25-year old WR Sam Giguere likely is atop the depth chart as the kickoff returner heading into training camp but he has no lock by any means.  He played in 1 game for the Colts last season and he returned 5 kickoffs for 122 yards (24.4 avg).  Rookie 7th round pick, cornerback Ray Fisher will likely get a shot to unseat Giguere as the kick returner.  Don’t count out undrafted rookie Brandon James out of Florida as he is pretty darn fast. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE COLTS KICKOFF RETURNERS in 2010:  D+

The Colts only allowed 13 sacks in 2009 which was a NFL low and a new club record.  The reason for the possible changes on the front line has to do with run blocking….which was not too good last year.  Charlie Johnson isn’t a natural left tackle but he’s the best the Colts have and he did a decent job in 2009.  Left guard will be a training camp competition between Tony Ugoh, Mike Pollak and rookie 4th round pick Jacques McClendon out of Tennessee.  The center will be Jeff Saturday who has been to 4 Pro Bowls in his career.  He is the leader of the O-Line.  RG appears to belong to Kyle DeVan who has a motor that never stops until the whistle blows.  RT Ryan Diem was a Pro Bowl alternate last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE COLTS O-LINE in 2010:  B

45-year old head coach Jim Caldwell had quite a rookie season for the Colts.  He led the team to a 14-2 (87.5%) record during the regular season and the two losses they didn’t even try to win as they were resting players.  The Colts then went 2-1 in the post-season losing the Super Bowl to the Saints.  The only way Caldwell can improve on his rookie season is to win the Super Bowl in 2010 and he has the players to do it.

37-year old kicker Adam Vinatieri is still one of the best kickers in the NFL.  He played in only 6 games for the Colts last season and he made 7 of 9 field goals (77.8%).  He also made 17 of 18 extra points to finish with 38 points for the Colts last year.  Vinatieri has now played in 211 games in his NFL career and he has made 338 of 412 field goals (82%).  He has also made 514 of 521 career extra points as he has scored 1,528 points in his career. 

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE COLTS KICKERS in 2010:  B

31-year old Reggie Wayne is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon for the Colts.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Colts last year and he caught 100 passes for 1,264 yards (12.6 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Wayne has now played in 141 games (128 starts) in his 10 years with the Colts and he has caught 676 passes for 9,393 yards (13.9 avg) with 63 TD grabs.  Wayne has made 4 Pro Bowls in his NFL career and he will likely make a fifth one in 2010.

23-year old speed burner Pierre Garcon really stepped up when Anthony Gonzalez went down to injury early last year.  Garcon played in 14 games (13 starts) for the Colts last year and he caught 47 passes for 765 yards (16.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He has now played in 28 games (13 starts) in his two years with the Colts and he has caught 51 passes for 788 yards (15.5 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Garcon was huge for the Colts last season and he will be again in 2010 making his college Mount Union proud.

24-year old Austin Collie really played well as a rookie for the Colts in 2009.  He played in 16 games (5 starts) for the Colts last year and he caught 60 passes for 676 yards (11.3 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  The sky is the limit for Collie but he will likely be the #3 or #4 WR for the Colts in 2010.

25-year old Anthony Gonzalez appears ready to return to action in 2010.  He hurt his knee in the Colts’ first game and it ended his season without a catch.  Gonzalez has played in 30 games (12 starts) in his three years with the Colts and he has caught 94 passes for 1,240 yards (13.2 avg) with 7 TD grabs.  If Gonzalez is healthy in 2010 the Colts’ passing game will be even more potent than before.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE COLTS WRs in 2010:  A