INDIANAPOLIS — Football is football no matter what jersey you’re wearing, but moving from one defensive scheme to another is similar to learning a new language.
Certain concepts may be the same, but one coach will call it something different. One coach may want a route concept defended differently than another, requiring different technique that may not come naturally to a player.
Colts cornerback Mekhi Blackmon is undergoing a crash course in defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo‘s scheme ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Denver Broncos.
Blackmon, a Minnesota Vikings third-round pick in 2023, was traded to the Colts on Aug. 25 after missing all of the 2024 season with an injury. Less than three weeks later, the former USC defensive back played 22 snaps against the Miami Dolphins, recording three tackles. Heading into Week 2, injuries to Jaylon Jones (hamstring) and Charvarius Ward (concussion) could thrust Blackmon into a starting role.
“I thought he did a great job coming in. He put in the time and put in the work,” Steichen said of Blackmon. “He was always in with the DB coaches, Jerome Henderson, he spent a long time with him. I walked past his office when he signed and he was in there all day, every day learning the system.
“Credit to (Mehki), credit to Jerome, credit to (secondary coach) Chris (Hewitt) for getting him up to speed as fast as possible.”
Blackmon said the toughest transition he’s faced since joining the Colts is learning the verbiage of the playbook. Players play fastest when they know what they’re doing. In Indy, he’s having to unlearn how he did things with the Vikings and adjust to how Anarumo wants him to play.
“Just trying to basically forget everything I learned over there and learn the terminology here, but football is universal, so it’s kind of like the same thing,” Blackmon said. “Just getting caught up to their terms, how they run defense and the techniques they want to run.”
Blackmon’s 22 snaps accounted for 46% of the Colts total defensive snaps. Kenny Moore II and Ward played 94% of the defensive snaps. If Ward can’t play due to a concussion, Blackmon’s snap percentage could double.
Playing more snaps gives the Denver offense plenty of chances to test just how fast Blackmon has learned his role. If a cornerback is out of place, the entire coverage scheme is compromised. Communication between defenders helps limit the big coverage busts, and safety Cam Bynum is making sure Blackmon is on the same page with the rest of the defense.
Bynum and Blackmon played together in Minnesota during the 2023 season. Their knowledge of that scheme allows Bynum to serve as a translator of sorts, putting the Colts terminology into terms Blackmon understands coming from Minnesota.
“For a new guy, he has to know every single responsibility that he has, and I feel like that’s my job as a safety, even if we get the play call and I have to tell them, ‘Okay, this is your technique you’re playing that specific play.’ … That’s something I’m always reminding my corners so we’re all on the same page,” Bynum said.
“At the end of the day, constant communication is the key to really fixing everything.”
Blackmon served as Indy’s “speed” corner against the Dolphins. Dolphins receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are smaller players with elite speed. The Broncos have a smaller speed player in Marvin Mims Jr., but they also have a big-bodied receiver in Courtland Sutton, and a route-running technician in Troy Franklin. Bynum said knowing how each receiver plays is a big key in stopping the big play.
“If it’s a speed guy, if it’s the big body, that they just throw 50-50 balls up to, really knowing how they’re gonna attack you with which person is the most important thing,” Bynum said. “You have to know how an offense will attack you, and that’ll help you expect what’s going to come next.”
Joel A. Erickson covers the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.