Peyton and Indy Enter Second Decade of Setting the NFL Standard

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

LAST SEASON: 14-2 - first in AFC South - lost to New Orleans in Super Bowl

AT THE HELM: Jim Caldwell (second season, 14-2 with Indianapolis)

NEW WEAPONS: DE Jerry Hughes (R), LB Pat Angerer (R), CB Deshea Townsend

SENT PACKING: G Ryan Lilja, DE Raheem Brock, SAF Marlin Jackson

THE VIBE

In a league defined by parity, the Indianapolis Colts are the exception to the rule. Indy last failed to win ten regular season games in 2001. The NFL landscape has changed quite a bit since then. The league realigned from six divisions to eight - bouncing the Colts from the AFC East to the newly formed South division - when the Houston Texans arrived on the scene. Super Bowl XXXIV MVP Kurt Warner saw his career crumble in St. Louis, only to put the pieces back together in the desert years later. Paul Tagliabue handed the reigns of commissioner to Roger Goodell. Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, Brett Favre retired. Three times. The NFL is ever-changing, but Peyton Manning and the Colts just keep winning.

Now entering the latter stages of a remarkable career, Manning refuses to take his foot off the pedal on the field or in the film room. His impeccable preparation prior to each matchup is what sets him apart from the hundreds of NFL passers who have come and gone during his dominance.

It helps that Manning is lucky. That's the only way to describe how a quarterback can play 12 seasons in this punishing sport without missing a game. The 34-year-old field general is second only to Favre on the NFL's all-time consecutive games started list (currently 210 games). He has taken the opening snap of every Colts' contest since the franchise made him the first overall selection of the 1998 Draft.

Wide receiver Reggie Wayne - Manning's long-time target - also has an outstanding track record of durability. Wayne sat out of three games as a rookie in '01 but hasn't missed any time since, while exceeding in every role the Colts have asked him to fill. Initially, Wayne was the perfect sidekick to future Hall-of-Famer Marvin Harrison. About four years ago - when time began to take its toll on Harrison's body - Wayne elevated his play and effortlessly slid into the role of Manning's go-to wideout (arguably the most enviable job in the NFL).

Entering his tenth season out of Miami, Wayne - now making his own case for Canton - is the elder statesman tutoring a young group of pass catchers. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon - both 24 years old - combined for 107 receptions, 1,442 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2009. Anthony Gonzalez heads into his fourth season in search of a rebound. Gonzalez - the final pick of the first round in 2007 - was brought in to fill Harrison's shoes opposite of Wayne and appeared on his way to doing so. However, in the 2009 opener - his first game as Harrison's heir - Gonzalez injured his right knee and his season ended before he could even register a reception. Garcon and Collie excelled in his absence, meaning the pressure will be on Gonzo to battle for playing time in a loaded aerial attack that also features All-Pro tight end Dallas Clark (100 receptions in '09).

Colts president Bill Polian - an architect behind the Buffalo Bills quasi-dynasty of the early 1990s - does a masterful job of finding character guys late on draft day. Indy's defense is filled with prime examples of the regime's substance-over-style approach. Middle linebacker Gary Brackett (undrafted, 2003), defensive end Robert Mathis (fifth round, 2003), outside linebacker Clint Session (fourth round, 2007) and free safety Antoine Bethea (sixth round, 2006) bring a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude to Indy's starting D. Despite often being at a physical disadvantage, the Colts defense relies on superiour smarts and tenacity - lasting trademarks of the Tony Dungy regime - to consistently come up big just enough times over the course of four quarters. Peyton can handle the rest.

THE VERDICT

12-4 - first in AFC South - lose to Baltimore in AFC Championship

Indianapolis racks up twelve victories for the eighth consecutive season. Manning is vintage, again displaying arguably the greatest field vision ever seen in football. Pierre Garcon separates himself from the pack of young wideouts, surpassing 1,000 yards receiving in the process. Clark and Wayne - who is growing impatient for a new contract at the age of 31 - are reliable as ever despite relinquishing some statistics to the youngsters. Starting running back Joseph Addai stays one stride ahead of second-year man Donald Brown in the seldom-used backfield.

Indy's defense bends as often as last season, but breaks more frequently than in '09. Apart from defensive end Dwight Freeney and oft-injured safety Bob Sanders, no one has the potential to derail an offensive gameplan. The Colts wrap up home field advantage throughout the playoffs once again, but continue to draw comparisons to the Atlanta Braves of the 1990s (more than a decade of division dominance but just one World Series victory) when Baltimore bowls over Indianapolis with a Super Bowl trip on the line.

Note to reader: take some time to admire the abilities of Manning in '09. He is the benchmark at quarterback in modern football and isn't getting any younger.