Lou Anarumo didn't shy away from what happened with the Colts' defense Sunday, referring to allowing the Baltimore Ravens to churn out 506 yards of total offense and 7.9 yards per play as, succinctly, a "bad game."
But the veteran defensive coordinator on Tuesday also expressed confidence he, his coaches and players can fix the issues that led to Baltimore scoring 41 points in Week 1.
"It always starts with me and we have to do a better job," Anarumo said. "I have to do a better job getting the guys ready to go. But I think that after watching it, after showing it to the guys yesterday, they feel better about how to proceed going forward. And we'll make sure it doesn't happen again."
A few key things Anarumo discussed during a media session on Tuesday:
Defensive communication
Both safety Cam Bynum – who was the "green dot" guy communicating the defense – and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner pointed to alignment issues against the Ravens following Sunday's game. One example: On Zay Flowers' 49-yard reception on Baltimore's first play of the game, several players were pointing and moving when Lamar Jackson snapped the ball.
Part of it was the Colts being caught off guard, Anarumo said, by how quickly the Ravens went from breaking the huddle to snapping the ball. On this particular play, Jackson received the snap about five seconds after breaking the huddle (for reference, on the Ravens' first play of their next drive, the gap from breaking the huddle to snapping the ball was about 10 seconds).
Baltimore's tempo from huddle to snap varied, but when their offense operated quickly, it stressed communication for a defense that also had Bynum communicating the defensive calls for the first time in a regular season environment.
Anarumo said he and Colts coaches are evaluating "everything" after Sunday's game.
"It's certainly not just on Cam, but we've got to evaluate everything we do," Anarumo said. "How was the flow of all that? And that's what we were focused on yesterday and certainly throughout the course of today."
Justin Walley's play
Walley drew an extremely challenging assignment in Flowers, who was second in the AFC in receptions last year and has posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons while establishing himself as one of the league's best slot receivers.
Flowers picked up chunk gains on a handful of snaps with Walley in coverage, but Anarumo and the Colts aren't willing to throw away weeks of strong practice performances from the 2025 third-round pick after his NFL debut (Walley missed the entire 2025 season with a torn ACL).
Throughout camp, Anarumo, head coach Shane Steichen and several teammates all roundly praised Walley's coverage skills and energetic mentality.
"We're not going to waver on Justin Walley because of one bad game," Anarumo said. "We don't have time for any bad games, but he's going to be a good player. He's proven that through the spring into training camp and through the preseason stuff. So, he'll be better with every game that he plays and he needs reps, and he's going to get them."
The rotation at linebacker
The Colts started Akeem Davis-Gaither (64 snaps) and Jaylon Carlies (42 snaps) with rookie Bryce Boettcher (23 snaps) subbing in at times; rookie CJ Allen did not play. Anarumo chalked up Allen's situation to the 2026 second-round pick being set back nearly a month due to two injuries just before and then during training camp.
Anarumo, too, added he's confident in where Allen will eventually wind up.
"CJ is getting better every day, so I am not down on him at all," Anarumo said. "He's a rookie. It takes some time, especially at his position, but he's really progressing the way we want to and every day he gets better physically."
Expect to see Anarumo continue to rotate his linebackers based on situations early in the season.
"Just think early in the season, as we work through it, keeping those guys in particular situations, particular packages where they can learn and grow, and the more they learn, the more they grow, the more they'll get," Anarumo said. "And we're not going to try to overload anybody too early, especially a young guy."
