It seems no matter what they do, the Colts are good for 12 wins a year these days. But this is still a team with some obvious questions going into camp. Here are the five biggest ones.
5.) Where’s the help at linebacker?
With the recent resigning of Freddy Keiaho the Colts didn’t lose anything at linebacker this offseason, but they didn’t gain anything either. For the first time since 2001, the team didn’t draft a linebacker.
Gary Brackett will be 29 this season and is coming off his first major injury. Across from Keiaho either Tyjuan Hagler or Clint Session will start at the other outside linebacker position — and neither is proven.
4.) Who replaces Marv?
While Marvin Harrison wasn’t himself last season, he still commanded respect from opposing secondaries and opened things up for Peyton Manning’s other targets.
Harrison’s departure means more defensive focus on Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Anthony Gonzalez will be asked to step up, but is he really a No. 2 receiver or more of a slot guy? We will find out.
The Colts did draft BYU wideout Austin Collie (6-0, 200) in the fourth round. He isn’t the biggest or fastest guy, but he led the nation in receiving yards and should be able to step in as the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver before too long.
3.) Who is the coach?
What do we really know about Jim Caldwell?
He was head coach at Wake Forest from 1993-2000 and compiled a brutal 26-63 record. He was Peyton Manning’s “quarterback coach” for a few years, but what does that job entail?
For the past few years he’s been Dungy’s right-hand man and most recently was dubbed the “head coach in waiting.”
The Colts consistently find themselves in a lot of painfully close games. They tend come out on top more often than not. Will Caldwell be able to push the right buttons and continue the trend?
2.) Can they stop the run?
Colts president Bill Polian selected two defensive tackles in the 2009 draft which was twice as many as he’d drafted in the previous six drafts … combined. Guess you could say it was an area of need. Or as Polian would tell you, they just happened to be the best two players available.
Will drafting these two guys — Fili Moala (6-4, 303) in the second round and Terrance Taylor (6-0, 319) in the fourth — shore up the gaping hole in the middle of the defensive line? The Colts better hope so.
Bob Sanders’ health is also vital to stopping the run. If staying on the field continues to be a struggle for him, Melvin Bullitt will be forced to take his breakout season to the next level.
1.) Can they fix the running game?
Any quarterback becomes mortal without a running game and the Colts were atrocious in that department last season.
From an offensive line standpoint the team didn’t upgrade, and will instead hope that getting healthy will suffice. Starting guard Ryan Lilja returns after missing the ’08 season with injury and Jeff Saturday and Tony Ugoh enter camp healthy.
The Colts lost Dominic Rhodes, but replaced him with Connecticut running back Donald Brown who should compliment Joseph Addai nicely. But the Colts’ Achilles Heel has long been third-and-short and fourth-and-short situations — they just can’t get that yard on the ground.
While Brown can do everything the Colts like out of the backfield — run, block, and catch — at 5-10, 210, he’s not going to be the guy to get you that tough yard.
Sports
Five big questions for the '09 Colts
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