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Last season: 12-4, won AFC South, defeated Kansas City, Baltimore and New England to win AFC and beat Chicago to win Super Bowl XLI

 

There was a parade through the streets of Indianapolis. A trip to the White House. Banquets, speeches, autograph sessions. And a glorious affair at which the Indianapolis Colts’ diamond-accented rings were presented on a silver platter.

After so much playoff heartbreak in recent years, the Colts were able to taste the spoils of Super Bowl success with one victory lap after another.

Now do it again.

“A Super Bowl run is about the journey,” Pro Bowl left tackle Tarik Glenn said during offseason workouts in June. “Afterward, everybody expects the same thing next year. We’re at the beginning stage of that process. We know how hard it is to get to the top. But we’re at ground zero right now.”

Glenn surprised the Colts in the past week by saying he may retire rather than rejoin the team for an 11th season. Colts president Bill Polian said he hasn’t pressured Glenn, who is entering the final year of his contract and had been looking for an extension, for an official decision, but wants the lineman to resolve the situation before training camp opens on July 28.

UPDATE: Glenn announces his retirement

“I can only tell you he’s clearly thinking this over,” Polian said Monday. “I think he’s weighing the pros and cons. “I’ve told him when he’s ready, obviously sometime before Saturday, let us know and we’ll talk it through.”

The Colts will open training camp with their magnificent trek to the Super Bowl XLI crown, which culminated with the 29-17 victory against the Chicago Bears, decidedly in the rearview mirror.

TABLE: Additions, subtractions in Indianapolis

Just eight teams have repeated as champions since the Super Bowl era began, a history that says much about the challenge that awaits the Colts.

They are the hunted in an ultra-competitive AFC. With the New England Patriots perhaps improving themselves more than any other team in football, a San Diego Chargers squad with most of its personnel intact after an NFL-best 14-2 regular season and other dangerous teams lurking in the conference, the glory of last season will not buy the Colts a “W” during the 2007 season.

This much they know: Complacency won’t cut it.

More than 90% of the players worked out at the team’s headquarters in the offseason program, which was pushed back four weeks to account for the extended run to the Super Bowl. “I think everybody has been pretty level-headed about things,” Polian says. “We’re kind of ‘business as usual.’”

FIND MORE STORIES IN: NFL | Super Bowl | National Football League | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Running back | Bill Polian | Tarik Glenn | Mike Blake

In the ever-changing NFL, usual business includes a revolving door. For Super Bowl champs, that is often reflected with competitors willing to pay top dollar to raid rosters. The Colts lost several cogs:

• Both cornerbacks who started in the Super Bowl, Nick Harper and Jason David, left as free agents.

• The top tackler from last year, linebacker Cato June, bolted to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• Running back Dominic Rhodes was lured away by a fat contract from the Oakland Raiders.

• Brandon Stokley, the No. 3 receiver, must be replaced, too, after signing with the Denver Broncos.

Despite the losses, Polian doesn’t sound worried. All-world quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning and his Pro Bowl receiving duo, Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, are back. The offensive line that allowed the NFL’s fewest sacks is intact. And big defensive playmakers such as end Dwight Freeney and safety Bob Sanders are still in the fold.

To replace Stokley, the Colts used their top draft pick on Ohio State’s slot receiver, Anthony Gonzalez. The cornerback posts are expected to be manned by a former No. 1 pick, Marlin Jackson, and a home-grown third-rounder, Kelvin Hayden. Freddie Keiaho, a third-rounder last year, is penciled in as June’s replacement.

And the back to complement 1,081-yard rusher Joseph Addai? Probably DeDe Dorsey, who toiled on the practice squad last year.

“Next man up,” Polian says impassively. “That’s always been our philosophy around here.”

It surely works. Since Polian arrived in 1998, only the Patriots have won as many regular-season games as the Colts (92-52), and no NFL team has secured as many playoff berths. The Colts have advanced to the postseason in seven of the last eight campaigns.

Still, there are always delicate issues, salary-cap headaches and the like that cross Polian’s desk. He just signed Freeney to a long-term deal that liberates the defensive end from the often contentious franchise tag … but it also means Freeney, Manning, Harrison and Wayne are tying up much of Indianapolis’ cap space, leaving Polian with less roster flexibility.

And if Glenn makes the possibility of his retirement a reality, the Colts face the daunting task of finding a replacement for the man who has guarded Manning’s blind side for nine seasons.

The significance of that challenge can’t be overstated. Glenn routinely has drawn jeers from fans for his frequent false starts but has been the linchpin of Manning’s pass protection unit.

Since Manning’s arrival in 1998, the Colts have yielded a league-low 176 sacks in 144 regular-season games. They’ve led or shared the league lead in fewest sacks allowed five times, including in each of the past three seasons.

Among the potential replacements for Glenn are second-year tackle Charlie Johnson, who played in 16 games last season, and rookie Tony Ugoh, whom the Colts selected after trading up to the 42nd pick.

“I always tell all our guys you never know what’s going to happen,” Colts coach Tony Dungy said about the team’s ability to replace players. “We never go into it thinking if we don’t have this person or we don’t have that person, we can’t function.”

Manning, however, who hosted Saturday Night Live, met Queen Elizabeth II during a state dinner at the White House and was the celebrity starter for the Indianapolis 500, remains the team’s most important player and has not eased up on his usual obsessive offseason preparation.

“As long as that man is playing, you’re never going to see him slacking,” Glenn said back in June. “He’s constantly working to get better.”

Polian says injuries represent his top concern — as always. “If we stay healthy, I think we’ll be right back in a position to compete,” he says. “It’s ironic that we won the Super Bowl yet we struggled so much with injuries last year.”

Sanders missed half the season before returning to provide a spark during the postseason, making a huge difference on a defense that ranked last against the run. Tight end Dallas Clark missed a quarter of the year. Departed players such as Stokley, defensive tackle Montae Reagor and safety Mike Doss also missed long stretches of time.

Yet the gritty Colts won it all. It’s no wonder the $5,000 Super Bowl rings awarded to the players included a tiny red ruby that symbolized the blood shed in accomplishing the mission.

Asked what he learned about last season’s team that sticks with him most, Polian says, “The team was mentally tough.”

Now the Colts are poised to discover what they are worth in staying power.

AROUND THE FIELD IN INDIANAPOLIS

Quarterback: Peyton Manning has had three consecutive seasons with a passer rating of at least 100. The Colts maintain he approached the offseason with his customary passion to upgrade his game. Of course, if Manning, who has started 144 consecutive regular-season games, is lost for any significant time, the Colts are cooked. Untested Jim Sorgi is the backup.

Running back: Joseph Addai provided just the punch needed last year as the rookie replacement for Edgerrin James. Yet Dominic Rhodes‘ defection stripped the team of half of its effective 1-2 punch. Simply giving Addai more snaps risks wearing him down. The front-runner for the No. 2 spot? DeDe Dorsey, who, like Rhodes, is explosive and entered the NFL as a free agent.

Wide receiver: Consistent and crafty Marvin Harrison, who turns 35 in August, has had at least 10 touchdowns for eight consecutive seasons and shows no signs of slippage. Reggie Wayne is a star, too. No. 1 pick Anthony Gonzalez is projected as Brandon Stokley’s replacement in the slot.

Tight end: Led by not-always-sure-handed Dallas Clark, the Colts probably use multiple tight ends more than any other NFL team. Battling for the No. 2 role, Bryan Fletcher is a more fluid receiver and Ben Utecht the more imposing blocker.

Offensive line: The Colts allowed an NFL-low 15 sacks in 2006, which, in addition to Manning’s quick release, reflects the cohesion of the Tarik Glenn- Ryan Lilja- Jeff Saturday- Jake Scott- Ryan Diem front wall. Glenn’s potential retirement would leave a huge hole, and makes the second-round pick of Tony Ugoh more intriguing. Charlie Johnson, who played well at the Super Bowl, is also in the wings.

Defensive line: Dwight Freeney had a career-low 5 1/2 sacks in 2006 but is still a premier rusher. Left end Robert Mathis has emerged as lethal. The acquisition last season of tackle Anthony McFarland helps ease the sting of the whiff on Corey Simon.

Linebacker: Cato June led the Colts in tackles last season but left. Enter Freddie Keiaho. Middle linebacker Gary Brackett and Rob Morris, who boosted the run defense in the playoffs, are back.

Secondary: Starting corners Nick Harper and Jason David left, pushing Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden into first-team duty. Will they hold up? Jackson, who played nickel back and was an emergency starter at safety, might be best suited for safety. The expected new nickel is unproven Tim Jennings. There are fewer questions at safety if playmaker Bob Sanders stays healthy. He missed half of last season but energized the defense down the stretch. Antoine Bethea’s surprising rookie impact made safety Mike Doss‘ departure a blip.

Special teams: Clutch kicker Adam Vinatieri takes so much pressure off the offense — his five field goals allowed the Colts to win a road playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens without scoring a touchdown. Hunter Smith returns as the reliable punter. A void exists if Terrence Wilkins isn’t re-signed as the returner. The Colts also need to shore up kick coverage that has been shaky for years.

Coaching staff: Continuity has been a key. Tom Moore has been Manning’s only NFL coordinator, and Howard Mudd is a mainstay for the offensive line. Tony Dungy can tie Tom Landry’s record with a ninth consecutive playoff berth. The significant departure was defensive specialist Leslie Frazier, now the Minnesota Vikings coordinator.

Outlook: A run toward another title seems imminent. The Colts — 60-20 under Dungy with four consecutive division titles — will again be tested by a formidable lineup of challengers. Like last season when they gutted it out through injuries, it will be crucial to peak at the right time.