The Colts had to move on from Gus Bradley

It wasn’t surprising at all.

What is there to say about the defense for the Indianapolis Colts?

It was ugly more times than not. It started early as the Colts seemed to posses zero ability to stop the run. Losses against the Texans and Packers, backed by porous defensive showings put the Colts behind the eight ball. The man that steered that ship for the Colts the past three years is gone, as Gus Bradley was fired on Monday. Affectionately called, “Black Monday” in the NFL, it appears Bradley is the man who is left bearing the bulk of the responsibility for the Colts less than stellar season.

While he certainly doesn’t deserve all of the blame, Bradley had to be held responsible for his fair share. Seeing him fired should come as no surprise after what we witnessed on the field this year. Look no further than the season’s last two games to get an idea of exactly how bad everything has been. Bottom feeders like the Giants and Jaguars put up big numbers against the Colts and at times, seemed to march up and down the field at will. If the decision to move on from Bradley wasn’t already made before the Giants game, which how could it not have been, then that was absolutely the nail in the coffin. Putting up 38 on the defense from that Giants squad was an absolute embarrassment.

If the eye test doesn’t work for you, here are some numbers pointing to how poor Bradley’s defense was in 2024. Stampede Blue’s own, Andrew Aziz, broke down Bradley’s defensive stats, and they are far from impressive.

Bradley’s defense in 2024 ranked 24th in the NFL in terms of points allowed, allowing 25.1 points per game. The unit ranked 28th in the NFL in 2023, allowing 24.8 points per game. The defense this past season also ranked highest in the NFL in terms of missed tackles.

That is simply unacceptable. Yes, Bradley is forced to use the players he has, but his unwillingness to bring pressure or do much of anything other than sit in a soft zone is a direct correlation to those bottom of the barrel numbers.

It will be interesting to see who the Colts bring in as the next defensive coordinator. The good news is that the Colts might not be that far off. Look at the Vikings. Two years ago, their defense was just as awful. They found Brian Flores, and he has worked wonders in Minneapolis. Can the Colts find their version of Flores and turn this thing around? There is still one major stumbling block towards team success, and he will be back in 2025. That is an article for another time, however.