Earlier this year I wrote an article on SB about what it old be like to have a team with Baltimore's defense but with a QB of Manning's caliber running the offense. Ladies and gentlemen we may have just witnessed what that would be like today during the 1st half of the Rams vs Colts game. Even though the critics are already saying: "Yeah but this was against the Rams" keep in mind these are the same critics who said the Colts would be worse this year than they were last year. These are the same critics who said the Colts defense would be desert dwellers resting at the bottom of the league in ratings. These are the same critics who said it would be at least 2-3 years before the Colts tasted post season play again. In spite of what the naysayers are saying, Luck and company gave us a glimpse of the not so distant future of this current Colts team. Hats off to Pags and Grigs. They have indeed "built a monster."

Here are a few things we can take away from the 1st half of today's game:

* Donald Brown is a home run threat. As I said earlier this year, Brown is not a "bust." He just needed more opportunities and a system that could utilize his talents properly.

* Ditto for Jerry Hughes. Two sacks and he applied constant pressure on the QB in his limited time on the field.

* The O line is going to be just fine. Some of this is due to the upgrades at positions of need along the line, and some of it will be due to the decision making of Luck. Getting 1st downs in short yardage situations won't be a problem this year and Delone Carter looks like he is going to be the designated grinder in those situations.

* the D line is going to be down right nasty. With all of the additions the front office made this off season on the defensive side of the ball, I almost forgot about the talent we kept from last year. Drake Nevis is a monster. He and Chapman are going to strike just as much fear into the opposition as Freeney and Mathis do. Stopping the run will not only not be a problem this year, but getting off the field on third down wont either.

* The LBs are better and have good depth in particular with Jerrell Freemen. We haven't even seen much of Moise Fukou and Greg Lloyd yet. Freemen looked as good as the chatter has been about him in training camp.

* The secondary. With respect to the front seven, our secondary is going to benefit from the play of "monsters" in front of them. That being said, I don't think they will be as bad as what everyone has feared and will be serviceable when the season starts.

When the season starts I believe the Colts will field a top 15 defense come opening day. From everything I saw on the field today, I was most impressed with how far the defense has come. In relation to Luck and the offense I was not surprised. "Luck is who we thought he was!" As I said before in a previous article, great QBs elevate the play of everyone around them. Thats why I am not worried about the Colts putting up points. In this game I wanted to see what the defense would do. They didn't disappoint. What's that I hear down in Houston? "Houston! Houston! We have a problem! That's right. The boys in blue are back...