With training camp a little more than two weeks away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .
No. 8: Will Fili Moala emerge as a force?
We move today to the eighth part of this series examining 21 questions around the 2010 Indianapolis Colts, this one addressing what has been a question for more than a year: Will DT Fili Moala emerge as a force on the interior of the line?
Part of the answer is that if he's going to do so, this likely will be the year.
Another part is that it's impossible yet to know.
The third part, and the best news for the Colts, is while the Colts very much want Moala to fulfill the potential he showed in college – potential that made him a second-round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft – they're not desperate for that to take place.
That's how much the Colts improved at defensive tackle last season.
Moala, who played collegiately at the University of Southern California, joined the Colts in the 2009 off-season, and did so amid a fairly high level of expectation. Though his draft stock had dropped from 2008, when some considered him a potential Top 10 selection had he foregone his senior season at Southern Cal, he still was considered a solid prospect, one capable of not only starting in the NFL, but of providing consistent, effective pass rush.
Early on with the Colts, that hasn't yet happened.
Moala played sparingly in mostly a reserve role as a rookie, playing 10 games, starting at right defensive tackle in the regular-season finale at Buffalo. He was inactive throughout the playoffs, and finished the season with 17 tackles, including four solos, a total that included five tackles in a late-season loss to the New York Jets.
Moala said it was hardly the rookie season he expected, and said the early part of the off-season was a time to “to reflect, to watch myself, to watch what I put on tape.”
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