Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer: No Blitzburgh necessary

Indianapolis Colts S Bob Sanders (AP Photo)

Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Larry Coyer likes his new situation. A lot.

Coyer, a silver-haired, pipe-smoking, 45-year coaching veteran with a reputation for blitzing, said that only makes sense. There is, he said, very much to like about his new team.

The players. The coaches.

The winning attitude that permeates throughout the organization.

But when Coyer on Friday met with members of the media for the first time in 2009 training camp, he said there was one notion for which he didn't particularly care:

The idea that because of his presence the Colts are changing their defense. Or that the Colts suddenly will become Blitzburgh.

That, Coyer said, is simply not the case.

“We did Blitzburgh,” Coyer said, referring to the Denver Broncos team he coordinated in 2005, a team that went 13-3 and won the AFC West title and a team whose sacks leader was safety John Lynch (four). “We won 13 games, but I think that's for a special time and special place. We were Blitzburgh because we couldn't rush with four.

“I think here everybody knows we have a chance to run with four.”

After an offseason filled with speculation on the blogosphere and in the media regarding just what the addition of Coyer would mean to the Colts' defense, Coyer addressed some specifics Friday. A specific he said was far more important than how much the Colts will blitz is how they will approach third down:

Third down we've been (ranked) in the 30s – we can't do that. It has to do with the number of plays in the drive. Teams can eat up the clock. We can't let that happen. That's a state-of-mind, too. We have to be able to hold them on 3rd-and-3 and 4. That's a major for us.

If that means a big play or two allowed, Coyer said that's a necessary risk.

There's always risk reward. I used to coach with the run-and-shoot. Sometimes, it was better to let them score fast than to let them keep the ball. I'm kidding about that, but sometimes if they can sustain a drive, all you do is diminish your offense's chances to come back and win the game. We have to give our offense more possessions. We have to get our defense on the sidelines – they know that – for our defense's sake. Third down is a critical deal.

Coyer talked a lot Friday about attitude, and specifically the attitudes of the defenses he coordinated in Denver and those with which he worked in Tampa the past two seasons. There, he said, the expectations each week were of a shutout, to create turnovers, to make plays. He said he expects the Colts' defense will be that sort of defense:

That's our plan. Let's tee it up.

Without question Coyer has made a quick impact around the Colts and it remains an intriguing question just how much the defense will change. Players have excitedly discussed a more aggressive approach, but the reality is that because the Colts hardly ever blitzed under former Head Coach Tony Dungy and Defensive Coordinator Ron Meeks, any blitzing will be more aggressive. The third-down approach also runs counter to that which Dungy believed -- that it was OK to give up lengthy drives so long as big plays weren't allowed. Most likely the Colts will be what Caldwell and Coyer have been discussing in recent weeks -- the same defensive philosophy as past seasons (i.e., a unit that emphasizes pressure from the front four) with more aggressiveness than before.

Exactly what will that entail? That likely won't be known until the regular season.

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EXAMINER SERIES: TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH THE COLTS . . .

1) Will Jim Sorgi be the backup quarterback?

2) Will Special Teams be Special?

3) Who will be the Colts' breakout player in 2009?

4) Will loss of former Head Coach Tony Dungy hurt in 2009?