The Indianapolis Colts are in a rather unique position. No one on earth expects them to be any good this season. In fact, the majority of the world fully believes that they are going to be pretty bad. IN a nut shell these guys are supposed to suck and suck bad (and not for Luck this time).

So essentially no matter what they do they are going to exceed the expectations that are being laid out (easy, since there are not any).

Personally, I think these guys are going to shock some people. I think they are going to win more than anyone thinks. They have talent on the team and the coaching staff to put it all together. Yes, there are some holes on the squad, but every team has holes. One of the signs of a champion is being able to overcome them.

One of the guys that many have figured into the plans of the Colts this year is wide receiver Austin Collie. In his last season with Peyton Manning throwing to Colts wide outs he began to show potential making 58 grabs in just nine games for 649 yards and eight touchdowns.

Last year was a step backwards statistically of course--it was for everyone on the Colts roster last season. With Andrew Luck coming in and Collie be shifted out of the slot to the outside it became time for the world to see what he can do.

But maybe we shouldn't.

Collie suffered his third concusion since November 2010 in the team's last contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In case you are not aware that is not good; not good at all.

Too many concussions can cause permanent brain damage and make life in the golden years feel like anything but precious. Once you get one it is easier to get the second, third, and so on (if you continue playing at that point).

As great as the game is, there comes a time when health has to be more important. Collie needs to be asking himself--or someone needs to shout it in his ear--that maybe he should consider calling it a day.

I hate saying it. I like the guy a lot. He's a gritty. tough, inspiring player that plays the game the way it is meant to be played. The sport will be worse off without him. That being said ask any old lineman as his knees creak walking up the steps if he wished he had quit before he got that last major knee injury and I think it is easy to figure out what he'll say.

I was speed reading through an article early today about the needs of the various teams in the NFL. I found the headline for the Colts a little on the obvious side--a transition from the Peyton Manning Era.

With or without him, that is exactly what the team is going to have to do next season. What I did not envision at first was that the Peyton Manning Era would not just include the famed QB, but quite possibly many of the key players still on the roster.

I have been hearing that Peyton's only center, Jeff Saturday, might be calling it quits; Ryan Diem too. There has been talk that the team might do away with Reggie Wayne, Gary Brackett, and even Dallas Clark, but want to keep Robert Mathis and Pierre Garcon.

I'm with you on Mathis; he and Dwight Freeney are easily among the top three defensive front duos in the league. Garcon? He's young and has break-away potential, but he's also lazy and prone to dropping balls. If Austin Collie didn't have all the concussion issues last season I'd say the team should worry more about him then Garcon.

I digress....after reading how QB is the biggest concern immediately thought that a few other concerns were not too far off. The line will need to be even better than it was during Manning's day in order to give a rookie QB the protection he'll need to learn the pro game without getting killed. I firmly believe that the Colts did not win more Super Bowls with Manning because their running game always sucked; for that we need guys that can run block as well as a better runner than either guy we have right now.

That's not the end of the Colts concerns though.

The secondary was atrocious last season. A guy in my fantasy league picked up the QB of whomever the Colts were playing (if available meaning he got what would normally be a scrub for fantasy football purposes) and each time he did he outscored his regular starter easily. Those guys were just plain bad. Now hopefully Melvin Bullitt will be good to go next season, but that still leaves us short a pair of cover corners.

So in summary, we need a QB, an offensive line, running back, and a secondary; and if the team dumps Reggie Wayne a legitimate No 1 receiver as well (Garcon is not a No 1).

Umm...good luck Grigson. You got your work cut out for you.

When Ohio State wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez was drafted in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts life looked good. The talented product from Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland was going to an office that featured the pass and had one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL tossing him the ball (in case you live under a rock I'm talking about Peyton Manning).

After two seasons as the third receiver he had recorded 94 catches for more than 1200 yards and seven touchdowns. Going into 2009 he was set to be the No 2 receiver alongside new No 1 Reggie Wayne.

Can life get any better than this? Starting in one of the most prolific offense was sure to make Anthony Gonzalez (Gonzo) a household name in no time.

Two years later he might not even make the team. It's a shame to say, but the story is not an unusual one. Ever since attaining the No 2 spot Gonzo has hardly been on the field.

There is nothing that can kill a promising career quicker than injuries and poor Gonzo has had plenty of them. In an industry where there is a never-ending supply of fresh, new up and coming players a team can't afford to wait and see if someone is going to produce when they finally get healthy.

This training camp was an important one for Gonzo, but since he has been on the shelf for most of it, it would not be surprising to see the Colts cut ties. Wayne is still the undisputed No 1 and although the depth chart on ESPN has Gonzo listed at No 2, that honor likely goes to Pierre Garcon or Austin Collie (with the other being the No 3).

That leaves five guys vying for the No 4 spot with a fifth possibly going to the practice squad. Judging performance this preseason has been touch with such erratic quarterback play, but the one thing that you can count on is if you aren't playing (like Gonzo) your probably pretty low on the depth chart.

I like Gonzo and I hate to see a promising career end because of injury, especially when it never really got started, but I would not be surprised if Blair White was the No 4 when the team travels to Houston.

Lovers of football, that is!

I know I'm in the minority, but I am not ashamed to admit it--I love the preseason. Yes, the football is not always the greatest, but it is a rare opportunity to see men play the game with the same passion that they did way back when Mommy and Daddy had to help them pronounce Riddell.

Starters will play some for every team; just enough to give you a taste of what your going to get in the regular season. The second string guys will play with some passion. Coaches always say that they (second string) are a play away from starting, but they fail to mention they are a play away from losing their job too.

It's the third string and on type of guys that I like. For most of them the game is over once the preseason ends so they better play to the best of their abilities now before the game passes them by.

Are these guys any good? Usually not. But the passion they often play with is unmistakable, and even more important--commendable. The experts say the preseason doesn't matter, but to these guys it means the world.

Anyway...

Colts fans will get a chance to see their guys in action once again this Friday at home against the defending Super Bowl champs. I'm not going to try to lie to you--this one is not going to be easy. The good thing is that Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky, and Mike Hartline will have Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie (probably for just a little bit) so hopefully we'll get a better look at what the team's quarterbacks not named Peyton can do.

Speaking of Peyton--further examination of Irsay's tweets show that the music loving owner may have been down in Favre country looking for the crossroads and a little help. Hmmm...I can't help but wonder if Irsay would give up his soul to get Peyton back in time for Week One. Jerry Jones is probably kicking himself for not thinking of doing it last year for Tony Romo!

If your a football fan, by now you have heard about Jim Irsay tweeting that he was in Brett Favre's hometown over the weekend. Whether he was we can't be for certain, but the fact that he even kidded about it shows that he knows people think the QB situation for the Colts is not that great. Peyton may not be ready for the season opener and it is hard to tell if any of the current QBs would be ready either (they aren't hurt, but if you've watched the Colts recently you understand).

So when Irsay kids about Favre, it is easy for people to believe that it could happen. Since Favre is known for changing his mind it is not inconceivable to see him heading to Indianapolis.

If Irsay wanted to bring in a veteran arm there is an easier (and likely more successful) way to go about it--he needs to look at the recently (and legitimately) retired guys. Kerry Collins has called it quits. The former Panther,  Giant, and Titan knows how to get it done. Last season he did not look so good, but he has been good in the past.

I haven't heard Marc Bulger's name tossed around yet, but if Peyton is out for an indeterminate amount of time Bulger would not be a bad fit at all. He comes from a pass first offense and would probably do well throwing to the likes of Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon, and Dallas Clark. 

One option I was surprised to hear Irsay say the team was not considering going after is former Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. With all the teams in front of them, picking him up id unlikely. I'm not even sure he would be the best fit for the system the Colts run. He would give the offense an added dimension with his feet, but it is up in the air if it would bee enough to make up for mediocre passing accuracy.

He would make it interesting though, and since Peyton is not getting any younger the team does need to start thinking about his eventual replacement. Pryor would not be a bad place to start.