With training camp a little more than two weeks away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .

No. 6: Will WR Anthony Gonzalez move into a starting role?

We move today to the sixth part of this series examining 21 questions around the 2010 Indianapolis Colts, this one addressing what has been an oft-debated issue among fans and media since the end of last season: Will WR Anthony Gonzalez into a starting role in 2010?

The answer is it’s impossible to project.

But the positive news for the Colts is that he may not need to start for them to have an elite-level wide receiving corps. Such is the level of talent the Colts have at the position.

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With training camp a little more than a month away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .

No. 5: Can TE Dallas Clark improve?

We move today to the fifth part of this series examining 21 questions around the 2010 Indianapolis Colts asking what almost certainly will be a topic come training camp :Can TE Dallas Clark improve this season?

The answer is he can.

And that might not necessarily mean a big jump in numbers. Actually, it may not mean a jump in numbers at all.

Clark, a first-round selection in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Colts, has improved steadily since then, taking a huge jump during the post-season following the 2006 season, and making noticeable strides regularly since.

Clark, who caught 58 passes for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2007, followed that with 77 receptions for 848 yards and six touchdowns in 2009. This past season, he caught 100 passes for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns, with the receptions the second-highest single-season total for a tight end in NFL history.

The result? The most-decorated season of Clark’s career:

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With training camp a little more than a month away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .

No. 4: Will S Bob Sanders be an impact player again?

We move today to the fourth part of this series examining 21 questions around the 2010 Indianapolis Colts, and do so addressing what has become something of an annual topic around the Colts: Will S Bob Sanders be an impact player again?

The answer: Stay tuned.

And while that’s an answer we give knowing that it’s not what Colts fans want to hear – and while we know many are, in fact, tired of the question – we give it just as sure that there also is a sense of optimism around the Colts about the question.

And for Sanders, that’s a good sign.

And it’s a good sign for the Colts, too.

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With training camp a little more than a month away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .

No. 3: Will RB Donald Brown move into a starting role?

We move today to the third part of this series examining 21 questions around the 2010 Indianapolis Colts, this one addressing what has been an oft-covered topic since the 2009 NFL Draft: When will RB Donald Brown start?

This off-season’s answer? Not yet.

But we’ll add that that’s OK for all parties.

That will make the bulk of this entry about RB Joseph Addai, but that’s OK, too, because the reality is that because of Addai, the Colts not only don’t need Brown to start, but they may not really want him to start yet, either.

Brown, who the Colts selected with the No. 27 overall selection of the 2009 NFL Draft, led the nation in rushing at the University of Connecticut in 2008, when he was the only player in college football that season to rush for more than 2,000 yards.

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With training camp a little more than a month away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .

No. 2: Will the Colts be deep enough on the corner?

We move today to the second part of this series examining 21 questions around the 2010 Indianapolis Colts asking what became a topic during the team’s May rookie mini-camp: Will the team be deep enough at cornerback?

It’s a question that may not be answered for some time.

Because while the Colts will enter the season with solid front-line ability at the position – they might, in fact, be as good at starting cornerback as they have been in the last decade – they are relatively inexperienced at the spot, particularly after the top three.

To review:

The Colts early in the off-season opted to not re-sign CB Marlin Jackson, CB Tim Jennings and CB T.J. Rushing, and in each case, a strong argument could be made for making the exact move the Colts made. Jackson was a valued member of the secondary on and off the field but had sustained season-ending knee injuries in 2008 and 2009. He signed with he Philadelphia Eagles, but is now out for the season with an injury sustained in organized team activities.

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With training camp a little more than a month away, Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser will spend the final weeks of the off-season examining 21 questions about the Indianapolis Colts entering 2010 . . .

No. 21: Can QB Peyton Manning keep getting better?

We lead off this series examining 21 questions around the Indianapolis Colts asking what has become an annual topic in recent seasons: Can QB Peyton Manning keep getting better?

This year’s answer is similar to last year’s:

It’s not wise to say no until there’s evidence to suggest otherwise.

Manning, entering his 13th season as the Colts’ quarterback, not only has shown no signs of a production drop-off in recent seasons, he has improved in recent seasons, last season winning his second consecutive Associated Press National Football League Most Valuable Player Award and leading the Colts to a second Super Bowl appearance in four seasons.

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With the Indianapolis Colts’ 2010 organized team activities at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center now over — and with training camp fast approaching –Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser this week will continue taking a look at what to like and what to worry about with the Colts as the 2010 NFL regular season approaches . . .

Three areas of concern for the Colts on special teams . . .

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped  up 2010 organized team activities recently, and we wrap up Indy Football Report’s post-OTA analysis with this look at the concerns facing the special teams.

As was the case with offense and defense, there’s more to like about the units than there is to dislike, and as was the case with those units, there’s some overlap between the things to like and those things to find concerning.

The reason:

A lot of things to like about the Colts entering next season are things that involve potential. For instance, the emergence of rookie DE Jerry Hughes is a reason to like the Colts’ defense, but him being a rookie and an unknown NFL entity is a reason to be concerned.

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With the Indianapolis Colts’ 2010 organized team activities at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center now over — and with training camp fast approaching — Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser this week will continue taking a look at what to like and what to worry about with the Colts as the 2010 NFL regular season approaches . . .

Five things to like about the Colts’ special teams . . .

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped their 2010 organized team activities recently, and as we continue our post-OTA breakdowns, we reach the things to like about the Colts’ special teams entering next season.

The Colts made strides in this area last season. P/kickoff specialist Pat McAfee had a productive year as a rookie, and the team’s kickoff and punt coverage improved from the previous season.

Add to that the return of K Adam Vinatieri after an injury-plagyed season a year ago and there are reasons for optimism on the special teams.

There are also reasons for concern, but that’s another topic for another day.

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With the Indianapolis Colts’ 2010 organized team activities at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center now over — and with training camp fast approaching –Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser this week will continue taking a look at what to like and what to worry about with the Colts as the 2010 NFL regular season approaches . . .

Five areas of concern for the Colts’ defense . . .

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped their 2010 organized team activities recently, and as we continue with out post-OTA breakdowns, we reach the areas of concern for the defense with a similar problem that arose when analyzing the offense.

The Colts were already strong, and they  addressed some areas of concern in the off-season.

So . . .

Glaring problems are hard to find.

A glance around the Colts’ defensive roster reveals as much front-line talent and experience as it has had entering a season in several seasons, with the main reasons for concern depth at at the cornerback and linebacker positions, as well as the health of key players such as S Bob Sanders. If the Colts stay healthy, there’s a very realistic chance they could be as good defensively as they were in 2005 and 2007, their best defensive seasons in recent memory.

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With the Indianapolis Colts’ 2010 organized team activities at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center now over — and with training camp fast approaching — Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser this week will take a look at what to like and what to worry about with the Colts as the 2010 NFL regular season approaches . . .

Five reasons to like where the Colts are defensively . . .

With Indianapolis Colts 2010 organized team activities now officially behind us, we continue to look to the future, and now look to five reasons to like where the Colts are defensively.

Even beyond the obvious — the presence of Pro Bowl DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis – there’s a lot to like, particularly considering there’s a very real chance the area could be improved from last season.

We’ll start with the first-round draft selection, because . . . well, because he’s the first-round draft selection.

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