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It's really tempting to only do a review of the Colts' last season. I'm not a huge fan of the descriptor "storybook," but their season had some pretty fantastic elements. Going from 2-14 to 11-5? That is already an amazing season. But, to do it while their Head Coach is, well, sidelined with Leukemia makes it even better. Add to this the fact that this success came at the hands of Andrew Luck, a rookie QB.
And his rookie year was darn impressive. Don't get me wrong - he had some problems. His yardage and TD totals came because he threw the ball more often than any other rookie in NFL history. In addition, his completion percentage could be much better. But, much of that is probably the result of the offense in which he was operating last year. He was asked to throw the ball downfield almost every attempt. Now that OC Pep Hamilton is replacing Bruce Arians, we can likely expect that the change. I imagine a more West Coast style offense is coming to Indianapolis.
Hopefully for Mr. Luck, some offensive line help is coming his way next season too. Winston Justice, the Colts' RT, is a free agent this year after an injury-plagued 2012 campaign. Guard could likewise be upgraded next year.
Most of the upgrades need to come on defense, though. Vontae Davis is a stud at CB, but the Colts need to upgrade the CB across from him. They might not have a lot of in-house candidates either, since they have a few CBs going to FA. Moreover, the Colts will want to upgrade upfront too. Nose Tackle is an area of need. A pass-rush specialist is needed too - particularly at the outside linebacker position.
Key Free Agents: OT Winston Justice, CB Jerraud Powers, DE Dwight Freeney.