Colts open title defense in Super fashion

By Shawn Clarke Sep 11, 2007, 20:41 GMT

- So much for a Super Bowl hangover.

After beating the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XLI on a rainy night in Miami back in February, the Indianapolis Colts had more than enough time to soak in the hard work and praises from their championship season.

Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning didn't miss a beat and the Colts' defense was even better in Thursday's 41-10 shellacking of the New Orleans Saints, a team dubbed by many to represent the NFC in Arizona for this year's Big Game. Manning torched the New Orleans secondary, including former teammate Jason David, for 288 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

David earned his ring with Indy last season, then signed with New Orleans in April. He got great views of Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne speeding by him for a total of three scores.

Harrison caught four passes for 83 yards and a touchdown on a night the championship banners were raised at the RCA Dome, while Wayne ended with 115 yards and two scores on seven catches. The two are already clicking on all cylinders for head coach Tony Dungy, whose halftime talk inspired the Colts to 31 straight points in the second half after a sluggish opening 30 minutes.

Colts second-year running back Joseph Addai absorbed a big blow to his abdomen on the first play of the game, but bounced back to rush for 118 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Addai showed why the Colts were not hesitant to let go of running back Dominic Rhodes, who signed with Oakland in the offseason.

The young running back was running behind a cohesive offensive line which had a huge question mark at the left tackle spot following the surprise retirement of Pro Bowl offensive lineman Tarik Glenn in the offseason. Rookie Tony Ugoh now has the duty of guarding the backside of Manning, who avoided being sacked in Thursday's win. So far, so good for the first-year player out of Arkansas and the rest of the O-line.

Right now the Colts are still the team to beat in the AFC, and perhaps the entire NFL, after what they did to New Orleans. Even though the first half was a little rough for the defending champs, Dungy showed why he could be a future Hall of Fame coach with his calming influence and ability to adjust when needed.

How can you go wrong with the likes of Manning, Harrison, Wayne and Addai? There are not many answers for that question, which opposing head coaches are going to be faced with the entire 2007 season.

DEFENSE RISES TO OCCASION

I'm sure most players on the Indianapolis defense heard all of the hype about the Saints' high-powered offense prior to Thursday's Week 1 encounter. And they proved it didn't matter what was printed, because the finale score spoke for itself.

'Obviously, they were a great offensive team and we limited them to what they could do,' Colts middle linebacker and defensive captain Gary Brackett said. 'There is no reason to think we can't do the same thing in future games.'

Indy held Saints Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees to 192 yards passing with two interceptions, while running backs Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister rushed for 38 yards apiece. The top-ranked offense in 2006 was held to just a field goal and did not score an offensive touchdown, something New Orleans did in every game last season.

New Orleans ended with 293 yards of total offense, including 106 yards on the ground against an Indianapolis defense that ranked 32nd against the run in 2006. The Colts did all this without linebacker Cato June, cornerbacks Nick Harper and David -- all of whom left via free agency -- and defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, who is out for the entire season with a knee injury.

ADDAI TAKES OVER IN BACKFIELD

The Colts knew all along what they were getting when they selected Addai with the 30th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Although he was never the main man at talent-laden LSU, Addai now has a full-time shot to prove any naysayers wrong at the highest level of football.

After Addai wore down the New Orleans defense in his first regular-season NFL start, there's now a buzz going around that he can provide the Colts with what they have been missing in the backfield since Marshall Faulk and Edgerrin James skipped town.

The NFL's leading rusher among rookies last season, Addai burned the Saints around the ends and between the tackles, racking up 74 yards on 13 carries after the first 30 minutes of action.

'He's the reason I think the Saints eventually had to go to some blitzes and some single safety (coverage),' Manning said of Addai. 'They were playing double safeties and you are running the ball and all of a sudden, you're getting eight, 10 yards a pop. Joe ran hard, he blocked well. He is real smart and I think he will be a big factor for us in the passing game as well throughout the season.'

You can only hope, Peyton.

UP NEXT: THE DIVISION-RIVAL TITANS

The Colts will ride their high horses to Nashville this week for a showdown with the AFC South-rival Tennessee Titans at LP Field. The Colts took it to the immobile Brees in Week 1, but will face a daunting task in shutting down elusive Titans quarterback Vince Young.

Young is still learning the ropes as he enters his second season and first as a full-time starter, but will give the Indianapolis front four some problems for sure on Sunday. The Titans no longer have wide receiver Drew Bennett or running back Travis Henry, so much of the offensive load this season will be placed on the strong shoulders of Young.

Young led the Titans to a 13-10 win at Jacksonville on Sunday, as he completed 11 of his 18 passes for 78 yards and ran for 22 yards and a score. Colts defensive coordinator Ron Meeks did an outstanding job of having his players prepared for the Saints. Now he will have to do the same in a much different atmosphere.

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