LAST SEASON: 6-10, 4th in AFC East
PROJECTION: 1st in AFC South

	Harrison is ready to light up the secondary, and the scoreboard.

Last year was a fluke. Peyton pressed. The D rolled over. This year, Edgerrin will take care of Peyton and Dungy will revive the D. In a weak division, the Colts finish 11–5.

STRONG SIDE

WR: Marvin Harrison needs 74 catches to set a record for most receptions in his first seven seasons. It's a lock -- he hasn't had fewer than 100 since 1998. And now Harrison pairs with free agent signee Qadry Ismail (74 catches in 2001) who, at 31, can still burn a 4.3 40. Ismail's intentions are clear: "When you have the moniker The Missile, you don't run little five-yard outs." In a three-receiver set, possession man Reggie Wayne needs to show why the Colts made him a first-round pick in 2001. Marcus Pollard, whose 15.7 ypc last year was the best in the league among tight ends, gives Manning another midrange option.

WEAK SIDE

DB: Why was Tony Dungy, a Steelers DB in the '70s, hired? To fix the Colts D -- specifically the vanishing secondary. The Colts were 27th in passing yards allowed (225) and 29th in TD passes allowed (30). Two rooks, FS Idrees Bashir and tiny CB David Macklin (5'9"), were burned more often than bread. Ex-Bears CB Walt Harris was Indy's big off-season signee. But he's just one man. If only Dungy could still play.

AFC South

1. Colts

2. Titans

3. Jaguars

4. Texans

Scouting Report Index

OTHER UNITS

QB: Indy's D gave up so many points, Peyton Manning forced passes to keep the Colts in games. With Edgerrin James back, Manning won't throw 23 picks again, and his already-high completion percentage (62.7%) will skyrocket.

RB: The Colts have their Edge back. Two-time rushing champ James brings power and speed, returning from a torn left ACL that sidelined him 10 games in 2001. He'll lessen the blow of losing 1,000-yard backup Dominic Rhodes (torn right ACL). Says EJ: "I'll tear the league up."

OL: Indy's given up a league-low 86 sacks since '98, but needs two new starting guards. Ryan Diem (6'6", 332, eight starts as rook) slides into RG, and Rick DeMulling -- no starts as a rookie -- moves in at LG. LT Tarik Glenn and RT Adam Meadows have missed only three starts in five years.

DL: The Colts will rotate seven to nine players. Two who will stay on the field: Chad Bratzke, (team-high 28 sacks past three seasons) and No. 1 pick Dwight Freeney, a speed-rusher the Colts expect to be a three-down player by midseason.

LB: Big hitter Mike Peterson is less than 100% after a midseason knee injury, but he's the playmaking linchpin in Tony Dungy's scheme. OLB Marcus Washington (8 sacks) is primed for a breakout season, and fourth-round pick David Thornton turned heads in training camp.

ST: No problems here. Mike Vanderjagt, the NFL's most accurate kicker ever, made 28 of 34 FGs last year. Hunter Smith's gross punting average (44.5) ranked fourth in the league.

This article appears in the September 16 issue of ESPN The Magazine.