Hey there Colts' fans.....here is my last report before the regular season gets underway. Only a week until the actual games begin, and 10 days until the Colts take the field WHOO HOO!!!!

The big story for the Colts this offseason has been the injury status of their star players. WR Marvin Harrison seems to be going full speed in his limited action and shows no signs of being less effective than usual. Its always hard to tell with Harrison since he rarely plays in preseason, but he has played in every game and looks good so far. Those that drafted him may be pleasantly rewarded for their risk with a receiver that outperforms his draft position. SS Bob Sanders and DE Dwight Freeney were each cleared to practice this past week and each played significant time in the preseason game this weekend. Sanders looked to be his usual self, and Freeney was seen showing some burst although he never quite got to the quarterback while in there. Freeney often impacts a play even when he does not get a sack, so perhaps he can be his normal disruptive self.

But of course, the big deal is whether or not QB Peyton Manning can play. And the great news is that he was removed from the PUP on Tuesday and cleared to practice. He looked good and moved normally, although he did not see a full complement of reps. It looks unlikely that he will see the field in the final preseason game behind a patchwork offensive line, and hope remains that he will take the field for the season opener. I personally think it unlikely he would miss a regular season game, but the Colts have made overtones in that regard.

The Colts did suffer some additional key injuries in the last few weeks though. Pro Bowl OL Jeff Saturday limped off the field this week and said that he thought he had a MCL sprain. The normally reticent Tony Dungy however actually spoke of Saturday possibly missing significant time, and that they still need to determine the severity of his injury. The team could suffer through a lot of rookies playing due to line injuries, but the loss of the leadership of Saturday in the middle would be devastating. OL Ryan Diem and OL Ryan Lilja are also gimpy, and there are a whole lot of rookies on the line that might need to be ready to play multiple positions in a week or so. Also, the team placed KR TJ Rushing on injured reserve this week with a knee injury. Rushing had been having a very solid summer returning kicks, covering kicks and playing some nickel corner. Finally, the team also released a few players to get down to the roster limit, including RB Clifton Dawson.

The Colts showed up to the game on Sunday to find out that backup QB Jim Sorgi was limping, and then held out of the game as a precaution. I think he might have given it a go if Manning's situation was not so uncertain but the team was cautious and let gigantic QB Jared Lorenzen and QB Quinn Gray split time as they battle for the 3rd quarterback job. The team has stated that they will likely keep a 3rd signal caller for a while (unlike their normal two) until Manning is clearly 100%, so one of them will have to go. Gray tossed FOUR interceptions on Sunday, but has actual styarting NFL experience. Each has looked good at times in the preseason and the decision could hinge on the final game.

The biggest position battle remaining is for the 4th and 5th receiver on the team. Since the team throws so much and there is some doubt (in some people's minds) about the health of Harrison, those guys are valuable commodities. Undrafted rookie WR Pierre Garcon has looked good against mostly second stringers, and WR Devin Aromashodu snared a 94-yard TD this week. Indianapolis native WR Courtney Roby has been erratic, but ripped off a magnificent return this week. WR Roy Hall is always dinged but is great on special teams coverage, so the team would love to keep him. These four guys are probably competing for only two spots and three of them return kicks (and with Rushing injured, the need for a returner is there). Whoever gets cut will certainly get interest from other teams and surely make the practice squad if the team gets a chance to resign them. Barring injury, my bets are on Aromashodu and Hall.

Speaking of special teams, the coverage units have looked good so far in preseason. Part of the success might be due to PK Adam Vinatieri who is blasting his kickoffs deep and high. Vinatieri has had numerous touchbacks this year already, and perhaps the coverage units will show improvement over the 32nd ranking they had last season.

And one final note on the grand opening of the new facility, Lucas Oil Stadium. WOW! What a magnificent structure. The rook was open, and there is a sliding window facing the downtown skyline that also opens in the southeast end zone. There were fireworks and a flyover that almost got lost in the spectacle. I can't get over NFL Network's Adam Schefter looking up at the moving roof with mouth agape and smiling like a kid in a candy store. It was beautiful. There is nothing like it in the NFL and this top-notch organization now has a top-notch facility to call their own. Time will tell if it can be as load as the tin can RCA Dome, especially when the roof and wall are open.

That is all from the Crossroads of America for this week. I will be back next week to preview the season opening game against the Bears on SNF. Until next time Colts fans....GO BLUE!!!