Magnificent Seven VII: On the Indianapolis Colts WR position, the offensive line and Marvin Harrison

Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne (AP Photo)

Each week on Examiner.com, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser offers seven thoughts on all things Indianapolis Colts. Without further delay, the Magnificent Seven for the second week of the 2009 regular season, in which the Colts will visit the Miami Dolphins Monday Night.

7) No veteran neeeded. This may be a bit extreme, but despite all of the talk among fans and even from Colts President Bill Polian about signing a veteran receiver in the wake of a knee injury that could keep WR Anthony Gonzalez out a reported 2-to-6 weeks, I'm not sure I see the need. Yes, losing Gonzalez even for a few weeks is a loss, and yes, the first instinct for observers is to start rattling off the names of familiar veterans. Even Polian said on his Monday radio show that signing a veteran was a possibility if Gonzalez is out for four or more weeks, but I wouldn't be surprised if Polian follows a familiar path for the Colts no matter how long Gonzalez is out. That path? One in which the Colts turn to WRs Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon -- and obviously Reggie Wayne -- and let them man the position until Gonzalez return. Perhaps they could bring up Taj Smith from the practice squad for a few weeks, but to sign a veteran receiver such as David Tyree or Amani Toomer runs counter to the Colts' philosophy of replacing unavailable players with players already on the roster and/or practice squad.

6) Marvin Harrison is certainly not needed. Polian said Monday even if the Colts did sign a veteran receiver, that receiver won't be eight-time Pro Bowl selection Marvin Harrison, who played for the Colts from 1996-2008. Polian's reasoning is that Harrison did not participate in any team's training camp, and to sign an aging receiver not in football shape is to invite injuries.There's another, simpler reason -- that's that Harrison wasn't too effective the last two seasons. Plus, Collie and Garcon are not only the future, but a better alternative for the present. Bottom line: only people around the Colts thinking Harrison is an alternative are people around the team -- i.e., fans and media. The people within the team who matter know the reality: It's time to move on.

5) Ed Johnson is needed . . . but maybe not as much as originally thought. When the Colts re-signed DT Ed Johnson last offseason, bringing him back after his release following a marijuana-related arrest in September 2008, I thought it was the most important move of the offseason. That's how well Johnson played in 2007 when he started 16 games as an undrafted rookie. The Colts that season were solid against the run and finished in the Top 5 in the NFL in total defense. Johnson's still important. There's no question about that. And there's no question he should help dramatically when he returns to the lineup Monday. But while he served a one-game suspension in the regular-season opener, the Colts' defense allowed Jacksonville 228 yards -- 114 rushing. DT Anthony "Mookie" Johnson played well enough to draw raves from Polian. Yes, the Colts still need E Johnson, and yes, his return gives the Colts a chance to reach a new -- maybe even dominant -- level, but without him the Colts may be better than many anticipated.

4) Reggie Wayne is more than just a No. 1 receiver. Remember when there was debate about whether Wayne could be a true No. 1 receiver? Remember when he barely missed the Pro Bowl a couple of seasons despite the protestations of QB Peyton Manning? Remember when he was the other "wide receiver" opposite Harrison. Those days are long since gone. Wayne, if anything, has proven himself to be a better player in Harrison's absence than he was with him. When Harrison missed 11 games in 2007, Wayne had the biggest season of his career to date, catching more than 100 passes and leading the AFC in receiving yards. On Sunday, in his first game since Harrison's offseason release, Wayne caught 10 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown -- and that came with Gonzalez out from early in the first quarter on.

3) Baby steps. The Colts' offensive line wasn't thrilled with its performance Sunday. The group wanted to rush for more than 2.3 yards per carries, and certainly wanted to produce a first down on 3rd- and 4th-and-1 with a chance to secure the game in the fourth quarter. "It was frustrating," Colts OG Ryan Lilja said. "We kept sawing wood. We'd get 3 or 5 yards, and we like that, but we didn't get the long runs like we wanted to. We just have to get better." I thought the Colts did improve on the offensive line -- perhaps not as much as they wanted, perhaps, but there were times last season when it seemed the running game was going backward as often as forward and other times when you thought they wouldn't be able to run no matter how long they tried. I didn't get that feeling Sunday, and in fact, thought there were times the Colts seemed on the cusp of getting a running game going. That's not ideal, but it may be progress.

2) Good start. A major prioirty in the offseason was improving special teams, and with former special teams coach Russ Purnell on the opposite sideline with Jacksonville Sunday, the unit had a big day. Chad Simpson showed promise as a kickoff returner, the kickoff coverage was sound and rookie P Pat McAfee that his addition may bring the area more consistency. Polian expects Monday's game against the Dolphins to be a more difficult test for the unit, but early signs here were positive.

1) Here they come. All offseason, the Colts' defensive players talked excitedly of a more aggressive approach. All offseason, Colts fans wondered, "Just what does that mean?" On Sunday, they got their first answers. The Colts blitzed, by MLB Gary Brackett's estimation, about 10 times. That was, by Brackett's estimation, about 10 more times than they blitzed under former Head Coach Tony Dungy, whose philosophy was to almost always rush four down linemen and play pass defense with seven. Brackett blitzed on each of the last two plays, helping pressure Jaguars QB David Garrard into incomplete passes each time. "We had some blitzes in last year, but they were more run blitzes," Brackett said. "This year, it's definitely a big increase over last year." Brackett said he never had blitzed on back-to-back plays in six previous NFL seasons.

*** READ POLIAN SPEAKS, THE NEXT-DAY THOUGHTS OF COLTS PRESIDENT BILL POLIAN AFTER COLTS-JAGUARS, PART I HERE ***