NFL Season Preview: Indianapolis Colts

TDJets72027 · Aug 1, 2007

Repeat, repeat, repeat. Is that the only word that's going to be used when we talk about the Colts in 2008? Yes, quite possibly.

Last season was about getting the monkey off the team's back. The monkey wore red and blue and might look a little like Bridget Moynihan, but that's another story. The 2007 season for the Colts is about hunger. Can a team in the age of parity approach dynasty or, more important, remind people that the Patriots weren't the best team of the era? Is one ring enough for Peyton Manning, or is it enough to keep him from the inevitable Dan Marino comparisons that will come up when Manning heads to Canton? At least then, he'll be the only Manning around.

Boiling down all those questions to one leads us to this: Can they repeat? The answer is a clear yes. It's not going to be easy, but the team isn't any worse. Manning is still the best QB in the league, he still has the same weapons -- maybe better. Joseph Addai -- who came very close to fulfilling my prediction of being Super Bowl MVP -- will carry the load alone. The kid is good, certainly worthy of the lineage of Colts carriers that goes Eric twinkyerson, Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James and now Addai. Add in a surprising pick of Anthony Gonzalez, and you've given Manning his favorite thing in the world -- a slow white guy who knows how to run routes. Ok, Gonzalez is Latin, but give him some time under the RCA Dome and he'll look white enough. It's Indiana for cripes sake.

Oh, you want to talk about the defense? Look, Bob Sanders isn't the difference. The Colts defense stunk all year, but it was better than it looked. There's no depth, there's some questions at the corners, but Indianapolis is built on bending, not breaking, assuming you define bending as giving up 30 points. There's some guys you might not know about like Freddy Keiaho and Matt Giordano, plus no one knows the ubiquitous Tampa-2 like Tony Dungy. But that doesn't even matter. Essentially, Peyton Manning is the defense. Give up 30? He'll usually find a way to put up 31. Give up 20? Heck, that might as well be a shutout with the quick strike Indy offense.

So how does this season end up? Same way it did last year, despite a record that won't look as good, thanks to a brutal schedule. The Colts standing tall on the field in Arizona, a little drier than they were last year. Manning gets his MVP trophy to go with the everything else in the NFL he has on his shelf. Tony Dungy waves and walks off into the sunset, retiring on top as many thought he'd do last year. Then we can start talking about the new stadium and a new word for the NFL - threepeat.
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http://deadspin.com/sports/nfl-season-preview/nfl-season-preview-indianapolis-colts-283861.php

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NFL Season Preview: Indianapolis Colts

TDJets72027 Rex Ryan baby

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NFL Season Preview: Indianapolis Colts

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