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NY Times Blog: "Same old powerhouse Colts"

From Andy Benoit at The Fifth Down (NY Times blog), previewing the Indianapolis Colts 2010 season:

Same old powerhouse Colts. This team can overcome any injury as long as Manning is not involved. The defense is more aggressive and less burdened than in past years. Offensively, the passing attack is loaded with more weapons than it’s ever had. As usual, anything less than a Super Bowl should be considered a disappointment.

The details of his season preview are very good. He too believes Pierre Garçon will start over Anthony Gonzalez. Benoit's opinions on Gary Brackett and Pat Angerer are also interesting:

Don’t expect Brackett’s tenure in Indy to last another five years, though. The Colts spent a second-round draft pick on Pat Angerer who, at 6-0 and 235, is basically a carbon copy of Brackett. In Indianapolis, backup linebackers generally learn to play all three positions, so Angerer might initially challenge for snaps on the outside. Don’t expect him to steal a starting job there. Weakside linebacker Clint Session plays with too much explosiveness and vitriol to be removed from this finesse front seven. Strongside linebacker Philip Wheeler is too steady operating in traffic and coverage to send to the bench.

All in all, it's a pretty good preview. Well done, Andy.

[UPDATE]: Another interesting tidbit from Andy's article:

There have been murmurs that the offense – which has a new play-caller, Clyde Christensen – could start mixing in a fullback to foster a tougher rushing attack.

The Colts have typically used Eric Foster and Gijon Robinson in the role of fullback during previous seasons. This year, I'm pretty sure Andy is referring to Brody Eldridge, the rookie out of Oklahoma. He was drafted to be more of an in-line blocker from the H-Back position.