Was Lou Anarumo The Colts Top Choice?
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The Indianapolis Colts have reportedly found their new defensive coordinator.
Lou Anarumo, who served as the Bengals defensive coordinator from 2019 until the end of the Bengals 2024-25 season, will be joining the Colts in that same capacity for next season.
The best season for the Bengals defense under Anarumo was in 2022, when they finished 16th in yards and 6th in points allowed. Outside of 2022 however, his Bengals defenses were statistically below average in his six seasons at the helm:
- 2019 – 29th in points, 25th in yards
- 2020 – 26th in yards, 22nd in points
- 2021 – 18th in yards, 17th in points
- 2022 – 16th in yards, 6th in points
- 2023 – 31st in yards, 21st in points
- 2024 – 25th in yards, 25th in points.
Now, Anarumo will have a tall task ahead of him, as he attempts to revitalize a Colts defense that has also left a lot to be desired, all while dealing with the reality that he could be a one-and-done defensive coordinator here if the Colts once again miss the playoffs and finally decide to clean house. It’s not exactly an optimal situation, and it makes you wonder if Anarumo really was the preferred candidate, or if the Colts had to make do with who they could get. It also may not really matter who the defensive coordinator is; as many will say, it’s “players, not plays”, which falls on general manager Chris Ballard. Unless Ballard is willing to change his approach and bring in some real impact players on that side of the ball, the Colts could find themselves dealing with the same defensive issues that have plagued them for years.
During the Monday edition of The Ride With JMV, John spoke to Stephen Holder of ESPN about the Colts hiring Anarumo, and if he was their top choice for the role.
“Dennis Allen as a defensive coordinator has never been questioned, his acumen has never been questioned as a defensive coordinator. I would say he was probably the guy in most demand…Lou Anarumo, probably not as high on the list, but here’s what the Colts like about him from what I’m told. The reporting I’ve done is that they really like the fact that he has multiplicity in his approach. Now, what I mean by that is a couple things; he’s going to give you different looks, different fronts; you’re going to see different tactics as a quarterback when you’re looking at that defense. That is a 180-dgree difference from Gus Bradley…The other thing I would say is that you’re going to see more aggressiveness…You have to, at times, get aggressive, and that’s where the Colts have differed from a lot of other teams, where they have not at times deviated and gotten more aggressive; Anarumo will do that.”
Listen to JMV’s full conversation with Stephen Holder down below, and tune into The Ride With JMV weekdays from 3-6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan!
Was Lou Anarumo The Colts Top Choice? was originally published on 1075thefan.com
