The future looks bright

I can’t get that game out of my head; I can’t get away from it anywhere. A constant reminder haunts me on the NFL network (who are apparently trying to kill Colts fans since the game is replayed at least a few times a week) and most sports sites, especially if they have an NFL page. I don’t believe it helps either that Mardi Gras started early this year has been going on now for almost a month. Believe me, Colts fans, I do not want to think about it anymore either, but we played not to lose, too conservative, not well enough to win, unlike we did the rest of the regular season, including the playoffs. For me, the bitterness of the Super Bowl has passed and is totally forgotten. Ok that’s a giant lie, but at least I can admit it and try working on being more positive.

That positive thinking starts with a new season. That new season starts with the annual combine, free agency and the NFL draft. The combine is the promise of a new beginning for these college players to become what they have always dreamed of being, an NFL player. These workouts can make or break when a player is picked. To every NFL team, a look at the future, a chance to reload or rebuild, especially those who fell short of the playoffs. Just around the corner is the start of free agency. Since the Colts don’t usually dive deep into free agency, let’s not even guess who could be coming to Indianapolis this off-season. Generally, it’s done as a need rather than necessity (see Vinatieri, Adam). Besides Polian will tell you that’s what the draft is for, which is just a few short months away. This is when most fans will tell you the season really starts, since the fruits of the teams labor come to reality. But NFL teams see this as the culmination of about six months of analysis and study of every detail of the top draft entrants. The Colts have 6 picks total, including the 31st overall in this years draft. After reviewing the team free agent list (Rick touched on this last week), and before every draft entry player has been analyzed to every nitpicky detail, let’s assess our team needs.

Let’s take a look at what our offense needs: Depth at tight end, running back and the offensive line.

Dallas Clark is an all-pro tight end; following him on the depth chart are Gijon Robinson, Tom Santi and Jacob Tamme. None of these players are Dallas Clark, but that’s not saying they can’t develop to that level at some point. The Colts need to spend a good portion of the off-season developing one or two of these guys, just look what happened to Garcon and Collie with a little work.

We have two great running backs in Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. They are never going to carry the ball 30 times a game in our offense, but maybe they need some more touches, just to mix it up a little bit, to keep other teams on their toes. Also, the Colts have gotten away from using the stretch play, which is probably because of the development of defenses to stop it. Why not look to the draft to find a big fullback for those short yardage situations and to open up holes for Addai and Brown? Isn’t this what we have been missing the last few years?

The offensive line has been banged up the last few years, with multiple starters missing time and unfortunately some of our draft picks haven’t reached their potential. We have been patient, but how much longer can we wait for some of these players to develop? Yes, you can look to the minimal amount of sacks given up this past season (10), but the offensive line struggled slightly in the playoffs against a bigger defense up front. Not very many sacks were given up, but too much pressure was allowed on Peyton Manning. If Peyton has even an extra half-second to throw, how many percentage points does his completion rate go up? How many drives does this continue? These are the things that make the difference between winning and losing, just ask recently retired Howard Mudd. By added some bulk up front, this not only continues to help protect our quarterback, but it also helps our running game and add some much needed balance to our offense.

Let’s take a look at what our defense needs: Depth in the secondary and linebacker.

Dear Mr. Polian, please keep Gary Brackett, Antoine Bethea and Melvin Bullitt. That’s a start. Obviously keeping Brackett is priority one, especially after letting one too many good linebackers go before their prime. He is the heart and soul of the defense and Bethea and Bullitt have added much needed consistency to the safety position. But these guys need some help. These are two areas that have been hit hard due to injuries in the last three seasons.

Adding through the draft a bigger physical safety and some height at the corner positions would be a good start to improve the secondary. Receivers are getting bigger and stronger, so we must counter with the same. Unfortunately our nickel package got exploited one time too many this season; and making it bigger and better is a step in the right direction. Bob Sanders will be hopefully returning healthy and could add to this depth, but injuries have limited him in recently years.

Another area of need is the linebacker position. If Brackett doesn’t return, this area needs immediate help, even if Freddy Keiaho returns from his injury filled 2009 season. He is a restricted free agent along with Tyjuan Hagler, so depth is definitely needed. With Larry Coyer changing the scheme of the defense slightly, adding bulk is important, but they also have to be fast. This is to our advantage, but by drafting a Ray Lewis type linebacker that has both, really could be the missing pieces in our defensive puzzle. Another wrinkle I thought of recently, what if Sanders is moved to outside linebacker? He has the speed to cover a slot receiver and obviously good against the run. If he is going to play all out anyway (hopefully he can stay healthy), why not let him roam among the linebackers. Just think of a blitzing Sanders and a pass rushing Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis running after the quarterback? It could happen, you never know.

With the return of healthy players and a few holes to fill in the draft, the promise of 2010 looks extremely positive. History is not on the side of the losing team from the Super Bowl, but Arizona got right back to the playoffs after coming up short in the big game. And there is no reason to think that the Colts can’t take the same path. With most every starter returning, why not, especially with Manning behind center. I recently looked up our opponents for the 2010 season and their combined record during 2009 was 132-124, (that’s an average of 8-8 for all the non-math wizards out there, like myself). We need to learn from our mistakes and play to win, not playing not to lose. It all starts with the combine, free agency and the draft. I am positive the future looks bright (maybe even super).