You know, it's kind of funny sometimes.  We devote all sorts of time to talking about the special teams, the linebackers, and everything else.  While they're all important, when all is said and done, it all comes back to #18. 

Sure, Peyton's had some games where he hasn't been at his best and still gotten the W at the end of the day, and there's been other times where he's put on dazzling performances only to have it negated by poor play from the rest of his team.  But many more times than not, if Peyton is successful, so is the rest of the team.  As much as I love guys like Bob Sanders, Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, Marlin Jackson, Joseph Addai, Gary Brackett, no one has a greater impact week in and week out on whether this team wins or loses than Peyton Manning.

Maybe the previous paragraph is the most "well, duh" paragraph in the history of Stampede Blue, but I think it's important to remind ourselves from time to time that we have (arguably) one of the 5 greatest players of all-time playing for us this season.  With all of that said, this is going to be all I'm space I'm going to devote to Peyton in this preview, because we all know that we're going to get another spectacular season out of him like we do every season.  The start of the season might be a little more sluggish than what we've been used to, but Peyton is way too good to let a bursa sac keep him from playing at an elite level.

Now, as for my predictions and thoughts for what we can expect from everyone else...

Continue reading this post »

Today, I have two confessions to make.

1. I'm an Ohio State football fan.

Yeah, I know.  The Ohio State that runs amok in a weak Big Ten Conference and gets creamed in national championship games except this one.  Maybe the last couple of years haven't ended the way that Buckeye fans hoped in January, but win or lose, at least we can take solace in knowing that we've beaten the rival Wolverines 4 years in a row.

2. I like some players that went to Michigan.

Everyone knows that there's no love lost in the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, but there are some players that donned the maize and blue that I still have a ton of respect for.  Obviously Wolverines that play or have played on the Colts, Jim Harbaugh and Marlin Jackson, have lifetime exemptions, and I always liked Braylon Edwards and Desmond Howard, even though they lined up for the wrong team.  But in my years as an OSU fan, there's one Wolverine that I have more respect for than any other out there.

His name is Mike Hart.

Sure, I didn't like his rant on Jim Harbaugh (let's hope they don't cross paths in a hotel!) but I'm willing to chalk that up to being young.  Normally, I wouldn't be so forgiving, but when you watch him play, it's almost impossible to not like him. 

He's not the biggest guy out there and he's certainly not the fastest, but unlike other guys out there with more athletic ability, Mike Hart just knows how to run the football.  In his career at Michigan he had three fumbles in 1015 rushing attempts.    To put that in perspective, Edgerrin James, one of surest ballcarriers in the NFL, had 324 rushing attempts last season and coughed up the ball 4 times.

That's mighty impressive, but in praising his tight grip on the ball, let's not ignore the fact that he had 1015 carries in 4 seasons.  That's a lot of pounding for someone that's 5-9, 206 lbs. to take, but as we all saw on Sunday, the defenders ended up feeling a lot more pain than he did.

Even though Addai is going to make sure that Mike Hart doesn't become a one-man wrecking machine, I'm looking forward to the days when Hart becomes a guy the Colts can bring in to pound on the defense when Joe needs a breather.  If the Hall of Fame Game was an indicator of what's to come, I'd say those days are coming sooner rather than later.

via cache.daylife.com

Game #1 takes us back to January 21, 2007, where the Colts battled to New England Patriots for the right to go to Super Bowl XLI.  Since you've all read Manning's Greatest Game #3, and you know it is Super Bowl XLI, I think you have an idea who wins this game.  Manning and the Colts had come off Battle of Field Goals win in Baltimore, and the Patriots beat the 14-2 and #1 seed Chargers.  Coming into the Playoffs, I had the exact same thoughts as BBS, in that the Colts would be hosting the Patriots for the AFC Title, and that was the Colts best shot at getting to the Super Bowl.  A round of applause is unnecessary.  Here's what BBS said:

The Colts will beat the Chiefs, and then they will play their next playoff game in Baltimore for the first time since the Baltimore fans abandoned the Colts, thus prompting them for Indy. The Colts will then beat the Ravens, and then square off in the AFC Championship game against... the Patriots. Yes folks. The Patriots will beat the heavily favored San Diego Chargers, and they will face the Colts in the AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. The Colts will beat New England (again), and thus make the Super Bowl. A road through the AFC like this is storybook: Beleaguered run defense against Larry Johnson; Colts in Baltimore for the playoffs; Colts against Patriots in AFC Championship Game. In one swoop, all playoff demons get exorcized.

I thought that instead of explaining the details of a game everyone has seen multiple times probably, I thought I'd make this a video blog.  I've pulled clips from the game (well, almost exclusively from the second half), and I'll let the actual tape tell the story for me.  I'll interject with my thoughts at the time, as I'm sure they were very similar to yours.

The game started out very slow for the Colts, getting down 14-3 with about 10 minutes to go in the second quarter.  Then the unthinkable happened:  An Asante Samuel INT returned for a TD, putting the Patriots up 21-3, looking like they were on their way to another blowout victory of the Colts in the playoffs.  It got even worse for the Colts, as Manning was sacked on the first two plays of the next drive, and the Colts punted from their own end zone, giving the Patriots the ball near midfield.  The Patriots looked like they were going to put the game away with about 5 minutes to go in the half, but they decided to run an illegal pick play on a 3rd down, then got called for an illegal shift, then Brady got sacked, putting them back at mid field.  This was key for the defense, and gave the offense the ball back with about 3 minutes to go in the half.

The first two plays did absolutely nothing, and CBS was already starting to show that the Colts had no shot, as you can see for yourself in this video.  Personally, I think this is the biggest play in the game.  It was a catalyst for this drive, and gave the Colts a new life:

Continue reading this post »

Forgotten in all the silliness surrounding Peyton Manning's knee surgery is he has had a similar procedure before... in college. This is also the same knee then-Vikings rookie Chris Hovan rammed his helmet into during the 2001 pre-season. Manning has worn a brace on that knee for years, and despite what some people think, he's a pretty mobile QB. If there is one element of Manning's game that has dramatically improved from 2005 to now it is his ability to throw accurately on the run. This procedure shouldn't change that, no matter how much AFC South rivals secretly hope. Here are the links:

• 18 to 88 utterly destroys the closet Patriots fans site known as Cold Hard Football Facts and their Brady is Better than Peyton argument. I've crossed paths with CHFF many times, and I'll say now what I said then: They mostly live and work in Massachusetts favor the Patriots with their biased evaluations. They also insult and make a mockery of stat-based opinion columns with their hack pieces which use selective facts. These guys are frauds, and 18 to 88 exposes their opinions as such. Rather than use stats to form an opinion, CHFF forms an opinion and then fudges certain stats (and ignores others) to validate the opinion. For a community site to do that is unforgivable. If I wanted hackery of that kind, I'd watch ESPN. From 18 to 88: 

  The arguments by CHFF simply don’t hold up to scrutiny. In fairness, they were written before all the facts were in, thus illustrating the folly of trying to prove that one of these two brilliant players is better than the other at this stage. The original CHFF piece was biased and distorted the facts and statistics. They cited context when it suited them (to praise Brady for his heroics in the snow), but ignored it when it would serve to vindicate Manning. The original piece was deeply flawed and is essentially of no value. It was not incorrect in all it asserted, but even when it got something right (Brady has had less offensive talent around him for certain stretches of his career) the importance and degree of the claims was over-stated. In fairness to them, they have already eaten a lot of crow over the assumptions they made. This article serves as a way of showing exactly how unnecessary those mistakes were.

  Bravo to 18 to 88 for smacking these guys down with a giant-sized 2x4!
• NFL.com has an article up written by the man himself: Bill Polian. Rather than talk about the prognosticators and the pundits or take shots at the New England PAY-TREE-OTS, the best personnel man in the NFL reflects on training camps of years past. One memory is especially funny:

  At our current training site in Terre Haute, Ind., there's a lake, a little swimming and fishing pond, right outside the student union, where we eat our meals and where the offices are. The players don't have golf carts, because Tony and I learned our lessons from previous stops, but all the staff do. And, as part of our camp tradition, we have a phantom golf cart thief, who somehow absconds with a golf cart -- usually belonging to a senior administrator, sometimes a coach -- and puts it on a raft in the middle of the lake. So when you come out of your dorm in the morning, you'll find your golf cart is gone and it can usually be found on the raft in the middle of the lake.

  The thief is a player. I have my suspicions of who it is, but I haven't been able to prove it. I'm sure he has accomplices, but I think I know who the mastermind is. I have to catch him in the act, but he's far too smart for that.

  Of course, we all know who it is he's talking about.
• Pro Football Weekly talks Colts defense:

  However, word out of Indy is that the coaches are optimistic about the overall depth of the LB corps. Although more adept at operating in space on the weak side, second-year man Clint Session is the type of athletic gem that the coaches are eager to get a closer look at. Additionally, rookie MLB Philip Wheeler is believed to have enough versatility to play the strong side proficiently. Regardless of the positive long-term prognosis of the injured defensive players, with Hagler, Freeney and Sanders all doubtful to serve much of a role in training camp — all three are likely to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list — it's certain that many young defenders will be under the microscope in Terre Haute.

• I tell Texans fans their team will win 10-11 games... and I mean it.
• Colts.com does a profile on starting CB Marlin Jackson (seemingly the only good player to come out of the first round in the 2005 draft).
• The more I look at shake n bake's evaluation of Pro Football Prospectus 2008, the more the 2007 season makes sense.
• The NFL is cracking down on players making "gang signs." Good. About damn time. And no, Joseph Addai's "WW" gesture after his TDs is not considered a gang sign. He's referencing his hometown, Westwood, and his friend LaJuan Moore, who is from there and is paralyzed. TheSportsGuru's articles shows a picture of a world champion potentially illustrating a gang sign.
• Indy Star is showing tours of "The Lube." Tip to Matic for the Fan Post. The construction workers are also fixing all the recent flood damage.
• If someone ever tries to sell you these seat in Lucas Oil Stadium, punch them in the face:

via cmsimg.indystar.com

If you go to the Colts.com message board, a member has found a way to access pre-written "fluff" articles written by Colts.com writer John Oehser. Basically, Oehser writes these articles weeks in advance and has them in the site's content bank. It's not an uncommon practice. Heck, many SB Nation writers use a nifty feature we have now with the 2.0 platform that allows us to write stuff and designate a time when it gets published.

That said, it is a bit humorous that Colts.com would actually post many of these articles (dated several weeks in advance) and try to hide them. That's not to say the articles are bad. They're not. Fluffy? Sure, but it's Colts.com. Do you expect them to trash their own players?

Of the articles, there's one on Freddie Keiaho and one on Roy Hall that are interesting. One theme that has come through each and every one of these player profile-like articles is summed up best by Freddie Keiaho:

“The difference in the comfort level between this year and last year is night and day,” Keiaho said during the Colts’ organized training activities, 14 days of onfield workouts that concluded recently at the team’s training facility.

“I’m pretty sure that’s true for everybody across the board.”

We've heard this consistently all throughout the off-season, with players like Brannon Condren, Roy Hall, Ed Johnson, and others saying they went into last season "lost." They didn't know what to do, weren't comfortable, and had to play through it. The result was a 13-3 record, another AFC South title, and a defense ranked #1 in scoring. This year, players say they feel more comfortable; the systems are quicker to grasp; they are in better shape, etc.

Be afraid, opponents. Be very, very afraid.

Players can often make a big leap from year one to year two, which is one reason why I often take shots at Vince Young. Players like Manning, Brady, McNabb, and Palmer all started showing signs they were elite players by year two. Vince is supposed to be in that category. If not, why was he drafted #3 overall in 2006? Rookie to second year jumps are not just common; they're expected. It's why teams sign rookies to two or three year contracts. You've either got it or you don't, and if you don't you can go somewhere else and "develop."

Players like Keiaho, Matt Giordano, Kelvin Hayden, Joseph Addai, and Antoine Bethea made huge strides from year one to year two. This year, the expectation falls on Roy Hall the hardest. Tony Ugoh, Keyunta Dawson, and Quinn Pitcock all showed promise last season. They have high expectations as well, but with Hall the expectation is greatest. He hasn't shown anything. This year, he must justify his roster spot. Bill Polian has been quick to point out Hall's improvement. This is significant as Polian will never compliment someone's improvement unless they actually improve.

After listening to many of you, there are several areas of this team that fans are interested in when training camp opens. While I love 18to88 and the Zombie brothers, they did say something interesting that I take bit of issue with:

With all due respect to the good guys over at Stampedeblue.com (who I enjoy), I'm not interesting in parsing out who will be the 5th receiver. I'm not curious to see who makes the roster. I'm only very mildly interested in who wins the right guard slot. These things are nice distractions, I guess, but they aren't very satisfying. I'm ready for football season.

Now, of course, speculating whether Mike Pollak or Charlie Johnson will win the RG spot is not as satisfying as watching an actual game. However, I don't think most fans share Desmond Zombie's interest (or lack thereof). Many care who the 4th or 5th WR is because tht player is one injury away from starting. If last season told me anything, you absolutely must have solid, starter-like quality depth behind most positions if you want to win a Super Bowl. Teams must be creative and innovative in finding this depth, but it must be there. We can speculate all we want about how losing Dwight Freeney and Marvin cost Indy a chance to repeat, and it did. If Freeney and Marvin were healthy, we'd have a 2007 trophy to go with 2006.

However, the other side to that is Indy should have had someone compitent to step up and take their places. Not dominant. Not all-world. Not Aaron Moorehead and Jeff Charleston. Just good, competent players who know what to do. This year, I get the sense that Indy has that depth. And yes, just like Desmond, I'm ready for the season to start already.

via Washington Post

It's always fun to speculate which team has done the most to unseat the Colts overlords of the AFC South. The reason it's fun is because the Titans, Jaguars, and Texans often go to such lengths to strengthen their teams each and every year only to get smacked down again and again by the Indy machine. As a result of their efforts, the Colts have gotten better and the collective improvement has made the AFC South the best division in football. Yes, I know the Giants won the Super Bowl and Dallas was 13-3 in 2007. Dallas also hasn't won a playoff game in 15 years, and the other NFC East playoff team (Washington) would get smoked by anyone in the AFC South, including a Sage Rosenfels-led Texans team. So please, spare me the NFC East talk. Yes, it's a good division; a GREAT division. It isn't the South.

Even with the South being so strong in 2007, I personally think most of the AFC South teams got better this off-season, with the exception of the Titans (more on them later). Aside from the AFC South having some of the best teams in football, they also have the best team bloggers in football. I'll freely admit that I am the agitator in our blogger division. Rarely do you see Jimmy writing articles about how Bob Sanders can't stay healthy, or Tim typing stories about how Indy's special teams play sucks. However, you are sure to see me writing a post either insulting Vince Young or criticizing the stupid draft moves of Gary Kubiak. I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel that guys like Tim, Chris, and Jimmy would not immediately call me "idiot" are debunk my claims with intelligent points with just a pinch of homerism. This is why we do what we do.

This is team blogging.

In this case, I think the Texans and Jaguars have bettered themselves since last season, with the Titans noticeably getting worse in the talent department. However, despite the changes (good or bad), none of these teams have done enough to unseat the Colts, who themselves have made great moves to shore up their weaknesses.

The off-season fad is to say the Jaguars have finally done enough to unseat Indy. Even AOL has found a writer who thinks the additions of WR Jerry Porter, CB Drayton Florence, WR Troy Williamson, and draft day additions like DE Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves are enough to knock off a Colts team that has beaten the Jaguars 5 of the last 6 times. Indeed, even the football guru himself, John Clayton, thought the Jaguars had an impressive run in free agency.

Did getting Drayton Florence (#29) help push the Jags over the Colts?

Photo via www.nctimes.com

While the Jaguars are much improved, it is important to note that so are the Colts. New Era Scouting's Dave Gardner has an article up talking about how the Colts are, quietly (per usual), shaping into the best team in football talent-wise.

The Colts could have kept the same roster from last season and still made it to the playoffs. With all the skill positions in place on offense (they’ll be fine with or without Marvin Harrison), and an excellent back seven on defense, they were in place to win at least ten games. However, as they prepare for the first season in a new stadium, it should be ready to host more than just the eight regular season games.

Not long ago, I wrote about how the Jaguars do not have a single area of their team that is better than Indy's. Chris at Big Cat responded, disagreeing with my take and offering little rebuttal in terms of substance.

I'll grant Quarterback, I'll even concede the offensive line and Tight Ends.  But to say that the Colts have better Linebackers, Defensive Line, and Secondary than the Jaguars is an ignorant statement.  The Jaguars use their linebackers a little differently than the Colts do in the "Dungy 2", and really can't be compared directly.  The combination of Durrant, Ingram, Peterson, and Smith give the Jaguars three guys who can play every combination of linebacker spots, the speed to play sideline to sideline, and a nasty hard hitting attitude.  I'd take our bench linebacker over any of the Colts starters.  Remember, the biggest knock on the Jaguars pass rushers is that they're young.  None of our guys are coming off of a Lis Franc, like Mr. Freeney.

I'm happy Chris thinks so much of his new secondary, but when the Jaguars have a Defensive Player of the Year-type guy in their defensive backfield, they can say their secondary is better than Indy's. Maybe. Bob Sanders and Antoine Bethea are the best safety tandem in football. Sanders won the DPOY and Bethea went to the Pro Bowl (and unlike other Pro Bowl safeties, Bethea is pretty good). And the corners, Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden, started every single game last season.

The result? The Colts had the #2 pass defense in football, allowing an average of 5.9 yards per competition with 16 TDs and 22 INTs. QB had an average rating of 73 against Indy. This entire DB unit will be back in 2008, and with the added depth of second year man Dante Hughes. Until the Jags have a secondary that produces like this, saying they are better is nonsense. Utter nonsense.

And they can say whatever they want about their LBers, but the fact is the Colts LBers define speed and hard hitting. They also have tremendous depth. 2007 rookie Clint Session was amazing, and with all three starting LBers coming back this unit is better than Jacksonville's. We also have yet to see what Philip Wheeler will bring to the equation. Indy's linebackers do an excellent job dropping into zones and making plays, and are very active in stopping the run.

The DE argument is silly. Freeney is recovering extremely well from his foot surgery and Robert Mathis is better than both Harvey and Groves. The younger guys may one day develop into great rushers, but we're not talking about two or three years from now. We're talking 2008, and the Colts will get even better in that area if they sign Rosevelt Colvin. Indy also drafted Marcus Howard, who is faster than both Freeney and Mathis.

So, I see little change in the AFC South. The Colts are still the most talented team in the division with the best coaches and front office personnel. I recognize that AFC South teams like the Jags have made significant moves to get better, and better they are. But it isn't enough. The Colts did not just sit ideally by. I realize this is boring to media hacks who are desperate for a story line, but the bottom line is Indy is still great, and the other AFC South teams still have not caught up.

From PFW's The Way We Hear It:

May 30, 2008

Tony Dungy’s Tampa-2 defense isn’t among the more complicated schemes in the NFL, but word out of Indianapolis is that Dungy is planning on adding a smattering of defensive wrinkles that he abstained from dabbling with last season. The rationale is twofold: (1) An inability to generate a consistent pass rush when DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis were banged up underscored just how reliant the team was on those two, and how badly it needs to find alternative pass-rushing possibilities should the starting duo be slowed again. (2) Indy was breaking in a host of new starters in ’07, and Dungy’s more willing to trust his now well-seasoned crew to handle greater responsibilities. So, just what does Dungy have in store? It’s difficult to know exactly, but employing more DL stunts and turning loose S Bob Sanders to attack opposing backfields appear to be likely options. Dungy will never be keen on relying on LB blitzes to pressure the passer, and the increased confidence he has in CBs Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden has him even more eager to allow Sanders — the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year — to do what he does best.

With more faith in the young guys on his defense, Dungy looks like he wants to add some things that will turn opposing offenses on their heads. Last year, despite injuries and a pretty vanilla Cover 2 scheme, the Colts were the #1 scoring defense in football. Now, Dungy wants to take the Bob Sanders Beatdown Defense to another level.

Colts DT Quinn Pitcock made minimal impact in his rookie season of ’07, but we hear that was mostly because he never fully recovered from a hamstring ailment he had suffered early on. He should be a fixture in the DT rotation this season.

I wouldn't say Pitcock's contributions were "minimal." He did a fine job in the DT rotation, especially stopping the run.

When I click on Bleacher Report's NFL link, I am greeted with tons of articles about teams that have not won anything in recent history or have no chance of winning anything.

Articles about the Raiders, Vikings, Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Packers, and a few other have-nots flood this site daily.

I, of course, attempt to read objectively, post my comments or suggestions and move on.

What disappoints me is the lack of articles on the one team that is still—in mine and many other's opinion—the best team in the NFL.

The Indianapolis Colts.

I know what you're thinking. Why would anyone waste their time writing about a team that's won 12 or more games in each of the past fives seasons?

Why would anyone want to write about Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, Bob Sanders, Reggie Wayne, Dwight Freeney, or Joseph Addai?

Beats me.

Kelvin Hayden, drafted in the 2nd round of the 2005 draft, seen winning the Super Bowl.

Much has been written recently about the abortion that was the 2005 NFL Draft. The Vikings releasing DE Erasmus James highlighted yet another first round disappointment from the 2005 draft. James was the 17th overall player selected that year. As AOL Fanhouse's Sportz Assassin points out, the 2005 draft for the Vikings was a "horror show."

Remember that Minnesota traded Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders for the #7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris. Harris played two years in Minnesota before moving on to Kansas City. That #7 pick turned into WR Troy Williamson, who sucked was less than stellar. Williamson was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars before last month's draft.

Third round pick Dustin Fox never played a down for the Vikings. Fourth round pick Ciatrick Fason became a goal line back before being release prior to last season. Sixth round pick DT C.J. Mosley played decent in his rookie season ... and was sent to the Jets for QB Brooks Bollinger. Seventh round pick Adrian Ward didn't make the roster.

Wow.

Now, to not totally dump on the Vikings, they have done an excellent job recently with the 2006 and 2007 drafts. Also, the Vikes were not the only team to bomb the 2005 Draft. Most teams did. The 2005 Draft is widely considered one of the worst drafts in recent memory. Take one look at the first round and it induces projectile vomiting if you are a fan of the 49ers, Bengals, Bucs, Bears, Titans, and Vikings. Of the top 10 picks that season, only one (Braylon Edwards) can be seen as a potential gamer.

In fact, if you glance through the entire first round, it is littered with busts, disappointments, and players (like Erasmus James and Cadillac Williams) whose young careers are threatened because of injury. Of the 32 players taken in the first round, I count only 5 who I'd consider worthy of their first round selection. Braylon Edwards (pick #3) is one. Here are the rest:

Dallas DE DeMarcus Ware (pick #11)

Chargers DT Luis Castillo (pick #28)

Pittsburgh TE Heath Miller (pick # 30)

Indianapolis CB Marlin Jackson (pick #29)

I don't include Chargers LBer Shawne Merriman (pick #12) worthy of first round selection. Merriman is a cheater who unapologetically got caught using steroids. This taints everything in his career whether he or Chargers fans like it or not.

A player who is (and should be) listed there is Colts CB Marlin Jackson. Jackson won the nickel corner spot his rookie year. By his second year he had a Super Bowl ring, won in part by his amazing INT at the end of the AFC Championship Game. By year three, he was the starter, playing all 17 games and helping the Colts to one of the best pass defenses in football.

Marlin's partner on the other side of the defense is CB Kelvin Hayden, who (like Marlin) was drafted in 2005. Hayden iced Super Bowl 41 his second year with an INT for a TD, and last year started all 17 games at RCB for Indy. The Colts also drafted back-up safety Matt Giordano in round 4 of the 2005 draft. Giordano is one of the fastest safeties in  football, and he could start on many NFL clubs, including the defending champion NY Giants, who are starved for depth at safety. Indy also drafted starting SAM linebacker Tyjuan Hagler in round 4.

So, while most teams, like the Vikings, Bengals, and Chiefs, had disastrous drafts in 2005, the Colts built much of their starting defensive unit with that 2005 college crop. Three starters and one key reserve player all hail from that draft. That's pretty damn good if the draft crop is good, but when you look at the unmitigated disaster that was the 2005 NFL Draft, getting four high quality players is amazing!

It's been kind of weird this off-season. For the first time in God knows how long, there are more questions about the Colts offense than about the defense. In fact, of three main areas of the team, the defense is the one that has the fewest questions. Now obviously, this is relative to us Colts fans. The "questions" we have about our team focus on depth and versatility. Let's be honest: We're lucky these are our "problems." Elite teams like New England have serious questions about who will start in their secondary, and San Diego doesn't know if their starting QB or their best playmaker in the passing game (Antonio Gates) are healthy.

With the Colts, in particular their defense, there are no current questions about who will start where. Really, if you think about it, there aren't even any big position battles. The only one on defense I can think of is SAM linebacker Tyjuan Hagler fighting off rookie Philip Wheeler, but since Wheeler is a rookie learning an entirely new system, I doubt Hagler will lose his job to him. Gary Brackett is a lock at MLB, and Freddie Keiaho would have to royally screw up to lose his starting WILL spot to the very solid Clint Session.

This means that, essentially, the entire starting defense from the 2007 season will return. This includes Dwight Freeney, who is ahead of schedule on his lis franc rehab. In fact, the Colts seem to think Freeney could play in pre-season, but are holding him back just to be safe. I realize that the Colts injury report is often a load of crap, but seeing Freeney himself say it reinforces it for me. Also expected back at 100% are Robert Mathis and Raheem Brock. Added to their arsenal of DEs are rookies Marcus Howard and Curtis Johnson; both with demon-like speed off the edge.

The key area that will warrant a close look is the secondary. Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, Bob Sanders, and Antoine Bethea are all locked in as starters. This group in one of the best secondaries in football; top 5, easily. The depth is the area that warrants attention, and not in a bad way. Third year CB Tim Jennings took over the nickel corner spot last season after then-rookie Dante Hughes went down with an injury. Hughes is now back and recovered, and both he and Jennings will battle it out in camps for the nickel back spot. Also lingering are TJ Rushing, Michael Coe,  and Texas free agent rookie Brandon Foster. I don't think Keiwan Ratliff (currently listed on the roster) will last on the team.

Rushing really stepped up his coverage game in 2007. Drafted primarily as a return specialist, he has grown into a solid nickel or dime coverage DB. Because Rushing can return kicks and cover, he has likely locked down a roster spot. If Hughes is healthy, he could win back his starting nickel spot, leaving Jennings as a potential odd man out. Still, even with Jennings potentially getting lost in the shuffle, this is a very deep secondary. I mean, I haven't even touched on players like reserve safety Matt Giordano, or rookie Jamie Silva. This is a touch, hard-hitting, big play group that will flourish in 2008 if the Colts pass rush can stay healthy.

All this talk about defense, and not one mention about the DTs and the run. What difference a year makes. Last year, we were practically down on our knees, begging God Almighty not to get Booger McFarland hurt. Then, Booger went down in the first week of Training Camp. He was replaced by a group of tough, smart rookies like Ed Johnson, Quinn Pitcock, and Keyunta Dawson. Each played magnificently in 2007, and the Colts run defense improved dramatically. Teams like Jacksonville didn't run all over Indy, and even great backs like LT had a hard time gaining yards. This group is now a year older, a year wiser. With Raheem Brock returning to DT, this is a solid group.

I expect big things from this defense in 2008. They have the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Bob Sanders and a (hopefully) healthy Dwight Freeney. This group should dominate.

With the draft right around the corner, I'm trying to overload on information, and read as much analysis as possible.  I really haven't read too many things, other than here, so I was interested in hearing some different perspectives.  I came across this article by Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, ranking teams on how they've done over the past 5 seasons.

I'll get to his analysis in a second, but I wanted to run down what the Colts have done the past 5 seasons , so we all know what we are comparing against (I really wanted to try out this new table feature, so here goes...):

My analysis first:  The top line of this table as absolutely fantastic, and is not matched by any other team in the NFL.  And just remember, the two previous years first picks were Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney.  It is unbelievable to think how good the top of the draft has been for the Colts, and it is all thanks to the Brain Trust of Bill Polian and Tony Dungy (like we all didn't know that already).  Once you get past the first line, however, it is very hit and miss:  Either the guy became a pretty good player, or he was out of the league within 2 years (the exception being Gilbert Gardner, as he is not a good player , and is still in the league).  There are some great late round picks (Mathis, June, Scott, Hagler, Bethea), but a lot of "who the hell is that guy?".  This list also does not include Gary Brackett or Ed Johnson, both undrafted but signed during this time period, and both huge parts of the Colt's defense.

On to the analysis of Marvez.  I'm not quite the homer that BBS is, but I'm still a homer at heart.  Marvez picks the Chargers as having the best drafts over the past 5 years.  I took a quick glance at their draft history, and they have done quite well.  I was all ready to start bashing away, but I don't think I can.  Marvez's opinion on their best pick:

Best pick: Eli Manning. Trading Manning to the New York Giants in 2004 netted fellow quarterback Philip Rivers and draft choices used for Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding. Rivers reached the AFC Championship game in just his second season as a starter.

They've done this before with Michael Vick.  They traded the pick to the Falcons, and ended up with Tomlinson and Brees, which is obviously a huge upgrade over the locked-up Falcon.  I tend to think he gave the nod to the Chargers based solely on this pick, as they have just as many "who?" players as the Colts do.  They only have one "steal" pick, which was Michael Turner.  Also, their 2005 draft was pretty awesome, with Merriman, Luis Castillo, Vincent Jackson, and Darren Sproles. 

Overall, however, I just don't see how you can rank them higher than the Colts, who Marvez had at #2.  Many of the players drafted over the past 5 years were instrumental to winning the Super Bowl, especially everyone on that top line (excluding Gonzalez, obviously).  Marvez's opinion on the Colt's best pick is a no-brainer:

Best pick: Safety Bob Sanders (2004/second round) was voted the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year.

A couple other comments from the article:

Front office: Polian earned the contract extension he recently received from team owner Jim Irsay. Polian has done an exceptionally good job surrounding quarterback Peyton Manning with talent and identifying players who can shine in Tony Dungy's cover-two defensive system.

Comment: A+. Polian excels at recognizing which picks may ultimately leave in free agency. He then drafts replacements that can be groomed for several seasons beforehand.

I also learned that A.J. Smith, Chargers GM, worked under Polian at a previous job, which explains why they are equally as good at the draft as Polian has been.  Overall, Marvez does a good job ranking all the teams, and has good explanations for each of them.  I'd agree with the Patriots being #3, and the Dolphins being #32.  They let their head coach take a friend's son over the face of a franchise, which is extraordinarily stupid, and cost said head coach his job after 1 win.