Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has been in the playoffs in two of his first three NFL seasons, but the Colts have not been able to advance to the Super Bowl.
Leonard thinks they “have to be more disciplined, trust in the game plan, play 110 percent every single play, and find ways to take the ball away” on defense in order to change that. That would only take care of one side of the ball, however, and the biggest question mark on the other side of the ball is the guy under center.
Carson Wentz’s 2020 season was a disaster, but the Colts traded for him anyway. They were bolstered by the belief that a reunion with head coach Frank Reich will pave the way to a rebound and Leonard said he shares that feeling after an offseason of working with Wentz.
“You would think that he’s been in this locker room for about seven years,” Leonard said, via Doug Farrar of USAToday.com. “He has this presence about him and his leadership role, and that’s what you need in a quarterback room. We have a great offensive line that’s going to protect him. We have the best backfield in the NFL, in my opinion, and we have these great skill guys on the outside. He came into a perfect place to have success. We believe in him. We know who he is, and we know what he can be. I can’t wait to see what he and coach Frank are going to step up and do.”
The Colts’ bet on Wentz was one of the biggest of the offseason and it will have to pay off as handsomely as Leonard believes it will for the team to make a longer postseason run.