On paper, the Colts offensive line isn’t at all impressive, but every year, line coach Howard Mudd seems to get the most out of this unit. Anchoring the line at left tackle is Tarik Glenn. He is easily the best player on the line, but he will never be confused with the Ravens Jonathan Ogden. Glenn has the size and athletic ability to be effective at his position, but conditioning is a big concern. Youngster Ryan Diem has proven to be solid on the right side and should continue to get better with experience.
Center Jeff Saturday, who has four years experience as the Colts starting center, will continue in that role this season. He is one of the more underrated centers in the game because he lacks typical size and strength, but his understanding of this offense makes him invaluable with his ability to make presnap adjustments to the line. Rick DeMulling is a solid starter at left guard, but Tupe Peko is barely adequate on the right side. Colts coaches are hoping second-year lineman Steve Sciullo will be ready to take the job away from Peko soon, but injuries slowed his development in 2003 and Peko is still penciled in as the starter.
Defensive Line
Dwight Freeney is a terror at defensive end, but there’s not a lot of playmakers to complement him anywhere else on this line. And Freeney himself, however dangerous he might be as a pass rusher, is a one-dimensional player. The Colts will rotate Raheem Brock and Brad Scioli at left end, but neither is anything more than an average player. Robert Mathis will see some time as a situational pass rusher, but what this unit really needs is an every-down defensive end that can hold up to the run.
And you can’t really say the Colts defensive tackles are anything much better than decent either. Larry Tripplett has virtually no pass rush and he struggles to hold the point of attack against double teams. Montae Reagor is better at getting penetration, but he lacks bulk and strength, and he can’t seem to stay healthy. Josh Williams is a key contributor off the bench, but he is undersized and will probably never be anything more than a wave player.
Linebackers
Thanks to free agency and a tightening salary cap, the linebacking corps has been picked to the bone. Two impact players in Mike Peterson, ‘03 and Marcus Washington ‘04 were allowed to leave because the team simply couldn’t afford them. So the team is left with Rob Morris, who hasn’t lived up to expectations, third-year player David Thornton on the weak side and either last year’s sixth round pick Cato June, who played safety in college, or rookie third-round pick Gilbert Gardner filling the starting spot on the strong side.
Morris will play in the middle, and he has the talent to be an explosive player, but his aggressiveness causes him to be out of position and get beat at times. His coverage skills also leave a little to be desired. Thornton, who is filling the vacancy left by Peterson, is a good athlete, but he lacks the big-play potential head coach Tony Dungy likes in his linebackers.
Secondary
Indianapolis took a big chance letting both starting corners leave during the off-season, so, much like the situation at linebacker, the Colts are going to be counting on some young guys to come through. The loss of David Macklin won’t hurt, but losing the experience Walt Harris provided could come back to bite them. A lot of pressure will be put on Joseph Jefferson and Donald Strickland to emerge as quality starters this year. Nick Harper is penciled in as the starter on the right side, but he lacks the size, strength, and speed to ever be more than the No. 3. Jefferson has the potential to be a good No. 2, but injury has hampered his development thus far and he will probably never be a true No. 1 corner. Strickland also lacks size and speed, and is probably better suited in a backup role.
Last year’s second-round pick Mike Doss is scheduled to start at strong safety this year. Doss is a hard hitter with good speed, but he still looks confused at times and tends to give up big plays. The coaches had hoped this year’s second-round pick Bob Sanders would be ready to step into a starting role at free safety, but he was late getting into camp, which has seriously stunted his development, so Idrees Bashir will likely get the call for now.
Overview
Overall, I think the opposition is going to get the same old song and dance from Peyton Manning & Co. on the offense, but there are some serious issues to be dealt with on the defensive side of the ball. The defensive line appears soft, their middle linebacker doesn’t have the range for this defense, the outside backers are young and inexperienced, as is a significant portion of the defensive backfield. The Colts are likely to outscore a lot of teams, but their not going to shut many down. They have the talent to win it all this season, but the defense has the serious potential to be their downfall.