The Indianapolis Colts were decimated by injury and Covid-19 list additions prior to this past game against the Arizona Cardinals. One of the positions hit the hardest was at safety.
With Andrew Sendejo out with a concussion and Khari Willis on the Covid-19 list, the Colts were down to their reserves in this game. Luckily, replacements George Odum and Jahleel Addae filled in wonderfully and helped propel the Colts to a 22-16 victory.
Focusing just on Odum, this isn't something that is new for him. He always seems to play well whenever he is given a chance on defense. The problem is, he rarely gets those opportunities, despite strong play.
In today's piece, I dive into how Odum performed on Saturday and talk about why it is finally time to get him more involved on defense.
Game Against the Cardinals
It may have not been a remarkable game by any means for Odum, but he made a few splash plays on the back end of the defense. One thing that has always stood out to me is the speed that he plays with.
While he may not have tested as the fastest player on the defense, he has a different level of play-speed than most players. This is perfect for the Colts with how they deploy their safeties.
Odum can seamlessly play over the top, like he did on this deep over route late in the game. Look at how he transitions and turns in stride with the receiver. This is easy speed to get the pass breakup.
That speed is also a big asset when he has to come up and fill against the run. Look at how quick he is in closing the space between himself and the ball carrier on this option run.
His closing speed prevents this run from being much bigger than what it ended up netting.
Odum flashed all over the field on Saturday and was a major reason why the Colts were able to shutdown this Cardinals' passing attack.
What the Coaches Had to Say
Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus had quite a bit of praise for Odum in his press conference earlier today. Here is his full quote on what Odum brings to the defense whenever he is in the game:
I would say that he’s ready. He’s always ready, he’s always engaged in the meetings and when he’s in that third safety role or that particular role that we’re in where Julian (Blackmon) is healthy, Khari (Willis) is healthy and he’s playing that backup role, he just stays ready. That’s a tribute to him and his coaches like I said.
Then, his physical attributes. He’s a tremendous athlete, he can cover a lot of space. You saw that on the deep-ball throw on Saturday, his ability to make up space and recover and to track the ball in the deep part of the field. That’s what he’s always done. You can go back to the Kansas City game that he played in up in Arrowhead when we played up there. He does a nice job with that. He’s got tremendous range, he’s got really good tackling skill from the middle part of the field and tremendous range to be able to get that done.
Like I said, he was ready when his opportunity came and that’s what we’re going to need going down the stretch here because opportunities are going to come to backup players in a minute’s notice and you have to be ready to go and those guys are. It’s about being able to do your assignment and do it in a violent, physical way and he’s been able to do that.
So if he is always ready and a great presence whenever he is on the field, why is he not a full time starter?
It All Comes Down To Special Teams
Unfortunately it always comes down to special teams. The explanation that I have gotten quite a bit (and this stays in line with what most beat guys are hearing too) is that Odum is too valuable to special teams to be a full time starter on defense.
While I understand that special teams are extremely valuable and Odum is a big piece of that unit, it is vital to have your best players out there on the defensive side of the ball.
Andrew Sendejo has done a fine job filling in for Julian Blackmon this year, but this defense would be much better (especially against the pass) with an athletic player like Odum in the starting lineup.
Using the special teams explanation just doesn't make sense to me when we have seen a player like Isaiah Rodgers handle a major role at cornerback and his typical special team duties all season. Ashton Dulin is another player that has seen quite a bit of work on offense and special teams.
I understand the Colts not wanting a core special teams player to get hurt on defense, but hurting your defense in order to preserve special teams seems like a poor process in my eyes.
Final Thoughts
George Odum is currently in his fourth year with the Indianapolis Colts. He has played a decent amount of snaps on defense, but has mostly been relegated to spot starts in place of injured players.
It is time to get this guy on the field more. He has seen 41% of the total defensive snaps this season, but he has taken a backseat every time the starting duo is healthy (he logged 11 combined snaps in weeks 13 and 15).
Odum is a special athlete that makes big plays at the safety position. He gives the Colts the best chance to win when he is at safety. As the Colts get ready for the final playoff push, Odum needs to be one of the starting safeties each and every week.
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