What Now?

One thing that I kept hearing during the entire Colts' offseason was how much depth this team now has. I couldn't help thinking to myself, "Depth? How so?" Indy is deep at several spots like DB (Jennings, Powers, Bullitt, Silva) and TE (Tamme, Santi, Robinson). But at other spots, specifically WR, there was no depth at all.

After years of being one of the elite offenses in the NFL, the Colts took a step back last year. Most of that can be attributed to injuries across the offensive line (mainly Ryan Lilja and Jeff Saturday) and the ineffectiveness of Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes on the ground. But, the passing attack was never in doubt - until now.

Anthony Gonzalez sprained ligaments in his knee during Sunday's win over Jacksonville and now will miss at least a month. Not to be Debbie Downer, but when it comes to sprained ligaments for a guy that relies so much on speed, I'd lean closer to six weeks.

The Colts have three active wideouts on the depth chart: Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, and Pierre Garcon. Reggie had 10 catches in the win over the Jaguars, while Collie and Garcon have combined for 9 catches in their entire career.

There have been some names throw around like Marvin (of course), Amani Toomer, and Matt Jones, but none of those are even semi-realistic possibilities. So, Indy will have to make due with what they have: a heavy-reliance on Reggie Wayne, and more-frequent use of Dallas Clark in the slot.

The effect of Gonzo's injury may rely on whether or not the Colts continue to struggle with the running game. If opposing defenses are confident in stopping the run even with their base four-man or three-man front, then they'll be able to blanket Wayne and make Collie or Garcon beat them.

Losing Gonzalez isn't a death sentence, but it's certainly not a good way to start the season.