Top five real issues facing the 2009 Indianapolis Colts

May 25, 3:02 PMIndianapolis Colts ExaminerJohn Oehser

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Donald Brown (AP Photo)

With 2009 organized team activities well underway at the Indianapolis Colts' training facility, it's finally time for the last of a four-part series we began a couple of weeks ago.

Sorry for the delay. It has been a busy several weeks, and with the saga of assistant coaches and a slew of other smaller stories -- including last week's opening of OTAs -- it has taken a while to get to the last of the series.

To refresh the memory, the series was designed to address some offseason issues, with the first part addressing the top five non-issues facing the Colts and the second part featuring five breakout players.

Then,we talked about five underrated players.

Now, with the second week of OTAs underway -- and with the draft a month in the rearview and training camp a bit more than two months out -- let's take a look at the Top  5 real issues facing the Colts entering 2009:

5) Who will be the third receiver? I'm on record saying the Colts will be better at WR than in 2008 because third-year veteran Anthony Gonzalez likely will be more productive this season than eight-time Pro Bowl selection Marvin Harrison was last season in what almost certainly was his final season with the team. But with Gonzalez moving from No. 3 to No. 2, who will move into the third receiver role? The team likes second-year veteran Pierre Garcon and third-year veteran Roy Hall also will get every chance to develop into a contributor. Rookie Austin Collie also will get a chance, but the good news for the Colts here is even if no one steps up, TE Dallas Clark is versatile enough to give them a three-receiver look with Gonzalez and three-time Pro Bowl selection Reggie Wayne.

4) The health of Bob Sanders. This is a bit of a cheap category, because for any contending team the health of their key players is crucial. But Sanders, a two-time Pro Bowl selection, has missed significant time in two of the past four seasons with injuries. In 2006, he missed 12 regular-season games with a knee injury and in 2008, he missed 10 games -- also with a knee injury, He made the Pro Bowl in 2005 and was the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2007. The Colts haven't staggered defensively in his absence because of the presence of reserve Melvin Bullitt, but Sanders adds a big-play dynamic that makes a defense special.

3) The development of defensive tackle.  It's hard to picture a scenario under which the Colts won't be better at the position, because it's hard to imagine as many circumstances going wrong as they did last season. The Colts lost two of their top three players at the spot when Quinn Pitcock retired before training camp and Ed Johnson was released after a marijuana possession charge after Week 1. Now, not only has Johnson re-signed, but the team also selected Fili Moala of Southern Cal in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft and Terrance Taylor of Michigan in the fourth round. They'll be better almost by default on the interior of the defensive line, but with Johnson's return, the area could again be a strength as it was when he was a rookie in 2007.

2) The health of Marlin Jackson. This is a key area because if Jackson is healthy and playing at his 2007 level, there are few secondaries in the NFL as good as the Colts. And certainly, there are few as deep. CB Kelvin Hayden is near a Pro Bowl level at the other corner, and there were some who believed Jackson also played near that level in 2007. He missed the last nine games of last season with torn knee ligaments. The third corner is Tim Jennings, who played better last season than many fans and observers gave him credit for, but a secondary of Jackson, Hayden, Sanders and Antoine Bethea gives Indianapolis an elite-level group.

1) Offensive line. The more I analyze the Colts, the more I just think the OL is the key to nearly everything entering 2009. The members of the offensive line were embarrassed by their 31st ranking in run offense a year ago, and are determined to improve in all areas this season. The lack of an effective running game made it more difficult to run the play-action offense, which traditionally is where most of the Colts' big plays come from. The Colts drafted University of Connecticut RB Donald Brown in the first round, and he and starting RB Joseph Addai should form a improved 1-2 combination, but will be the play of the line that determines the overall effectiveness of the offense next season. 

OTHER EXAMINER COLTS TOPICS . . .

• Why Frank Winters and Ron Johnson fit the Colts' philosophical approach
• Why Colts QB Peyton Manning is primed for another big season
• OTAs begin for Colts
• Preseason dates and times
• Former Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy essays on Michael Vick
• Uncertainty over timing of Mudd, Moore return
• New Era Gets Really, Really New
• Huge Day of Change May be Drawing Near for Colts
• The Top Five Myths Surrounding the Colts
• The Colts' Top Five Underrated Players
• On Loss of Dom Anile
• Top Five Breakout Players for Colts in 2009
• Loss of Moore, Mudd would be end of an era
• Ex-Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy meets with Michael Vick
• Re-signing DT Ed Johnson makes DT situation even better
• Top Five Nonissues facing Colts in 2009
• Peyton Manning Top 10 underrated moments.
• Breaking Down the 2009 Colts Schedule
• Colts Rookie Minicamp
• Top 10 rookie free agents in the Polian era
• On the re-signing of LB Freddy Keiaho
• Too early to quit on Addai
• A recap of the Colts' 2009 NFL Draft
• Colts had to do what they did with RB Dominic Rhodes
• Signing of S Matt Giordano solidifies position