Note: This is a team-by-team look previewing the 2007 season. These are my official thoughts on how I think things will play out.
Last year: 12-4 (Super Bowl champs)
Best addition: Anthony Gonzalez (WR, 1st round draft pick out of Ohio State)
Key personnel losses: Mike Doss (S, Vikings) and Cato June (LB, Buccaneers)
2007 outlook: With the proverbial monkey finally off the backs of Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy, what will the Colts do for an encore? Well, when the only impact pickup in the offseason is another weapon for Manning, Colts fans have to be thinking about a repeat. And they have no reason to think otherwise, at least as far as the offense is concerned.
Defensively however, this will be a brand new team - which may not be a bad thing given the Colts previous shortcomings in this area. Gone are leaders like June and Doss but it was apparent that Bob Sanders was really the glue that held that unit together as they markedly improved when he came back from injury and the Colts always seem to have another LB ready when a top flight one departs. And with Dungy's penchant for building defenses, it seems to not matter who is back there, they will be good enough to keep their offense from being outscored.
Key to success: All eyes will be on 2nd year RB Joseph Addai and how he takes to the role of being the sole back. He was drafted last year to replace the departed Edgerrin James and between him and the recently departed Dominic Rhodes they actually did what James could not and get to a Super Bowl. But now Addai has to go it alone and while it may be unreasonable to expect the Colts to repeat, if they do it will be because Addai was more than adequate at replacing both James and Rhodes.
Against Washington: The Skins probably should have beaten the Colts last year given the position they were in at halftime and the beating they had dished out to Manning but Indy came to life in the second half and beat Washington 36-22. The two teams do not meet this season.
Fantasy sleeper: Ben Utecht. While Dallas Clark gets most of the pass catching responsibilities in this offense, Utecht is actually in the same role Clark was when Marcus Pollard was still in Indy. Utecht has the ability to catch and get open and with defenses focusing more on Clark, he should be able to find ways to contribute in the two-TE sets Indy runs. With TE always being a position of peaks and valleys, Utecht may prove to be better than most of the regular starters in the league.
Showing posts with label Peyton Manning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peyton Manning. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Repeating sins of the past
Reading the latest issue of ESPN the Magazine, I came across an article that talks about the rise of JaMarcus Russell and fall of Brady Quinn and I immediately thought of Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf.
Manning was the quarterback with the pedigree and the experience while Leaf was the one with the impressive, single, season and great workouts and I can't help but think that the Oakland Raiders are getting ready to make a mistake - and I can't wait.
If there is one thing we have learned, it's that a quarterback that has the type of success like Manning or Quinn had, they will perform at the next level where one year wonders like Russell, Leaf, and Akili Smith - to name a few - are too much of an unknown to guarantee any success in the league. Obviously Vince Young proved this theory wrong last season with his success in Tennessee, but he was the exception and not the rule.
How does this apply to the Redskins? Well, while doing their "due diligence," Russell was brought in and if the Redskins think they're fooling anybody, then they really need some new brains in the front office. If Washington is planning on making any sort of move for Russell, which they adamantly deny, they need to follow what they are telling the media, that they are not going after him.
I wrote yesterday saying mind games and deception are the name of the game from here on in, but even the slightest hint of a trade at this point needs to be nipped in the bud. There is not enough left even in the future to mortgage for the present and if this team is going to turn things around, they need to start by keeping draft picks, not trading more away. The only type of trade that should be considered is one that allows the Skins to move down and acquire more picks.
The current approach the Skins are taking is not and has never worked, so before they go and do another stupid thing, they need to step back and learn not only from their recent history but the history of first round potential as well.
Manning was the quarterback with the pedigree and the experience while Leaf was the one with the impressive, single, season and great workouts and I can't help but think that the Oakland Raiders are getting ready to make a mistake - and I can't wait.
If there is one thing we have learned, it's that a quarterback that has the type of success like Manning or Quinn had, they will perform at the next level where one year wonders like Russell, Leaf, and Akili Smith - to name a few - are too much of an unknown to guarantee any success in the league. Obviously Vince Young proved this theory wrong last season with his success in Tennessee, but he was the exception and not the rule.
How does this apply to the Redskins? Well, while doing their "due diligence," Russell was brought in and if the Redskins think they're fooling anybody, then they really need some new brains in the front office. If Washington is planning on making any sort of move for Russell, which they adamantly deny, they need to follow what they are telling the media, that they are not going after him.
I wrote yesterday saying mind games and deception are the name of the game from here on in, but even the slightest hint of a trade at this point needs to be nipped in the bud. There is not enough left even in the future to mortgage for the present and if this team is going to turn things around, they need to start by keeping draft picks, not trading more away. The only type of trade that should be considered is one that allows the Skins to move down and acquire more picks.
The current approach the Skins are taking is not and has never worked, so before they go and do another stupid thing, they need to step back and learn not only from their recent history but the history of first round potential as well.
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