defense appears to be rounding into form.Rookie linebacker Darius Leonard leads the league in tackles. Safeties Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker look healthy. The sacks and turnovers are up https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Andrew-Luck-Jersey , the miscues are down and first-year defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus sees things coming together.No, it’s not a perfect start but for a defense that has traditionally finished near the bottom of the league, this is progress.“It’s not as clean as it should be in terms of execution,” Eberflus said Tuesday. “The alignments are off a little bit and the angles we tackle at have to improve, but you can see the guys understand it (the system) a little better.”Eberflus expected the transition from the previous 3-4 front to the more traditional 4-3 to take time.But things have gone faster and smoother than almost anyone anticipated.Three weeks into the season, the Colts’ defense is ranked No. 16 overall and No. 15 against both the run and the pass. Only 12 teams have allowed fewer points than Indy’s 63.With 10 sacks, Indy is almost halfway to last season’s 16-game total (25) and only seven teams have more takeaways than the Colts (five).The biggest beneficiary has been Leonard, a second-round draft pick out of South Carolina State who already has 41 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery as he continues to learn the system.“Football is football, so I think it’s pretty easy,” he said. “I think it’s really just about just how hard we practice, 24-7. We practice hard.”Leonard isn’t the only one thriving in Eberflus’ system, the same version made popular by Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy in Tampa Bay.The oft-injured Geathers produced a career-high 11 tackles each of the past two weeks. Defensive end Margus Hunt already has a career-high three sacks to go along with 10 tackles — more than he’s had in four of his first six NFL seasons.Hooker, Indy’s first-round pick in 2017, is flashing the playmaking ability Indy detected in college as his teammates get in sync.“I feel like we’re in a good spot, but we’ve still got a lot of work to put in,” Hooker said. “I think it’s guys buying into the coaching Josh Ferguson Jersey , believing (other) guys are running to the ball and just being physical out there.”Clearly, this is far from a finished product.While the defense has kept the Colts within striking distance, breakdowns still occur.In Sunday’s 20-16 loss at Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, the defense allowed Carson Wentz to burn nearly 11½ minutes on a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in the go-ahead touchdown. Indy aided the drive with four penalties, including a holding call on defensive end Jabaal Sheard after it appeared Indy had stopped Philadelphia on fourth-and-5 at the Colts 42.“I think he was just in there and it just happened. He was trying to run a stunt and it just happened,” Eberflus said. “We want no foolish penalties. So it comes down to judgment, concentration and self-control. Really, it comes down to those three categories and we’ll get better at it.”The improvements cannot be ignored.Over the previous three seasons, the Colts allowed 5.7, 6.0 and 5.7 yards per play. Not surprisingly, they missed the playoffs all three seasons.This year that number is down to 5.3 though Eberflus expects the number to continue dropping as players become more accustomed to their new roles. Eberflus is working with seven new starters and an eighth player, Sheard, who moved from outside linebacker back to defensive end.There could be more help on the way, too.Rookie defensive linemen Kemoko Turay showed signs of his pass-rushing potential in Sunday’s game, and Tyquan Lewis remains on injured reserve with an injured toe. Both were second-round picks.But even without those guys making a huge impact so far, Eberflus believes the defense is on schedule.“One of my mentors in coaching said, ‘You get what you emphasize and if you emphasize too much you don’t get anything,'” Eberflus said. “I think if you just hang your hat on a couple things T.J. Green Color Rush Jersey , the rudiments of the game, that’s what you’ll see on tape. You’ve got to do a good job of coaching it up.”Notes: Indy has claimed cornerback Arthur Maulet off waivers from New Orleans and released running back Christine Michael. … The Colts also signed offensive tackle Rees Odhiambo and cornerback Lenzy Pipkins to the practice squad after releasing offensive tackle Will Holden and cornerback Tarvarus McFadden from the practice squad. INDIANAPOLIS — Reality hit hard as soon as the Indianapolis Colts walked into their locker room Monday morning.Andrew Luck’s stall was empty, the name plate gone, the era over.Coach Frank Reich and general manager Chris Ballard started the day with a team meeting to discuss how the Colts would proceed without their newly retired starting quarterback.Luck’s replacement, Jacoby Brissett, took the podium inside a packed media room, Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton wore a Stanford baseball cap to honor his 2012 draft classmate and then it was time to get back to work.“In one respect this story is unique and shocking,” coach Frank Reich said. “But it’s happened enough where a team loses a great player, and it galvanizes a team and propels them to a championship.”The former pastor has a vast array of resources to make the point, some from his own experiences.In 1989, when Jim Kelly got hurt, most thought the Buffalo Bills would slow things down for his backup, Reich.Instead, coach Marv Levy didn’t change a thing and Reich responded by leading the Bills to three consecutive wins. Three years later, with Kelly out again, Reich won two playoff games, including the greatest comeback in postseason history as the Bills eventually won their third straight AFC title.In 2017, Reich was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator when MVP candidate Carson Wentz tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee — an injury many expected to derail the Eagles’ title hopes. Instead https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Matthias-Farley-Jersey , Nick Foles stepped in and led Philadelphia to its first title since 1960.Then there was the seemingly made-for-TV script from two decades ago when grocery store bagger-turned-quarterback Kurt Warner took over for the injured Trent Green and led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title. Warner was the league’s MVP, too.But Reich and the Colts know this season is not about the past. They must focus on adding their own, unique chapter to the underdog story to fill the hole in the middle of the locker room.“I need to be Jacoby Brissett, just be myself,” he said when asked about permanently replacing his close friend. “It’s always been prepare like you’re the starter.”Outside the locker room, many doubt Brissett can emerge as the next Foles, Warner or even Reich. Brissett went 4-11 in 2017, becoming the starter less than two weeks after Indy acquired him in a trade from New England, behind an offensive line that allowed the most sacks in the NFL that season.Around the Colts’ complex, though, there are plenty of Brissett believers.Reich noted Brissett has taken more than 1,200 snaps with the starting unit since offseason workouts started in April as Luck tried to recover from a lower left leg injury.Plus, he’s working with a coach who has been down this road previously. Reich spent his first decade in the NFL playing behind a Hall of Famer, needing to be ready at every moment. It’s a conversation the two have had multiple times since Reich was hired 18½ months ago.“From Day One, I came in and watched all of Jacoby’s film and I said this guy is a top-20 quarterback, this guy is a starting quarterback in the NFL,” Reich said. “This guy is all in, he’s not just checking off boxes. He’s a great leader and I’m excited for him.”So are teammates Christine Michael Sr Jersey , who have embraced Brissett’s hard-working approach on the field and his fun-loving style off it.As for Luck, teammates universally backed his decision to walk away two weeks before the Sept. 8 season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.Some, like Brissett and left tackle Anthony Castonzo, acknowledged Luck let them in on the secret before Saturday’s game. Most, like All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard, said they found out as word trickled out on the sideline.Luck made his formal announcement to the team in the postgame locker room, just moments before going public with the decision.Castonzo understood.“Everybody deals with the pain, it’s when you’re out there and you’re doing something and you feel yourself not being able to change direction or miss a throw in his case,” he said. “It’s when the pain starts to affect your ability on the field is when it really gets to you.”Most were disappointed with the chorus of boos Luck heard from fans as he left the Lucas Oil Stadium turf for the final time.“It sucked,” Brissett said, acknowledging Luck was at peace with the choice. “I mean you don’t want to hear that, especially for a guy like that who’s done what he’s done and what he’s been through.”But it didn’t take the Colts long to move on from Saturday — or the announcement that shocked the football world.“It’s the same old, same old,” Leonard said. “He’s a great player, we respect everything Andrew does. But now we’re focused on Jacoby Brissett and winning games.”100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehta