Colts' Lou Anarumo Explains Cam Bynum's Role in Calling Defense

WESTFIELD, Ind. — Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is trying to iron out his group and streamline communication as much as possible going into his second year running the team's defense.

Part of that process is figuring out the best way for him to relay messages to his defensive leaders on the field so they can pass them along to their teammates, play after play.

That's where the "green dot" comes in, or the designation given to the defensive player on the field who wears the headset in their helmet that Anarumo speaks to for 15 seconds before each play begins.

Most commonly in football, it's a linebacker who wears it because they're in the center of the defense. It's a minor factor that drew the Colts to linebacker CJ Allen in the second round of this year's draft.

While Allen has been given some practice communicating the defense to his teammates since the spring and now into training camp, Anarumo also sees personal benefit in a safety being his direct line of communication, which is why Cam Bynum has also been given some responsibility recently in training camp.

“Well, I mean, those guys (linebackers) work a little more closely with the front, but it really is irrelevant. It benefits me, to be honest, to have a DB because I'm always telling the linebacker to tell the safety something in that 15 seconds," Anarumo said on Tuesday. "So, now I can tell Cam a lot. So yeah, I'm happy about that. But we'll see how it plays out. But no, I'm not worried about the mechanics of it.”

Anarumo pointed to his past where he used a safety as the green-dot communicator while with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I've done it before. Vonn Bell did it for me at Cincinnati," Anarumo said. "Especially when you have young linebackers, if you’ve got a veteran guy that's out there that can be calm and not have to worry about processing all of it all at once, it's just one less thing on their plate. So, I mean, CJ was doing a great job. We didn't take it away from him. It's just that I feel like Cam needs to get practice at it just in case.”

Anarumo then reiterated that the rookie Allen has transitioned seamlessly to being a communicator with his new teammates while calling the defense. “Really good, no issues at all,” Anarumo said.

Allen was a three-year starter at MIKE linebacker for head coach Kirby Smart at Georgia, since his true freshman season, for one of the most revered defenses in college football.

“Yeah, you can see his mental focus," Anarumo said of Allen. "You can see his football awareness show up on play-actions and things like that, where most young guys will be up into the line. He kind of sees it before it happens. Then in terms of the system at Georgia is a great one, obviously, and he's had no trouble at all picking stuff up.”

In Bynum, the Colts have the benefit of a safety with sharp mental acumen for the game, who sees things similarly to Anarumo and can provide critical information to his teammates in digestible terms, especially to young players.

He also has the perspective of a vast cornerback background, playing the position in high school and college before converting to safety in the pros.

Bynum played two seasons for defensive coordinator Brian Flores while with the Minnesota Vikings before getting to Indianapolis. Flores is known for having one of the most complex and unpredictable systems in the NFL, and Bynum has experience calling that defense as well.

While Allen is expected to ultimately carry the communication duties into the season, Anarumo is preparing to have another option should he feel necessary.