Indianapolis Colts 2013 NFL Season Primer: Full Predictions & Roster Analysis

Finally, the NFL’s regular season is upon us.

With the final preseason games in the books, final cuts announced and waiver claims made, the Indianapolis Colts are prepping for their season opener against the Oakland Raiders.

At the same time, fans are preparing as well.

In order to do so, we’ve created a complete regular-season primer for Indianapolis, breaking down the roster, schedule and projecting anything and everything for the 2013 season.

Everything but how Jim Irsay’s Twitter account will react, that is. The @JimIrsay profile is as predictable as it is grammatically correct. That is to say, not at all.

The Colts improved their roster across the board during the offseason, a much-needed step after somehow managing to make the playoffs last season with one of the worst rosters in the league. How much have they improved? What new components should fans expect during 2013? All are examined in this primer.

The key to the primer is accuracy, not homerism. While the optimism in every fan is most hopeful just prior to the season, this primer is an honest attempt to be completely realistic prior to the season. The Colts have one of the brighter futures in the league but also some real shortcomings.

No matter one writer’s respective pessimism or optimism, though, real football is just about upon us.

That should get any fan (yes, even Raiders fans) excited.

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Full Stat Predictions for the Indianapolis Colts' Regular Season

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Indianapolis Colts 2013 Team Roster: Report Card Grades for Every Position