And particularly on defense, it’s not as if the Colts organization was that sorry to see these players go. After all, the Colts’ defense was the worst against the run of any Super Bowl winner. The best Colts defense was Manning keeping it off the field. It didn’t turn around until safety Bob Sanders returned from injury, thus having someone provide support in the middle so Freeney and Mathis were free to wreak havoc running up the field around the outside of the tackles.

Let’s put it this way — June, a 2005 Pro Bowler, was thought of so little by general managers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him to a deal that read three years, $12 million, but in reality gives Tampa Bay an easy out to cut him after a season.

What the Colts do have are a group of superstar performers who will continue to perform well and draw most of the on-field attention, and a concurrent group of young, hungry players who should look better than they might actually be, thanks to those superstars.

Certainly, the Colts do have a few concerns that need to be addressed.

First, making sure that defense doesn’t wilt like it did most of last season. A key will be making sure Sanders, who missed 12 games last year, stays healthy. Also, the Colts will have to hope some of those young players who did see time last season play more like the confident group they were in the playoffs, and the not the shell-shocked unit they were in the regular season.

On offense, the biggest worry is who will replace Pro Bowl tackle Tarik Glenn, a 10-year veteran who unexpectedly retired soon before camp.

Rookie Tony Ugoh and second-year player Charlie Johnson are the candidates to replace him, unless the Colts decide to move Diem. Colts president Bill Polian didn’t seem too heartbroken about Glenn’s departure, telling Sports Illustrated, basically, that Glenn was a fat guy who might not have been re-signed after this year.

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Speaking of players to be re-signed after this year, Polian does have two players who will are the latest in line for Colts’ bonus brigade — Sanders and center Jeff Saturday. The latter will be signed to whatever deal is necessary, with Manning more than happy to restructure his own contract again if necessary. Sanders is more of a toss-up. He can void the final two years of his contract after this season. If Sanders has a relatively healthy Pro Bowl season, as he did in 2005, he likely will void the deal and get a big payday. If not, he either stays under his current deal for at least another year, or the Colts let him test the free-agent market.

But those are issues for after this season. Right now, the Indianapolis Colts’ focus is on narrowing that immortality gap between Manning and Brady. The Colts have the players, with the contracts, to do just that.

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