Colts linebacker sets new franchise record for tackles
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — He’s done it again.
Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin has set a new franchise record for tackles in a single season after racking up 10 in the victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Franklin’s performance marks the eleventh time he has notched double-digit stops in a game this season.
Franklin now has 170 tackles for the 2023 season, which puts him at the top of the charts in the entire NFL. The former seventh-round pick broke his own franchise record that he set last year when he finished the 2022 season with 167 tackles.
Franklin posted on X Sunday, saying: “I remember when they said I wouldn’t make the team. Thankful for all my teammates and family. Let’s keep it rolling.”
News 8 Sports Director Anthony Calhoun and former Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson spoke with Franklin after his record-setting day during WISH-TV’s Postgame Show on Sunday.
“My family and my friends, they just believed in me,” Franklin said. “Even when I doubt myself, even when I don’t believe I can do it myself, they’re the ones that believe I can keep going. And my teammates. Holding me accountable. Demanding the best from me, demanding perfection. I just want those guys to depend on me. I want those guys to lean on me. They’re who I do it for. I’m just thankful for my support system to keep pushing me to keep getting better.”
Franklin has come into his own after taking over the mike linebacker position when former Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard was injured last season. Since then, Franklin has been a dominant force for Gus Bradley’s defense, playing aggressive and relentless.
That play has been noticeable to his teammates.
“I mean y’all see it. It’s the effort. It’s the dog in him, man,” fellow Colts linebacker EJ Speed said. “He brings that tenacity to the game. I’m excited for him to do that because I’ve been here with him through his career and seeing everything he goes through and it’s great to have somebody with that tenacity. And that’s a skillset that he’s got, is getting people on the ground, and he’s flourishing in it.”
Colts head coach Shane Steichen agreed with Speed on Monday.
“(Franklin’s) a dog,” Steichen said. “He shows up every single day. He works his tail off. He prepares the right way. He leads in the locker room the right way and he plays with great intensity, great effort and energy. Obviously, (he) studies tape. You can see it. He’s in the right spots making tackles over and over and over again every week. Shoot, it’s been a pleasure to have him on this football team, and being around him for my first season with him.”
The Colts host the Houston Texans in a win-and-in season finale at 8:15 p.m. Saturday. The winner of that game will secure a spot in the playoffs. If the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, a Colts win Saturday would also include an AFC South division title and home field advantage in the playoffs.
Remember to switch to WISH following Saturday night’s game for the only Colts Postgame Show in Indianapolis. News 8 brings you live coverage of Steichen and quarterback Gardner Minshew‘s postgame press conferences plus access inside the locker room.