Indianapolis Colts 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds
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Indianapolis Colts 2009 NFL Record: 14-2 Home: 7-1 Away: 7-1
Indianapolis Colts 2010 Preview
The Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian irked some of his players when he blamed the team’s 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV loss to New Orleans on the offensive line and special teams. It’s not exactly the customary way to move forward. And the line criticism didn’t make sense. The guys blocking for Peyton Manning allowed a franchise-low 13 sacks of the fourtime NFL MVP. The Saints didn’t get him, either. And the Colts’ beleaguered 32nd ranked running game gained 99 yards on 19 carries in the finale. Still, the Colts have taken steps to get bigger and stronger up front. It’s easy to forget that the Colts started 14-0 in the wake of the decision to sit starters and ignore history, sparking a national debate. Fans were outraged. Players were upset, too. But while the fallout from such a disconnect would be a problem for most organizations, it should not be for the Colts, who win in the regular season like no other team. Their unprecedented streak of 12 victories or more per year is at seven and counting.
2010 Indianapolis Colts Quarterbacks
Manning didn’t exactly distance himself from the national perception that he struggles in the playoffs. Just when it seemed as if he would drive the Colts to a tying touchdown in the Super Bowl, he threw a pick-six that clinched the game for the Saints and dropped his career playoff record to 9-9. Still, few can play the position the way he does, either from a statistical standpoint or based on how he manages the game from the line. The Colts do not appear to have his successor yet. Second-year pro Curtis Painter didn’t dazzle last year, but he enters as the frontrunner for the No.2 job now that Jim Sorgi has switched Mannings and agreed to hold a clipboard for Eli in New York.
2010 Indianapolis Colts Running Backs
Joseph Addai has led the Colts in rushing each of the past four seasons, but he hasn’t been a workhorse back like the franchise’s all-time leader Edgerrin James. Content to do whatever the offense needs, Addai doesn’t typically put up huge yardage numbers. Well, the Colts need more yardage. It was supposed to be a point of emphasis last year, yet a 31st-ranked rushing attack in 2008 dropped to the cellar. IfAddai doesn’t produce, the Colts won’t hesitate to give more carries to Donald Brown, who wasn’t as consistent as Addai but did produce bigger plays as a rookie last season. Brown is an unselfish team player but must show he can be the guy.
2010 Indianapolis Colts Receivers
Reggie Wayne is one of the game’s best receivers, and youngsters Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie had breakthrough seasons. So how will Anthony Gonzalez fit in? Gonzo was the No.2 – for about one quarter of the 2009 opener – before going down for the year with a knee injury. While Gonzalez would appear to have more speed than Garc;on outside, camp could provide an intriguing competition. Garcon set an AFC Championship Game record with 11 receptions and had a touchdown catch in the Super Bowl, but the lasting memory for many is a second-quarter drop against the Saints. It took two years for Garcon to emerge, but he must minimize the drops, because Manning has plenty of other targets. Collie showed as a rookie that he’s already one of the league’s best slot receivers. Like Wayne, tight end Dallas Clark is a proven Pro Bowl talent. The addition of rookie Brody Eldridge as a blocking tight end might free up Clark to run even more routes and put up gaudier numbers than his career-high 100 catches and 1,106 yards in 2009, unfathomable as that might seem.
2010 Indianapolis Colts Offensive Line
The push to get bigger started with the offseason release of starting guard Ryan Lilja (6’2″, 290 pounds) and the free agent signings of tackle Adam Terry (6’8″, 335) and guard Andy Alleman (6’4″, 310). Then the Colts drafted Tennessee guard Jacques McClendon (6’3″, 324). Some were surprised the Colts didn’t draft another tackle, but maybe Athey are banking on Terry’s recovery from a knee injury and delivery on the promise Baltimore saw in the second-round pick in 2005. Left tackle Charlie Johnson had a decent year after so many questioned his ability. Right tackle Ryan Diem is solid. Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday will be 35 by camp, so his best years are behind him. It’s uncertain how former college center Mike Pollak figures into the mix after losing his guard job to Kyle DeVan last year. Pollak needs to be more consistent, but he didn’t seem to respond to being benched. Former second-round tackle Tony Ugoh might be the biggest disappointment of Polian’s tenure in Indy.
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2010 Indianapolis Colts Defense
Few pass-rushing sack tandems have ever been more effective than the Pro Bowl duo of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, but the defense breaks down when Freeney is hurt. It did in the Super Bowl as well as in a home playoff loss to San Diego after the ’07 season. The undersized Mathis can be handled by solid tackles; he didn’t even have a tackle in the Super Bowl. So, the Colts drafted end Jerry Hughes in the first round in hopes of adding another pocket threat. They will be looking for depth in camp after Raheem Brock was released. Brock didn’t make many big plays, but he played everywhere, which is inlportant when you have a line rotating to stay fresh. Tackles Dan Muir and Antonio Johnson do a decent job plugging the middle. Energetic tackle Eric Foster will remain a reserve because he’s undersized.
The Colts have defensive captain Gary Brackett in the middle and hard-hitting Clint Session on the weak side. The question is on the strong side, where Philip Wheeler has yet to show he can be a consistent playmaker. Perhaps the Colts will insert second-round pick Pat Angerer into the equation, although the thought is he was drafted to be Brackett’s understudy in the nliddle. Maybe Angerer can show enough to play outside for a couple of years, then move to the middle when Brackett’s contract ends. Say this for Brackett, he was the one defensive player who stood out for the Colts in the Super Bowl. His 13 tackles were six more than any other player on either sideline. As he says, he’s still carrying that lunch pail, wearing a hard hat and rolling up his sleeves.
Jerraud Powers was exceptional in coverage as a rookie; he just needs to hang onto more interceptions. Undrafted rookie Jacob Lacey was also a lifesaver when Kelvin Hayden was hurt. So the Colts appear to have three decent cover guys, and they also add rookie Kevin Thomas. The tweak to this system from the Dungy days has had the corners play tighter on some receivers, and the three returnees are decent at that. Perhaps the biggest question mark about this team is at safety, where 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders has now missed more regular-season games (49) than he has played (47) in his six-year career. His contract soars after this season, so he appears to be at a crossroad. Sanders played in only two games last year before tearing a biceps. He missed 10 the year before that. Another early exit and the Colts might part ways with him. Fortunately for the CoIts, safety Antoine Bethea has gone to the Pro Bowl, too, and Melvin Bullitt has been steady in place of Sanders. If the guy known as Bobzilla can’t terrorize ball-carriers, the Colts are used to Bethea and Bullitt.
Indianapolis Colts 2010 Season Prediction
It’s not a secret many in NFL nation are tired of the Colts and Manning. But unless this tealn suffers a spate of injuries at key positions, be prepared for another run. The Colts have so many tools, they can absorb painful setbacks and keep winning. If this team’s stars could ever stay healthy, more people would acknowledge how impressive the Colts have been in the Manning era. They typically break the hearts of their fans in the playoffs, but getting there is certainly entertaining.
We predict that the Indianapolis Colts will finish 1st in the AFC South, with a record of 13-3.
Indianapolis Colts Betting
AFC South Odds: 2-3 AFC Conference Odds: 13-4 Super Bowl Odds: 13-2
Indianapolis Colts Five-Year Win Betting Trends
2005: 14 2006: 12 2007: 13 2008: 12 2009: 14
Bet on the Indianapolis Colts
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