Colts' Captain Sees Room for Improvement on Defense

The former seventh-round pick worked his way into the starting rotation, earning trust from a multitude of coaches, the newest of which is Lou Anarumo. After a stellar start to the season, Franklin thinks the Colts are just getting started.

“Man, obviously I knew we had playmakers," Franklin continued. "I knew Cam (Bynum) was that type of person. He’s proven that in this league. Obviously, we’ve all witnessed Kenny (Moore II) do amazing things before – obviously Nick (Cross) and (Laiatu) Latu... I think this group is just scratching the surface. Hear me when I say this, I think we’re at about 70 percent because we’ve got a lot further to go – a ton of things to clean up from Sunday. So, just looking forward to continuing to growing and improving.”

For a defense that's only at 70% in Franklin's eyes, they sure looked put together. Indianapolis forced three turnovers, leading to 17 points for the offense.

Even though the Colts made plenty of roster changes this offseason, they still played as a unit. Some of those changes came at linebacker, with former starter E.J. Speed departing for the Houston Texans.

In Speed's place, the Colts were expected to start second-year riser Jaylon Carlies. Once Carlies went down with an injury and was placed on IR, Cameron McGrone stepped up.

"Cam (McGrone) has definitely just grown and improved," Franklin said. "I mean, he’s fast. He’s physical. He’s athletic. He likes to run and hit. It’s fun playing out there. I always tease him because he’s a Naptown kid. I told him I might pull up to the Lawrence and Warren game this week. No, but Cam has put in a lot of work to earn his opportunity to be out there. He made a couple plays out there too, so looking forward to seeing him continue to grow.”

Franklin led the league with 173 total tackles last year, setting the tone weekly for the Colts' defense. He earned his first Pro Bowl nomination, but his hunger to improve hasn't gone away.

Franklin and the rest of Anarumo's defense will have their second test against the Denver Broncos in a crucial Week 2 matchup. The Colts have the opportunity to go 2-0 for the first time since 2009, and Franklin could play a major part in making that dream become reality.