The Indianapolis Colts are looking for answers after a 41-23 drubbing at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, and it seems at least one big change is coming. The Colts have decided that linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither will wear the helmet transmitter, not safety Cam Bynum, who "was struggling to play deep in the secondary and also run the huddle," according to ESPN Colts reporter Stephen Holder. Holder was clear that the issues were not an indictment of Bynum; instead, it was a poor decision by the coaching staff.
"No one blamed Cam Bynum and I don’t think anyone should point fingers at him," Holder wrote. "They put him in a tough spot and the coaches have defended him. I think he did his best but it was a bad plan.
Blame the coaches, not him." "To expound on this: It was always a bad plan. And it's disappointing the Colts thought otherwise," he wrote. "There's a reason NO ONE else in the league does this.
It's too hard on the safety and it destabilizes the defense when they're not settled pre-snap." As evidence, Holder linked to Bynum essentially explaining the same thing after Sunday's loss. In particular, Bynum pointed to trouble when he covered receivers on deep routes, forcing him to sprint dozens of yards back in coverage, then try to return to the defensive huddle in time to get the defense set before the next play. "There's a few scenarios where it's a deep ball and I'm playing post safety, and I'm running to the ball, it's an incomplete pass and now I have to run back to the huddle," he said.
"I'm not saying it's not possible, but there's times where, if the offense is on the ball quick and I'm coming from far, I'm running back to the huddle listening to the call and trying to get it back." Bynum will surely be happy to see Davis-Gaither get the tell-tale green dot on his helmet, an arrangement he thinks will benefit the whole team. "Like I said, I think it's really good for a linebacker to do it, and I think it will help the defense also play a lot better this week," he said.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
