With the Indianapolis Colts' 2010 organized team activities at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center now over -- and with training camp fast approaching --Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser this week will take a look at what to like and what to worry about with the Colts as the 2010 NFL regular-season approaches . . .
Five reasons to like where the Colts are on offense . . .
1. Peyton Manning. This is obvious, but each off-season around NFL teams you look for things to like and dislike, and in the case of the Colts, it's easy to understand why people look for signs that Manning entering his 13th NFL season might be nearing a stage where he's slipping. There are no signs of that. He won his fourth NFL Most Valuable Player Award last season and by all accounts, he worked as hard in the off-season as he ever has in NFL career to continue improving. Look for the Colts to get a long-term deal done with Manning that will secure him for the Colts for the foreseeable future and not only that, look for Manning to have another Pro Bowl-type season. At first, when Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell said a few weeks ago he sees no reason why Manning wouldn't keep improving for several seasons you wondered if that would be possible. Then, you consider Caldwell's point – that Manning has a different level of expectation and different level of ability than most NFL players -- and you wonder if he's not right, and it Manning can't play at a high level for an historic amount of time, and at the least, for a while more.
2. Pierre Garcon. A year ago, he was second-year wide receiver developing into a potential starter and likely contributor. Now, he has a year of experience and the feeling around the Colts is he has barely begun to reach his potential. In the NFL, it often takes receivers two years, sometimes three, to reach their full potential, and when you consider Garcon played collegiately at Mount Union and played sparingly as a rookie, he has about a full season competing against big-time competition. Garcon had some untimely drops last season, but he had as many big plays and the intriguing thing about him is he has size, speed and strength that not only can't you teach, but that is rare for a receiver. This is not to say that Garcon will be the Colts' No. 1 receiver in the next few years, but he has that sort of potential, and you could see rapid development in the coming season or two.
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