Indianapolis Colts (Naptown's Finest)

Ah, the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have made 6 straight playoff appearances, and they have shown no signs of slowing down. Yep, it's good to be a Colts fan, and this team is going to be the most talented in the history of the franchise. So you want to know more about the team that will be embarrassing your favorite team? Look no further. Here is the Colts season preview. Team MVP: We all know the Colts offensive stars. Peyton Manning, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, Marvin Harrison. However, for anyone who has watched the Colts the last two years, you remember which unit won the Super Bowl for the team. Bob Sanders will be the team MVP. Something that has been lost over the years is the actual meaning of the award. It's not the best player on the best team. It's the Most Valuable Player. Without Sanders, the 2006 Colts had the worst run defense in the league. In the playoffs, the Colts gave up 331 yards on 80 carries in the four games, which comes out to 4.1 yards per carry and 82.75 yards per game. That was a dramatic improvement, and the only difference was one player. Without Sanders, this team cannot win the Super Bowl. With him, they are one of the best teams, if not the best, in the league. Breakout Player: There are so many players to choose from. The Colts are a very young team, and many players are on the verge of a breakout. However, there is one player that will go from an unknown player to a star in only his second year. Ed Johnson is going to have a breakout season of epic proportions. Big Eddy Johnson was an undrafted free agent in 2006, but he had the talent of a top 20 pick. Why did he fall? He started the current Penn State tradition: off-the-field issues. In 2005, Johnson got kicked out of Penn State for sexual misconduct. He also missed spring and summer practices in 2004 for a fight on-campus. However, Johnson has been a perfect citizen since signing with the Colts. Last season, Johnson had 41 tackles and was the only Colts defensive lineman to start all 17 games and not miss one with injury. This season, Johnson is a one year veteran, and his raw talent will develop quicker than we could ever imagine. By what he showed last year, he can stop the run better than any Colts lineman. This season, the Colts will hopefully not have as many injuries on their defensive line. When Josh Thomas, Keyunta Dawson, and Quinn Pitcock were on the line, Johnson was the focus of the interior line. When Dwight Freeney, Raheem Brock, and Robert Mathis are on the line, Johnson will be forgotten. Johnson was a main part of the Colts defense last year, which held together even though the injury bug attacked last year. Johnson could very well get 75 tackles next year and become a sleeper for a Pro Bowl next year and years after that. Johnson is the current face of the Polian draft gems. Biggest Disappointment: Ugh. I hate this part. I can't say no one, so I will pick a player that will not match his 2007 season. Robert Mathis will be a disappointment. Mathis is still a great player, but he will see less time on the field with Raheem Brock moving back to defensive end and Marcus Howard's and Curtis Johnson's arrival. Mathis will not lead this team in sacks, but he won't have a bad year for his standard. He just won't see the field as much as he did last year. Fantasy Stud: This one is too hard. The Colts might as well be called the Indianapolis Fantasy Studs. This team is filled with players who are great as fantasy. I can't limit this to one player. Here is the fantasy outlook on all notable players. Peyton Manning is the smartest QB in the league, and now he has more weapons than ever. Peyton Manning could get 4250 passing yards and 40 touchdowns easily. Joseph Addai won't have the year he had last year, but he is definitely still a first round draft pick. With Mike Hart and Dominic Rhodes, he won't get as many carries, but he also won't have a breakdown at the end of the year. Reggie Wayne was a fantasy stud last year, and that will only continue. Last year, Marvin Harrison was hurt, so Wayne was getting all of the double teams. Now with Harrison back and better than ever, Wayne will get single coverage. Uh oh. Marvin Harrison, like Reggie, will also get single coverage. Hell, with all of the great receivers, there will be no double teams. Marvin will have a great comeback year and get around 800 yards and 8 touchdowns. Anthony Gonzalez was the Colts' long-yardage target when he was healthy. That should continue, and he will get a lot of yards. Dallas Clark had a load of touchdowns last year, but with the return of Marvin and the drafting of Jacob Tamme, he won't get as many touchdowns. He should improve his yardage, however. He will be a better target over the middle now that the safeties will have to cover the receivers tighter with the additions. Gijon Robinson would only be a good fantasy player if your league has receptions as a stat. Jacob Tamme is a big target, but I wouldn't draft him. Dominic Rhodes is an interesting player. He could get a lot of yards as a change of pace back. Mike Hart is a major sleeper. He will be used as a goal line back and a short yardage back. He will score a large portion of the team''s rushing touchdowns. Roy Hall, Pierre Garcon, and Tom Santi all should go undrafted but they could have a breakout year, so keep a close eye on them. The defense and special teams will be great this year. The defense will be top 5 in sacks, have a top 5 pass defense, and there is a strong possibility Pierre Garcon and TJ Rushing will turn into strong returners. Offensive Outlook: The offense is looking deeper than ever. At quarterback, you get Peyton Manning. Right now, Peyton is approaching Dan Fouts and Drew Bledsoe on the career passing yards list, and he is 37 touchdowns away from moving into third place on the career passing touchdowns list, surpassing Fran Tarkenton. His backup has not been determined, but smart money would be on either Quinn Gray or Jim Sorgi. The running backs are deep. Joseph Addai is still the lead back, but Dominic Rhodes will get a good share of the carries. Mike Hart will be a third-down back/goal line back/short yardage back, and after seeing the Hall of Fame Game, he could make a big impact. Chad Simpson, Kenton Keith, and Clifton Dawson all will have to look great to get a roster spot. Simpson might make the practice squad, though. The running backs are deep, but they make the backs look like the lineup for the Detroit Lions. Marvin Harrison has returned, and I expect him to look like the 2005 Marvin Harrison. Reggie Wayne has become a superstar by leading the league in receiving yards last year. Anthony Gonzalez became a deep threat that terrorized safeties. Roy Hall missed almost all of last season with a separated shoulder, but he has the athleticism to be an instant star. Pierre Garcon looks like a Marvin Harrison clone in training camp and preseason. Devin Aromashodu was a nice addition last year when the team was plagued with injuries. Sam Giguere, the French-Canadian, is built like a linebacker and can run like a slot receiver. Dungy and the other coaches have taken a liking to him. Onrea Jones and Courtney Roby both looked strong in the preseason game last week. Oh yeah, the tight ends are pretty good too. Dallas Clark had 11 touchdown receptions last year. Jacob Tamme is a wide receiver in a tight end's body. Tom Santi can block like an offensive tackle, and he has solid hands. Gijon Robinson is a major sleeper who will end up being a starter. The receivers are by far the most talented and deepest in the league. The offensive line has gotten much better. Sure, they lost Jake Scott, but they drafted Mike Pollak, Jamey Richard, and Steve Justice. All three of them were blocking like All-Pros in the Hall of Fame game. With Jeff Saturday, Ryan Lilja, Ryan Diem, and Tony Ugoh, the rookies will have time to develop into future starters. Defensive Outlook: The defense gave up the least amount of points last season, and the defense is improving every year. The defensive line didn't generate many sacks last year (26th in the league), but this year they will be top 5 and might even lead the league. Dwight Freeney is back, so the triple-teams can continue. On the other side, Robert Mathis is returning to his previous position, pass rush specialist. With Mathis and rookies Marcus Howard and Curtis Johnson, both of whom have running back speed, the pass rush will be lethal. Eric Foster, Keyunta Dawson, Darrell Reid, Raheem Brock (on passing situations), and Big Eddy Johnson will help clog the middle at defensive tackle. The linebackers have caught the first wave of the injury bug. Tyjuan Hagler tore his pectoral muscle. Philip Wheeler is having knee surgery. Clint Session hurt his calf. Gary Brackett has an injured hip. However, all of them besides Hagler should be back for the first game. The linebackers are the weakest unit on the team, but they are strong in pass coverage. Brackett might have been the best pass defending linebacker in the league last year. Session had 2 interceptions in his only start. Freddie Keiaho was hurt for most of the year, but in the first game against New Orleans, he showed some promise in the pass defense. Tyjuan Hagler and Philip Wheeler will specialize in rushing the passer and stopping the run. The other backup linebackers like The defensive backs are perfect for this system. Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, and Dante Hughes are not the fastest cornerbacks, but in the Cover 2, their aggressiveness helps break up a number of what would be complete passes. Bob Sanders is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, and he will be healthy and ready to clobber sorry running backs and receivers when the season starts. Antoine Bethea made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, but he will be one of the top free safeties in the AFC this season and could very easily make the Pro Bowl the old-fashion way. The backups at both safety and cornerback are tough. Matt Giordano, Jamie Silva, and Brannon Condren are all hard-hitters. TJ Rushing is not only a returner, he is a hard-hitting cornerback. Michael Coe had knee surgery, but when he returns, he will still be one of the top gunners on the team. Tim Jennings has become a better coverage man this off-season and will keep his roster spot. The defensive backs are the unheralded heroes of the defense. " ed Letter" Game: This is close between the Bears game, the Ravens game, and that one team...they begin with a C...Cha...Cheat something....oh yeah, it's the Patriots. The most intense rivalry in the NFL has been in favor of the Colts recently, but the Patriots defeated Indy last year, and the game on November 2nd in Lucas Oil Stadium should be a great game again. Projected Record/Outlook: The Colts will get off to their usual hot start. The Colts will beat Da Bears by more than three scores with the defense not giving up a touchdown to Chicago. The Vikings will be tough, but the defense will feast on Tavaris Jackson's inexperience. The next game will be huge. Jacksonville will come to Indy. This game will be close, but home field advantage will prevail again in this rivalry. After the Week 4 bye, the Colts will continue their winning streak for all of October, easily beating the Texans, Ravens, and Packers and taking care of division rival Tennessee. On November 2nd, the last two undefeated teams in the league come into Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts will shut down Tom Brady with the pass rush, only giving up 17 points. The Colts will win 21-17, and they are 8-0. Pittsburgh and Houston will be taken care of easily, but all good things must come to an end. The game at San Diego will be familiar, as Phillip Rivers will whine his way to another win over the Colts. After beating Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Detroit, the Colts will have a multi-game losing streak. They will lose at Jacksonville, but they will have already clinched the bye week. They will rest their starters against Tennessee, who will beat them on a last-second field goal. After the Patriots win their playoff game against the Browns, they will make their triumphant return to Lucas Oil Stadium. Brady will lose again, and his playoff record will always be followed by ""Playoff Tom Brady: Property of the Manning Family". When the Chargers beat the Jaguars, revenge is really on the Colts mind. Phillip Rivers will be terrorized in the backfield and throw 4 interceptions. The Colts will silence the Southern California crowd, and we will see them in Tampa against Little Brother Eli. Without Tyree's magic helmet, this game isn't much of a contest. It is low-scoring, but the 17-7 outcome is enough to give Peyton his second ring and put him in the discussion for greatest player of all-time. Parting Shot: Every NFL team is represented on Fan Sided. Except for one. The New England Patriots. I'm sure the heads of Fan Sided have looked for one, but 95% of them are still sitting in the fetal position crying, where they have been since February. 18-1. 18-1. 18-1. Jacksonville Jaguars: You know what's funny? Jaguars fan(s?) think their team has caught the Colts. Besides the fact that Maurice Jones-Drew is the head of the Florida Chapter of the Lollipop Guild, they don't have a pass rush. Harvey and Groves don't have the pass rush skills. They won't be running 40 yards straight down the field to get to Peyton. Sorry, Jaguars fan(s?). Get used to second place. Tennessee Titans: The Titans have some needs. Every position other than defensive line and running back to be exact. Of course, the geniuses in Nashville believe that they can win by drafting running backs and defensive ends with their top picks. Maybe a QB who can hit a target should be at the top of their list in 09. Houston Texans: I'm using the term "rival" loosely. Whipping boy would be a better name to describe the guaranteed win known as the Houston Texans. So, remember to set your TiVo for February 1st on NBC if you want to see a great Colts game. - Sam DeKlyen