The Indianapolis Colts had a season to remember in 2006. It was all capped by a convincing Superbowl victory over the Chicago Bears, which gave Peyton Manning his first championship and rid of the idea that he could not win the “big one.”
Thus entering 2007, the Colts were one of the favorites to go to Superbowl XLII. And they were well on their way. They got the first-round bye, and were to host the San Diego Charges in the divisional round of the playoffs. However, the Colts defense completely collapsed. In that game, they gave up more yards, touchdowns and points than they had given up in any single game all season. The end result was 414-yard performance by the Chargers, and an early playoff exodus for Peyton Manning, Tony Dungy, and the Colts.
Entering the 2008 NFL Off-season, the Colts definitely should be optimistic. While losing that game was completely inexcusable, they were still only one possession away from possibly winning the game despite the abnormal inefficiency their defense displayed for that one game.
However, they didn’t win the Superbowl, which means that there are ways for this team to improve.
One of the most important things the Colts must address is their cornerback situation. They need to be able to go one-on-one with Moss while bringing pressure via the blitz. Let’s face it, without Randy Moss in the game making plays and requiring all of the Colts’ attention, there Colts win that game that they lost to the Patriots in midseason. The Colts don’t really have a need for a first round draft pick, so perhaps they should try to shop that around to get a stand up cornerback. If they can’t finagle a trade for someone like Terrance McGee, then Marcus Trufant will be on the market as free agent if the Seahawks don’t put the franchise tender on him. Even then, he may be worth the first round picks, because the Colts are in desperate need of getting someone they can put into single coverage with Moss for a few plays a game.
Secondly, the Colts need to come to the realization that eventually Marvin Harrison is going to be getting older. They seem to have found his incumbent in Anthony Gonzalez, but who will play that vaunted slot receiver position for the Colts in the case of another Harrison injury? I think it would be wise if the Colts go out and draft that next slot guy and that they utilize him in the offense throughout the season. They cannot afford to have the setbacks they had in 2007 that were due to Marvin Harrison not being on the field. They need to have enough receivers on the payroll who understand the offense and who have the talent to contribute if called upon. A first round pick on a receiver like Early Doucet, from LSU, would be great for the Colts. If they trade that pick away for corner, another alternative is Adarius Bowman, from Oklahoma State, who would be a perfect fit for the Colts offense in 2008.
