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The Indianapolis Colts figured Darius Leonard would emerge as a defensive playmaker one day.He skipped the learning curve.Two weeks into his rookie season Indianapolis Colts Hats , the weakside linebacker leads the NFL with 27 tackles, already has forced one fumble, recovered another, had a sack and provided a new, dynamic dimension in the Colts' rebuilt defense."When we came here, there were only one or two guys (at linebacker)," defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said Tuesday."He was kind of thrust into that position and we treated him as such. He's grabbed that role, taken it and he's done a good job with it."Just how impressive has the 6-foot-2, 234-pound, 23-year-old been?Leonard's 18-tackle performance Sunday at Washington was the fifth-best grade by a linebacker since Eberflus implemented his points system in 1995.Some view Leonard's immediate impact as a surprise, but he was pretty impressive in college.Leonard set the career record for tackles (394) at South Carolina State, a Football Championship Subdivision school largely overshadowed by the state's more prominent programs at Clemson and South Carolina as well as Furman Indianapolis Colts Hoodie , the 1988 FCS national champions.Twice he was selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference defensive player of the year and Leonard got his nickname "Maniac" following a 19-tackle performance against Clemson in 2016.The knock on him going into the draft was he needed more size and strength to hold up in the NFL and time to make the transition from small-school star to NFL contributor.Colts general manager Chris Ballard saw it differently after watching Leonard for one week in Mobile, Alabama, in January."You always want to watch the small school guys when you go to the Senior Bowl because now they're facing the bigger competition," Ballard said after making Leonard the first of Indy's four second-round draft picks in April."I thought he stood out. His speed, his athleticism, his ability to cover. When the four 'backers went, we thought Darius was the fifth-best backer in the draft."Leonard certainly has played like it.Despite missing all but one day of offseason workouts, Leonard returned to the field when the Colts' rookies reported in late July and made a quick impression on the veterans."I think it was pretty much the first time you saw it, the first practice of training camp when he caught the interception off of Andrew Luck," second-year linebacker Anthony Walker said."First of all, that's a big-time quarterback there and that was a big-time play. We knew right there 鈥?that's why we drafted him."Leonard continued playing well during the preseason and his ability to stay healthy allowed him not only to win a starting job, but also the right to call the defensive signals in the huddle.So far Cheap Customized Indianapolis Colts Jerseys , he's flashed the speed to make plays from sideline to sideline and deliver game-changing ones, too.But Leonard's best attribute might be his attitude.He's eager to clean up mistakes, remains humble and enjoys breaking down game tapes.That's hardly a surprise from someone who helped decipher prep games so he could help coach players at his high school while he was in college."I just work hard and just take coaching," he said. "That's the big thing, I take all the coaching I can get, follow all the details and do all the little things."It's made a huge difference in one of the league's most inexperienced linebacker groups.Leonard, Walker and free-agent signee linebacker Najee Goode have combined for 12 NFL starts 鈥?exactly half coming during the first two weeks this season.And, so far, Leonard has been the star with back-to-back memorable performances that have surprised the doubters but nobody in the Colts' locker room."As a rookie, it's hard to find someone like that 鈥?someone who prepares the way he prepares. The things that he does really sets him apart," Walker said."He's miles ahead of where I was last year and just the confidence and stuff he plays with, he's miles ahead of me." In a story Oct. 26 about the death of former NFL defensive back Lindon Crow www.thecoltsfootballauthentic.com , The Associated Press reported erroneously that Crow had three interceptions in the 1958 NFL championship game. He had one interception in that game, and two in a previous playoff game.A corrected version of the story is below:Lindon Crow, the former NFL defensive back who had an interception in the 1958 sudden-death NFL championship dubbed "the greatest game ever played," has died. He was 85.He died Thursday in Exeter, California, due to complications from a series of strokes, the University of Southern California said Friday.Crow led the NFL in interceptions with 11 in 1956 and had 41 picks in his pro career. He played defensive back for the Cardinals from 1955-57, New York Giants from 1958-60, and Los Angeles Rams from 1961-64.He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection in 1956, '57 and '59.In the 1958 NFL title game, Crow intercepted a pass by Baltimore quarterback Johnny Unitas in the Giants' 23-17 loss to the Colts at Yankee Stadium. It was the first NFL game to go to sudden-death overtime and was televised nationwide on NBC.Crow was a teammate of the late Frank Gifford on the Giants, whose offensive coordinator was future Packers coach Vince Lombardi and whose defensive coordinator was Tom Landry Indianapolis Colts T-Shirt , future Dallas Cowboys coach.Crow also played in the NFL title game the following year, with the Colts winning again 31-16 in Baltimore.Crow was a second-round pick of the Chicago Cardinals in the 1955 NFL draft.He was a three-year letterman as a two-way halfback at Southern California from 1952-54. Crow rushed for 666 yards and caught 13 passes with six touchdowns in his career. He also had 11 career interceptions.Crow played in two Rose Bowls for the Trojans, including a 1953 victory over Wisconsin. He captained the Trojans' 1954 team, and earned All-Pacific Coast Conference honors in 1952 and '54.He also played in the 1955 Senior Bowl and College All-Star game.After retiring from football, Crow worked as defensive coordinator at Cal State Northridge from 1972-75 and as head coach at St. Genevieve High in Panorama City, California, from 1976-88. He also served four years as the school's athletic director.He is survived by Sandy, his wife of 47 years, daughters Wendy and Melissa and son Lindon Jr., six grandchildren and nine great- grandchildren. No services were planned.