Indianapolis Colts: Rookie T.J. Green Will Start at Safety
By Kyle Nishida
With starting safety Clayton Geathers still recovering from his foot injury, the Indianapolis Colts will be relying on rookie T.J. Green to fill the void.
Geathers has been rehabbing since the start of training camp and have been progress well. However, it is unlikely he will be ready to start, or even play, by Week 1. As a result, Green will get the start against the Detroit Lions.
This is a drastic deviation from the initial plan the Colts had for their second round pick. Originally, they planned to rotate Green in numerous defensive packages to protect from being exposed early.
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However, those plans have changed. Now, the Colts need Green to perform on the big stage immediately, which is something they know he can do.
As defensive coordinator Ted Monachino said, they used a second round on Green for a reason.
"“We didn’t draft him to continue to improve at the little things, we drafted him because the guy has tremendous skill and great recoverability, and he shows that over and over again. He is an excellent tackler in the run game and he has great range in the back end. As he continues to develop, grow, gain experience and maturity, then he is only going to get better and better.”"
Green will most likely play almost every defensive down for the Colts until Geathers returns. Also, the Colts will rely on him to make key plays because their secondary as a whole is also thin.
Veteran cornerback Vontae Davis will likely miss the first month of the season. Also, Darius Butler and D’Joun Smith have been banged up with nagging injuries throughout the preseason.
With these injuries, the Colts will likely start Antonio Cromartie and Patrick Robinson at the cornerback positions. Meanwhile, veteran safety Mike Adams will start alongside Green.
It is a less-than-ideal starting secondary. However, it is the best unit the Colts’ can currently put on the field.
There is a lot of pressure on Green to perform well immediately, but head coach Chuck Pagano believes Green can handle it. Pagano also mentioned Green may make a few mistakes along the way.
"“As he progresses leading up to the (September) 11th, I have full confidence that T.J. is going to go out and play winning football for us. There are going to be some hiccups; he is a rookie.”"
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The Colts have other issues they need to clean up before the season opener on September 11. However, the secondary is definitely one of their more pressing issues. It will be interesting to see how this team looks when they take the field against the Detroit Lions.