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2008 Team Report: Indianapolis Colts

Quarterbacks

Starter: Peyton Manning
Backup(s): Jim Sorgi

Starting QB: In the last nine fantasy seasons, Manning has been the #1 fantasy quarterback three times, the #3 quarterback five times, and the #5 quarterback once. He's thrown at least 26 touchdowns every season he's been in the league, and has thrown for over 4,000 yards in all but two seasons (one of which was his rookie year). There is not a safer choice at QB in the league. Manning has been consistently durable and productive throughout his career. Manning has good size and a good arm, but his best attribute is his intelligence. The proverbial coach on the field, he is quick to recognize and dissect any look a defense can give him, and gets the ball to his receivers on time.

Backup QB: Jim Sorgi was the Colts' sixth-round draft pick in 2004. The bulk of his playing time has come at the very end of the regular season (in 2004, 2005, and 2007) after the Colts had locked up their playoff seed.

Running Backs

Starter: Joseph Addai
Backup(s): Dominic Rhodes, Mike Hart [R], Kenton Keith
Fullback(s):

Starting RB: Following in the footsteps of Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai is a complete player who excels as both a runner and a receiver. He is also a willing and competent blocker. The Colts have not given Addai the kind of workload they used to give Edgerrin James -- he's had only 226 and 261 carries in his two seasons with the team. But along with is 40 and 41 receptions, he's had enough touches to finish as the #11 fantasy RB in 2006 and as the #5 fantasy RB in 2007. He should pick up in 2008 where he left off last year; he will see the majority of touches at the RB position for one of the league's highest-scoring offenses, which is a recipe for fantasy success.

Backup RBs: After one season in Oakland, Dominic Rhodes is back in Indianapolis. After sitting out the first four games of 2007 for violating the league's drug policy, Rhodes received only limited playing time until the final two games of the season, when he rushed for 115 yards and 122 yards (and a touchdown). Already familiar with the Colts' system, Rhodes should handle the RB2 duties this season. Kenton Keith was a serviceable backup in 2007, but after an April arrest, he could be passed in favor of rookie Mike Hart.

Fullback:

Wide Receivers

Starters: Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison
Backups: Anthony Gonzalez, Roy Hall, Devin Aromashodu, Courtney Roby

Starting WRs: Reggie Wayne led the Colts in receiving yards and touchdowns last season for the first time in his career. He caught passes for over 1500 yards with double-digit TDs, and had his second consecutive season as a top five fantasy WR. Wayne has Peyton Manning's complete confidence, and should again be the focal point of the Colts' passing offense again in 2008. Marvin Harrison's streak of eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances came to an end in 2007 as a knee injury limited him to playing in just five regular-season games. He is still rehabilitating his knee and probably won't participate fully in training camp, but the Colts are hoping he'll be ready to play at the start of the season. Also of some concern is Harrison's possible connection to an offseason shooting incident in Philadelphia, although as we go to press Harrison has not been arrested or charged with any wrongdoing.

Backup WRs: Anthony Gonzalez was the Colts' first-round draft pick a year ago and ended up starting nine games in place of the injured Harrison. He generally played well, showing good hands and quickness, and good route-running skills for a rookie. His best game of the season came in week 14 against the Ravens, when he caught 6 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns. If Harrison returns to his regular role this season, Gonzalez would move into the slot, where his quickness and run-after-the-catch ability will suit him well. Roy Hall was the Colts' fifth-round pick last year, but spent most of the season on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in week three. Aromashodu was signed by the Colts from the Texans' practice squad last November.

Tight Ends

Starters: Dallas Clark
Backups: Jacob Tamme, Tom Santi

Drafted in 2003, Clark shared TE duties with Marcus Pollard in his first two seasons before taking over as the starter in 2005. After being slowed by injury in 2006, Clark had somewhat of a breakout season in 2007, catching 58 passes for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns, finishing as the #5 fantasy tight end -- his first season in the top ten. Jacob Tamme is a rookie fourth-round draft pick who is a much better receiver than blocker.

Place Kicker

Adam Vinatieri : During his first year with the Colts in 2006, Vinatieri went 25 of 28 (89.3%) on field goals, for the second highest percentage of his career. Last year he made 23 of 29 (79.3%) for his second worst percentage of this decade. Nonetheless, Indianapolis ranked 10th in kicker scoring last year with Vinatieri's 118 points. The last time they failed to score 100 kicking points was way back in 1994. During that stretch they have scored as many as 157 in a year. Cary Blanchard, Mike Vanderjagt, and now Vinatieri have benefited from a steady supply of scoring opportunities. After ten years in the league, Vinatieri's career averages are 82.3% on field goals, and 115.6 points scored per year.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: T.J. Rushing; Dominic Rhodes; Kenton Keith; Pierre Garcon; Devin Aromashodu; Chad Simpson; Rudy Burgess

CB T.J. Rushing served as the return specialist most of last year. On kickoffs he averaged 23.0 yards on 31 returns. Although he did okay, the Colts do not appear to be sold on Rushing as the long term answer. In fact, he was released at one point during last year, but re-signed several days later. Who will be pressing him? Reacquired RB Dominic Rhodes led the Colts in 2005 (41 returns, 20.9 avg.) and 2004. Last year with the Raiders he averaged 19.5 yards on 16 returns. Sixth round draft pick WR Pierre Garcon periodically returned kickoffs and punts for Mount Union, although the Colts indicated they initially want him to focus on offense. Two undrafted free agents will likely need to impress on special teams in order to contend for a roster spot: RB Chad Simpson who averaged 22.1 on kickoff returns during his junior year at Morgan State and WR Rudy Burgess from Arizona State (38 returns, 23.1 avg. 1 TD last year). RB Kenton Keith (one return for 15 yards) is available as a backup.

Punt Returners: T.J. Rushing; Keiwan Ratliff; Pierre Garcon; Rudy Burgess

Although T.J. Rushing's strength at Stanford was kickoff returns, he fared better on punts last year (19 returns, 13.1 avg. 1 TD). He ended 2007 as the 14th ranked fantasy returner. Free agent acquisition CB Keiwan Ratliff led Cincinnati in punt returns for three years starting in 2004 (27 returns, 6.5 avg. in 2006). Pierre Garcon returned a punt for a score in the Texas vs. the Nation All-star game. Rudy Burgess averaged 7.5 yards on punt returns during his college career. The Colts have ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in fantasy returns for the last three years, including last place in 2005.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Tony Ugoh, LG Ryan Lilja, C Jeff Saturday, RG Charlie Johnson, RT Ryan Diem
Key Backups: Jamey Richard, Michael Toudouze, Mike Pollak [R]

Commentary coming soon.

Team Defense

Just two short years ago, people were wondering if the Colts could overcome a bad defense and win a Super Bowl. They don't have to worry about that any longer. Indy allowed fewer points than anyone in the league in '07. They were No. 2 versus the pass, No. 15 against the run, No. 3 with 37 takeaways and were a top-five fantasy defense. The only thing they didn't do well was rush the passer and that can be attributed to injuries to both starting ends. Everyone is now healthy and they will have 10 starters back, which doesn't bode well for their opponents. Few teams have the luxury of drafting for depth as the Colts did with LB Phillip Wheeler, who could take over Rob Morris's role as a run-stuffing SLB, and DE Marcus Howard, who is a Robert Mathis clone. In the fantasy game, defenses can change as fast as the weather, but there is no reason to think the Colts will be anything less than a top-10 unit.

Defensive Line

Starters: DE Dwight Freeney, DE Robert Mathis, DT Edward Johnson, DT/E Raheem Brock
Backups: DE Josh Thomas, DE Jeff Charleston, DE/DT Keyunta Dawson, DE Marcus Howard, DT Darrell Reid, DT Joe Bradley

Starting DL: Freeney, despite (or maybe partly because of) a lack of prototypical height for a DE at 6'1" (270), has emerged as perhaps the preeminent speed rusher of his generation. Though to an extent one-dimensional (averaging just 2 solo tackles per game in six seasons), in 2007 he was rewarded for his importance to the Colts defense and team with a 6 year, $72 mil. contract, the richest ever for a defender. Dungy's classic Cover Two scheme is predicated entirely on generating pressure on the QB from the front four (to keep the back seven zone intact without blitzing). Typically, young DEs take a few years to get acclimated to the superior speed and athleticism at the next level. Comparitively, Freeney's learning curve was like the difference between a tricycle and a rocket sled, and he exploded onto the NFL scene with 51 sacks and 23 FFs in his first four years (2002-2005). He did miss seven games last season, landing on IR with the dreaded Lis Franc injury. Even before IR, Freeney only had 9 sacks in his previous 25 games, but he puts a lot of heat on the QB, is one of the top disruptors in the game today and enables his teammates to make plays. At 28, he is still in his prime. Mathis (2003 - 5.03) makes Freeney look like a sumo wrestler at 6'2" 245, and might be the smallest starting DE in the game. He had 38.5 sacks and 21 FFs from 2004-2006. Johnson was a rookie UFA Godsend, with a wave of recent DT injuries (notably Corey Simon and "Booger" McFarland, both released). Brock (2002 - 7.27) has the positional versatility to play inside or outside.

Backup DL: Thomas is better in run defense but was unable to mount much of a pass rush when injuries thrust him into the lineup last season. Charleston is a UFA like Thomas and more of a try hard guy than pure athlete. Dawson was a 7th round rookie in 2007 that other teams might find an undersized DE at 6'3" 254, yet he actually started some games at DT. Rookie Howard at 6'2" 235 has blazing speed for a DE but LB-like size, could be a Mathis mini-me and was drafted in the same round (2008 - 5.26). He will probably get enveloped at first on run plays and could need a year or two to physically mature. Reid is a reserve-type. Bradley was like Reid a UFA (the Colts seemingly have a cast of thousands on defense with this designation).

Linebackers

Starters: M/WLB Gary Brackett, WLB Freddie Keiaho, S/MLB Tyjuan Hagler
Backups: WLB Clint Session, OLB/MLB Philip Wheeler, OLB Ramon Guzman, OLB Victor Worsely

Starting LBs: The Colts change LBs like most people change cell phones. Fortunately they are really good at finding new ones. Just at the WLB position in Dungy's tenure, they have used and spent Mike Peterson, David Thornton and Cato June like so many ejected pump action shotgun shells. Keiaho (2006 - 3.30) is the latest chambered shell. He represents the current culminating point of a lineage and tradition of highly productive Cover Two WLB play extending back to future HoFer Derrick Brooks. Keiaho missed five games in his first season replacing June, but was tracking for 90+ solos. He is an exceptional athlete who had 4,000+ rushing yards and 57 TDs as a standout Ventura, CA prep. Brackett is a Rutgers UFA that isn't extraordinary at any one trait, but his best attribute (the ability to cover the deep seam route up the middle of the secondary) dovetails nicely with the job description of a Cover Two MLB. He has a good first step, instincts, football smarts and is a reliable open field tackler, if not Ray Lewis-like, averaging nearly 90 solos since taking over the job in 2005. Brackett's doughy, pudgy physique conceals deceptive athleticism and playmaking ball skills (3 INTs in 2005 and 4 INTs in 2007). He patched a gaping hole evident in the Swiss cheese-like Rob Morris era (since cut - again), and a lot of problems went away with his emergence as a starter. Brackett has played an integral, underrated role in the defense's recent success. Hagler flashed ability when pressed into action, but is far from entrenched.

Backup LBs: The weight of history suggests that IDP owners pay close attention to who is next in succession at WLB. Session (2007 - 4.37) could be that player. He has good size (6'0" 235), plays fast and was all over the field with 2 INTs in his only start of the season week 10 against the Chargers. This situation especially bears watching because Keiaho missed time with various injuries in his first year as a starter (elbow and ear). Wheeler is an intriguing prospect (2008 - 3.30) who like Session also has good size (6'2" 240). He had the athleticism, well rounded game and diverse skill set to have played DE, WLB and MLB at Georgia Tech. Wheeler could be a prototypical Cover Two LB, as he can run, hit and cover. He could be a future starter and immediately upgrades depth at multiple positions. Guzman is yet another UFA, and turns 26 in 2008 despite being a rookie last season. Worsely helps on ST.

Defensive Backs

Starters: FS Bob Sanders, SS Antoine Bethea, CB Marlin Jackson, CB Kelvin Hayden
Backups: FS Matt Giordano, CB Dante Hughes, CB T.J. Rushing, S Melvin Bullitt, CB Tim Jennings, CB T.J. Rushing, CB Michael Coe

Starting DBs: With the crescendo of injuries that annihilated the front seven last season, the secondary deserves the lion's share of credit for the Colts improbable reversal from a bottom 10 scoring defense in 2006 to #1 in 2007. It is easily Dungy's best in his Indy tenure, and maybe his best period (Ronde Barber and John Lynch were Pro Bowlers in Tampa Bay). It is funny to remember that coming out of Iowa, some scouts wondered if Sanders was big enough to make an impact in the NFL. After a Defensive Player of the Year season (and a growing, brilliant body of work), that question has been answered with a resounding YES! While "The Hitman" is a munchkin-like 5'8" in a game of giants, he compensates with elite athleticism (fastest and most explosive DB in his class, with a 4.3 40 and 41.5" VJ at the Combine), the strength of a pocket Hercules and striking force of an RPG. A corollary of the reckless disregard with which he treats other bodies (as well as his own) was missing exactly half of his first 48 games (2004-2006), but he finally found the "injury bug" repellant in 2007. Sanders is just 27 (senior member of the unit by a few years), and cashed in last December with a 5 year, $37.5 mil. contract, deservedly making him one of the game's highest paid safeties. He is very possibly the most important player to a defense in the league. Pro Bowler Bethea has football smarts beyond his years and is rarely out of position. He tackles well, had 4 INTs in a breakout 2007 season and is yet another day two gem and Polian find (2006 - 6.38, Howard), ala Mathis. Jackson and Hayden have nice pedigree (2005 - 1st and 2nd round, respectively) and are superb athletes with size (both 6'0" 195), developing coverage ability, playmaking ball skills and the requisite hardnosed attitude and resiliency in run support needed to thrive in the Cover Two.

Backup DBs: Giordano is according to some team insiders the fastest DB on the roster. The 2005 4th rounder has some starts under his belt at FS and SS (Sanders and Bethea missed a combined four games in 2007). He should keep his helmet nearby, as Sanders kamikaze style and tendency for violent, bone-jarring collisions that disrupt bodily functions down to the cellular level makes him a constant risk for extended medical leave. Bullitt is another seemingly ubiquitous UFA on defense, who saw time on ST as a rookie last season. Hughes was a rookie 3rd rounder who was gradually worked into the mix. He is an underrated playmaker with obvious ball skills who finished 2nd in the Cal record books in career INTs, and also had 4 INT return TDs. Lack of size has never stopped Dungy from drafting a defender, and Jennings (5'8" 185) was taken in the 2nd round in the 2006 draft. Hughes and Jennings should see time in the nickle and dime. Rushing and Coe provide depth.

Last modified: 2008-06-13 03:11:14