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2005 Team Report: Indianapolis Colts
Quarterbacks
Starter: Peyton Manning
Starting QB: Peyton Manning had a season for the ages in 2004, winning his second consecutive league MVP, and becoming the first player since Joe Thiesmann in 1983 to win both the League and Pro Bowl MVPs. He set the all-time passing TD mark with 49, and threw for 4,557 yards, earning his fifth straight Pro Bowl appearance. Manning has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 25 TDs in each of the last six seasons. Manning has been in the top four (4th, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 2nd, 2nd) of QB fantasy points for the last 6 years running. Barring injury, it is impossible to believe that he will fall out of the top four for many years to come. Manning is the league's best pocket passer, and guides the most productive offense in the game. The Colts boast one of the best offensive lines in football, and Manning has three 1,000-yard, 10-TD WRs at his disposal. Most importantly, Manning has never lost time to injury.
Backup QB: Jim Sorgi was the Colts' sixth-round draft pick in 2004. He saw mop-up duty against Chicago, Detroit and Tennessee. In the inconsequential regular-season finale at Denver, he played extensive time after Manning started. The Colts lost 33-14, but Sorgi passed for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Despite Travis Brown being placed on IR, the Colts have been slow to add another QB to the roster, leaving only Sorgi on the active 53-man roster. But with Manning being an iron man, it probably isn't going to matter. Manning has never missed time with injury, and is in zero danger of replaced (obviously). Sorgi might get some snaps late in the season, as the Colts coast into the playoffs.
Running Backs
Starter: Edgerrin James
Starting RB: Coming off of a blistering second half of the 2003 season, James continued with 1,548 rushing yards, 2,031 combined yards and nine TDs. James earned a third Pro Bowl appearance while playing for a large payday in the final season of his contract. James has been named the team's franchise player and will receive $8.1 million this season, but owner Jim Irsay said he did not believe he would sign James to a long-term deal because he wants to spend more money on the defensive side of the ball. This year, then, effectively becomes a contract year. Big offensive numbers this season will equate to a big financial windfall in the years to come. Money is a powerful motivator. Backup RBs: Dominic Rhodes needs to continue to prove he can be the answer for the future. Rhodes signed a two-year, $4.75 million contract that kept him off the free-agent market and provides the team with a reliable option if James departs. James is expected to be a Colt through 2005, but he is likely to depart at the end of this season regardless of what unfolds this year. Filling in for James, Rhodes put up 1,104 rushing yards with nine TDs in 15 games in 2001. Rookie Ran Carthon (Maurice's son) made the team and brings a workman-like approach to the position.
Fullback: The Colts don't make use of a traditional fullback much if at all, so James Mungro should really be considered part of the tailback depth. James Mungro put up eight TDs in 2002, including a 114-yard performance with two scores, and a 75-yard performance with two scores. His numbers have since fallen to the point that Mungro only carried the ball five times in the 2004 season. However, Mungro found a niche as a goal line receiver in 2004, catching just seven passes, but scoring three TDs.
Wide Receivers
Starters: Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne
Starting WRs: Harrison made his sixth straight Pro Bowl appearance, coming off of a 1,113 yard, 15 TD season in 2004. It was also his sixth consecutive season with at least 1,100 receiving yards and double-digit TDs. Harrison has ranked in the top five fantasy WRs for the last six years running. He is as consistent of a fantasy WR as you'll find. Reggie Wayne finally produced like the first round draft choice he is last season. With 77 receptions, 1,210 yards, and 12 TDs, Wayne finished as the eighth best fantasy receiver. Despite the much publicized shouting match with Peyton Manning last season, Manning has maintained for years that Wayne is one of his favorite players on the team. Brandon Stokley has emerged as perhaps the NFL's best slot receiver and definitely a defensive matchup nightmare. He's fearless over the middle and has the speed to do damage down the seam. Stokley put up 68 receptions, 1,077 receiving yards, and 10 TDs last season, finishing as the 11th highest ranked fantasy receiver. But Stokley dislocated his shoulder on August 4th, and is questionable to return for week one against the Ravens. Backup WRs: Aaron Moorehead is an interesting player to keep an eye on. Coming to the Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2003, Moorehead made the team and shined in extremely limited duty in 2003. He had one catch in 2004. He has size, speed, and is fearless over the middle. Troy Walters, cut for two days, has returned and will fill out the team's WR corps and provide a weapon in the return game.
Tight Ends
Starters: Dallas Clark
Dallas Clark has great speed for a TE, is very athletic with soft hands, and will make the tough catches over the middle. He has star ability, as witnessed against Houston in 2004, putting up three catches for 102 yards and two TDs. Clark followed it up in the playoffs against Denver with six catches for 113 yards and a TD. In 15 games, and slowed by injuries all season, Clark finished as the 11th best fantasy TE. However, Clark has not proven to be able to stay healthy. He broke his leg in 2003 and missed the second half of the season. Just looking at the 2004 season, Clark lost time for a strained calf muscle, a biceps strain, and a concussion. This injury history cannot be discounted, you should almost expect that he will lose at least a game or two nursing some form of injury. Ben Hartsock is an exceptional blocker both on the line where he gets good leverage and on the move leading a runner. Although undeveloped, he has all the tools to be an outstanding underneath receiver. Place Kicker Mike Vanderjagt, Dave Rayner : Vanderjagt is one of the highest scoring (125 points/year) and most accurate kickers in history (87.0% career FG), although he did sandwich his stellar 100% in 2003 with mediocre 74.2% and 80.0% years. There has been speculation the Colts might cut him because he has an expensive contract and he doesn't always choose his words wisely, however the team president stated Vanderjagt will remain this year. The Colts drafted Rayner (Michigan State, sixth round) to handle kickoffs and possibly replace Vanderjagt in 2006 after his contract expires. Rayner needs to improve his consistency and clutch kicking to take over place kicking duties. Kick and Punt Returners Kick Returners: Dominic Rhodes, Troy Walters Had he remained healthy, WR Brad Pyatt (23.0 avg in 2004, 28.6 in 2003) should have been the primary KR, but he only played in eight games in each of the last two years. He didn't even make it that far this year, landing on IR in preseason. RB Dominic Rhodes (48 returns, 24.8 avg, 1 TD) becomes the KR by default, although we don't mean to imply he's incapable of performing well in that role. WR Troy Walters should once again serve as a backup KR. Punt Returners: Troy Walters, Jason David Troy Walters served as a backup KR/PR the last two years, and led the team in both categories in 2002. Thanks to another season-ending injury to Brad Pyatt, Walters enters the 2005 season as the Colts primary punt returner. CB Jason David (8 returns, 6.3 avg) shared PR duties after Pyatt got hurt last year. Offensive Line
Projected Starters: RT Ryan Diem, RG Ryan Lilja, C Jeff Saturday [inj], LG Jake Scott, LT Tarik Glenn
This unit consists of two exceptional players and then a few question marks. Both center Jeff Saturday and tackle Tarik Glenn bring experience and talent to this unit and are among the top players at their position in the NFL. However, with the loss of veteran guard, Rick DeMulling, the combination of Ryan Diem, Jake Scott and Ryan Lilja hardly inspire with their potential for greatness. Diem is a good run blocker but can struggle in the passing game. Scott is very undersized at 280 pounds and cannot knock defenders off of the line of scrimmage. Both Saturday and Glenn will keep this unit together and having a weapon such as Manning will help mask any problems that may develop. Overall, this group performs far better than the sum of its parts and the lack of depth is a real concern. Team Defense Despite having a defensive-minded head coach in Tony Dungy, the Colts remain one of the worst overall defenses statistically in the NFL. In 2004, they were 29th in the league in total defense and 24th against the run. As you might imagine, the Colts have received their share of criticism along these lines. But the criticism has not always been fair. First of all, the team was third in the league in takeaways with 36. Sure, the defensive unit gave up 590 total yards in one memorable game against the Chiefs last season, but it still finished about midway through the pack when it came to points allowed. And the team was tied for third in the league with 45 sacks. Young stars DE-Dwight Freeney, S-Bob Sanders and S-Mike Doss lead the defense. The Colts still play a version of the Cover-Two defense. Ron Meeks remains as defensive coordinator. When building this team, the Colts obviously have spent the bulk of their cash on offense and have had to rely on draft picks and cheaper free agents to supplant defensive needs. One thing is for sure…,if the Colts defense becomes top notch, there is little to stop them on the road to the Super Bowl. Defensive Line
Starters: DE Dwight Freeney, DE Raheem Brock, DT Montae Reagor, DT Corey Simon
Starting DL: This is a unit of strength and youth. The defensive line had 41 of the team's 45 sacks and is lead by two-time Pro Bowler Dwight Freeney. Freeney led the NFL with 16 sacks, including one scorching stretch of eight sacks in three games. Freeney is a sack specialist extraordinaire. Across from Freeney should be Raheem Brock. There has been some speculation that HC Tony Dungy will move Brock to DT this year. Brock was already playing DT in the nickel defense last year. He is another young emerging talent on the Colts line and had 6.5 sacks, including 5.5 in the team's last eight games. At one DT spot is Montae Reagor, who is a team leader in the locker room and on the field. Reagor had career-highs with five sacks and 41 total tackles and turns 28 in June. Starting at the other spot will likely be Corey Simon, once he gets up to speed and comfortable with the Colts defensive scheme. Simon refused to sign the 1-year franchise tender offer from the Eagles and they eventually released him. While he occasionally struggles defending the run, Simon is an excellent playmaker from the DT position who should be a great fit in the Colts 1-gap system. Backup DL: It's hard to call a guy a backup when he has 10.5 sacks and over 30 solo tackles, but that's where Robert Mathis finds himself for the time being. The undersized Mathis exploded onto the scene in 2004 and had 8.5 sacks in an eight-game span. Mathis, who weighs only 235 pounds, may eventually be moved to linebacker but it appears as though he'll remain primarily at DL for 2005. Larry Triplett is the team's heaviest lineman at just 295 pounds and has starting experience from the 2003 season. Josh Williams, a fourth round pick from 2000, regained the starting job he had lost after being injured in 2002. He is primarily a run stuffer, ending up with 27 total tackles last year, but will begin the season on the PUP list after having surgery to repair a hernia. Undrafted DE Josh Thomas was a pleasant surprise to the team. He signed on as a free agent prior to 2004 and provided versatility and athleticism to their line. Although he tore his ACL and missed the last five games of the year, he is on track to be ready opening day. If Brock moves to DT, some discussion has been made about starting Thomas at DE. It's hard to tell where rookie Vincent Burns fits into the mix, but Colts personnel have high hopes.
Linebackers
Starters: SLB David Thornton, WLB Cato June, MLB Gary Brackett
Starting LBs: Last year's starting MLB Rob Morris received little interest in free agency and was eventually re-signed by the Colts. However, raw third year pro Gary Brackett entered camp as the favorite to start on the inside. Brackett has been mostly a special teams player, but he has stood out enough there (tying for the team lead in ST tackles) to be the head man on the current depth chart at the position. At SLB, look for David Thornton to once again lead the way. After a successful season at weakside linebacker in 2003, Thornton moved to the strong side last year and proved more than capable. Although he came nowhere close to matching his monstrous output of 2003, he still had 92 total tackles, including 69 solo tackles. The weakside is the position most fantasy readers are curious about. For several years, it's been the position to which the defense points much of the action. Second-year player Cato June started all year there and led the team with 84 solos and 110 total tackles. It's his job to lose again in 2005. Backup LBs: The team waited, but eventually decided to bring back Rob Morris when nobody else made him an offer. He never lived up to the expectations had for him when the Colts drafted him in the first round, but he brings some stability and will push Brackett for playing time on run downs. The Colts have a few young players at LB ready to compete for playing time. One is second-year man Gilbert Gardner. Gardner was hampered by several injuries and missed several games a year ago. Several people inside the organization believed Gardner would take over the WLB job from Cato June, but that never materialized. Gardner, who was a third-round pick in 2004, is a physical player and a good tackler. The Colts traded an undisclosed draft choice for Rocky Calmus right before the season began. He'll provide additional depth at the MLB spot and could potentially emerge as the starter there at some point. Kendyll Pope, also a rookie in 2004, is a bit undersized and was hurt almost all year due to a sports hernia, but he's a good tackler and a fierce competitor. Unfortunately, Pope was suspended for the entire 2005 season by the NFL for violating the substance abuse policy.
Defensive Backs
Starters: SS Bob Sanders, FS Joseph Jefferson, CB Nick Harper, CB Donald Strickland
Starting DBs: Despite a nightmarish season of injuries to just about every DB on the roster, HC Tony Dungy should be pleased with the outlook for the secondary in 2005. SS "Bullet" Bob Sanders was the first player taken by the Colts in last year's draft, and after missing the first five games due to a foot injury, came on like gangbusters. At least, that is, until he was hurt again with a knee injury. But in the games he played Sanders looked awesome, including one three game stretch of 27 total tackles and a fumble return for a score. Mike Doss was initially expected to fill the other safety spot, but has been replaced by Joseph Jefferson. Jefferson has played primarily at CB for the Colts since being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft, but he's had a hard time staying healthy and has only played in 23 games over the past 3 seasons. The coaches think he will provide an upgrade to the coverage and playmaking ability at the position. At CB, look for newly signed Nick Harper to take one spot. He too battled injuries all year, but when healthy look for Harper to post the kind of numbers he had in 2003 (nearly 100 tackles). Donald Strickland is the other starting corner, holding off vaunted rookie Marlin Jackson. Strickland's hold on the starting job is tenuous considering Jackson's presence. Backup DBs: This year's first-round pick Marlin Jackson should fit in right away, initially as the nickel back but eventually as the full-time starter. Jason David played well when given a chance last year, getting 47 solo tackles and four interceptions. At only 170 pounds, David is very slight and likely won't see much playing time barring significant injury to his teammates, but his play in 2004 proved he was more than capable of filling the nickel role if asked. Mike Doss was likewise plagued by injuries and could not quite regain the 100+ tackle form he displayed the previous season. He will be suspended for the first 2 games of the season for violating the league's team conduct policy, and will need to show a lot more maturity on and off the field to work his way back into the starting lineup. He's a quality run defender, but can be a liability in coverage.
Last modified: 2005-09-08 07:16:01
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