When Jim Caldwell was introduced as Colts head coach, he described himself as a man of fewer words than the mentor he succeeded, Tony Dungy.
“It’s to make sure my first press conference isn’t immortalized as one of those beer commercials,” he said.
Well, Coors Light didn’t bite, but a cable TV sports talk show couldn’t resist. It replayed some of Caldwell’s answers with different questions for comedic effect.
This was an amusing way for a first-time NFL head coach’s tenure to begin, but the issue, of course, is whether he can lift a team that has enjoyed great success in recent years — except for the postseason. The Colts won at least 10 games in each of Dungy’s seven seasons (including 12 or more in the last six) but also flamed out of the playoffs with one-and-dones four times, including the past two years to San Diego. Dungy, of course, did win a Super Bowl, but more often than not, the Colts were a disappointment in the postseason.
The players’ motto in past years has been, “Do what we do.” This year, playing for a new coach and trying to escape the playoff doldrums, it needs to be, “Do what we do, only better.”
COACHES
Caldwell arrived in Indianapolis with Dungy in 2002, but his previous head coaching stint was a 26–63 run at Wake Forest. So he doesn’t have Dungy’s proven track record, and that likely translates to a shorter time to prove himself with a team that’s always Super Bowl-or-bust. Peyton Manning and 70-year-old offensive coordinator Tom Moore are on the same page, and Caldwell is smart enough to realize what works. The defensive direction will change with the hiring of Larry Coyer, who has been enough places to know how to follow the company line and work with what he’s given. That’s what this job is about because his assistants were already in place.
QUARTERBACKS
Manning had the first serious injury of his career, an infected left knee that required two surgeries before the start of last season, and his numbers were noticeably down until about midseason. But Manning and the Colts found their stride and won their last nine regular-season games, and Manning was rewarded with his third Most Valuable Player award, tying Brett Favre for the most in league history. Manning, at 33 and entering his 12th season, has more than enough Pro Bowls and awards to his credit; his chore now is to carry the Colts deeper into the playoffs. As usual, expect Manning to be backed up by Jim Sorgi, who has the edge over sixth-round draft pick Curtis Painter based on his five years in the system.
RUNNING BACKS
The Colts needed to address their 31st-ranked rushing offense and did so with the first-round selection of Connecticut running back Donald Brown. Oft-injured Joseph Addai had only one 100-yard rushing game last year and didn’t look like that first-round gem he had been as a rookie in 2006, when the carries were shared with Dominic Rhodes. His yards-per-carry average has dropped from 4.8 as a rookie to 4.1 in ’07 to 3.5 last season. Brown will provide fresh legs and could spur Addai to run harder instead of always trying to shake-and-bake tacklers. Second-year pro Mike Hart showed promise before his rookie season was cut short by a knee injury. It’s doubtful he’ll be ready by camp, but Hart is a hard worker who could give the Colts a boost toward the end of the season.
RECEIVERS
The offseason release of Marvin Harrison, the team’s all-time leader in every major receiving category and half of the NFL’s greatest touchdown tandem, opens the door for third-year pro Anthony Gonzalez to become the No. 2 receiver behind Reggie Wayne. Gonzalez had some solid games last year, and his unselfish personality is a perfect fit for an offense with lots of weapons. Wayne, who actually outperformed Harrison for at least the last three years, is in his prime and is one of the NFL’s best receivers. So, too, is tight end Dallas Clark, who can expect an increased workload with Harrison gone. The Colts have three other tight ends, none of whom is a consistent blocker, but Gijon Robinson and Tom Santi earned Manning’s trust with some catches in their rookie years. The Colts are still thin behind Wayne and Gonzalez, and it’s an open competition for the slot job. Among the candidates are second-year pro Pierre Garcon, third-year receiver Roy Hall (who has been hurt most of the past two seasons) and fourth-round pick Austin Collie. If nobody really wins it, the Colts could favor more two-tight end sets.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
The rushing inadequacy wasn’t all because of the running backs. A line that is skilled at protecting Manning struggles to drive opponents off the line enough to create holes. And this impacts the passing game because Manning’s bread-and-butter play-action pass has less effect. The Colts made Manning happy by re-signing three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, but status quo won’t do for this line. Ryan Diem is a solid right tackle, but left tackle Tony Ugoh, a former second-round pick, is still a work in progress. This will be his third season and it’s time to deliver. A trio of second-year blockers — Mike Pollak, Jamey Richard and Steve Justice — are in a similar situation. Pollak had mixed results as a starter, but the Colts like his upside and he’ll stick. The Colts have relied on Charlie Johnson at left guard, but Richard or Justice should have a shot at supplanting him, most likely Richard, who has a nasty streak.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Colts president Bill Polian did something he hadn’t done in 11 previous drafts in selecting not one, but two 300-pound tackles — 303-pound Fili Moala of USC in the second round and 319-pound nosetackle Terrance Taylor of Michigan in the fourth. Taylor became the Colts’ heaviest defensive lineman when his name was called. While the Colts have continually maintained their smaller, 260-pound speed tackles could do the job by penetrating gaps, the numbers weren’t panning out. The Colts were 24th in rush defense last year. Another uncharacteristic Colts move was the re-signing of 296-pound Ed Johnson, a 16-game starter as a rookie free agent in ’07 who was cut after a drug-related arrest one game into last season. No longer persona non grata in Indy, he could regain his starting spot. The influx of size will put Eric Foster, Keyunta Dawson and Antonio Johnson on notice for playing time. The Colts have typically rotated four tackles in the past, so it’s not important who starts. The idea is to keep the big guys fresh, so camp will determine whether there’s an odd man or two out. The Colts still feature one of the best pass rush tandems in Dwight Freeney (10.5 sacks) and Robert Mathis (11.5 sacks), who earned Pro Bowl spots together for the first time even though Mathis comes off the bench behind Raheem Brock. Freeney proved he had recovered from a broken foot he suffered in 2007. But the Colts must stuff the run enough so opponents are forced to pass, which turns the speedy ends loose.
LINEBACKERS
The Colts don’t tend to place a high value on linebackers in the draft and have let their share of quality ones go via free agency, so it was no surprise that they didn’t do much in the offseason to help the position. The guys they have will just have to get it done. Gary Brackett is back in the middle. Clint Session has shown some ferocious promise for his sticks on the strong side. The Colts might have been sending a message to two-year weak-side starter Freddy Keiaho when they released him only to re-sign him two months later. The Colts elected to take another chance on Tyjuan Hagler, who started just three games last season, two of those after Brackett was lost for the season to a leg injury. Hagler and Keiaho will contend for the starting weak-side job at camp.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
It sure would help this team if strong safety Bob Sanders could continue his quirky odd-year pattern of staying healthy. Dubbed “The Eraser” by Dungy for an ability to erase mistakes, Sanders can hit and cover like few at his position. But he hasn’t been able to stay on the field during the even-numbered years; he missed 10 games last year, a dozen in 2006 and 10 in 2004. When he played a career-high 15 games in 2007, he was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. He played 14 games in 2005, which resulted in his first Pro Bowl honor. While the defense turned in a heroic effort with four sacks and two timely turnovers in the playoff loss, Sanders played hurt and didn’t provide the presence upon which his reputation is based. Nobody is more frustrated by this trend than the hitter fans refer to as “Bobzilla.” Free safety Antoine Bethea makes a lot of tackles, but he misses his share, too. Kelvin Hayden was re-signed at one cornerback slot, and Marlin Jackson returns after his season was cut short by a knee injury. A Colts secondary that, despite injuries, allowed an NFL-low six touchdown passes should be just as unyielding. Still, the Colts needed more depth in their cover guys — Tim Jennings and Dante Hughes have struggled as nickelbacks or in spot starts — so they drafted Auburn cornerback Jerraud Powers in the third round.
SPECIALISTS
While 14th-year pro Adam Vinatieri is one of the game’s most clutch kickers of all time and still has plenty of life in his trusty right leg, the Colts’ return and coverage units have been a fiasco. They don’t appear to have a clear-cut returner, so the job likely will be up for grabs between reserve cornerback T.J. Rushing, running back Chad Simpson and Garcon. Each has had a shot at return duties before and, for a variety of reasons, wasn’t able to keep the job. The Colts were 32nd in the NFL on punt returns and 28th on kickoff returns last season. And the coverage units weren’t much better — they were 24th in kickoff coverage and 15th on punts. The Colts elected not to re-sign punter Hunter Smith, a proven 10th-year pro, then drafted West Virginia’s Pat McAfee in the seventh round.
