Indianapolis Colts: 5 Players the Colts Can't Afford to Lose to Injury

The Colts rely heavily on a few well-paid stars. More so than other teams, if a few of those high-performing guys go down, the Colts would be in for a rough year.

The Colts limped into the playoffs last year with a slew of injuries. Key defensive players (from Gary Brackett to Kelvin Hayden) missed lots of time. The offense was also hit, with Anthony Gonzalez, Austin Collie and Dallas Clark out of the lineup for most of the season.

Who can't the Colts afford to lose to injury this year?

Dwight Freeney Is Key to Getting Pressure on the Quarterback

Dwight Freeney's magnificence as a pass-rusher never truly hit home for me until the Colts' loss to the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV.

Without Freeney's consistent pressure, Drew Brees and the Saints were able to pick apart the Colts secondary.

Freeney's motor is unparalleled and he has the best spin move in the game. He bursts around the edge to torment opposing teams' QBs with his relentless pursuit. Other teams' offensive coordinators have to game plan for his speed, power and strip-sack threat.

If Freeney goes down, the Colts still have an elite pass-rusher in Robert Mathis. Having bookend Pro Bowl-caliber rushers is much better than having just one, however. On a defense built for speed, Freeney has been an essential part of the Colts' success over the years.

Reggie Wayne Is the Receiving Option Who Makes Everyone Else Better

Despite his admirable, yet misguided defense of Curtis Painter, Reggie Wayne is the most reliable target among Colts receivers.

Last year, the Colts thrust Jacob Tamme into the pass-catching tight end role when Dallas Clark went down mid-way through the season. The offense didn't miss a beat and Tamme went on to have a stellar year. If Wayne were to go down to injury, I think the offense would be in much worse shape than it was without Clark.

As one of the top five wide receivers in the league for the past six years, Wayne has racked up over 1,000 yards every year since 2004. As the clear No. 1 receiver, he draws opposing teams' best cornerback game-in and game-out; yet he still excels.

Without Wayne, Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie would be the one and two options for Manning. Anthony Gonzalez is already hampered by an injury and will probably be cut soon. Blair White is on the PUP list due to a back injury. The receiver depth chart starts to look awfully thin if Wayne were out of the picture.

Unproven guys like Taj Smith (whose hands seem to be as leaden as Garcon's at times) and Chris Brooks would have to step up.

A starting wide receiving corps of concussion-risk Collie, inconsistent Garcon and one of the two young guys listed above wouldn't scare anyone. Wayne makes those guys better by drawing the coverage to him. His ability to be a deep threat as well as a good underneath guy increases his value to the team.

Antoine Bethea Is the Beating Heart of the Colts Secondary

Pro Bowler Antoine Bethea leads a young secondary. He is fast, hits well and is excellent in coverage as the starting free safety. While he's not known as a threat on the blitz, he's not often asked to do that.

Strong safety Melvin Bullitt is a proven commodity after three solid years filling in for the fragile Bob Sanders and Jerraud Powers has been a revelation at cornerback since he broke in with the team in 2009.

But after Bethea, Bullitt and Powers, no one on the Colts secondary has truly proven their mettle. Jacob Lacey frequently has coverage lapses and doesn't jam receivers very well. Justin Tryon is a solid corner, but he's not a playmaker. Bethea's backup will most likely be an unknown like David Caldwell or Al Afalava.

If Bethea were to go down, the Colts' already razor-thin secondary would fall off the edge into chaos. Antonie Bethea is the glue for that crew.

Jeff Saturday Anchors a Reworked Offensive Line

Not many offensive lineman have the kind of influence and in-game leadership that Jeff Saturday possesses. He seems to share a brain with Manning and is constantly pointing out coverages and defensive schemes.

Saturday is not only a good leader on the field, but he's also a high-quality blocker. He can play with a nasty streak, which is necessary to be a truly great O-lineman. 

As a multi-year Pro Bowler, Saturday has been an essential part of the Colts offense for the last decade. But this year his role on the team will be heightened. After some struggles with protection last year, the Colts have added new blood to the offensive line in their efforts to put the best five guys out there.

With the line in a state of flux, Saturday has become the rock in the middle for the Colts. Rookie Anthony Castonzo will most likely end up at left tackle. Ryan Diem will probably be moved from right tackle to right guard (displacing Mike Pollak). Rookie Ben Ijalana may get the nod at right tackle. Either second-year man Joe Reitz or Jeff Linkenbach will fill out the right tackle spot.

The Colts are a pass-first team; they need a consistently excellent offensive line. With so many new faces along that front, Saturday will be even more essential in 2011.

A Manning-Less Colts Team Would Be Tough to Watch

The kerfuffle about Manning's neck injury has even gotten the Onion Sports Network in on the action. Check out this video (as a great piece of satire) about Manning performing surgery on his own neck so that he could play.

The fear that Manning wouldn't be able to start the season led the Colts to bandy about seven words no NFL fan ever wants to hear again: Brett Favre is coming out of retirement.

The Colts have clearly never expected the iron man Manning to miss much time. If they had, they would have prepared for that contingency by having a backup quarterback with a modicum of skill on the roster.

Prior to the Kerry Collins signing last week, the Colts had two potential backups to Manning. One of those guys was Curtis Painter, who has shown us less than nothing in two uninspiring seasons. The other was Dan Orlovsky, who started for the Detroit Lions during their magically awful 2008 season and then couldn't beat out Matt Leinart to be a backup for the Houston Texans.

Kerry Collins is clearly an upgrade over those two, but he's still not even close to being the QB that Manning is.

Manning is the total package at quarterback. He makes great reads, has an impeccable pocket presence, throws with pinpoint accuracy and has fantastic arm-strength. He is the unquestioned leader of the team and understands defenses like Mariah Carey understands high notes.

There is just no way to replace such a consistently excellent player. Without Manning, the Colts become an average team and would miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years.