Indianapolis Colts 2010 offseason primer: The Defensive Ends (part 2)

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That's what will be missing from the Colts next season.

More important, of course, is what the Colts still will have, and that's two of the elite pass-rushers/playmakers of their era.

Even with the team emphasizing more blitzing and more attacking, in a very real sense, the starting end combination of Freeney and Mathis remained the key to a lot of what made the Colts successful defensively this past season.

The reason is simple:

in the NFL, defensive success – and the success of a team in general – still largely depends on a team's ability to get opponents off the field on third-down and late-game passing situations. There may be teams equal to the Colts in that area. But there aren't many better.

Freeney, the Colts' all-time career sacks leader, registered 13.5 sacks this season and had 20 pressures, and Mathis – second on the team's all-time list in sacks – registered 9.5 sacks and a team-high 23 pressures. They also remained what they have been for the last half decade – one of the NFL's best duos at forcing turnovers and making critical, game-turning plays in crucial situations.

Freeney forced a fumble this season to bring his career total to 36, with Mathis forcing five to bring his career total to 35 in the category.

Freeney, as has been the case throughout his career, also showed an uncommon ability to play through injuries this past season. In early October, he played and registered a sack a week after sustaining a quadriceps injury many speculated would sideline him for nearly a month.

He turned in a similar performance in the Super Bowl, not practicing for two weeks after sustaining an ankle injury in the AFC Championship Game. He then started Super Bowl XLIV against New Orleans, registering a first-half sack of quarterback Drew Brees.

Even with Brock gone, the Colts won't be without all of their experienced depth. Keyunta Dawson, a seventh-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft who has played end and tackle in three seasons with the Colts, played mostly end this past season and he likely will be the top backup at the spot next season.

* The roster: RDE Dwight Freeney (9), LDE Robert Mathis (8), Keyunta Dawson (4), Ervin Baldwin (2), J.D. Skolnitsky (1), John Chick (1), Rudolph Hardie (1).

* The breakdown: Freeney and Mathis remain in their primes and remain two of the NFL's best. Observers talk each offseason of the Colts' need to bring in a third pass rusher, but the reality is it's rare enough to have two ends of the status of Freeney and Mathis. Getting a third could be too much to expect. Dawson is a solid backup and has proven reliable and durable in his first three seasons. Skolnitsky spent last season on the Redskins' practice squad, and either he or Baldwin could play themselves into a reserve role in camp next season.

* What the rest of the offseason might bring: The release of Brock surprised nearly everyone, but given he had played eight seasons and was in a backup role, his release doesn't drastically change the nature of the position for the Colts. That doesn't mean they don't need a fourth defensive end. They do, but it may not come in free agency. The Colts did acquire Skolnitsky off waivers and they could sign a player later in the offseason, but more likely a major contributor here would come from either the draft or of the waiver wire shortly before next season.

* Feeling the draft: The Colts almost certainly will draft this position somewhere. Some mock drafts project this is an early-round need, but the Colts' approach typically has been not to draft this position late in the first round, preferring instead to try to pick up backup help in fourth-through-seventh rounds. They tried this approach with Marcus Howard in the fifth round two years ago, drafting an undersized, speed rusher in the vein of Mathis, but released him before last season. This offseason has had a different feel thus far, and if the Colts go defensive end early, that would be another step in a new direction.

* Free agency status: The Colts have made a couple of small early acquisitions in the offseason, including claiming Skolnitsky. Despite a lot of clamoring to get end depth, don't look for any big-name moves here in free agency. That's not how the Colts typically believe in building the roster.

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