Midseason Review

It seems like there has been a lot of negativity and discussing things that aren't really productive, so I'd like to promote a discussion about the Colts.  I've been wanting to write this for a couple of weeks, but I finally had time tonight.  

Back in March BigBlueShoe and some other contributers came up with the 5 Things the Colts must do to repeat as Champions.  We're slightly past midseason, but after 2 consecutive losses, I'd say it's time we take a look at our preseason and predraft priorities for this team.

Here is the list of things from the article the Colts must do to repeat:

1. Replenish linebacker corps.
   
2. Fix special teams coverage units.
   
3. Reliable third receiver.
   
4. Development of the offensive line.
   
5. More playmakers along the defensive line.

I'll offer my assessment, but I'm curious to see what you guys think as well.

1. Replenish linebacker corps. A+
I would give this a resounding thumbs up.  Even though we've suffered our share of injuries at the position, people have stepped up.  Hagler did decently when Morris went down.  When Keiaho went down Session came in and performed well.  Have any of you ever thought during a game, "Man, I sure wish Cato June was out there"?  Absolutely not!  This group has been fantastic, and are one of the better linebacking corps in the NFL when healthy.

2. Fix special teams coverage units. F-
Absolutely not.  Let's put it this way:

I knew the Colts special teams played bad, but now that Football Outsiders attached a points value to their performance, I just feel sick.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/2007/11/14/extra-points/5757/ -17.7 points the 3rd worst in the time they have stats for (since 1996) that's 2 worse performances out of 5,776

Special Teams has consistently been the Achilles heal for this team, and the coaches have failed to address this.  Not only does the blame lie with ole' Russ, it goes to Dungy and Polian as well.  We've got to get someone who can play special teams, or someone to coach them, but it's not working at its current state.  I demand change.

3. Reliable third receiver. D
We tried.  I think Gonzo was about to get into a rhythm with this offense, but then Harrison went down and Gonzo got hurt right afterwards.  The truth is as far as wide receiver goes for our team, once you get beyond our starters there is a huge drop-off in talent.  It's hard to believe that we don't have a viable veteran that can act as a possession guy in the slot to take the pressure off of Dallas and Reggie. We need Marvin back to make a serious run deep into the playoffs.

4. Development of offensive line. A
Keep in mind this was written BEFORE the retirement of Tarik Glenn.  We thought we'd be developing the backups, but little did we know we would be replacing a PREMIERE Left Tackle.  Ugoh has been probably the most underrated pick of the 2007 draft.  Can you think of any rookies performing as well as him at the 2nd hardest position in the league?  It's a good sign when you cringe that a Rookie LT is not playing.  Right now we're pretty banged up, but if we can get Diem healthy we'll have our starting unit entact.  I haven't been as confident about our line and our ability to run the ball and protect Peyton in a long time.

5. More playmakers along the defensive line. A-
Absolutely!  It's very unfortunate that we lost Freeney, but we have to move on.  I think we're extremely lucky to have Simeon Rice.  He may not make an immediate impact, and as someone else put it, he won't make us forget about Freeney, but I think he'll be an adequate replacement.  Ed Johnson has performed very well as a starter.  We originally said we couldn't repeat if something happened to Booger, but something did happen and I think we have the talent to overcome that.  As with Cato... it's not often that you think "Man, I wish Booger was in there."  If our D-Line doesn't get it done, the Linebackers do.  If they don't, then the secondary does.  For the first time, all of our defense groups compliment each other.  Defensive line takes care of the rush.  Linebackers are stopping the run, and our secondary is stopping the run and pass.  It's going to be a defensive season this year, and I'm looking forward to it.

Overall:
If we fix the special teams and get Marvin and Gonzo healthy we can make it deep into the playoffs, and maybe make it two in a row.  If not, we have our work cut out for us.  One thing is for sure:  this team is scrappy.  I'm not trying to make excuses, but this team has been shorthanded the past few weeks, and they've fought until the end.  Ultimately they couldn't overcome and lost to better teams.  I don't think this will be a trend, and as we get healthier, we'll return to the dominant form that we're used to as Colts fans.

What do you think?