Colts Shift Green-Dot Play-Calling to Linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither

Overview

• Colts coach Shane Steichen confirmed Wednesday that linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither will wear the defensive green-dot radio helmet and relay play calls for Week 2 at Kansas City.
• The switch follows Indianapolis’s 41-23 loss to Baltimore in Week 1 when quick Ravens tempo repeatedly left the defense unaligned and exposed the difficulty of having a deep safety handle play-calling.
• Davis-Gaither is a practical choice because he played 94% of the Colts’ defensive snaps in Week 1 and has prior green-dot experience under coordinator Lou Anarumo from his time in Cincinnati.
• Coaches and players say moving the dot to the middle of the defense should calm front-to-back communication, let free safety Cam Bynum concentrate on coverage, and reduce the time needed to relay calls before the snap.
• The change also reflects lingering uncertainty at linebacker after second-round pick CJ Allen was not an every-down option and will be judged immediately in the Chiefs primetime test by whether alignment and third-down defense improve.