FanHouse Dwight Freeney

With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.

The Indianapolis Colts enter the 2009 season as one of the NFL's marquee franchises. They have made the playoffs nine of the last 10 seasons, and have won at least 12 games for six straight seasons. There's a reason for that. Well, there are many reasons, but everything starts with how well the Colts draft. Beginning with the franchise-making decision to take Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in 1998, Bill Polian has missed once in the first round. I imagine Colts fans are pretty trusting of their Team President when Roger Goodell strolls to the podium.

Ron Meeks, who recently resigned from the Indianapolis Colts, has been hired by the Carolina Panthers to fill the role of defensive coordinator. Meeks left the Colts under what can best be described as "heavy scrutiny" recently.

He steps into a role vacated by Mike Trgovac.

It's an odd situation because as the Panthers appeared ready to gut their entire defensive staff all at the behest of Julius Peppers, they offered Trgovac a two year extension, which he subsequently spurned to pursue better offers.

Darnell Dockett might've missed his calling. After perpetrating the bucking bronco on teammate Antonio Smith following his Matt Ryan sack in the end zone for a safety, I'm convinced Dockett could've been the guy on the other end of a Shane Bacon-at-the-rodeo interview.

For now, Dockett seems quite content with his current gig, although the league was less impressed with him going "Men Without Hats" on Smith than those of us who love a little '80s Montreal pop with our football: the NFL fined him $20,000 and, just to show they don't have a sense of humor, they fined Smith -- who as best I can tell was the victim in all this -- ten grand.

I should have known I couldn't stay away for long before having to weigh in on another batch of controversial calls. The power of the Zebra Report lives on. Dwight Freeney discussed things with Michael Silver of Yahoo! -- or, not really discussed, more like vented -- as the two walked towards the Colts' team bus following the game.

"Those were the worst [expletive] calls I've seen in a long time," he said. "To have a game of that magnitude taken out of your hands, it's just disgusting. It's not like they made one [expletive] bad call – it's three calls, in overtime. On one the ball's 50 feet over [Chambers'] head. And they have the nerve to call defensive holding? When they can't even call one friggin' offensive holding the whole game? What's going on? They need to start investigating some other [expletive]."

I would make a tell me how you really feel, Dwight comment here, but he has every right to be upset considering the Colts went 12-4 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. I'd be a bit incensed, too.

Normally a statement like the title would be as meaningless as some of those Christmas gifts you received from a distant relative in the gift exchange this past week. Saying Peyton Manning wants to win a football game is definitely like giving someone his third pair of driving gloves. It's a totally unnecessary -- and totally unwanted -- gift. Still, this week it's news. The game means nothing to the Colts. They are the fifth seed in the AFC, no matter what. Their opponent, the Tennessee Titans, have already wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Really, the game doesn't mean anything to anyone outside of fantasy footballers. Peyton would disagree with that statement.

"We'd like to continue our winning streak, and go into the first week of the playoffs coming off a win. We'd like to keep the momentum going. We're going to do whatever it takes to keep that going."

I don't know if I can buy that.

Normally a statement like the title would be as meaningless as some of those Christmas gifts you received from a distant relative in the gift exchange this past week. Saying Peyton Manning wants to win a football game is definitely like giving someone his third pair of driving gloves. It's a totally unnecessary -- and totally unwanted -- gift. Still, this week it's news. The game means nothing to the Colts. They are the fifth seed in the AFC, no matter what. Their opponent, the Tennessee Titans, have already wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Really, the game doesn't mean anything to anyone outside of fantasy footballers. Peyton would disagree with that statement.

"We'd like to continue our winning streak, and go into the first week of the playoffs coming off a win. We'd like to keep the momentum going. We're going to do whatever it takes to keep that going."

I don't know if I can buy that.

Back in Week 3, these two teams met in Indianapolis. Jacksonville thoroughly dominated time of possession (41:35 to 18:25), yet still needed a last second drive and a clutch 51 yard field goal from Josh Scobee to win it. You can see Scobee mugging the ball-boy here after the kick in one of my favorite pictures of the 2008 season.

The Jags ran all over Indy, as both Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew went over 100 yards on the ground. Also, Rashean Mathis returned a pick 61 yards for a touchdown.

At the time it was thought that this saved Jacksonsville's season, one that carried lofty expectations. The Colts seemed vulnerable, especially because the defense supposedly couldn't stop the run unless Bob Sanders was suited up.

My, how things have changed.

The Jags are dead man walking presently. Taylor and Mathis are out for the season. The Colts are riding a seven game winning streak, and will be headed, yet again, to the playoffs. They have been stopping the run better as of late, even when Sanders is sidelined, due to the emergence of Melvin Bullitt, though Sanders is now back.

Three key questions:

The AFC and NFC Pro Bowlers were announced a short while ago, and why make some pointless comment you are sure not to laugh at when we can just give you the rosters instead? Here goes.

The final four games of this season were supposed to serve as an audition of sorts for Derek Anderson, the Browns quarterback who came out of nowhere in 2007 to lead the team to 10 wins before getting benched earlier this month.

Brady Quinn, Cleveland's latest submission for franchise quarterback, was shut down for the year after doing more damage to the broken index finger on his throwing hand during the Week 12 loss to the Texans, which opened the door for Anderson to get another shot at the gig.

Bryant McKinnie's four-game suspension couldn't have come at a worse time.

There's never a good time to lose your above-average left tackle, but Artis Hicks is going to have to face Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Dwight Freeney, Julius Peppers and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Four weeks, four Pro Bowl defensive ends. Could you draw up four tougher tests for the new left tackle?

The good news is that KGB is battling a knee problem and may miss Monday's game--which would give Hicks a week to get comfortable before a trio of tough tests, but it is safe to say that Hicks' success or failure will play a large role in determining if the Vikings get off to a fast start.

The Vikings will likely to a lot to help Hicks--Jim Kleinsasser might get some extra playing time for some double-team help and the Vikings will likely chip the defensive ends with a running back. Tarvaris Jackson has a lot of weaknesses, but his escapability will come in very handy over the next four weeks.