under the block attempt of the right tackle and bend around the corner and also nearly comes up with the sack. The result again is Prescott having to quickly find his checkdown in the area of the field where the Colts are confident their guys can make a tackle.Last clip of the day is another highlight reel play by the Pro-Bowl alternate Autry. Autry is way too quick inside for most guards in this league to handle one on one. Throw in that he’s quite strong and fairly polished as a rusher and you’ve got a Pro-Bowl caliber player. Here, Autry initially starts inside and gets the guard to set up there. Autry then throws him off balance with a strong right hand and then is able to fight up field for the sack on the play. What an impressive play to cap off a dominant shut out by this surging, young defense. AnalysisWhat a performance from a group that is continually getting stronger each and every week. Tyquan Lewis had the game of his young career as he was able to notch his first two sacks. Margus Hunt was his typical mountain moving self and Jabaal Sheard made so many plays that won’t show up in the stat sheet. The real star however is Denico Autry as he now has 6 sacks and 1 blocked kick in his last three games. He is playing as well as any defensive lineman in football right now.Matt Eberflus also deserves so much credit for this defense’s turnaround. He has transformed a young, inexperienced defense into one of the more aggressive and fun teams in football. He really has expanded his defensive playbook and it is truly impressive that he was able to coach his guys to a shut out of his former team. Overall this game was won against the Cowboys by the Colts dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Chris Ballard’s dream of a physical bully of a team is starting to truly take form. Hopefully the young defense can keep up their strong play this upcoming week as rookie sensation Saquon Barkley and the Giants come to town.