FanHouse

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's the outlook for the defending champion Colts.

2006 Record: 12-4

2006 Offense: Even with Edgerrin James leaving for Arizona, the Indianapolis Colts' offense remained a well-oiled machine in 2006, finishing third in total yardage (379.4 YPG), second in passing yardage (269.2 YPG), and tied for second in scoring (26.7 PPG) in 2006. It's hard to argue there's a more valuable player in the NFL than Peyton Manning, who runs this offense to near-perfection.

2006 Defense: Despite giving up 332.2 yards per game and getting run over by Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew late in the season. the Colts' defense improved dramatically with the return of safety Bob Sanders. Having one of the best pass rushers in the game in Dwight Freeney, however, didn't help the Colts manage more than 25 sacks and a mere 26 turnovers.

2006 Special Teams: Adam Vinatieri may have been the best free agent signing of the 2006 offseason, as he made 25 of 28 field goals in the regular season and 14 of 15 in the postseason. Hunter Smith did an adequate job punting (44.4 yards per punt), and the Colts did okay on kick returns with 26.1 yards per return, though punt returns (7.5 YPR) could have been better.

Coaching: Tony Dungy finally broke through and got his ring after five seasons in Indy, and he did it with the help of Tom Moore, one of the best offensive coordinators in the game. Dungy made his reputation as a defensive coordinator, however, and he's still looking to get a little more from that side of the ball in 2007.

Draft: GM Bill Polian has a history of building through the draft, and he found a few gems in 2007, grabbing Anthony Gonzalez from Ohio State to replace Brandon Stokley in the slot and Tony Ugoh from Arkansas to replace the retiring Tarik Glenn at left tackle. Another Ohio State player, Quinn Pitcock, could replace the injured Booger McFarland at defensive tackle.

New Additions: Aside from the rookies, most of the new faces in Indy this year have come from past drafts. Freddy Keiaho replaces Cato June at linebacker. Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden replace Nick Harper and Jason David at cornerback. The Colts made no major moves on the free agent market beyond signing most of their stars.

Three Keys:

1) Can Joseph Addai carry the running game on his own? Dominic Rhodes left for Oakland, leaving little more than CFL regular Kenton Keith behind Addai at running back. Except the second-year man from LSU to get a lot more touches this season, and expect the Colts to scan that waiver wire furiously.

2) Can the Colts shore up their run defense without McFarland in the middle? They'll need Sanders to remain healthy and Keiaho to perform at a very high level to improve on last season.

3) Can the Super Bowl champs shake off complacency to repeat again? Tony Dungy is saying all the right things and making plenty of Chuck Noll references, but the proof is in the pudding, and the Patriots and the Chargers look eager to prevent the Colts from winning another Lombardi Trophy.

Prediction: With the Jaguars, Titans and Texans all in flux, the Colts seem poised for yet another AFC South title, but nothing short of second-straight trip to the Super Bowl will satisfy this team, and with the Patriots loading up to try and win a fourth title in seven years, the Colts will face an uphill battle to repeat. Don't ever count them out, though.

Gratuitous YouTube: Given NBC's recent shenanigans, I'm amazed they let this classic Saturday Night Live clip stay up on YouTube.