phreak
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- Apr 17, 2008
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Well it finally looks as though the lockout is nearly over. Which means that all of the free agents and rookies will finally get a chance to sign before the camps open in July. With that being said, it's a great time to speculate where players could/should end up. There are some big names (http://www.nfltraderumors.co/2011-nfl-free-agents/ list of the top 50) that are sure to make a large impact on whichever unit they join. Asomugha is, imo, the best man cover defender in the league and will be highly sought after. My thoughts/hopes/predictions for the Colts in 2012: Indy struggled at times last in 2010/2011 because they have yet to improve their line play. Specifically run blocking and run stopping. They also don't pass block well but is hidden by Peyton being great. Polian (chris, not bill) used the first two picks to shore up their offensive line. Costanzo is arguably the most pro-ready rookie lineman in this draft and will likely start at left tackle which will move Charlie Johnson to his natural guard position. Ijalana(R) could start at right tackle which is a scary proposition having two rookies starting. But honestly, it's hard to imagine this line would be worse than last year. The defensive line, at times last year, was actually serviceable. A carousel of Johnson, Nevis(R), and Moala should have more success. Our pass defense will continue to be one of the best in the league. Partly because of the scheme, but also because we have some serious studs playing DB (If I remember correctly they had like 6 db's out at one point last year). They are young, fast, and definitely underrated. Indy is in desperate need of a FA signing. Bullit, who was a backup of Bob Sanders, has been the starter but he got hurt. Francisco, although dreadful and is a special teams player, we dealt with because he was honestly the only option for most of the season. A tandem of Bethea and FA Quentin Mikell sounds pretty damn good after what we had to witness last year. Injuries were not favorable to Indy last year (see below) The Indy offense. Oh what a thing of absolute beauty it can be. It relies on precision gained through repetition and a quarterback to out-maneuver defenses and to find weak spots in coverage. Consistency is imperative but was elusive last year. Indy had a myriad of injuries to skill position players last year but we did get a taste of what they can do. Peyton had 1350+ yards, 11 tds, with 1 int through 4 games last year. But also had a stretch of 3 games where he threw 11 ints. Injuries decimated whatever rhythm they had last year. Collie was an animal in the slot before those concussions, and Dallas was once again one of the top 3 receiving TE's. This is basically the same unit (one
year older), save for a rookie 3rd down RB. Expect the offense to again near the top and efficiency and also near the lowest in time of possession lol (overly optimistic)Prediction: Another solid 12+ win regular season. There are only a few games that scare me as a Colts fan (Pitt NE Houston?? NO ATL) but I'm sure those teams don't like seeing Indy on the schedule either. Indy is favored in all but 4 of their games at this point and at 18:1 to win it all. It appears that Tennessee and Jax are rolling with rookie qbs (lol) so they most likely will not take a game. I really like Houston bringing in Wade Phillips to run that awful awful defense of theirs. Shaub/Foster/Johnson will again be potent but expect the foster/shaub td split to even out. Do NOT expect Foster to come close to last year without Vonta Leach. Indy continues it's dominance against a weaker than usual AFC South in route to home field throughout the playoffs where they avenge their SB loss against the Saints at Lucas Oil Stadium
