Lombardi’s a believer in the D

Tip to Merr, Michael Lombardi loves on the Colts D

In fact, their defense is better than I first thought. They’re much quicker, especially at home, and they are very effective tackling — an improvement from past seasons. In the past, their lack of size always affected their tackling ability. Even when they were in the right hole and had the play stopped, they were unable to get the running back to the ground until he had gained at least three yards. Before this season, the prevailing sense by teams about the Colts’ defense was to be patient, get positive yards and know that a three-yard run was a good play. Keep hammering away at those three-yard gains because before too long, a missed tackle would turn into a 30-yard gain. However, this Colts defense seems to win all the third-and-shorts and stops backs dead in the hole. They don’t allow many big plays, and if they do, they’re effective in the red area. Their red zone defense is successful because of their quickness and their ability to break on the ball — and, most important, their ability to tackle.