At this time, the offense is still stacked with weapons, so they aren’t likely to miss a beat this season, but the other side of the ball is another story. Both starting cornerbacks are gone along with play-making linebacker Marcus Washington, and players with little or no experience are being asked to pick up the slack. They also still lack an impact defensive tackle and an every-down defensive end to take some of the pressure off of Dwight Freeney, who appears to be the only impact player on this defense.
But even with the possible shortcomings on defense, the Colts are still one of the most feared teams in the league. At their best, they can outscore anyone. The problem is... they may have to do just that more often than they would like this year.
Quarterback
The Colts inked Manning to a long-term deal that netted the co-MVP a whopping $34.5 million signing bonus, reflecting his status as one of the best in the game. He does a great job of making sure the offense is in the right play at the right time and he reads defenses better than any QB in the league. He can make all the throws, and does a great job of spreading the ball around He is also the leader of the offense and handles pressure very well. The only think he really lacks is mobility.
Manning has proven to be very durable and rarely misses any playing time, so being his backup generally means spending a lot of time standing around on the sidelines. But if he should go down for a significant length of time, Indy could be in a world of hurt because they have very little experience on the bench. Backup Cory Sauter, who is 29-years old, has attempted just nine passes his entire NFL career, and rookie sixth rounder Jim Sorgi is battling NFL Europe QB Tom Arth for the final roster spot. If any of these guys is asked to shoulder the responsibilities of running this complicated offense, the results are not likely to be good.
Running Backs
Edgerrin James returns as the primary back for the Colts after posting 1,259 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. He lacks the explosiveness he possessed before injuring his knee in 2001, but he still has the speed to get outside and he’s tough between the tackles. Backup Dominic Rhodes, who is also in the last year of his contract, is a nice change-of-pace back and a good receiver out of the backfield. However, like James, a knee injury has robbed him of some of his burst, but he is still a quality backup.
James Mungro is penciled in as the No. 3 back, and he’s a hard working guy, but the Colts could be tempted to replace him with a younger back with potentially more upside. Tim Lopienski will probably return as the starting fullback, but he will be used strictly as a blocker in this offense.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Marvin Harrison is arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL and is coming off another fantastic season where he racked up 1,272 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is the perfect target for Manning because he runs such precise routes and he gets in and out of his cuts very quickly. And with a QB like Manning, he only needs to gain separation for a split-second to make a play successful. He also has good hands and possesses great instincts. The only knock on the guy really is his size, blocking ability, and increasing durability concerns as he gets older.
Reggie Wayne has emerged as a viable option for Manning and perhaps one of the better No. 2 receivers in the league, catching 68 balls for 838 yards and seven TDs last season. He is more of a possession receiver, but he has the quickness to get deep on occasion and he can be used on the outside as well as in the slot. Brandon Stokely came on strong at the end of last season as the third receiver and proved to be very effective out of the slot. He has a little better top-end speed than Wayne and he is very effective at finding the seam, but durability is a concern after he was slowed by nagging injuries early in the 2003 season. Troy Walters did a nice job as the fourth receiver, but he could be pushed by promising youngsters Aaron Moorehead and Brad Pyatt, both of whom were undrafted free agents last year.
The Colts will use a lot of two-tight end sets, with veteran Marcus Pollard and second-year player Dallas Clark getting most of the snaps. Neither has good deep speed, but both are solid in the short-to-intermediate range. And with Pollard most likely on the downside of his career, this year’s third-round draft pick was spent on Ohio State’s Ben Hartsock, who is very similar in style to Clark and Pollard.
