MIKE HART NEWS

Close battles expected for NFL playoff spots

In conclusion to all of the previews that have been written on the Colts and the rest of the NFL, I think it's going to be a good season.

In no particular order: San Diego, New England, and Indianapolis are the front runners in the AFC; while Minnesota and New York are strong in the NFC, in my opinion.

I consider San Diego to be the best team in the NFL because they rush the passer superbly and Norv Turner will enter his second year as head coach. The problem with San Diego is that you have to question how motivated they are, and what the locker room is like. If the Chargers are motivated, I don't see a team that can beat them.

New England's offense is back, but I think there are several question marks.

How will the Patriots replace Asante Samuel and Randal Gay? Will the age finally show up in the linebackers? Can a once-dominant offensive line pick up the pieces from their Super Bowl performance? Can the Patriots overcome mental obstacles to get back to the big game? Those questions will determine the fate of the ‘08 Patriots.

Unlike the teams that won three out of four championships, there isn't youth behind the veterans; and they haven't been drafting as well as they did back then, which is something that they will eventually pay for with or without Tom Brady.

Minnesota has a very good football team, and expectations are deservedly high. How can you beat their two lines? Can anybody stop Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor? This much is true: The Vikings are going to run the ball and stop the run, and they have the horses to do a very good job of it.

I think Indianapolis will walk in with the deepest roster that they have had in years. Their draft class looks strong to me, and I think each player will contribute in some form or another throughout 2008. My biggest concern is the schedule. Past that, there are very few questions about the Colts. I expect, and desperately want, the Colts to run the ball more this year.

If Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes are healthy for the postseason, I will feel very confident about returning to the Super Bowl. And yes: I like Mike Hart, too.

When I was walking through a jam-packed downtown Indy before the Saints game last September, it finally hit me that the Colts have arrived. Indianapolis has become a football town. With the opening of a new, state-of-the-art stadium, the city figures to be a football frenzy. Ownership, management and employees of the Colts are excited about moving in to a new home, and believe that it's the start of a new era.

This era is a toast to the fans who bled blue long before I did, who went through the thick of times before Peyton Manning ever suited up, who kept the franchise alive, and who believed at the bottom of their collective blue hearts that their time would come.
We have reached that time.

In conclusion, thank you for reading, and regardless of the team you are affiliated with: Have a good season.

 

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