By Ron Johnson
It is said that in both sports and life to expect the unexpected. But this one I don’t think anyone saw it coming. In a shocking move, and most likely due to recent injuries, the Indianapolis Colts have opted to cut ties with Shaquille Leonard.
After two back surgeries a year ago, Leonard finally was able to return to the field.
However, he was never the same, and it showed in his performance. Leonard spent a majority of the free time he had after returning complaining about his usage and how he did not like splitting time with EJ Speed. Despite all this, Leonard should have seen this coming. This is not a knock on Leonard by any means. I like the kid. But the fact is that it is hard to recover from one, let alone two, back surgeries in a span of a year to get back to some form of normalcy again.
Leonard was never able to play back up to the same fire he had prior to the surgeries, and coaches started seeing this. The Colts themselves were not very impressed with Leonard’s performance in recent weeks. With the loss of Zaire Franklin in their game against the Panthers, it looked as if there would be a clear path for Leonard to get more playing time.
Instead, the Colts turned to Segun Olubi to fill the void left by Franklin.
The decision to go with Olubi over Leonard may have been the final nail in his coffin in regards to his tenure with Indy. But like most of us who have had good upbringings, Leonard sucked up his pride and was humble in his final departure to the city that made him an All-Pro.
Now the question begins: Is there a team that has the patience to help Leonard get back to his form and to not make him feel rushed to perform? Who will take a chance when he goes onto waivers later today? I feel that Leonard is worth the shot if he has the right coaches and trainers to ease him back into the fold. I mean, we are talking about a former defensive rookie of the year here.
