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2014 Indianapolis Colts
It's a Critical Year for the Indianapolis Colts
Pause for a moment to think about the stunning era that the Indianapolis Colts, especially under former Coach Tony Dungy and current quarterback Peyton manning, have had. There's been no season when the team did not go to the playoffs since all the way back to 2001. And of course, in 2007, they finally won that elusive prize, the Super Bowl Championship.
Now that Coach Dungy has left and star players are starting to leave, it's almost certainly a matter of time before this success takes a break. And many fans are wondering: Is this that year? If nothing else, it's certainly a year to watch the Indianapolis franchise. Click Here to Read More
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Keep in mind that, even though the Colts won 12 games last year, eight of those wins were by seven or fewer points. Five were won by four or fewer points. This is not the dominant force as in other recent years.
There is good news, however. Tom Moore, the team's longtime offensive coordinator, will return to his former position, as will o-line Coach Howard Mudd. Still, there are certain to be holes in the player roster.
Last year, the Colts' running game was next to last in the league, partly because of problems up front. This year, things aren't that much better. No meaningful players have been added to the already-mediocre defense, either.
And of course, Indy will have to navigate the virtual minefield that is the 2014 AFC South. Last year, when the 13-3 Titans kept atop the South chart, that signaled the end of the Colts' domination of the division. The Colts also have to watch out for an improved Texans team and the newly-healthy Jaguars.
Coach Caldwell, in his first year leading the team, has his work cut out for him as he sets out to prove wrong the idea that Indianapolis will soon be heading to the middle of the AFC standings after many seasons in Super Bowl contention. If he doesn't, Caldwell will be seen as yet another successor who wasn't able to fill the shoes of a legend.
Some things that should be interesting to watch:
- Peyton Manning will be back leading the squad again, now a bit older (33) but still doing wonders. However, if he should suffer an injury (something he's mostly avoided all these years), Jim Sorgi, with 178 passing yards, will step in. Sorgi is an unknown quantity in the NFL, so there's simply no reliable prediction as to how he would do.
- Joseph Addai is widely seen as one of the NFL's elite rushers. Still, one problem haunts the team: He seems extremely susceptible to injury. Addai was hampered by injuries last year that caused him to miss four games, and slowed him down in others. Can he reach his full potential this year, or will there be more injuries standing in his way?
- It's almost a certainty, as of this writing, that wide receiver Marvin Harrison will be gone after an impressive 13 years with the organization. Although Harrison's performance was not as grand in the past few years because of injuries, still his charisma in the locker room will be sorely missed.
- Fortunately, one man who might fill Harrison's void, in more ways than one, is reggie Wayne. He's one of the NFL's top receiving talents, with 82 receptions and 6 touchdowns. There's also Anthony Gonzalez, who will probably move to a more substantial role this year.
- There are several youngsters who bring some promise to the o-linemen this year, including rookies Jamey Richard, Mike Pollack and Steve Justice.
- One big change will likely be among the linebackers. Gary Brackett, with 99 tackles, is almost assured of getting a spot in the middle. However, other spots are up for grabs. Clint Session will be moved to the weak side from the strong, and Tyjuan Hagler will need to beat Phillip Wheeler for Session's old spot.
- One thing that caught the Colts off guard during the preseason was having starting safety Antoine Bethea as well as starting cornerback Kelvin Hayden receive pretty substantial injuries. In addition, Marlin Jackson at cornerback is still a question mark after missing the last nine games last year, and who is still recovering from a knee injury. Among this group, therefore, depth is sure to be an issue.
- And that brings us to special teams. Indy said goodbye to Hunter Smith, their longtime punter, and are replacing him with Pac McAfee from West Virginia, a seventh-round draft pick. Unfortunately, kicker Adam Vinatieri was limited during camp because of persistent injuries. However, he should be ready when the regular season starts. Although he missed all of the 2008 season because of an injury, the man with the perfect football name, T.J. Rushing will be back returning the other team's kicks, although the team might decide to cut him loose. If so, the Colts could fill that spot with Pierre Garcon or Chad Simpson. And finally, long-snapper Justin Snow will be returning once again to his familiar role.
The bottom line: Any time a team wins 12 games in a season, and returns the next year with mostly the same roster that gave them that record, it's hard to count them out. And keep in mind that the last time Tony Dungy left a team, they won the Super bowl the next year, using the team that he helped to build.
However, these Colts look a whole lot different from those Buccaneers, so it's hard to say if the same magic will hold true with this Colts' team. One things for sure, though: this will be an interesting year to watch, just to see how things pan out.
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