James Boyd | Indianapolis Colts Insider, The Athletic

Hey, Rob Bradford here. I have set out on a mission with my good friends at FanDuel to prove what I have known for some time. Baseball isn't boring. Now I have a daily podcast to prove it with some of the most notable people in the baseball world, screaming baseball isn't boring for the mountaintops, or at least agreeing to come on our show. Players, managers, GMs, and yes, even the commissioner of baseball, Rob Manfred. It has been a constant wave of baseball to both powerful voices. So join the revolution, subscribe and soak in baseball isn't boring. Listen on your Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll be glad you did. James Boyd covers the Colts for the athletic and certainly no shortage of storylines right now.

Let's start with the basic. James, what is the latest with Jonathan Taylor? The latest is that he was not with the team for the first time throughout training camp. He had been there previously on the sideline.

The joke among the beats and among the fans is what hoodie is JT going to wear a blue or black hoodie up over his head all day, every day he's been out there, but the last practice he wasn't there. Shane Steichen, the coach would not confirm or deny whether he would get treatment for his ankle on or off site, but the bottom line, he wasn't at practice because of the ankle. And it's just like another chapter in the JT saga because the elephant in the room is using the ankle as a reason to sort of hold out slash hold in without getting fined for missing time with the team.

Because obviously the trade request is not ever ascended and he's given no indication that he wants to play for the cult. So it's just one thing that you kind of have to keep an eye on while you're off to keep an eye on Anthony Richardson. Let's say for the sake of argument, this is straight injury or it is straight physical related. What's going on with that body part? Yeah, so it's a weird thing because he got the ankle messed up last year, played through it and kind of re-aggravated a couple of times, got ankle surgery in January and the timeline for the recovery, I believe it was like two to four weeks or something. Another player on the cult, EJ Speed, got the same surgery on his ankle this off season in his back training and it's fine. And Indianapolis Stars, Nate Atkins reported that it was a two to four week recovery.

And obviously we're six, seven months out now. And so if it is legitimately an injury thing, it's very, very concerning. And also it drives home the point of why the cults would not want to pay him. I don't understand why you want to pay someone, one, because he's a running back, but two, if he's an injured running back. So again, the plot thickens with the ankle injury. Right.

Well, that's what I was saying on my show last night. After an off season, it's kind of concerning that the ankle would still be a problem unless there was a re-aggravation during practice or during these early days of training camp. But you're saying that's not the case because he hasn't actually fully practiced? Yeah, he has not participated in a team activity since the ankle. So no OCA, no veteran mini camp, no training camp. And we asked Shane Stikin about the ankle and if it was re-aggravated, he just said, hey, he's got an ankle.

So it wasn't a yes or a no. Yes, we know he has an ankle. We need to know if the ankle is properly working, which we don't know. So yeah, it's been, again, just a very weird time around the team and with JT, because even when the day he's there, the fans would yell at him, hey, JT, don't leave us.

We love you. This and that. But at the end of the day, there's no reaction from him whatsoever. And again, no indication on his part that he's willing to play for the team. He hasn't spoken since June to the media. But as you all have seen, it's kind of been this back and forth with social media. It died down now, but you know, you got the owner tweeting stuff, the agent, the player, and they got very personal, very fast here in the last few weeks or so. Jim Irsay was pretty strong in his statement that the team is absolutely not trading Jonathan Taylor. If that's the case, what do they do if there's a standoff?

Amy, I read through the CBA for like a day and a half. He has no leverage in the situation. They could basically force him to play unless he really wants to run the risk of trying to take you through an arbitrator at the end of the season. Like read through the CBA, the bottom line is because he hasn't finished out his contract like a Josh Jacobs, like a Saquon Barkley who got franchise tax, because he still has one year left, he really has to play this year out and make sure that he gets what they call an accrued season. If he were not able to get his fourth accrued season and therefore free himself of his contract, then all of this back and forth about not playing, if he were to hold out, basically his contract would freeze. The Colts would continue to own his rights until he comes back and he'd own another season in 2024, so he still wouldn't be free.

Yeah, I read through that thing and I was like, wow, the NFL is the mafia. When you sign a contract, you are in it. You're never getting out unless you get a severe career injury or they cut you or trade you, but if they want you, they have you for as long as that contract says.

Yeah, you make a good point. Players don't have a ton of leverage and it rarely works out when a player is the one who stays away from the team and holds out. It doesn't generally result in the player getting the contract or getting what he is asking for. We're spending a few minutes with James Boyd who covers the Colts for the Athletic, his second big training camp here, and of course, there's drama. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Now, they did have a meeting with Kareem Hunt. What's going on with the running back room then, James, without JT? Yeah, I would say it's not looking too good. I mean, the first day of padded practice, the number one running back in place at JT, Zach Moss, who they traded for last year, he broke his arm. We were watching it and I was thinking, wow, football is so weird and finicky and he broke his arm on a routine just play where he stuck it out, I believe, after going a short run and kind of came down funny and broke it. And so he's out four to six weeks and could possibly be back by the start of the season, but even then, they don't really know for sure. Ideally, he'd probably be back by week two. And then on top of that, the top guy after him, Deon Jackson, he's now out with an undisclosed injury.

We haven't had a chance to ask Shane Spiken about it. When we do, we'll have to figure out like, okay, how long could he be out because he missed his practice. And so they're down to a rookie. They signed Kenyon Drake, who's a veteran, but he's kind of got to tread on the tires and I'm sure they don't want him to be the starting running back at the beginning of the season. So now it's like, they're just trying to find, you know, bodies to sort of throw at this thing and stay afloat for the most part, which is why they reached out to, I would imagine Kareem Hunt, who still has other people that are interested in him. At the end of the day, they need reinforcements and they need a lot of help, but the biggest help will be Jonathan Taylor. I just don't know what else they could really do beyond that. I mean, they signed Jason Huntley, a running back today, who has been like a practice squad guy throughout his career.

Shane Spiken's familiar with him, but at the end of the day, they don't really have a starting caliber running back on their roster right now. So they need some bodies to, again, stay afloat, but also maybe to kind of ride them, you know, in the early part of the season. I love that that's the bottom line right now. We just need some bodies. Somebody, anybody, get out there at the running back position. It's true.

I mean, I would be lying to you if I didn't tell it like it is. And that's basically how it's gone down is, okay, you're missing people. You need somebody to go out there and at least have your rookie quarterback handing it off to more than one or two guys. And as we know, with running back, you know, it's a very dinged up position. You can get hurt pretty quickly, as we've seen. And so I think the injury to Zach Moss kind of proved JT's point. Like, I don't want to come back and play this season and play this year out while I'm not getting that long-term job security.

Because if I get hurt, they're going to just throw me to the side. Because Zach Moss is also in the contract here and just got hurt. So again, he'll be back around the start of the season, but it's still not ideal for him either.

As you point out, and I was about to transition, you beat me to it. This is a tough year for it with the Colts because they could really use the veteran presence and the skill of Jonathan Taylor if in fact they're going with Anthony Richardson as they're starting QB. But right now, who is their starting QB, James?

They have an oar on their depth chart for Saturday's preseason opener against Buffalo that lets you know how much they don't want to tell us. But I'll say this, I do think that when week one comes, they'll start Anthony Richardson. I was not maybe as high on saying that a few weeks ago, a few months ago, but just throughout the offseason, I think that they've been pretty even, Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew, throughout training camp, where Gardner Minshew is more accurate and more consistent. Anthony Richardson provides all the wow plays, all the down-the-field play, all the big runs, things like that.

So I think that wow factor kind of gives him a slight edge. And again, you invested in him with the number four pick for him to be your franchise guy. You know what you have with Gardner Minshew. You don't know what you have with Anthony Richardson. So again, as long as he's not a deer in the headlights, put him out there, let him take his lump, and hope that you have a franchise guy. Do you expect them both to play in this preseason game against the Bills?

Yes, I do. I think that they both will play, because again, even though Gardner Minshew is familiar with Shane Stike and still a new team for him as well, you want to make sure that he at least knows some familiarity with these guys. And Anthony Richardson, reps, reps, reps. Play the guy as much as you can, because he hasn't played much in college, really just in his life. He hasn't started back-to-back seasons at quarterback since high school, so play the guy. James Boyd is with us talking about Colts and training camp as they get set for their preseason opener against the Bills in western New York.

It's after hours here on CBS Sports Radio. Shane Stike and obviously another brand new coach. You've got a rookie quarterback, you've got a rookie at the coaching position, but what stands out about him to this point?

Straightforward. We joke that he is the shortest transcript of all coaches we've ever had because he doesn't say much beyond the game plan, what he sees, what he doesn't see, what he likes, what he doesn't like, but he's very straightforward. Truly an all-football type of guy and someone I think that a lot of the players have grown a lot of respect for in these months since he's been hired because he's so detail-oriented and I think that's a good thing for them. And it's definitely what they need considering his quarterback background, how he's helped Justin Herbert, Phillip Rivers, obviously Jalen Hurts, and so if he can do that same sort of magic with Anthony Richardson, he'd be beloved here in Indianapolis for a very long time. As they get set for their three preseason games, what are you looking for personally? What do you want to see from the Colts even as you've covered some of these different storylines over the course of the last few months? Obviously the biggest thing is Anthony Richardson. You want to see him as much as possible just to kind of get a feel for his growth, his development.

That's number one. That's going to be the number one forever as long as he's in the Colts' uniform because if they hit on this guy, if he ends up being a superstar, obviously that's a huge win for the franchise. But beyond that, I think I'm also interested to see if Shaq Leonard plays any preseason games. This is a guy who is a four-time All-Pro, three-time first-team All-Pro, but has been banged up the last couple of seasons and so you wonder if he can get back to being that dominant turnover force in the middle of the defense and also just that defensive secondary because they're really, really, really young.

They were already thin. They traded Stephon Gilmore so now they only have Kenny Moore who's like the only real returning veteran on this team. He's only got to start over four games for them at cornerback so the rest of these guys are undrafted or rookies. You have to wonder how many of these guys are going to stack up when they get called upon. James, last year the offensive line turned out to be a major disappointment. It had been so strong the year before in what was Jonathan Taylor's incredible season. Looking at it now, obviously, Quentin Nilsen is still part of it. Ryan Kelly, they've got some veterans on the line. How would you describe where the line's at right now?

I have no idea. They made no changes and that's what gives me the most nerves going into the season. I know a lot of people were very high on the coach's draft class. I think they had a good haul but I was like, man, you all didn't draft anybody really high to address your offensive line. It's particularly at right guard and left tackle.

Bernard Ryman came along the last year, Will Fries. He's still kind of iffy to me as a starting caliber right guard in the NFL but they haven't added any veterans in free agency and so it seems like the only change they made was hiring Tony Sperano Jr. as your offensive line coach. I was joking with people around the beat and I'm like, man, this guy must be a magician because if he isn't, this is going to be a huge misfire by their team because how can you evaluate Anthony Richardson if he's running for his life like every quarterback was last year? Maybe that's why they draft a quarterback who is quick on his feet?

I mean, it would help for sure but everybody still would like to be in a calm setting in the pocket. So James, when you think about the AFC South, Jacksonville overtook the Tennessee Titans. We know that Houston's kind of starting fresh with Tamika Ryans and their own rookie quarterback in C.J.

Stroud. So what stands out about the division, the AFC South as we get set for this season? To me, the biggest thing is just Jacksonville, can they take that next step to sort of own the division because it seems like that's what they are trending to do and then adding Calvin Ridley to that team, it seems like a huge boost. I mean, anytime a team can add a 1,400-yard receiver who's fully healthy and all those things, it changes the dynamic a lot.

And so I feel like they're top dogs. And then obviously, I think for the Colts, can you just have a respectable season where you're not getting embarrassed or bullied by Tennessee like you do teams like every single year? I'm sure that drives the Colts crazy. And then also with Houston, up-and-coming team, they're working through some things, but in my opinion on paper, they're the weakest team in the division. And in my opinion, the Colts cannot go winless against them again this year. You have to at least get one game against Houston. The Jacksonville Jaguars, the way that they surged toward the end of last season, you kind of got the sense that it was that connection between Doug Peterson and Trevor Lawrence that was really paying dividends.

They speak the same language. So thinking about Shane Steichen, a guy who has worked with quarterbacks, maybe that same type of learning curve, even though Richardson's a rookie and has fewer games under his belt, there's always that potential. Absolutely. And I go back to 2021 Jalen Hurts before he was a superstar when they were really, really, really weren't run heavy, snuck into the playoffs in Philadelphia. I think that Shane Steichen did a good job of making the game simple for him and kind of helping him along before he made that jump last year into being a superstar. So I would look at that season and kind of hope if I'm a Colts fan or if I'm Colts staff, that it can be mirrored with Anthony Richardson this year where you kind of bring him along slowly. Yes, you have your growing pains, but more or less, you kind of know that you're going to run the ball heavily, but also give him opportunities to have some of those safer throws to build his confidence. And hopefully in a couple of years, you're looking at him as a superstar in the NFL.

Yeah, looking forward to seeing it. Before I let you go, this is your second year on the Colts beat. So I guess this would be your sophomore season. When you think back to your rookie campaign there, James, what are you most looking forward to this season? I think I'm most looking forward to just building better relationships with the guys in the locker room.

I think last year, a lot of it was just, where do I stand? You know, who do I talk to? How do I get to this arena or whatever?

Or, you know, when I go to practice, where do I sit? All those different things. And now I feel more comfortable.

Faces look more familiar. So I'm looking forward to building better relationships, getting better sourcing, which will obviously lead to better reporting. Oh yeah, no shortcut to experience. And so you've got a good year under your belt and it's not going to be boring, that's for sure. When is the NFL ever boring though, right?

It never is. And the joke around the beat is that when I joined, everyone told me, hey, the Colts are pretty low key, this is how it's going to go, yada, yada, yada. Even for a guy, we have a guy on our beat, Mike Chappell, he's been covering the Colts since they moved to Indianapolis in 1984.

It's his 40th season this year. Whoa. And he's telling me, you know, hey James, you know, even I haven't been through this.

We're all going through this together. Nice. All right. Well, you can find James Boyd on Twitter at Romeoville Kid.

He covers the Colts for the athletic. Thank you again for a couple of minutes. It's so good to connect with you. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

You keep up the great work as well. The official Winning Time podcast from HBO is back. I'm Rodney Barnes, executive producer on the show. Magic and the Lakers are back to defend their title. Join me as I break down each new episode with sportswriter Jeff Pearlman and the actors, directors and key collaborators who brought the 1980s Showtime Lakers to life. It's not about basketball. It's about winning. Listen to HBO's official Winning Time podcast on Sundays after the show airs on Max.