Colts’ LB Zaire Franklin recently discussed the added motivation and competition he has seen from the team this offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off another disappointing season. While they found themselves in the AFC wildcard hunt late in the year, the inconsistency was ultimately too much to overcome, as they finished the year 8-9 and out of the playoffs once again.

There is blame to be shared on both sides of the football for the Colts‘ overall performance and record last season, but as Zaire Franklin discussed recently on Sirius XM’s NFL radio, had the defense been better, he believes that Indianapolis would have been a playoff team.

“Defensively, we should’ve been better,” Franklin said, via NFL.com. “I feel like if we were a better unit last year, we would’ve been a playoff team. That’s really my biggest focus is making sure I’m doing a good job of not only setting a good example for myself, but for the defense as well.”

To remedy this, GM Chris Ballard made some changes and some fairly big investments–both in salary cap space and draft capital–on the defensive side of the ball this offseason.

In free agency, Ballard would pay big money to bring in cornerback Charvarius Ward and safety Cam Bynum to help reshape the secondary. In the draft, he selected cornerback Justin Walley in the top 100 and again invested in the defensive front by taking defensive end JT Tuimoloau.

Also not to be overlooked is the addition of Lou Anarumo as the defensive coordinator. His more aggressive and disguise-heavy scheme can hopefully elevate the play of this entire unit.

Until proven otherwise, there are going to be question marks around the quarterback position for the Colts. However, better play from the defense, which means more turnovers and getting off the field on third downs more regularly, can help the offense out by providing them with more opportunities and by keeping points off the board.

“We were a couple really bad plays away from being a playoff team last year, so with the additions we made this offseason, just that added motivation, competition is all around,” Franklin said.

“I think coach Shane (Steichen) did a great job this spring of adding competition to every element of the building. I’ve been in the building for a while, this is going on my eighth year with the Colts, and I definitely say this is one of the most hungry locker rooms that we’ve had. Usually when you’ve got a locker room of hungry, talented guys, that usually produces wins.”