Last Year:
Just like Harold and Kumar after a couple of hoots of their favorite pastime, the Indianapolis Colts got really high - on the NFL contender chart that is. While the two deviant pot-puffers attempted to satisfy their craving of a White Castle hamburger the Colts had the munchies for something more pertinent, a Super Bowl ring. The Colts blazed through the first 8 weeks of the season losing only once while hitting up NFL champs Tampa Bay for 3 touchdowns in the last 4 minutes for a historic overtime victory. Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison paggered opponents offensively until they couldn?t take it anymore, but eventually it was the other side of the ball that burned out this team. If Tony Dungy?s defense hasn?t advanced then this team will once again blow up in smoke short of their goal.
What we Learned from Last Year:
Led by a co-MVP performance from Peyton Manning, 2003-04 was an emerging season for the Colts.
Indy truly established themselves as contenders in week 2 by trouncing the division champion Tennessee Titans 33-7. Then they dropped 23 on Jacksonville, followed by a 55 point, 6-TD outburst by Peyton Manning in New Orleans, and then the aforementioned shocker in Tampa Bay.
That was an impressive stretch that sent flashing sirens throughout league grabbing the attention of every NFL contender.
The Colts were one of the few teams in the league that was more dominant on the road than in their own confines. Given the immense value of home-field advantage a 7-1 road record is a striking accomplishment.
Marvin Harrison didn?t throw a tantrum last season when he caught roughly 50 less passes than his record-setting 143 receptions in 2002 as the quiet wide receiver just continued on with his business. Harrison became a major hazard with or without the football opening up opportunities for Reggie Wayne and Troy Walters to set career highs in touchdowns and receiving yards. Edgerrin James arrived on the scene as healthy as he had been in 3 seasons, and so were his numbers. His strength increased as the season advanced, and had he participated in all 16 games he would have challenged his career benchmarks.
While the offense intimidated, the defense was much less confident. Tony Dungy was brought in to improve a lacking core and though he has, the advancements last year were minor. The team did shave 6 yards off their per game average but the squad was never elevated to a fearsome alignment. Dwight Freeney contributed 11 sacks to invigorate a progressing defense but he was one of the few consistent sources on a team that finished with only 31 sacks. Dungy pulled his strings to yank the defensive rank up to 11th but the yards per game statistic may be misleading when you factor in the 21 points per game that the Colts surrendered ? which ranked lower than the Kansas City Chief?s average.
Indianapolis fought for everything they earned last season, except for a December 14th thumping of the Vick-less Falcons, but even with all offensive momentum the Colts magical season still ended early. I guess defense does win championships.
What Has Changed?:
Pierce Brosnan recently stepped out of the James Bond responsibility once and for all leaving MGM in a casting frenzy for his replacement. While they search for a younger lead to play the part of the tuxedoed super agent the Indianapolis Colts have a search of their own to fill a few defensive roles left vacant.
While the list of names to replace the licensed-to-kill lady-lover is bedecked with the likes of Heath Ledger, Jude Law, and Eric Bana, Indy?s fill-ins are much more unfamiliar.
This defense was not a view to a kill to begin with but with the departures of David Macklin, Chad Bratzke, Walt Harris and Marcus Washington leave the Colts with some patching to do.
The Colts traded out of the first round in the NFL draft, and introduced zero noteworthy free-agent additions. Reasoning for the latter can be explained through Peyton Manning?s new contract that vacuums 10% of the salary cap so this team will have to make do with their 5 defensive draft picks.
With most of the focus from management being on offensive amenities, Tony Dungy has not had much to work with in his secondary. Unproven Joseph Jefferson is expected to start opposite of Nick Harper, and while Harper produced solid numbers last year, Jefferson didn?t play a single game. Mike Doss was excellent at strong safety and although he?s only in his second year he?s the best performer in this young grouping. Idrees Bashir and rookie Bob Sanders will battle it out at the free safety position spot.
Inexperience is the common theme of a defense that will be asked to improve on last season?s results. Diamonds are forever, but apparently not in the heart of the Colts defense as for a second year in a row the team has lost a promising young star from their linebacking corps. First it was Mike Peterson (100 TKL, 1 SACK, 3 INT last season) and now Marcus Washington (81 TKL, 6 SACKS, 1 FUMR last season). Budding linebacker David Thornton remains along with the dependable Rob Morris, but the third linebacking position will be filled by either a first or second year player.
Dwight Freeney is the man with the golden gun in this pressure attack so expect him to face all the attention from opposing offensive lines since he doesn?t even have a Chad Bratzke to detract double teams. The line poses no other threats unless the likes of Raheem Brock, Larry Triplett, or Montae Reagor ? who have a combined career sack total less than Dwight Freeney?s 11 sacks last season ? can step up.
The expectations are too high for a defense that has so much puerility at key positions.
Peyton Manning and his golden eye will suffer no setbacks in mincing opponents. Edgerrin James and Marcus Pollard are in a contract years, while the development of Reggie Wayne on the outside, along with Troy Walters and Brandon Stokley in the slot will juice this offense with many scoring openings.
One has to wonder if the window of opportunity is closing for the AFC South triplets as they have been together for 6 years, and this could be their last. With Manning receiving a bulk of the salary cap, it?s hard to envision Edgerrin James and Marcus Pollard receiving large sums to stay with the team, particularly if the defense remains deprived.
The Colts are the AFC?s Philadelphia Eagles as each year they have a strong base of talent but they continually shake but don?t stir the real Super Bowl contenders. Nonetheless, this team is a Super Bowl candidate and if the ingredients mix properly maybe this team will be drinking champagne, not Vodka Martinis, at the end of the season.
O/U 10.5:
With Jacksonville and Houston creeping up the Colts are not able to solely concentrate on the Tennessee Titans. Indy may have some interest in improving their home record if they enjoy having their own crowd cheering them on in the playoffs. They play: @NE, GB, OAK, @KC, MIN, @CHI, @DET, BAL, SD, and @DEN. Conclusions of this team will be made from their playoff success, or lack thereof, not their regular season accomplishments.
Fantasy Sleeper:
After his first season, Edgerrin James along with Marshall Faulk was on the top of numerous draft lists as fantasy players drooled over their pass-catching ability. Though his receiving stats are down because of several other targets surfacing in the Colts passing game, expect Edgerrin to be in the top 5 in rushing yards this season. He posted 1259 yards and 11 TD in 13 games last year and he is more than capable of building on those figures.
Just like Harold and Kumar after a couple of hoots of their favorite pastime, the Indianapolis Colts got really high - on the NFL contender chart that is. While the two deviant pot-puffers attempted to satisfy their craving of a White Castle hamburger the Colts had the munchies for something more pertinent, a Super Bowl ring. The Colts blazed through the first 8 weeks of the season losing only once while hitting up NFL champs Tampa Bay for 3 touchdowns in the last 4 minutes for a historic overtime victory. Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison paggered opponents offensively until they couldn?t take it anymore, but eventually it was the other side of the ball that burned out this team. If Tony Dungy?s defense hasn?t advanced then this team will once again blow up in smoke short of their goal.
What we Learned from Last Year:
Led by a co-MVP performance from Peyton Manning, 2003-04 was an emerging season for the Colts.
Indy truly established themselves as contenders in week 2 by trouncing the division champion Tennessee Titans 33-7. Then they dropped 23 on Jacksonville, followed by a 55 point, 6-TD outburst by Peyton Manning in New Orleans, and then the aforementioned shocker in Tampa Bay.
That was an impressive stretch that sent flashing sirens throughout league grabbing the attention of every NFL contender.
The Colts were one of the few teams in the league that was more dominant on the road than in their own confines. Given the immense value of home-field advantage a 7-1 road record is a striking accomplishment.
Marvin Harrison didn?t throw a tantrum last season when he caught roughly 50 less passes than his record-setting 143 receptions in 2002 as the quiet wide receiver just continued on with his business. Harrison became a major hazard with or without the football opening up opportunities for Reggie Wayne and Troy Walters to set career highs in touchdowns and receiving yards. Edgerrin James arrived on the scene as healthy as he had been in 3 seasons, and so were his numbers. His strength increased as the season advanced, and had he participated in all 16 games he would have challenged his career benchmarks.
While the offense intimidated, the defense was much less confident. Tony Dungy was brought in to improve a lacking core and though he has, the advancements last year were minor. The team did shave 6 yards off their per game average but the squad was never elevated to a fearsome alignment. Dwight Freeney contributed 11 sacks to invigorate a progressing defense but he was one of the few consistent sources on a team that finished with only 31 sacks. Dungy pulled his strings to yank the defensive rank up to 11th but the yards per game statistic may be misleading when you factor in the 21 points per game that the Colts surrendered ? which ranked lower than the Kansas City Chief?s average.
Indianapolis fought for everything they earned last season, except for a December 14th thumping of the Vick-less Falcons, but even with all offensive momentum the Colts magical season still ended early. I guess defense does win championships.
What Has Changed?:
Pierce Brosnan recently stepped out of the James Bond responsibility once and for all leaving MGM in a casting frenzy for his replacement. While they search for a younger lead to play the part of the tuxedoed super agent the Indianapolis Colts have a search of their own to fill a few defensive roles left vacant.
While the list of names to replace the licensed-to-kill lady-lover is bedecked with the likes of Heath Ledger, Jude Law, and Eric Bana, Indy?s fill-ins are much more unfamiliar.
This defense was not a view to a kill to begin with but with the departures of David Macklin, Chad Bratzke, Walt Harris and Marcus Washington leave the Colts with some patching to do.
The Colts traded out of the first round in the NFL draft, and introduced zero noteworthy free-agent additions. Reasoning for the latter can be explained through Peyton Manning?s new contract that vacuums 10% of the salary cap so this team will have to make do with their 5 defensive draft picks.
With most of the focus from management being on offensive amenities, Tony Dungy has not had much to work with in his secondary. Unproven Joseph Jefferson is expected to start opposite of Nick Harper, and while Harper produced solid numbers last year, Jefferson didn?t play a single game. Mike Doss was excellent at strong safety and although he?s only in his second year he?s the best performer in this young grouping. Idrees Bashir and rookie Bob Sanders will battle it out at the free safety position spot.
Inexperience is the common theme of a defense that will be asked to improve on last season?s results. Diamonds are forever, but apparently not in the heart of the Colts defense as for a second year in a row the team has lost a promising young star from their linebacking corps. First it was Mike Peterson (100 TKL, 1 SACK, 3 INT last season) and now Marcus Washington (81 TKL, 6 SACKS, 1 FUMR last season). Budding linebacker David Thornton remains along with the dependable Rob Morris, but the third linebacking position will be filled by either a first or second year player.
Dwight Freeney is the man with the golden gun in this pressure attack so expect him to face all the attention from opposing offensive lines since he doesn?t even have a Chad Bratzke to detract double teams. The line poses no other threats unless the likes of Raheem Brock, Larry Triplett, or Montae Reagor ? who have a combined career sack total less than Dwight Freeney?s 11 sacks last season ? can step up.
The expectations are too high for a defense that has so much puerility at key positions.
Peyton Manning and his golden eye will suffer no setbacks in mincing opponents. Edgerrin James and Marcus Pollard are in a contract years, while the development of Reggie Wayne on the outside, along with Troy Walters and Brandon Stokley in the slot will juice this offense with many scoring openings.
One has to wonder if the window of opportunity is closing for the AFC South triplets as they have been together for 6 years, and this could be their last. With Manning receiving a bulk of the salary cap, it?s hard to envision Edgerrin James and Marcus Pollard receiving large sums to stay with the team, particularly if the defense remains deprived.
The Colts are the AFC?s Philadelphia Eagles as each year they have a strong base of talent but they continually shake but don?t stir the real Super Bowl contenders. Nonetheless, this team is a Super Bowl candidate and if the ingredients mix properly maybe this team will be drinking champagne, not Vodka Martinis, at the end of the season.
O/U 10.5:
With Jacksonville and Houston creeping up the Colts are not able to solely concentrate on the Tennessee Titans. Indy may have some interest in improving their home record if they enjoy having their own crowd cheering them on in the playoffs. They play: @NE, GB, OAK, @KC, MIN, @CHI, @DET, BAL, SD, and @DEN. Conclusions of this team will be made from their playoff success, or lack thereof, not their regular season accomplishments.
Fantasy Sleeper:
After his first season, Edgerrin James along with Marshall Faulk was on the top of numerous draft lists as fantasy players drooled over their pass-catching ability. Though his receiving stats are down because of several other targets surfacing in the Colts passing game, expect Edgerrin to be in the top 5 in rushing yards this season. He posted 1259 yards and 11 TD in 13 games last year and he is more than capable of building on those figures.
