With the Indianapolis Colts' 2010 organized team activities sessions ongoing at the team's practice facility, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser takes a daily look at the team's most-pressing issues.
With the final days of 2010 Colts organized team activities at hand, we'll take time today to consider an issue that has been percolating throughout the off-season.
That's the return of WR Anthony Gonzalez.
And the return of S Bob Sanders.
Specifically, the issue surrounding is how much better the Colts can be with the duo than without – and just what sort of impact the two can have – and while we haven't considered it much on IFR in recent weeks, it has been discussed enough by enough prominent people that is merits consideration.
Early this off-season, Colts Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jim Irsay mentioned that having the two return this season would be akin to signing two high-profile free agents. This past weekend in the Colts' three-day 2010 mini-camp, QB Peyton Manning said the same thing, that the duo's return was one thing that made him particularly optimistic entering next season.
“I look at Bob Sanders and Anthony Gonzalez as free agent acquisitions because they weren’t there last year,” Manning said. ”People say, 'Oh, they added a couple free agents and all the draft,' but when we get Anthony Gonzalez back and Bob Sanders back and a healthy Kelvin Hayden, that is very exciting for our team. Right now we’re talking about strictly what’s on paper, but I’m excited about the potential of this team and hopefully we can get it in good use.”
The potential impact of each, as we mentioned this week when discussing Sanders, has been somehow a bit overlooked, perhaps because fans and media grew weary last season of following the story of when each would return.
Sanders missed the first five games of last season with a knee injury, and as always is the case when Sanders is out and still active, his pending return was a local and national story. Gonzalez sustained a knee injury in Week 1, spent much of the season active and trying to return, then was placed on injured reserve late in the season.
As was the case with Sanders, there's almost a feeling among fans toward Gonzalez – particularly when he didn't participate in the Colts' open-to-the-public mini-camp practice last Saturday, that while his return would be great, it's not something they're counting on until they see it. Reports are that Gonzalez was out with a hamstring injury that shouldn't keep him from participating in training camp.
Comments
I've forced myself to watch SB 44 again, and I can't help thinking that Reggie quit on that route, allowing an interception and an insurmountable lead for the Saints. What's your opinion, and what's the scoop around the locker room?
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