Former coach Rick Venturi’s impressions from Colts training camp: Part IV

- Coaching Staff Now that we’re past the halfway point of training camp Cheap Chester Rogers Jersey , we’re starting to get a read on the strengths and weaknesses of the 2018 Indianapolis Colts roster. Some young players have made an impression, free agent additions have started to show how they might contribute to the team, and a bit of personality has started to take shape in the most physical training camp practices that have been reported for many years.As we approach the first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, Bob Kravitz sat down to interview former Colts head coach Rick Venturi to get his thoughts. Venturi has decades of football coaching experience at every level of competition and shared some insight into some of the highs and lows on the roster and provided some perspective on realistic expectations for Luck, the coaching staff, and the team in 2018.What to Expect from the New Colts Coaching StaffAnytime a team undergoes major changes to the coaching staff, it is hard to get a good read on what to expect. This is particularly true when those changes coincide with bringing in entirely new schemes and not having enough time or resources in one off-season to put together a roster suited to fit those changes.Of course, it is also entirely reasonable to note that the previous schemes and coaching staff were not effective. What is worse, sticking with a system and staff you know isn’t working or trying to figure out how successful you are going to be with unknowns in those areas? As it relates to the Indianapolis Colts, I suspect that fans will broadly admit that the previous regime had to go. Not just because the schemes they ran were ineffective but also because they proved to be woefully inadequate at getting the team ready to start football games and even more inadequate at making adjustments to counter opponents at half time. There was no way that the previous system was sustainable, particularly if the goal was to return to a winning culture.This leads fans to feel pretty confident that the new coaching staff represents an upgrade over the old one. While there is some concern generally about returning to a Tampa 2 based defense, because soft teams in the past helped throw away many of Peyton Manning’s formidable years, the upgrades that are expected on offense help keep things in balance.Venturi went into detail about his early takeaway from the new coaching staff and what fans might be able to expect:It is both interesting and compelling to know the history of Colts teams after a coaching change. If this coaching staff continues the theme http://www.coltscheapshop.com/cheap-authentic-denico-autry-jersey , fans can expect meaningful improvement in 2018. What might make this jump even bigger than usual is that this season should be closer to 2012 — when Pagano’s Colts took a big leap. 2012 was Andrew Luck’s rookie year. While Jacoby Brissett was a better quarterback in 2017 than Curtis Painter and crew were in 2011, it still feels like getting a first round draft pick on the field at the most important position on a football team.Venturi also admitted that it is difficult to judge a coaching staff based upon what the team looks like during practice. After all, coaches at this level ought to be able to run an organized practice. Where the rubber meets the road is during games. Venturi said:It goes without saying that any NFL coaching staff should be able to make their team look relatively good during scripted practices. Where great coaches differentiate themselves is making changes in real time, adjusting, and finding ways to win football games when the outcome counts.The good news is that Indianapolis has brought in a guy who has showed some aptitude in this area and worked under coaches and in systems that provide some reasons to feel confident. Venturi said:There is no doubt that Frank Reich’s pedigree suggests that fans in Indianapolis will get to enjoy exciting offensive football. There are reasons to believe that the offense will put pressure on opponents to make adjustments, will exploit weaknesses, and will hopefully find ways to get the ball out of Andrew Luck’s hand faster — helping to keep him healthy. The “multiple” approach to offense should coincide with a great detail of flexibility and make it easier to make adjustments throughout the game.What might be most important to Venturi is that Reich’s offensive system will likely demand a lot from the quarterback. Systems asking a player like Andrew Luck to play an active role in what happen on the field play to his mental strengths as a football player. Venturi said:While none of Venturi’s observations are particularly ground breaking, he reiterates the reasons to have confidence in the Colts young coaching staff — particularly on the offensive side of the ball. The offense will make a drastic change from highly predictable to revolutionary. It will change from heavily scripted to adjustable on the fly. Importantly, it will let Andrew Luck’s mind do a lot of heavy lifting and he has given fans plenty of reason to believe that will be a very good thing.On the defensive side of the ball, Venturi didn’t go into great detail about individual coaches but did have some concerns about the scheme. He countered his own concerns by acknowledging that most important thing to winning on defense is having the pieces to succeed in the system, from the general manager down to the players. He said:It appears that Venturi shares the same kind of concerns Colts fans have had with the Tampa 2 scheme for years. At its best, the scheme will bend in the middle of the field but tighten up in the red zone. At its best, the scheme will generate pressure on the quarterback and create turnovers. At its worst Cheap Malik Hooker Jersey , the scheme is soft and can allow opponents to control the ball and the clock, taking the team’s biggest weapon out of the game for long stretches.The question that can’t be answered right now is whether Chris Ballard and Matt Eberflus can find a way to bring this system back to Indianapolis without bringing the soft moniker along with it. It will take regular season football, and likely more than one year, to get a legitimate answer to that question. With his first real game for the Minnesota Vikings in the books , Kirk Cousins has another initiation coming this weekend: a visit to Lambeau Field.Cousins and the Vikings play in Green Bay on Sunday, an earlier than usual contest for control of the NFC North. The only other times since 2000 that the Vikings have faced the Packers on the road in September were the season openers in 2003 and 2008.For Cousins, well, talk about diving right in."It's a great opportunity to join this rivalry and hopefully put my best foot forward and get off to a great start," said Cousins, who grew up in the Chicago area and then western Michigan and, thus, has been immersed in one of the NFL's most storied divisions his whole life as a football follower.This will be his first playing experience at Green Bay, too. When Washington traveled there in 2013 Jabaal Sheard Jersey , he was the backup to Robert Griffin III. Now he'll be the fifth Vikings quarterback to start in the last five visits to Lambeau Field."You realize how important it is for this organization, for our fans," Cousins said Wednesday.Cousins passed for 244 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover in a smooth Minnesota debut, a 24-16 victory over San Francisco. The downside? All seven of his pass attempts in the fourth quarter, including one throwaway on the final play, were incomplete. That's uncharacteristic for a quarterback who's had a strong track record of success late in games, since he became a full-time starter in 2015. He directed two fourth-quarter comeback victories that year, four in 2016 and one in 2017."Some quarterbacks have a reputation of doing them," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. "Some quarterbacks make it so that they don't really have to do it in the fourth quarter, too. A lot of times it's opportunities. A lot of times it's the team around you. There are so many variables."All eyes will be on Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, whose status for Sunday will be a mystery until pregame warmups . So Cousins could fly a little lower on the radar for this one than his normal front-and-center situation after signing his $84 million, fully guaranteed contract with the Vikings this year. The circumstances were different, but Cousins already has two strong performances against the Packers on his resume.Though Washington lost that playoff game at home on Jan. 10 Jack Doyle Jersey , 2016, Cousins completed 29 of 46 passes for 329 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. The following season when Green Bay returned to FedEx Field, Cousins went 21 for 30 for 375 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a victory."I've taken a lot of steps as a player and in my confidence," Cousins said, reflecting on his progress since those matchups. "So I think that's true of all of us in the league. The longer we play, the more we're out there, the more we're able to be in the fire and playing through mistakes and learning, it helps us be that much better the next time we go out."The Vikings are pleased to be the beneficiaries."The last two years, we've had a new quarterback by Week 2," tight end Kyle Rudolph said. "The last few years we've been in a situation with a new quarterback that we didn't get many reps with during the offseason. It is nice to be out there with a guy we've been working with since the middle of April and build a rapport with."