'08 Preview: New home, same old Colts
When the Indianapolis Colts open the season with a Sunday night game against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 7, they'll be breaking in Lucas Oil Stadium, their new state-of-the-art digs in downtown. But the fresh venue won't disguise the fact that the Colts still haven't changed much from the dominant team they've been over much of the past decade.
Twenty of 22 starters return to take aim at the organization's seventh straight playoff appearance (and ninth in the last 10 years) and sixth straight season with at least 12 victories.
"It's as good as it gets in terms of the excitement," owner Jim Irsay says. "When you look at the type of football team that's coming back, and Tony Dungy coming back and the new stadium – it just doesn't get any better than this."
2008 TEAM PREVIEWS
AFC EAST: BUF | MIA | NE | NYJ
AFC NORTH: BAL | CIN | CLE | PIT
AFC SOUTH: HOU | IND | JAC | TEN
AFC WEST: DEN | KC | OAK | SD
NFC EAST: DAL | NYG | PHI | WAS
NFC NORTH: CHI | DET | GB | MIN
NFC SOUTH: ATL | CAR | NO | TB
NFC WEST: ARI | SEA | SF | STL
Truly, the team's only concern going into training camp is the health of quarterback Peyton Manning. He had minor knee surgery on July 14 that will sideline him for the bulk of training camp, but he is expected to be 100 percent well before Week 1.
Offense
Tom Moore remains one of the NFL's best, yet unheralded, coordinators. He tailors his system to fit his players rather than trying to force them to adapt to a rigid scheme.
It's an offense that takes risks when the situation warrants, but the talent level is so high that it seldom finds itself at a disadvantage. That allows Moore and Manning to dictate the style and tempo of a game.
Manning and Moore have been together since 1998, which enables Manning to make his critical pre-snap adjustments while remaining in sync with his coordinator.
Defense
Coordinator Ron Meeks and his staff will once again emphasize the need for speed and aggression. Most of Indy's defenders are undersized at their position by NFL standards, but they compensate by playing at a high level and tempo.
The front four focus on attacking the quarterback and running back, while the back seven concentrate on keeping players in front of them and limiting over-the-top plays.
The book on: Joseph Addai
A rival sizes up the Colts' third-year running back:
"He's pretty good in all phases of the game. He's a confident guy. He's very explosive through the hole and can make the first guy miss. He's a decent blocker and has real good hands. Joe's just an all-around running back. He can do it all.
"Weaknesses? The game is a rough game, man, and he does get hurt sometimes. But that's about it. I'm not saying he's injury-prone, but he's had a few things. But Joe's a great, great player. He's pretty good in all phases."
Bottom line
Anything less than another strong push for the Super Bowl will be a disappointment.
Both sides of the ball are loaded with impact players; now it's up to Dungy and his staff to keep everyone hungry and focused. The Colts face the second-toughest schedule in the league and play in the loaded AFC South.
Nothing will come easily, but a 13-win season, another division title and another season with championship possibilities should be expected.
SN prediction: 13-3, first in AFC South.
Mike Chappell covers the Colts for the Indianapolis Star and Sporting News.
