New Colts coach Chuck Pagano is going to run a different kind of Colts defense.
While Pagano wouldn’t come right out and say he was scrapping the old Colts model, he made it clear a Ravens-style attack defense is on the way.
“I was talking to Mr. Irsay, if Wade Phillips can go to the Houston Texans and install the 3-4 with no offseason and make Mario Williams an outside linebacker and stand him up on early downs, that the two explosive, great athletes, the great pass rushers that we have on the edge here, I don’t see an issue,” Pagano said.
The Colts don’t really “have” Robert Mathis anymore. He’s a free agent. It wouldn’t make sense to re-sign him to a monster deal in order to change his position. Pagano talked about molding his defense to the talent in town, but he also talked about setting a “tempo” on defense and dictating to offenses.
That’s the opposite of the old Tony Dungy approach. It’s a sign we can expect to see Dwight Freeney playing in ways we haven’t seen him play before.