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| | Thursday, August 17 Colts: Taking the next step | |||||||||||||||
| By Mark Cannizzaro Special to ESPN.com The next question for the Indianapolis Colts is this: Are they truly ready for prime time after going from 3-13 in 1998 to 13-3 last season? The Colts, who should be the cream of the AFC crop in 2000, suffered a disappointing 19-16 loss to the Titans in the AFC divisional playoffs last season and felt like a great year ended much too soon. However, with the Colts' biggest stars -- quarterback Peyton Manning, running back Edgerrin James and receiver Marvin Harrison -- a year older and more mature and experienced, Indy is bracing for even bigger things in 2000.
Even though he was fabulous as a rookie last year, James will have a lot of eyes on him in his second -- or sophomore -- NFL season. He rushed for a Colts' rookie-record 1,553 yards and caught 62 passes, giving him 431 overall touches on offense, and at least the same will be expected of him this year. Those are some big-time numbers to duplicate. Key position battle The Colts badly need a receiver to complement Harrison, who put up prolific numbers last year (115 catches for 1,663 yards and 12 touchdowns). It'll be between Jerome Pathon, who looked great his rookie year in '98 with 50 receptions, but has struggled since (14 for 163 last year), and E.G. Green, who caught 21 passes for 287 yards last season. One of those two -- or a wild-card candidate -- must step forward to help make Harrison even better. Biggest adjustment The question is how will Manning, James, Harrison and Co. perform when they are the hunted rather than the young upstarts. Last year was like a honeymoon for the Colts, who took the league by storm with their young, talented, classy group. This year, they're expected to be perhaps the best team in the conference. How will they handle that -- along with a first-place schedule? The new attitude must begin in training camp. Rookie report With their first four picks, the Colts addressed defense. First, they selected BYU middle linebacker Rob Morris, who could develop into a rookie starter, then they took Auburn outside linebacker Marcus Washington, who played 44 games as a four-year starter in college. They landed Penn State cornerback David Macklin in the third round and defensive tackle Josh Williams from Michigan in the fourth. Of the Colts' seven picks overall, six were defensive players.
| ALSO SEE Bills: It's Johnson's job, for now Dolphins: Diving into a new era Patriots: It's Belichick's team Jets: Plenty of room to Groh AUDIO/VIDEO   Quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts are feeling optimistic about their season.wav: 138 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Jason Belser talks about the Colts being "the hunted" this season.wav: 446 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 | |||||||||||||||
