This new-look Indianapolis Colts defense under Lou Anarumo will face a difficult challenge right out of the gate, having to contend with the Dolphins’ playmaking potential on offense.
Leading the way at the skill positions for this Miami offense are Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and De’Von Achane–all of whom pair speed with their playmaking abilities.
“Speed, speed, and more speed,” Lou Anarumo said of the Miami offense. “With the featured players that they have, everybody knows, Tyreek and certainly Jaylen Waddle, Achane, the back, you put those three together, you got a heck of a 4×1 team. I don’t care who the fourth element of it would be. They’re going to be far ahead. So they’re great players. They’ve put up big numbers in this league.”
Achane rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in 2024 and averaged a hefty 7.9 yards per rush as a rookie in 2023. He can also impact the passing game as well.
Hill recorded at least 1,700 receiving yards during each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, while Waddle eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in three of his first four NFL seasons.
When a defense has to account for so much speed, there’s a bit of a ‘pick your poison’ approach that has to take place.
If the defense plays soft to protect against the big play, that can open up things in the run game and YAC opportunities on short or intermediate routes. However, trying to shrink the field by playing closer to the line of scrimmage.can lead to a defense getting beaten vertically.
Adding to the difficulty of defending this Dolphins’ offense is Mike McDaniels’ scheme, which features a lot of eye candy pre-snap and a variety of looks to keep defenses guessing.
“Mike does a great job calling plays and keeping you off balance with a bunch of different looks,” Anarumo added. “There’s reason why they’ve put up the numbers they’ve put up in the past. We’ve got certainly a big challenge ahead.”
During Anarumo’s tenure with Cincinnati, he was dubbed the ‘Mad Scientist’ for his creativity as a defensive play caller and his willingness to mold his defensive scheme to what each specific opponent did well.
Those elements will be important this week when it comes to slowing the Dolphins. Anarumo’s disguise-heavy scheme can help keep the Miami offense off balance while slowing the run to put them behind the sticks, and generating pressure will be a must.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: The challenge that faces Colts’ new-look defense in Week 1
Reporting by Paul Bretl, Colts Wire / Colts Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
