There's never a good time to have half of your defensive backfield hurt, but having it happen immediately before facing the Houston Texans' powerful passing attack is close to the worst possible situation during the regular season. But that is exactly what's happening in Indianapolis.
Much has been made about the Indianapolis Colts and their 7-0 start. As I pointed out in the power rankings, they are actually 82-21 in the regular season since the beginning of 2003. They are an absolute juggernaut. Thus far this season, we've heard lots of talk about how Peyton Manning looks better than ever and the Colts are firing on all cylinders. This week, we're bound to hear a lot about how the Colts are the biggest test yet for a Houston Texans team looking to visit the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
The funny thing is, in a movement worthy of Bizarro-World status, the Texans are actually the first big test for the Colts.
It's been a long wait for Bob Sanders. The 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year hasn't suited up since last Dec. 18 against the Jaguars, but he'll be back for the Colts this Sunday in St. Louis. In fact, as of right now, he's able enough to start the game. He's close to finally being recovered from offseason surgery on his right knee.
Sanders, when on the field, is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. Back in 2006, the year the Colts won the Super Bowl, they had severe problems stopping the run late in the season. When Sanders returned for the playoffs, they were -- all of a sudden -- able to stuff the run. That's the element he brings to the defense.
Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.
For most franchises, 12 wins is a banner year; one they can hang their proverbial hats upon. For the Colts, 12 wins is a certainly. They have won at least 12 games in each of the last six seasons. They have also had Tony Dungy as their head coach for the past seven years, but now he's gone. In 2009, the Colts will look for some continuity. Can it be provided by the Jim Caldwell administration?
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.
Meet the ... Team under Peyton's leadership for the first time without Tom Moore*. That's right. Peyton's only offensive coordinator for his entire 11-year career has been the venerable Moore. Moore's first year at the helm was Manning's rookie season, so the two grew together. It's going to be interesting to see how Manning fares without his mentor calling the shots.
Of course, Manning's obviously cerebral enough to deal quite well with the transition, and the Colts have enough weapons in their arsenal to remain the high-octane offense we're used to seeing every fall.
Though many of the players from the perennially playoff-bound Indianapolis Colts are still around, it's a new era in Colts camp these days. The turnover on the coaching staff has been vast, especially for a team who has seemingly gone 12-4 in their sleep for all of recent memory -- and it goes all the way to the top. With a new head coach and two new coordinators, the players have some adjusting to do.
On the defensive side of the ball, former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Bob Sanders appears to believe in his new defensive boss, former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Larry Coyer.
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.
I often chuckle at the amount of time people spend whining about how you can't accurately evaluate the draft immediately. We know that. We also don't know exactly who is going to do what in each season, but that doesn't stop us from giving preseason predictions or fantasy football advice. Sometimes you just have to have a little bit of intestinal fortitude and put yourself out there. The reader demand is there, so we'll provide the supply.
One of the few cases (along with teams like the Steelers and Patriots) where it's probably not a good idea to say anything bad, though, is when it comes to Bill Polian and the Colts.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
The Indianapolis Colts are one of the league's marquee franchises in the present tense. In 2008, they won 12 games -- their baseline figure for the past six seasons. No one else in the NFL can stake that claim. In fact, they've made the playoffs in nine of the last 10 seasons overall, another league-high in that span.
The problem, as has been the case far too many times for these Colts, was that they came away empty-handed in the postseason.
On Friday, the Oakland Raiders released safety Gibril Wilson, defensive end Kalimba Edwards and wide receiver Ronald Curry, saving the team about $6 million against the 2009 salary cap.
Think back to last offseason when owner Al Davis, in an effort to return his once proud franchise to glory, was signing blank checks with a stamp and passing them out to second-tier free agents like it was the fashionable thing to do. A year later, it's becoming obvious as to how much of a total failure the offseason was.
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.
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.
There's never a good time to have half of your defensive backfield hurt, but having it happen immediately before facing the Houston Texans' powerful passing attack is close to the worst possible situation during the regular season. But that is exactly what's happening in Indianapolis. 
Much has been made about the 
It's been a long wait for 
Training camps have wrapped up, the 
With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all. 
Though many of the players from the perennially playoff-bound 
Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
On Friday, the Oakland Raiders released safety 
