Colts CB Sauce Gardner knows Sunday’s game was not…

When Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner watched tape from Week 4 against the Washington Commanders, he knew almost right away it was not his best game.

“There was multiple plays where my best effort was not there and that’s not what I stand for,” Gardner said. “That’s not the type of person I am. That’s not the type of player I am, and that’ll never happen again.”

Gardner surrendered two deep balls in the 30-13 win: a 47-yard touchdown to Treylon Burks and a 48-yard deep shot to Dyami Brown. Initially, Gardner wasn’t fully aware of what happened on either play. When he went to the sideline and talked with coaches, the tides turned.

“It’s unacceptable. That’s not my standard,” Gardner said. “And like I said, that will never happen again.”

The other thing Gardner did when he went to the sideline after the Burks touchdown was take accountability, which defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo admires about his players.

“That’s a great thing about our room is that the guys are all in it together, constantly trying to figure out, ‘Hey, how can I get better?'” Anarumo said. “When you play corner, you’re judged on the ones that come your way, and we’ll get better at those things this week.”

Besides watching his tape and not being pleased with the effort he put into his running and tackling in London, Gardner was also embarrassed seeing defensive linemen such as DeForest Buckner and Adetomiwa Adebawore going at full speed.

“Seeing other guys on the D-line running past me (is) the part where I’m like, ‘Yo, that’s crazy,'” Gardner said. “When I’m loafing, and I’m seeing them slide past me, that’s embarrassing and just unacceptable.”

Gardner reiterated multiple times Wednesday that Sunday’s performance would not repeat again. While he’s working with coaches to ensure that, the improvement starts with him.

“Effort is not even a coachable trait,” Gardner said. “That’s why I’m just ready to get back to practice and work on those habits and keep working on them and let those go towards the game.”