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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 in the

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Speaker 1: Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio studio. Here's the voice of

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Speaker 1: the Colts, Matt Taylor. I like it. See you're over

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Speaker 1: there drumming along like me. This This reminds me of

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Speaker 1: like a Saturday. Yeah, ran around eleven o'clock, the marching

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Speaker 1: band filing into the stadium for kickoff on ESPN two.

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Speaker 1: Drumline action, Butler in the Butler Bowl, or you've got

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Speaker 1: you know, Purdue versus Illinois on ESPN two. You know,

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Speaker 1: like a mid November game like it. That's Casey Valley

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Speaker 1: over there. I'm Matt Taylor. This is our last Free

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Speaker 1: Agent Tracker podcast. Our series concludes today. We're taking a

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Speaker 1: look at e J. Speed. He is our last in

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Speaker 1: house free agent that we've focused on. We've focused on

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Speaker 1: just about everybody, right, We've talked about it openly, Ashton Dulan,

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Speaker 1: Bobby Okerk, Dennis Kelly, Matt prior to Kon Lewis Been, Benigou, Pays, Campbell,

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Speaker 1: Brandon Facing. We've taken a look at Rodney McLeod, Matt Hawk,

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Speaker 1: Chase McLoughlin, earlier this week it was Juanique in goaqway.

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Speaker 1: This is all the set up for the the open,

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Speaker 1: the two day open negotiating period on Monday, which is

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Speaker 1: obviously known as legal tampering on on Monday. That that

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Speaker 1: two day period, it is such I always I you know,

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Speaker 1: I just have to check myself as I say that.

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Speaker 1: But noon on Monday up until four o'clock or three

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Speaker 1: fifty nine Eastern time on Wednesday. Then four o'clock the

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Speaker 1: new league year on Wednesday, and then basically everything's official

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Speaker 1: and then it's on. Man, it is, I mean, it's

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Speaker 1: one of those things that Monday, it really you start

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Speaker 1: to get the vibe, you know when when all the

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Speaker 1: I mean, if you're on Twitter on Monday, just prepare

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Speaker 1: yourself for a whole bunch of information because that's when

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Speaker 1: it really starts, and it really starts gearing up, because

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Speaker 1: that's when it, in my eyes, you start looking at

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Speaker 1: what a roster is going to look like when they

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Speaker 1: take the field, and that's when it really starts to

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Speaker 1: get fun. You can talk about everything right now, but

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Speaker 1: you start adding those pieces or you see where guys

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Speaker 1: are falling, You're like, oh, I wonder what he'll look

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Speaker 1: like next to this guy and all that. That's what

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Speaker 1: happened last year with the Jaguars, right the Christian Kirk

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Speaker 1: team that first Monday or Tuesday before things could become

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Speaker 1: official on the next Wednesday. So yeah, it's gonna be fascinating. Twitter,

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Speaker 1: Get your notifications, get everything, get all your alerts on

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Speaker 1: your phone set up, because that's all in the backdrop

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Speaker 1: of the nc DOUBA tournament going on. Right, you got

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Speaker 1: the first four whatever they're calling that the first round,

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Speaker 1: that's on Tuesday Wednesday, leading into what I'm calling the

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Speaker 1: official first round of those traditional first round games on

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Speaker 1: Thursday Friday. So it's gonna be a busy week next

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Speaker 1: week in terms of the sports landscape. So we're breaking

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Speaker 1: it all down on EJ Speed today. Again, that's Casey Valley,

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Speaker 1: I'm Matt Taylor. We're in the Colts Radio Studio Union

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Speaker 1: Construction Industry Radio Studio. So, um, let's talk about EJ.

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Speaker 1: Last year, he appeared in all seventeen games, had five

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Speaker 1: starts thanks to the abbreviated season of Shack Leonard kind

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Speaker 1: of opened the door as far as that goes. I

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Speaker 1: had a season nine eight tackles and that Week eighteen

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Speaker 1: loss to the Houston Texans. Last year, all told fifty

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Speaker 1: five stops, thirty two solos, seven tackles for loss, had

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Speaker 1: one sack. For his career, he's appeared in sixty one games.

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Speaker 1: Case he has six starts in four seasons with the

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Speaker 1: Indianapolis Colts, and last year he played a career high

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Speaker 1: three hundred and fourteen snaps on defense. He also played

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Speaker 1: the most special team snaps of any Colts player on

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Speaker 1: the roster last year, So he was really big obviously

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Speaker 1: for Bubba Ventrone, who's no longer here, But when you

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Speaker 1: look at his season last year, because the NFL, as

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Speaker 1: we know, it's always what have you done for me lately?

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Speaker 1: How would you classify twenty twenty two for EJ. Speed

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Speaker 1: as he goes into a contract year. I would say

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Speaker 1: it was just like every other year. He has grown

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Speaker 1: year and year out, and I thought last year he

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Speaker 1: took another step in his growth. Now we talk about

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Speaker 1: the linebacker spot and it's there's a lot of guys

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Speaker 1: that are really impactful players, with Ziere and Bobby having

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Speaker 1: great years last year, and you mentioned Shacklinard was not

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Speaker 1: out there. But you can only play so many guys

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Speaker 1: and he J Speed just kind of falls into that

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Speaker 1: trap where you know he's not necessarily your go to linebacker,

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Speaker 1: but you feel so comfortable with him out there. So

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Speaker 1: I think all told very productive year. He was able

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Speaker 1: to show you you definitely know what his impact is

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Speaker 1: on special teams. That's something that cannot be overlooked. I mean,

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Speaker 1: he's had a handful of punt blocks. I mean, this

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Speaker 1: is a guy who has done a lot of really,

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Speaker 1: really good things on special teams. But it started to

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Speaker 1: really translate over the last couple of years to the defense,

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Speaker 1: and I think you saw it again this past year

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Speaker 1: when he needed a step in, he was able to

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Speaker 1: kind of answer that belt. How much has he outplayed

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Speaker 1: his stock if you will. I mean, this was a

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Speaker 1: fifth round pick coming out of a Division two school

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Speaker 1: and we really didn't know what position. I mean it

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Speaker 1: was high school, he played quarterback, writing he played defensive

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Speaker 1: back in college. He obviously was a stud linebacker as well,

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Speaker 1: But I mean, this guy's just a football player. He's

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Speaker 1: a stud athlete. How impressed have you been with EJ's

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Speaker 1: gradual evolution into one of the core players for the Colts,

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Speaker 1: both on special teams and on defense. I would say,

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Speaker 1: very very pleased. And it's one of those things that

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Speaker 1: you meet him and he's just one of those guys

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Speaker 1: He's gonna put his nose down and do the work,

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Speaker 1: and you've really seen it payoff. I thought early on

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Speaker 1: in his career, you kind of looked at the body

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Speaker 1: type and you saw kind of Shack junior, if you will,

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Speaker 1: Like you saw what Shack Leonard could do, and you

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Speaker 1: thought EJ. Speed is kind of just, you know, the

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Speaker 1: younger version of what Shaquille Leonard is. And I think

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Speaker 1: he's really starting to show that. I mean, I remember

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Speaker 1: Draft Day when we were sitting here. Colts weren't even

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Speaker 1: on him until like three weeks before the draft. We

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Speaker 1: were literally googling it and I was like, I'm seeing

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Speaker 1: he played wide receiver. Someone said quarterback, I've seen linebacker.

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Speaker 1: You didn't know what this was. You just knew that

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Speaker 1: he was a gifted athlete and a football player, and

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Speaker 1: he's really grown into a very solid player for what

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Speaker 1: this Colts team has been. All right, all wise, if

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Speaker 1: he comes back next year, for me, when you talk about, okay,

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Speaker 1: what would his role be on defense? For me, it

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Speaker 1: all depends on the health of Shack Leonard right that rehab,

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Speaker 1: Where is he at? Is he trending to being available

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Speaker 1: for the offseason workout program? Is it going to be

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Speaker 1: training camp? Is he gonna be one hundred percent ready

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Speaker 1: to go by the time the regular season rolls around.

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Speaker 1: These are things we just don't have the answers to

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Speaker 1: right now. So I think if Shack Leonard's healthy, obviously

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Speaker 1: he's on the field. Right you can't not play Shack Leonard.

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Speaker 1: The same thing was Zaire Franklin. The way that he

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Speaker 1: played last year. He's going to be on the field

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Speaker 1: the way he was able to kind of capitalize on

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Speaker 1: his opportunity. So if Speed comes back, that might kind

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Speaker 1: of tell you where the Colts are at on Shack Leonard.

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Speaker 1: And I don't expect e J. Speed to be a

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Speaker 1: first week guy or a second week guy. We might

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Speaker 1: have to kind of wait on this and as time

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Speaker 1: goes by, this might give the Colts or give Colts

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Speaker 1: fans an indicator on where Shack Leonard is in terms

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Speaker 1: of his health as the team gets ready to report

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Speaker 1: for the off season workout program in early April. But

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Speaker 1: if he does come back, I mean, this is a

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Speaker 1: guy that I think maybe kind of plays the same

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Speaker 1: role as as last year, where he is a guy

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Speaker 1: you can really depend on on defense. You can obviously

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Speaker 1: count on him to be a game changer on the

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Speaker 1: special team side of the coin as well. But when

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Speaker 1: he's been out there, when he's had to start, there's

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Speaker 1: not a drop off, right, I mean, obviously, Shack Leonard,

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Speaker 1: you cannot replicate his knack for the football, his takeaway ability,

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Speaker 1: I mean at fifteen takeaways when he was pseudo healthy

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Speaker 1: in twenty twenty one. I just go back to that

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Speaker 1: Christmas Night game twenty one that was the COVID game.

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Speaker 1: A bunch of Colts players came down with COVID right

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Speaker 1: at the last minute day of the game. Shack Leonard

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Speaker 1: was in that bucket and EJ. Speed came in, had

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Speaker 1: a career high nine tackles in that game and really

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Speaker 1: played well. And you didn't. You didn't come away from

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Speaker 1: that game thinking, well, if EJ. Speed has to play,

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Speaker 1: we're in trouble, exactly. So I agree with you. I

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Speaker 1: think he has cut from the same cloth talent wise,

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Speaker 1: skill wise as Shack Leonard, But I think Shack Leonard's

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Speaker 1: health will dictate what role EJ. Speed potentially has with

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Speaker 1: this team next year, and I don't think we're going

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Speaker 1: to know the answer to that question in the first

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Speaker 1: week of a free agency. It's it's crazy that, if

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Speaker 1: you think about it, the Colts have two linebackers that

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Speaker 1: are both worthy of a contract extension to stay here

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Speaker 1: with Bobby and EJ. And I think both of their

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Speaker 1: careers in a Colts uniform does really rely on what

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Speaker 1: the health status of Shack Leonard is going to be,

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Speaker 1: which is interesting when you look at it that way.

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Speaker 1: But I do think that in some ways EJ speed

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Speaker 1: because what he's shown is a smaller sample size, I

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Speaker 1: think that helps his case here for more opportunities here.

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Speaker 1: But I think that it's one of those things that,

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Speaker 1: as you've mentioned that there is not really a big

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Speaker 1: drop off whenever we saw him playing. If anything, the

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Speaker 1: only thing that you didn't see were the turnovers. But

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Speaker 1: there's not many guys out there that can go out

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Speaker 1: and create turnovers like Shaqulinard can do, right, So that's

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Speaker 1: one of the things that I'm going to be very

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Speaker 1: interested to see what the other NFL scouting departments. You know,

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Speaker 1: these guys that are part of the scouting team that

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Speaker 1: are looking at the other NFL teams what their research

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Speaker 1: on EJ. Speed is, because I think if you and

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Speaker 1: I would agree that he might be one of the

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Speaker 1: best kept secrets here just because of the amount of guys,

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Speaker 1: the amount of depth you've had, you haven't had to

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Speaker 1: utilize him as much, but if you needed him, you

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Speaker 1: never really felt like it was something you felt like

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Speaker 1: if EJ was on the field, it was a negative.

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Speaker 1: So in that way, I kind of hope that he

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Speaker 1: kind of flies under the radar and the Colts can

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Speaker 1: grab him. I think he's Zaire Franklin in the sense

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Speaker 1: that you'd be surprised, you'd be shocked at how good

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Speaker 1: this guy is and can be if just given a

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Speaker 1: t opportunity, if just given the opportunity to go out there.

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Speaker 1: That's exactly what Zire Franklin did. He proved to everybody.

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Speaker 1: He didn't have to prove it to himself. He already knew.

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Speaker 1: But I mean, this guy broke the Colts single season

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Speaker 1: franchise record for tackles in a campaign. I mean, nobody

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Speaker 1: really knew that Zaire Franklin had that in him, except

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Speaker 1: for the Colts. Chris Ballard, Zaire Franklin, and so that's

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Speaker 1: just a compliment to those guys, and I think EJ.

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Speaker 1: Speed kind of falls into that bucket. You'd be surprised

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Speaker 1: how good he is, how reliable he can be if

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Speaker 1: he's a seventeen game starter. But you just kind of

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Speaker 1: asked the question I was going to bring up as well.

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Speaker 1: I mean, how do you think the rest of the

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Speaker 1: NFL views EJ. Speed? Do you think a lot of

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Speaker 1: scouting departments when they're weighing free agents view EJ as

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Speaker 1: a guy that can be an every down starting linebacker.

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Speaker 1: That's a great question, even though he only has six starts.

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Speaker 1: I don't think we know that answer, but I think

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Speaker 1: that there is going to be enough people out there

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Speaker 1: that will look at him and look at what that

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Speaker 1: small sample size is and try to I don't know

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Speaker 1: what the right word is, but just play it through,

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Speaker 1: you know, like a simulation of what they think it

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Speaker 1: can be, and that would great out to be a

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Speaker 1: starting caliber linebacker, which that is one of the things that,

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Speaker 1: like I said, we're going to see that when free

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Speaker 1: agency comes, whether you know, if the culture sign him

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Speaker 1: and we don't have to look at it that way,

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Speaker 1: but I think there is going to be an interest

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Speaker 1: because he is a freak athlete. He's got sideline to

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Speaker 1: sideline speed, he plays with great football IQ, he's physical.

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Speaker 1: There's a lot of things you just you already like

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Speaker 1: about him, and there is a small sample size. But

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Speaker 1: there's also that I'm not necessarily saying it's like the

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Speaker 1: NFL Draft, you're basing it on potential. But a lot

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Speaker 1: of times with this you get a young guy who

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Speaker 1: you can sign now at a cheaper rate that you

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Speaker 1: look in a couple of years and go, what a

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Speaker 1: great contract that could be. EJ Speed could be that

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Speaker 1: guy if given that opportunity, and from EJ's perspective, you

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Speaker 1: know how much how much opportunity is there going to

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Speaker 1: be if if Leonard does come back fully healthy, which

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Speaker 1: again knock on wood, hopefully that's the case. I just

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Speaker 1: don't think you can take Leonard off the field. I

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Speaker 1: don't think you can take Zeyre Franklin off the field.

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Speaker 1: We'll talk about the ram ofs of the contracts and

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Speaker 1: things like that, but how how enticing do you think

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Speaker 1: it's going to be for EJ. Speed for the opportunity

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Speaker 1: to go somewhere and be the guy and have a

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Speaker 1: more prominent role If that opportunity comes about. You can't

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Speaker 1: blame him for really exploring that and maybe kind of

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Speaker 1: taking that all of branch well. I remember him talking

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Speaker 1: about that specifically last year at training camp, Shack Leonard

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Speaker 1: was was on pup, so EJ. Speed was getting a

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Speaker 1: lot of that rep in practice, and that's one of

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Speaker 1: the things that when he addressed the media said, I

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Speaker 1: want to be an everyday guy. I want to start.

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Speaker 1: That's what these guys are here doing. I mean, you

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Speaker 1: buy in, you're a part of the team, and you

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Speaker 1: want to do that, but ultimately you feel like you

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Speaker 1: are the best player at that spot. You want to

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Speaker 1: put your talents on display. So for EJ. Speed, I

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Speaker 1: completely understand if he looks at it and says, you

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Speaker 1: know what, I had a good four years here. I

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Speaker 1: was able to develop into this. But I don't want

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Speaker 1: to be, you know, the third guy on the depth

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Speaker 1: chart and be just a special teamer. Because if you

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Speaker 1: got the talent level, you got the men. So makeup

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Speaker 1: like he does. I understand if he wants to go

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Speaker 1: and try that opportunity to be an everyday He's a linebacker,

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Speaker 1: shelf shelf life of that position in this league. Go

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Speaker 1: get yours exactly right, and you need to be paid

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Speaker 1: like and every down linebacker. And there's there's just a

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Speaker 1: financial difference between core special teams guy and stud starter,

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Speaker 1: reliable linebacker with that because of his Now, let's let's

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Speaker 1: bring this back to the cult side of things with

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Speaker 1: his hate to use the word acumen, because man, it's

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Speaker 1: so much more than that for EJ. Speed on special teams.

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Speaker 1: But he's a game changer. He's a playmaker for the

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Speaker 1: Colts in the third phase of the game. In his

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Speaker 1: four years, thirty one special teams tackles, has a block punt,

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Speaker 1: has two touchdown returns for the Colts on block punts,

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Speaker 1: and as we said last year, played the most snaps

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Speaker 1: of anybody on the Colts roster on special teams. How

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Speaker 1: much does that factor into the Colts prioritization for EJ.

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Speaker 1: Speed and free agency? You know, I think with some

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Speaker 1: guys you look at it go he can do this

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Speaker 1: and he can also play special teams. I think with EJ. Speed,

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Speaker 1: that's where you lead, is not can he just play

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Speaker 1: special teams. This guy can be, as you mentioned, a

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Speaker 1: game changer on special teams and then can also be

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Speaker 1: a very good player and reliable on defense too, so

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Speaker 1: I think he kind of has a different vibe when

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Speaker 1: it comes to a special teams player, where not only

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Speaker 1: is he just a guy that you can play on teams,

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Speaker 1: he's a guy that is a game changer on both

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Speaker 1: aspects of the game. And I think that is going

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Speaker 1: to help him, especially here, because you just know what

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Speaker 1: you have. You got a new special teams coordinator coming

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Speaker 1: in to be nice to know that when he walks in,

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Speaker 1: you've got this guy who you can just rely on

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Speaker 1: to be your building or guy you're building around that guy.

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Speaker 1: And I go back to Desire Franklin again. Franklin last

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Speaker 1: year resigned to be a depth piece on defense but

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Speaker 1: also a core special teams player. He was the capine

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Speaker 1: of special team and so could EJ. Speed from the

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Speaker 1: Colts get a similar type contract with that role in mind,

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Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be as as we said. Bigger picture,

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Speaker 1: I think it's going to be very difficult for the

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Speaker 1: Colts to justify bringing back Bobby Ocaka. I'm not saying

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Speaker 1: it's not going to happen. I'm not saying they don't

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Speaker 1: want to. Quite Frankly, I think they would love to

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Speaker 1: have Bobby Ocaaka back, But as we said during his profile,

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Speaker 1: given the fact that Shack Leonard's coming back, he's under contract,

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Speaker 1: He's gonna make over fifteen million next year. Franklin, his

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Speaker 1: deal that he signed last offseason puts him around two

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Speaker 1: and a half for twenty twenty three. Bringing back Okayak

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Speaker 1: and paying him what he's worth and what he deserves,

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Speaker 1: especially now that the NFL is trending to be more

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Speaker 1: of just a two linebacker system. You're not playing three

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Speaker 1: linebackers on the field all that often. In base defense

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Speaker 1: it's primarily nickel, it's primarily dime. That really kind of

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Speaker 1: complicates all of this. But you do need depth. Do

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Speaker 1: need depth, and again EJ. Speed gives you position flexibility.

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Speaker 1: I think he's most comfortable and best suited in this

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Speaker 1: defense to back up Shack Lennard at the will linebacker position.

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Speaker 1: Just you just cannot underscore enough the importance of special teams, reliability,

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Speaker 1: game changing ability in that phase of the game, and

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Speaker 1: the value that he has to this team as a

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Speaker 1: leader as a guy that again gives you a lot

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Speaker 1: of roster flexibility to you know, block punts and also

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Speaker 1: make stops on third down. Right and as you mentioned

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Speaker 1: with Bobby. I would completely agree with you. You want

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Speaker 1: to bring Bobby back. He's had a great start to

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Speaker 1: his career and he looks like he's kind of taken

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Speaker 1: that next step to be a premier linebacker. Do you

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Speaker 1: think they have to do one or the other? Like

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Speaker 1: it does? It? Does it boil down to making that

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Speaker 1: decision between speed, no carecake? Can you let both go?

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Speaker 1: I can you afford that? I think, honestly, the way

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Speaker 1: you look at it, and this is this is not

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Speaker 1: a negative towards Bobby at all. I think it's either

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Speaker 1: speed or neither. To be honest, I think Bobby has

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Speaker 1: played so well to this point that his contract it's

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Speaker 1: just not gonna fit with what you have at linebacker

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Speaker 1: because what he's looking for, what's your what he's probably

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Speaker 1: going to get that would force you to play him,

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Speaker 1: And I just don't think you can take Zi year

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Speaker 1: or Shack off the field. You're not going to play

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Speaker 1: three linebackers. So it's it's one of those things where

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Speaker 1: it's gonna be one one of those guys standing on

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Speaker 1: the sidelines for a majority of the defensive snaps, and

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Speaker 1: you can't justify paying that for a guy that's not

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Speaker 1: going to be out there on every single snap. So

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Speaker 1: that's not a stab at Bobby. I think you tip

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Speaker 1: your cab. It's very similar to what Anthony Walker did

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Speaker 1: a couple of years ago. You know, he was a

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Speaker 1: really good linebacker here. It got to the point where

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Speaker 1: it was like, we got a handful of guys and

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Speaker 1: your contract is up. We've got guys that are already

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Speaker 1: under contract. It makes more sense for you to walk

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Speaker 1: and see them progress, which kind of lends me into

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Speaker 1: my next point with you have seen the way that

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Speaker 1: this Chris Ballard regime has drafted linebackers. They've been able

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Speaker 1: to find guys they can slide right in and kind

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Speaker 1: over the draft. I mean the seventh round seven got

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Speaker 1: guys all over the UK. So it's almost like you

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Speaker 1: just kind of say, that's the one position, right Chris

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Speaker 1: Ballard really yeah, he really knows how to project and

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Speaker 1: draft and get value at all different stages of the

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Speaker 1: draft at that position. So that way, I almost think

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Speaker 1: that's what it is. It's either EJ. Speed if the

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Speaker 1: price is right, or either of them. I don't I

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Speaker 1: don't think you bring back both for sure, but I

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Speaker 1: think EJ. Speed might be the most realistic option to

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Speaker 1: bring back. And like I said, going back to the

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Speaker 1: way Chris Ballard has drafted linebackers, I think you can

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Speaker 1: find a couple guys in this draft that you can

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Speaker 1: slide and one at special teams and one at if

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Speaker 1: EJ leaves a guy that can slide right into that spot,

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Speaker 1: and you'd be okay with it. All right, good stuff.

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Speaker 1: As always, that's a breakdown of EJ speed and that'll

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Speaker 1: do it for our Free Agent Trekker podcast series here

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Speaker 1: in twenty twenty three, leading you up to Monday, with

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Speaker 1: the negotiating period beginning at noon and then the new

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Speaker 1: league year starts Wednesday at four o'clock Eastern time. We've

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Speaker 1: taken a look at nearly all of the Colts seven

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Speaker 1: teen in house free agents, and now the madness starts

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Speaker 1: March Madness, NFL Free Agent Frenzy, whatever you want to

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Speaker 1: whatever cliche you want to use. Next week is when

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Speaker 1: it gets real. You're gonna see a lot of dollar signs.

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Speaker 1: You're gonna see some contracts flying off the board. So

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Speaker 1: we'll see how that all impacts the Indianapolis Colts, and

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Speaker 1: as always for the latest when news happens surrounding the

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Speaker 1: Colts stay right here, comeback, Colts dot Com, the Colts

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Speaker 1: Audio Network, and the Colts Mobile app for Casey Valley.

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Speaker 1: I'm Matt Taylor. Thanks for listening to the Free Agent

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Speaker 1: Tracker podcast and we'll talk to you soon here in

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Speaker 1: the Colts Audio Network.