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Speaker 1: This is the Colts Free Agent Tracker a look at

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Speaker 1: some key in house free agents this offseason. Hey, what's up?

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Speaker 1: This is the Colts Free Agent Tracker podcasts gonna be

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Speaker 1: back with you. We're back again to examine another high

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Speaker 1: profile Colts free agent heading into NFL free agency starting

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Speaker 1: on March the sixteenth. I'm Matt Taylor today with Lara

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Speaker 1: Overton and kc Valier, and today we're gonna look at

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Speaker 1: Xavier Rhodes at cornerback for the Colts. He just wrapped

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Speaker 1: up year number two and each of the last couple

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Speaker 1: of seasons in Indianapolis. He signed a one year contract

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Speaker 1: in the off season, and he's up again here in

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. If you looked at his season last year,

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Speaker 1: you'd see thirteen games, he missed four games due to injury,

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Speaker 1: had one pick, seven passes defenced, gave up a sixty

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Speaker 1: percent completion percentage, and allowed three touchdowns on the season.

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Speaker 1: And he's been a mainstay in the Colts starting lineup

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Speaker 1: each of the last couple of seasons. And he will

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Speaker 1: turn thirty two years old in June, heading into year

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Speaker 1: number ten next season. Lara, let's get right after it

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Speaker 1: with Xavier Rhodes. How much do you think he has

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Speaker 1: left in the tank? Can he still play like a

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Speaker 1: high level starter in the NFL next season in Indianapolis

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Speaker 1: or somewhere else. It's proven that he can still play

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Speaker 1: at a high level for a couple of reasons. One

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Speaker 1: of those is when you look at the Colts record

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Speaker 1: when Xavier Rhodes was not on the field, and the

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Speaker 1: difference that he made in the games you know that

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Speaker 1: he played in and the difference that was there in

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Speaker 1: the games that he missed. When you look look at

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Speaker 1: the injuries and how that impacted his availability. What gives

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Speaker 1: me indication that he still has quite a bit left

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Speaker 1: is the fact that a lot of people thought that

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Speaker 1: he was done when he left Minnesota, you know, when

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Speaker 1: the Vikings allowed him to go on the free agent

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Speaker 1: market and then the Colts picked him up. Back then

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Speaker 1: the Colts signed him on that deal just five million dollars.

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Speaker 1: In twenty twenty, he had two interceptions, a defensive touchdown,

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Speaker 1: and quarterbacks completed just fifty one percent of passes against

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Speaker 1: him in twenty twenty. It was really the injuries in

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty one that prevented him from having stronger numbers

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Speaker 1: or replicating much of the production that we saw having

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Speaker 1: consecutive years at that high level, so I do think

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Speaker 1: that there's a ton of value. I also think that

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Speaker 1: he had a big impact in terms of a veteran

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Speaker 1: presence within that Coult secondary, within that DB's room, and

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Speaker 1: a big factor that brought him into Indianapolis was the

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Speaker 1: presence of Jonathan Gannon, someone who he'd worked with back

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Speaker 1: when he was in Minnesota. So I do know that

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Speaker 1: in his tenure here with the Colts, he was highly valued,

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Speaker 1: high contributor on this defense. But I'm curious if some

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Speaker 1: of these relationships that he has with a guy like

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Speaker 1: Jonathan Gannon who's now in Philadelphia, Matt Eberflus who's now

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Speaker 1: in Chicago, I think there might be a competitive market

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Speaker 1: for some of his former coaches Alan Williams, the guy

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Speaker 1: who he also worked within Minnesota who's now in Chicago

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Speaker 1: with Matt Eberflus, where they see the value in having

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Speaker 1: a veteran presence being able to potentially bring him into

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Speaker 1: the mix where they are now because he's not going

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Speaker 1: to have any continuity with this new defensive staff coming in,

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Speaker 1: So I'm curious how that will impact maybe the market

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Speaker 1: that there is for Xavier Roads. I just see that

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Speaker 1: with the competition among the position of the free agent

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Speaker 1: cornerbacks that are out there, there's going to be a

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Speaker 1: lot of interest in maybe guys who had higher productivity

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Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one if the Colts are looking to

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Speaker 1: explore the free agent market at that position. I also

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Speaker 1: think Isaiah Rodgers has proven his value and proven that

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Speaker 1: he's ready to step in to more of a role

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Speaker 1: within this defense as well, alongside Rock you scene and

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Speaker 1: kennymore of the second Well. Laia brought up the injuries, Casey,

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Speaker 1: and you know, it hasn't been a problem up until

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Speaker 1: last season. But it was not only the time miss

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Speaker 1: but it was playing through injuries most of last year,

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Speaker 1: gutting through a lot of pain to be available when

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Speaker 1: he was out there on the field. How worried are

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Speaker 1: you about that his durability after this last season because

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Speaker 1: four miss games last year and he had just three

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Speaker 1: miss games in total the previous four years. And it's

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Speaker 1: one of those things, Casey, just playing devil's advocate. It's

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Speaker 1: not a problem until it's a problem, right age thirty one,

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Speaker 1: So how do you gauge that that's the biggest question

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Speaker 1: if you ask me, because I think we saw early

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Speaker 1: on he had the groin that kind of just lingered on.

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Speaker 1: He fought through it, but I think he would even

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Speaker 1: agree that he didn't play his best football at the

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Speaker 1: beginning of twenty twenty one. But I think we saw

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Speaker 1: towards the end, towards the back half of the year,

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Speaker 1: he was healthy and he was playing at a very

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Speaker 1: high level. I think the back the secondary in general.

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Speaker 1: In the middle midway point of the season, we're playing

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Speaker 1: some of the best football, and there were a couple

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Speaker 1: of more injuries. I know he sustained another injury later

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Speaker 1: in the year that kind of carried through all the

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Speaker 1: way through the rest of the year. So I think

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Speaker 1: that is the biggest concern. But I think you did

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Speaker 1: see a little bit of a stretch when he was

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Speaker 1: healthy that he could still play at a high level.

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Speaker 1: So that's definitely the biggest question mark. But as you mentioned,

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Speaker 1: I mean, it's not an issue until it's an issue,

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Speaker 1: So that's hard. That's why guys like me are not

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Speaker 1: signing the paychecks for these guys and going out and

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Speaker 1: do that because I would have no idea what to do.

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Speaker 1: So I'm glad that is above my pay grade, because

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Speaker 1: that is definitely the biggest question mark I think of

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Speaker 1: Xavier Rhoades. You know, whether he returns to twenty twenty two,

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Speaker 1: and even when he was limited with those injuries, he

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Speaker 1: was heavily active on the sidelines in practice, in games,

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Speaker 1: coaching guys up. I would see him sitting down on

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Speaker 1: the bench looking at the microsoft surface, running through through

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Speaker 1: things with guys like Isaiah Rodgers and Rocky has Scene.

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Speaker 1: He and rock spent a ton of time together in

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Speaker 1: the off season, working out together, doing stuff on their own.

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Speaker 1: So I also know that even in that time where

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Speaker 1: you didn't have his physical presence on the field, Xavier

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Speaker 1: really invested a lot of himself and trying to elevate

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Speaker 1: the play of the guys who are around him. And

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Speaker 1: I know that will be something that is carried into

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Speaker 1: the consideration of whether or not he's brought back. When

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Speaker 1: you look at the coaching staff that Gus Bradley is

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Speaker 1: assembling and they look at, you know, the people who

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Speaker 1: they have in place, there are currently the guys who

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Speaker 1: you could possibly bring back. You know, in addition to Xavier,

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Speaker 1: there's TJ. Kerry to talk about as well, so trying

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Speaker 1: to balance what you have in the in the room

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Speaker 1: already guys who you know are returning, guys who you

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Speaker 1: could possibly bring back, and then what's going to be

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Speaker 1: available out there in the outside free agency market outside

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Speaker 1: of this organization, and then also in the draft. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I mean, Larry, you just brought it up because I

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Speaker 1: know we're primarily focused here on this discussion on Xavier Roads.

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Speaker 1: But DJ Kerry is also another veteran cornerback that's also

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Speaker 1: a free agent. What's left in house? You've got Isaiah

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Speaker 1: Rodgers primarily rock. You've seen the Colts this week just

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Speaker 1: resigned Marvel Tell, who they drafted a couple of years ago.

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Speaker 1: He opted out in two and twenty. But Casey to

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Speaker 1: the Colts, do they have to decide between one of

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Speaker 1: those free agent corners that they have. Do they have

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Speaker 1: to decide between Roads or Kerry? Is it one or

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Speaker 1: the other when it comes to, you know, their market

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Speaker 1: heading into the new league year. Honestly, I think they're

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Speaker 1: both different. I think I see Xavier Roads the guy

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Speaker 1: that you sign them, you plug him in as a

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Speaker 1: starter day one. I think TJ. Kerry is more of

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Speaker 1: that building depth. But I also saw something on a t. J.

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Speaker 1: Kerry this year where you know he plays a little

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Speaker 1: bit of a safety role, but he also is a

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Speaker 1: contributor on special teams. So I think when I look

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Speaker 1: at both of those guys, I think Xavier Rhodes is

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Speaker 1: a guy that you're looking at to solidify that starting

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Speaker 1: spot in your base package outside of what Kenny Moore

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Speaker 1: is going to be on the other and then TJ.

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Speaker 1: Kerry as a guy that's going to give you that

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Speaker 1: backend depth and can also play a nickel. He can

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Speaker 1: play in the back end it's safety, and then you've

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Speaker 1: also seen him contribute the last couple of years on

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Speaker 1: special teams. So honestly, I don't think it's one or

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Speaker 1: the other. On both of those I think you could

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Speaker 1: bring up both back and it would, you know, fill

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Speaker 1: a couple different roles. But I think you aren't limited

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Speaker 1: at just one or the other. I think probably what

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Speaker 1: you're gonna do is allow him to possibly explore what

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Speaker 1: is out there. You're gonna have a number you know

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Speaker 1: that you're affixed too, and you're holding strongly to you're

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Speaker 1: We've seen a lot of times in the past when

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Speaker 1: the Colts have been in similar situations that they at

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Speaker 1: least make an effort to retain guys who they do value,

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Speaker 1: and you'll put that number with it, and then also

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Speaker 1: allow him to see what the market is like. I'm

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Speaker 1: also curious too. You know, he just welcomed another daughter.

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Speaker 1: His family's fairly settled here. They go back and forth

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Speaker 1: between here in the Miami area, so you know, as

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Speaker 1: he's raising a young family, does he want that continuity?

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Speaker 1: How much does he value staying here? Is he may

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Speaker 1: be willing to take a little bit less to stay

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Speaker 1: here and see how this defense develops with a new

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Speaker 1: regime at defensive coordinator under Gus Bradley. Those will be

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Speaker 1: a lot of factors I think too that weigh into

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Speaker 1: it what's going to be best for him and his

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Speaker 1: future as he's on you know, these latter parts, these

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Speaker 1: latter years, latter seasons of his career, and then also

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Speaker 1: that aspect of it too, no doubt about it. And

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Speaker 1: to wrap up t J. Kerry again, he's another guy

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Speaker 1: that battled injuries last season in some uneven play compared

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Speaker 1: to his standard. He missed six games last year, and

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Speaker 1: he had missed five in his seven year career before

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Speaker 1: last season and just like Xavier Rhodes, his numbers and

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Speaker 1: coverage compared to two and twenty were down. Another question, Lara,

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Speaker 1: if Xavier Rhodes does not come back, if the Colts

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Speaker 1: do not bring him back in free agency, how big

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Speaker 1: of a priority would cornerback be for the Colts in

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Speaker 1: the draft given what they still have on the roster

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Speaker 1: outside of Xavier Rhodes. I think it would be a

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Speaker 1: significant priority. I think when you look at where they

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Speaker 1: have utilized picks previously with young guys at that position.

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Speaker 1: You know, without a first round pick, you have those remaining.

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Speaker 1: Right now, they have fewer picks than we have seen

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Speaker 1: them really dealing with so far in the past. You know,

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Speaker 1: Chris Ballard, you know that can always change. Here leading

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Speaker 1: up to late April, when you do have the NFL Draft,

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Speaker 1: I think you have a number of areas that you're

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Speaker 1: exploring where your priorities are. I don't think anything is

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Speaker 1: off the table. You know, we always hear that you're

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Speaker 1: going to base or draft based on best player available,

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Speaker 1: not necessarily drafting for need at that position. And when

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Speaker 1: you think about, you know, last year, at this time,

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Speaker 1: everyone thought that the Colts were going to go you know,

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Speaker 1: left tackle oh line. Probably with the retirement of Anthony

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Speaker 1: Anthony Costanzo and Eric Fisher coming off injury, that was

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Speaker 1: where a lot of people thought. I don't know that

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Speaker 1: many people thought they were going to go the direction

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Speaker 1: of going back to back picks in the first and

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Speaker 1: the second rounds with defensive line with Quiddypay and Diodangbo.

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Speaker 1: So I do know that the way that they are

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Speaker 1: working through their process. The scouts just drapped up their

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Speaker 1: February film sessions going into the combine, which is you

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Speaker 1: know that other that's a medical component. Then you're going

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Speaker 1: to get back in in April and start to flush

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Speaker 1: out that board. And I do think that they are

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Speaker 1: really investing in examining what talent there is at that position.

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Speaker 1: And it would be a great young group to draft

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Speaker 1: a guy into because you have guys returning like Cary

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Speaker 1: Willis and Kenny Moore the second and Isaiah Rodgers, who

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Speaker 1: I know the Colts love because of not only how

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Speaker 1: he's contributed on this defense, but because of his Special

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Speaker 1: Team's contributions as well. You're seen as a guy who

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Speaker 1: just absolutely works his tail off day in and day

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Speaker 1: out and has you know, proven last season some development

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Speaker 1: and certainly showed a lot of growth over the twenty

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Speaker 1: twenty one season. So if it's an area that they're

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Speaker 1: looking to prioritize in the draft, it would be a

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Speaker 1: room that I think would be able to help a

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Speaker 1: young corner immediately make that leap into being a contributor

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Speaker 1: within that unit, especially when you look at potentially the

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Speaker 1: style of defense that is developing under Gus Bradley and

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Speaker 1: Matt I think also, I mean, I think it's a

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Speaker 1: big priority, regardless if you bring Roads back or not.

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Speaker 1: I agree. I think that's a position that everybody would

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Speaker 1: agree depth is so key because it's one of those

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Speaker 1: premier positions where I mean, let's face it, you're you're

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Speaker 1: taking on arguably the other team's best weapon every single down,

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Speaker 1: So injuries happen, you got to be at your best.

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Speaker 1: So I think you saw when everybody was healthy, that's

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Speaker 1: when that group really performed. That's when when Isaiah Rodgers

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Speaker 1: was in the on the field, you know, playing in

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Speaker 1: that that third spot, And I think that's when everybody

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Speaker 1: kind of clicked last year when everybody was healthy. So

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Speaker 1: I think whether you bring Roads back or not, adding

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Speaker 1: a piece in the draft is key regardless if he's

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Speaker 1: back or not. And I think, you know, on Lara's point,

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Speaker 1: we did see Rock you seen have a huge growth

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Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one. I think we saw Isaiah Rodgers

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Speaker 1: take another step. You're never gonna You're never gonna dislike

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Speaker 1: having competition, and I think if you can continue to

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Speaker 1: add pieces in the draft, I think that's key. Yeah.

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Speaker 1: I think even if Rhods does come back, I agree

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Speaker 1: with you guys, I can't see it being more than

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Speaker 1: a year or two, which means it's a priority in

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Speaker 1: the law. This is where this is where not having

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Speaker 1: a first round draft pick I think will impact the Colts,

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Speaker 1: or you know, one of the areas in which it will,

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Speaker 1: because cornerback is like left tackle. We had the same

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Speaker 1: discussion when bringing up Eric Fisher. The elite ones or

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Speaker 1: in this case, the shutdown ones that are NFL ready

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Speaker 1: to go right from college, they go pretty high in

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Speaker 1: the draft. And I think if the Colts tick a

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Speaker 1: corner early in the draft, second round or third round,

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Speaker 1: it will be because of he's the best player available.

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Speaker 1: It will be you know, when best player available and

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Speaker 1: need overlap, so to speak. But I think cornerback is

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Speaker 1: up there with wide receiver for the Colts, pass rusher,

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Speaker 1: left tackle. When it comes to long term needs at

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Speaker 1: important positions on this football team, I don't think there's

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Speaker 1: any question about that. Now completely agree. I mean that's

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Speaker 1: that's one of the things that when I look at

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Speaker 1: my list on what you know, what are what are

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Speaker 1: the key areas to focus on when you're looking at

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Speaker 1: free agency draft and your guys that you're trying to

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Speaker 1: bring back. I think corner it's always the top of

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Speaker 1: one of my because because if you look at it,

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Speaker 1: that's one of those prime positions you kind of look

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Speaker 1: at too, well, how are their corners playing? And that's

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Speaker 1: kind of a key. So I think always having depth

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Speaker 1: and competition there it's going to be important. So for me,

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Speaker 1: it's always one of those top five needs in the draft,

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Speaker 1: regardless if you have a really good room or a

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Speaker 1: really bad room. All Right, the last question I have

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Speaker 1: for you guys, and you both have kind of flirted

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Speaker 1: with this answer a little bit, but let's both have

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Speaker 1: both of you guys attack it head on. Should Xavier

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Speaker 1: Roads not return next season, who's ready, who's ready to

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Speaker 1: kind of take over that role to be the every

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Speaker 1: down corner on the outside, obviously in base packages, but

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Speaker 1: also sub packages as well. Larry, is it rock your scene?

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Speaker 1: Given the level of a jump that he had last season,

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Speaker 1: and you already kind of talked about Isaiah Rodgers and

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Speaker 1: the big jump he had from his freshman season to

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Speaker 1: a sophomore season with the Colts. Which of those two

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Speaker 1: guys do you think is ready to kind of take

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Speaker 1: on the spot of Xavier Roads if it's not Xavier

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Speaker 1: Roads in free agency. The way I'll phrase this is,

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Speaker 1: I think that you have the greatest opportunity for the

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Speaker 1: greatest growth out of Isaiah Rodgers. I think he has

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Speaker 1: the biggest untapped potential because of how much he has

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Speaker 1: adapted to the NFL game. I mean talking about a

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Speaker 1: guy who played college football at UMass right, coming out

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Speaker 1: of a smaller Division one program going into the NFL.

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Speaker 1: That's a huge leap when you talk about going into,

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Speaker 1: you know, playing cornerback in the NFL, going from that program,

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Speaker 1: you know, drafted late in that twenty twenty draft, and

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Speaker 1: so over those first two seasons, immense growth from him.

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Speaker 1: I also think that this coaching staff that's coming in,

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Speaker 1: this defensive staff, will love continuing to develop him. He's

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Speaker 1: a guy who has spent a lot of time. He

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Speaker 1: spends the additional time in the film room, studying the playbook,

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Speaker 1: all of those type of things. So I think that

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Speaker 1: he has an immense upside. If the coaching staff can

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Speaker 1: really tap into making sure that he's delving in and

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Speaker 1: knows the opportunity that he has to be at that

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Speaker 1: position and giving him that task, I think he would embrace,

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Speaker 1: you know, the kind of pressure, and I mean pressure

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Speaker 1: in a good way, but the expectation and what they

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Speaker 1: see in him to play that role. I think Rocky

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Speaker 1: is seeing what you saw, the growth that you guys,

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Speaker 1: you know, we all kind of mentioned in twenty twenty one.

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Speaker 1: I think for rock kind of just piggybacking on that

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Speaker 1: and showing that steady growth would be great eight and

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Speaker 1: you know, not exactly putting all of your chips into

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Speaker 1: that and expecting him to be in that position maybe

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Speaker 1: as that number one guy at that position. I think

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Speaker 1: he is a great number two at that position. Could

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Speaker 1: I think certainly, could he developed greater than that, No

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Speaker 1: doubt that he could. But right now, just based on

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Speaker 1: what we have seen in the early body of work

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Speaker 1: of each of those careers, I think Isaiah Rodgers, to me,

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Speaker 1: is the cornerback currently in the room that would provide

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Speaker 1: you the greatest opportunity to grow into and thrive given

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Speaker 1: an opportunity, should that be the position he's in. I

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Speaker 1: think Rock your scene might have a little bit of

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Speaker 1: a leg up, just because there's a little bit more

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Speaker 1: sample size out of him last year than we saw

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Speaker 1: out of Isaiah. But I'm in agreement with Lara. I

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Speaker 1: think right now I give the nod to Rock, but

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Speaker 1: Isaiah just seems to be at the right place at

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Speaker 1: the right time a lot of times. I mean there

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Speaker 1: is I mean, I think Matt you would agree with this.

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Speaker 1: It seems like a lot of times on a deep ball,

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Speaker 1: if it's to Isaiah Rodgers, he's going to make a

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Speaker 1: play and he's got the speed exactly and listening to

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Speaker 1: Rick Venturi talk about it at nauseam, I mean, this

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Speaker 1: is that's one of the things that he loves in

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Speaker 1: Isaiah Rodgers, and I think that's one of the things

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Speaker 1: you love to have in a corner So I think

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Speaker 1: that definitely helps Isaiah. I think right now I might

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Speaker 1: get the leg up to Rock, but I think they're

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Speaker 1: two guys that are going to be relied heavily on

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Speaker 1: when you're looking at this defensive backfield in twenty twenty two.

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Speaker 1: Quickly on that two casey. This is one thing that

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Speaker 1: Rick and I talked a lot about in regards to

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Speaker 1: Isaiah Rodgers. Yeah, the speed is there, and man, we

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Speaker 1: saw that time in or time and time again in camp. Certainly.

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Speaker 1: I mean, his speed is just incredible. But one of

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Speaker 1: the other reasons that the Colts loved Isaiah Rodgers so

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Speaker 1: much is these instincts that he played with, plays with,

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Speaker 1: And that's something that Rick and I talked about, and

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Speaker 1: I asked him, how often do you see a guy

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Speaker 1: as young as Isaiah Rodgers is who's able to rely

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Speaker 1: on his instincts as much as he plays with in

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Speaker 1: that position? And he said that that's something that typically

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Speaker 1: takes guys a few years to grow into. So that's

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Speaker 1: one of those kind of intangible things on Isaiah Rogers

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Speaker 1: that provides such an upside for him at that position.

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Speaker 1: The speed, the instinct that he brings. That's a great tandem,

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Speaker 1: a great strength that he brings into that room. Well,

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Speaker 1: we'll see what the Colts do at cornerback in free

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Speaker 1: agency and the draft, because you can ever have enough

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Speaker 1: good corners, and those guys are key for you, both

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Speaker 1: on defense and on special teams inside the return game,

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Speaker 1: as we've seen with Isaiah Rodgers. Great work, guys, Lara Overton,

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Speaker 1: Casey Valier. That's a look at Xavier Roads and the

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Speaker 1: Colts cornerback situation heading into free agency. We'll have more

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Speaker 1: from the combine all week long here on the Colts

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Speaker 1: Audio Network. We'll have our Inside the Draft podcast coming

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Speaker 1: to you on Thursday of this week as well, and

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Speaker 1: as always, please subscribe, rate, and review on the podcast.

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Speaker 1: Again for Lara and Casey, I'm Matt Taylor. Will have

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Speaker 1: more on the Free Agent Tracker next week here on

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Speaker 1: the Colts Audio Network. Bye bye,