Colts Announce the Hiring. The city of Indianapolis The Colts are changing their defensive strategy.
The new defensive coordinator has led a team that has climbed to the top of the mountain and one that was recently in the NFL’s bottom half.
Lou Anarumo, the former defensive coordinator for the Bengals, allegedly reached an agreement with the Colts on Monday afternoon.
The 58-year-old Lou Anarumo was let go by the Bengals earlier this month after serving six years as their defensive coordinator. However, Shane Steichen and the Colts have decided to bring him back into the coaching ranks.
Known for his expertise in the defensive secondary, Anarumo is highly regarded for his ability to implement versatile, multi-coverage defensive schemes.
Anarumo’s defense was instrumental in ratting a number of quarterbacks throughout Cincinnati’s successful seasons in 2020 and 2021, including frequently making game-winning plays. Colts Announce the Hiring
Against Anarumo defenses, Patrick Mahomes in particular had significant problems. Teams’ offensive output frequently declined as the game progressed against Anarumo’s units during those Bengals postseason runs.
Although Anarumo and Shane Steichen are not directly related, the Colts head coach has been impressed by his new DC in previous meetings.
As the Chargers’ offensive coordinator at the time, Steichen’s attack was limited to 16 points (1 touchdown in 13 offensive drives) by Anarumo’s defense in Cincy during the 2020 season opener.
In December 2023, Anarumo once again had Steichen’s number when the Colts lost against the Bengals 34–13, scoring just one offensive touchdown on ten possessions.
Steichen gave credit to a “unique, rare look” that Anarumo threw at him during the 2024 Colts vs. Bengals preseason game, which resulted in an Anthony Richardson incompletion.
After the match against Anarumo, Steichen stated, “We were just trying to wrap around the coverage, and they were playing a cloud match carry coverage.” It was a distinctive style. As coaches, we can also learn a lot from it. For example, if we receive this look, which is uncommon, we should run it this way to ensure that it is instructive.
Under former Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley, blitz rate was a contentious issue.
Trey Hendrickson was a top-sacker for the Bengals in Cincinnati, which helped them avoid being a team with a high blitz rate.
The Bengals’ blitz percentage rankings throughout the six seasons under Anarumo were as follows: 21st, 26th, 22nd, 17th, 15th, and 10th.
An inability to nurture a lot of youthful talent, especially in his later years, was a question in the Anarumo era.
The Bengals suffered greatly after veteran safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates left. For the Colts, safety play has been a concern in previous years.
Anarumo will join a defense in Indianapolis that has nine of its eleven starters back (LB E.J. Speed and S. Julian Blackmon are free agents).
Anarumo’s arrival may result in some personnel changes for the Indianapolis team, which will be interesting to observe when the Colts offseason gets underway.
Anarumo did serve as Purdue’s defensive backs coach for eight seasons (2004–11) from a local perspective. Anarumo then went on to play for the Dolphins before joining the Cincinnati DC in 2019. Colts Announce the Hiring
Fans of the Colts, who want a change in coordinator, anticipate that Anarumo will increase blitz pressure a little bit and emphasize coverage disguise more than Bradley did.
