2009 NFL Preview: Indianapolis Colts

By JFein:

The Indianapolis Colts are coming off a season where even though they made the playoffs, they started out real slow and ended on a real low note as Darren Sproles ran on them. And ran on them. And ran on them. And ran all over them. Couple that with the retirement of the great Tony Dungy and the aging Peyton Manning, and you have to wonder has the window closed on this team. They did not win the division last year, Tennessee made sure it was not even close, and their division is very competitive. So can the Colts pull it together for one last final one, or has the window indeed closed? Here are some of the keys for the Colts this year.

The Poorer Manning: It's official: Eli has a richer contract than big brother, and better QB, Peyton does. But Peyton is also the older quarterback and at this point, is Peyton the same QB he was a few years ago? I think he is, but he certainly has his doubters. There are other reasons why the window might have closed on the Colts, though.

New Coach: We knew it would happen sometime, but the great Tony Dungy has finally decided to retire. Always a class act, it's good to see that Dungy walked out of Indianapolis with a Super Bowl ring, especially after being screwed out of one in Tampa Bay. Enough of the past though, there is a new coach, and his name is Jim Caldwell. He was an assistant and QB coach under Dungy. I frequently wondered if Manning knows more about his position than his coach. Regardless, Manning is used to working with him, which is a good thing, but how will the rest of the team adapt? This is his first head coaching job in the NFL and he'll be put to the test this season in the AFC South.

Backs and Receivers: For the running backs, the Colts got a key draft pick in Donald Brown. For all the talk about Matthew Stafford, the potential of Michael Crabtree, Darius Heyward-Bay, and Mark Sanchez, Donald Brown very well could be a darkhorse to win Rookie of the Year this year, especially if Joseph Addai does not produce as the Colts would like him too. As far as WR goes, the Colts have gone down hill greatly. The once 3-headed monster of Harrison-Wayne-Stokley has lost 2 of its heads. Only Reggie Wayne remains. But there is good news, Austin Collie has been looking good in the pre-season and Anthony Gonzalez has been emerging in the past few years. It's a different look to the Colts, and while they won't be as effective as Harrison and Stokely were for the Colts, this could be a force to reckon with.

Defense: The Colts defense boasts one of the stars of the league, Dwight Freeney. I won't waste time talking about how great and unique he is. Just ask King Dunlap. The Colts boast one of the best front 4s in the nation, but once you get past the front 4, then some leaks become present. It's great if Manning can put up 35 points in a game, but what good is it if the secondary gives up 38? The Colts have some holes in defense this year and if they don't patch them up, this could be a long year.

Video: Peyton Manning is so great with kids!



Prediction: 9-7, 3rd place AFC South. This won't be the Colts year. They may be good, but the Titans should win the division and I suspect the Texans to come in 2nd. The Colts, to me, seem to have too many pieces out of place and not enough solid depth at the WR position to give Manning the support he has used to. Only a major trade deadling upgrade can save this team from missing the playoffs for the first time in quite a while.