Indianapolis Colts 2010 offseason primer: The Wide Receivers (part two)

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Wayne didn't have room to get all that open, but Manning – having worked with Wayne every game for the past eight seasons – threw a pass only Wayne could catch, and Wayne somehow made the play. Almost certainly a rookie or second-year player couldn't have made the play, but because of their experience together, Manning and Wayne made something happen in the most-crucial of situations.

But Wayne's biggest role this season may have been off the field, in meeting rooms and in the locker room, where he, Manning and wide receivers coach Clyde Christensen helped Collie and Garcon develop into critical players in the Colts' offense.

Each player made important plays throughout the regular season. Garcon, a sixth-round selection in the 2008 NFL Draft, caught game-turning touchdowns early in the season against Miami and Arizona, and Collie – a fourth-round selection in 2009 – became a reliable option in the slot.

Their development was made critical by the absence of third-year veteran Anthony Gonzalez, who sustained a knee injury in the first half of the season opener. He remained on the active roster much of the season, but never played after the opener, and whereas Collie and Garcon were considered third receiver options with time to develop before the season, their emergence became necessary more quickly than anyone anticipated.

That that development occurred was a major reason the Colts finished with the AFC's best record, and it was perhaps the major reason they advanced to the Super Bowl. In the AFC Championship Game, the New York Jets employed a strategy that became more popular against the Colts as the season continued, focusing the defense on Wayne and All-Pro TE Dallas Clark. The idea: to make Garcon and Collie make enough plays to win.

In the biggest game of the season to that point, they did, with Garcon catching 11 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and Collie catching seven for 123 yards and a touchdown.

By the end of the season – by midway, really – Wayne said the young players had been clearly told they weren't rookies anymore, that the team needed big-time veteran performances from each to reach its goals, and by next season, they absolutely won't be anything close to rookies.

What they almost certainly will be is better than they were this past season. The Colts, like many teams, believe an NFL player makes his greatest jump from the first year playing to the second year, and with Manning and the Colts' emphasis on the offseason, it's hard to believe many of the rookie/young player drops and communication issues won't be less of a factor.

Which is why there's a very real chance the Colts will have perhaps the best wide receiver corps they have had in Manning's era – and certainly the deepest. The 2004 team had eight-time Pro Bowl WR Marvin Harrison, Wayne and Brandon Stokley, and each player that season had more than 1,000 yards receiving and at least 10 touchdowns.

What that trio didn't have was a big-time fourth receiver, and with Gonzalez's return next season, the Colts not only have that, but an enviable problem of just who to play where and in what roles.

Wayne certainly will start on one side, and it's hard to imagine the Colts will want Garcon's play-making, big-play ability off the field much on the other side. Gonzalez can play inside or outside, and with Collie showing his reliability as a rookie, there's more depth and more options at receiver than in any of Manning's first 12 seasons.

Who will play where and how much certainly will be an offseason issue, but it's an issue that could mean more threats offensively for Manning than at any time in his career.

THE BREAKDOWN . . .

* The roster: Reggie Wayne (10th NFL season), Anthony Gonzalez (4), Pierre Garcon (3), Austin Collie (2), Hank Baskett (5), John Matthews (1), Taj Smith (1).

* The breakdown: Wayne is one of the NFL's best, and while there have been questions in the blogosphere regarding his effort and performance late in the Super Bowl, in nine seasons, effort and commitment to winning never has been a question for Wayne. He's the Colts' No. 1 receiver, and without him, they're not a Super Bowl team. There also has been speculation that because of his injury, Gonzalez might be traded. Again, not likely. You don't trade first-round talent and ability, and while the performance of Collie and Garcon made Gonzalez's absence less damaging this season, he's still potentially a big-time playmaker whose run-after-catch skills give the Colts a different dynamic than they had this season. The early guess is the Garcon and Wayne likely will start on the outside with Gonzalez playing extensively in the slot. That sounds like it's leaving Collie out, and that's why that breakdown is probably a bit short-sighted. The reality is the Colts historically have found a way under Senior Offensive Coordinator Tom Moore to utilize anyone who could contribute offensively, and with Wayne, Gonzalez, Garcon, Collie, TE Dallas Clark and RBs Donald Brown and Joseph Addai all capable receivers, there's more talent to utilize next season than at any time in Manning's career.

* What the offseason might bring: Don't look for huge changes at this spot in the offseason. Any talk of any of the top four receivers not being around is just that, talk. Baskett's future with the Colts is uncertain. He signed a one-year deal when he joined the team early this past season and the team has not said whether or not he will be re-signed. The major focus of the offseason likely will be the return of Gonzalez from a knee injury, and what roles the receivers other than Wayne will play. Most intriguing could be the development of Collie. Garcon showed signs early last offseason that after playing sparingly as a rookie had the physical ability to potentially be a special play. That's the kind of development that the Colts feel is possible between a rookie and second season. As well as Collie played as a rookie, he would work his way into a more significant role with a similar jump.

* Feeling the draft: There are draft followers penciling this in a need, if only because the theory goes that in the Colts' offense you can never have too many wide receivers. But with Garcon showing potential No. 1 ability on one side and Wayne seemingly still very much in his prime, it may not be the year Colts President Bill Polian chooses to take a receiver early. One thing about Polian, though: if a player is the best available at that time and could help the Colts, he'll take him regardless of whether it's a perceived need.

*Free agency status: Baskett could sign elsewhere, but there are unlikely to be major stories in free agency from the Colts at the receiver position.
 

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