Only two teams left and we preview the team that had the best regular season record in the NFL, but came one game short of the ultimate prize by losing in the Super Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts have been the benchmark for consistency over the last decade or so. Since a disastrous season in 2001 in which Indy went 6-10, the Colts have won at least 10 games every single year.
It really can be pointed to one guy and that’s of course, Peyton Manning. He can do no wrong as a quarterback as he has the complete package of natural skill, natural leadership and the perfect temperament for the position. It helps too when you always have great receivers to throw to. It’s used to be the Manning-Harrison combination, but nowadays, it’s the Manning-Wayne combo that leads the charge.
Reggie Wayne will be the number one target yet again with Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez as the other three options. Throw in Dallas Clark who caught 100 passes for 1100 yards last season as a tight end and Donald Brown/Joseph Addai catching passes out of the backfield and you have a scary offence. There’s no need to talk about the running game because this team simply doesn’t run the ball. They don’t need to as their last place finish in rushing yards will attest.
The one question mark about this offence is the talent level of their linemen. Jeff Saturday and Ryan Diem represent the two pieces left of a five-man unit that used to be the best protectors in football. Can the new guys step in and protect Peyton from unnecessary harm?
Defensively, this group has some holes, but they are protected simply by knowing that they don’t have pressure on them to try and pitch a shutout. Their offence is so good that all they need are a few stops and they will win games. The only problem they ran into last season was taking on a Saints team in the Super Bowl that had an offence just as dynamic as theirs.
The defensive line is good at the end spots with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, but soft in the middle with the defensive tackles. The linebackers are an OK group led by Gary Brackett in the middle and the secondary is good at the safety position with Bob Sanders and Antoine Bethea. The corners will need to be better to allow for the Colts to get back to the Super Bowl.
Two players to watch out for in camp are Donald Brown and Joseph Addai. Brown entered the league as a rookie out of Connecticut last season and quickly challenged Addai enough to make the running back situation more 1a/1b with Addai. Which one of these guys can emerge to take more of the reps? My money would be on Brown, but Addai certainly has some gas left in the tank. After all, he still is only 27 years old.
2010 Prediction: 12-4