Ever since the arrival of Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and Tony Dungy, the city of Indianapolis has become a football town. On the back burner lie the once prominent Indy 500 and the Indiana Pacers. The people of this city now bleed blue and the horseshoe the symbol of their pride. A legend and future hall of famer has chosen a new ranch for one last ride of glory. A rising young star sits atop the saddle that Peyton once sat upon and looks to blaze his own path of greatness for a city that expects to win. After two full seasons as a starter, Andrew Luck has proven that he has what it takes to deliver the Colts to another Super Bowl appearance. However, there are many holes that have been exposed by the Chiefs and Patriots in this years playoffs. With roughly $31 million dollars to spend this offseason, the Colts have several key free agents of their own to worry about. Vontae Davis, Antoine Bethea, Donald Brown and what to do about the kicking game, as both Pat McAffee and Adam Vinatieri are both free agents. One could argue, as tough as it would be to let Adam Vinatieri walk, that McAffee if re-signed can handle both punting and kicking duties. If the Colts decide to take this route, they could save both money and open up a roster spot for a more important position. The secondary has major question marks. Greg Toler has a history of injury woes, and both he and 2013 free agent signee LaRon Landry both were disappointments. Bringing back both Davis and Bethea are essential to the development of this defense. However both men will require lofty paychecks. In the case of Bethea this will probably be the last contract of his career, so he will look to get the most out of his deal. The most glaring need for this team to take that next step is improving the interior line play. Having a solid offensive line makes the offense run like a well oiled machine.
Last season the Colts had difficulty both running the football and protecting their franchise quarterback. Both guard positions and the center position need to be upgraded. The Colts may also want to look at making changes to their blocking scheme since they are tied to Trent Richardson. Richardson is a power back who runs downhill. Trent is not the type of back who hits the hole quickly, he needs for his offensive linemen to be able to hold their block long enough for him to sneak through. The group the Colts have now have shown that they are not capable of sustaining blocks for such a length of time. Donald Brown showed the NFL world why Bill Polian drafted him in the first round because of his ability to hit the hole quicker than Richardson. Colts fans were disappointed in the production of Richardson this year, however if the Colts make the proper changes up front we could just see the former third overall pick explode into one of the leagues premier backs. Upgrading the offensive line will also allow the Colts to be more potent in the passing game. It seems like almost every play Luck is faced with pressure and has little time to deliver the ball. The seven interceptions Andrew threw in the playoffs were direct results of trying to make something happen while constantly being pressured. If you give twelve the time he needs to throw the ball, he has plenty of weapons to intimidate a defense. Reggie Wayne and Dwayne Allen return to a lineup of full of young receivers. T.Y. Hilton, Griff Whalen, and D'Rick Rogers now have valuable playoff experience they bring to the table. Rogers will benefit greatly from a full offseason of OTA's, training camp, and four preseason games. Pagano and his coaching staff will help keep the 6'3" 210 pound Rogers on the right track. We could see great strides from the two dropped passes in New England to opening day. It's clear that the major concerns for this Colts team are up front in the trenches. Upgrading the offensive line is essential for the Colts to return to the glory days.