Preview of ‘07 Colts
AFC SOUTH PREVIEW
The Defending Champs
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
2006 Record: 12-4
Last Year Summary: In 2006, the Colts looked unstoppable. They started off the year with nine straight wins and had everyone talking about the ’72 Miami Dolphins. The Dallas Cowboys ended the Colts’ win streak with a 21-14 victory in what happened to be QB Tony Romo’s debut at Texas Stadium. After going 9-0, the Colts stumbled into the playoffs with a 3-4 record, which included a loss to the lowly Houston Texans (Ron Dayne had the game of his NFL life- 153 rushing yards and two TDs). Many thought the Colts were cursed- Tony Dungy was entering his ninth straight season as a head coach in the playoffs without a Super Bowl trip, while Peyton Manning’s playoff record of 3-6 never allowed the Colts to make the Super Bowl. Also, the Manning curse theory had a lot to do his career at Tennessee. He stayed for his senior season at UT for a national title run. If he had left he would’ve easily been the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. His ’97 team fell just short, while QB Tee Martin led UT to a National Championship the following year. 
So, the thought was that Dungy and Manning would come up short again in ’06. In their first postseason game, the Colts beat up on Kansas City, by a score of 23-8. Then Adam Vinatieri won a field goal (went 5-for-5) battle against Baltimore in a boring 15-6 win. In the AFC Championship the Colts looked as if they were going to blow it again. The Patriots took a 21-3 lead, after Asante Samuel intercepted a Manning pass and took it 39 yards for a touchdown. The Colts surprised the country and came back to win 38-34 in one of the greatest playoff games in recent memory. After a slow start, the Colts found themselves down 14-6 after the first quarter of the Super Bowl against the Bears. Indianapolis woke up and beat Chicago up worse the 29-17 final score would indicate.
Additions: QB John Navarre (Arizona), G Rick DeMulling (New Orleans) and TE Mike Seidman.
Subtractions: OT Tarik Glenn (retired), RB Dominic Rhodes (to OAK), WR Brandon Stokley (to DEN), DT Monte Reagor (PHI), LB Cato June (to TB), CB Nick Harper (to TEN), S Mike Doss (to MIN), CB Jason David (to NO), LB Gilbert Gardner, LB Mike Labinjo and WR/KR Terrence Wilkens.
2007 Season Summary: After Tony Dungy took over the Colts in ’02, he has posted a 60-20 regular season record. Last year, they won their first nine games and in ’05 the Colts won their first 13. The ’07 version loses a lot of talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball, so I don’t expect Indy to make a run at the ’72 Dolphins. However, there is no reason to believe that this team cannot compete for another Super Bowl. The loss of LB Cato June has to hurt the worse, also the secondary is depleted after losing S Mike Doss and starting CBs Nick Harper and Jason David. Don’t forget that S Bob Sanders, who is biggest playmaker in secondary, played in only four games last year. Also, the Colts feature a great pass-rushing duo at DE in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, which makes a secondary appear better than what they really are. The loss of OT Tarik Glenn is huge. Tough road games include Tennessee (Sept. 16), Jacksonville (Oct. 22), Carolina (Oct. 28), San Diego (Nov. 11) and Baltimore (Dec. 9). Tough home games include New Orleans (Sept. 6), Denver (Sept. 30), New England (Nov. 4), Kansas City (Nov. 18), Jacksonville (Dec. 2) and Tennessee (Dec. 30).
Best Rookie: WR Anthony Gonzalez – Currently the Colts have one of the best duos in the NFL with WRs Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. But when you have Manning as your QB there are many opportunities to make plays. Manning has thrown for 37,586 yards in his nine years in the NFL (that’s over 4,176 yards per season). Indy cleared way for Gonzalez by releasing WR Brandon Stokley, who had 68 catches for 1,077 yards and 10 touchdowns in ’04. Gonzalez is a hard worker and should be a solid receiver from day one. I like third-round pick CB Daymeion Hughes, who is thought by some to be a first-round talent. Also, second-round pick OL Tony Ugoh might get some time in at tackle or guard this season since the team will be without OT Tarik Glenn.
Big Games of the Year: vs. New Orleans (Sept. 6- 8:30pm- Thursday- NFL Opener), vs. New England (Nov. 4- 4:15pm), at San Diego (Nov. 11- 8:15pm), at Atlanta (Nov. 22- 8:15pm- Thanksgiving) and vs. Tennessee (Dec. 30- 1pm- Last week of the season).
2007 Projected Record: 12-4
Futures (Bets): The current odds for the Colts to win the AFC South are 2/11. That bet is worthless. The win total betting is set at 11.5 games. Currently, the Colts odds to win the Super Bowl are set at 11/2. For you non-math majors, a $1,000 bet for the Colts to win the Super Bowl would pay $5,500. Not a bad bet.
