Colts have a healthy Anthony Gonzalez

This off-season, the Jets used their first round pick on Boise State corner Kyle Wilson. They also signed Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers, a man whose entire career was made back in 2007 when he picked off Peyton three times in a Sunday night game in San Diego. This was the infamous game where Dwight Freeney broke his foot, Peyton threw six picks, and Adam Vinatieri missed a chip shot field goal late in the fourth quarter that would have won the game for the Colts.

The Jets, and Ryan, have looked to beef up their secondary to counter the Colts passing attack. To counter, the Colts have a healthy Anthony Gonzalez, a further developed Pierre Garcon, newly drafted tight end Brody Eldridge, and the same QB that continues to haunt Rex Ryan: Mr. Peyton Manning.

Oh, and the Colts defense is better. The same defense that knocked Shonn Greene out of the AFCCG and held the run-happy Jets to 86 yards on 29 carries.

No offense to Ryan, but if the Saints  could beat the Colts 31-17 as they did in Super Bowl 44, they'd have waxed the Jets 55-0. And, please, to suggest that the 2006 Baltimore Ravens would have beaten the New England Patriots  that year is absurd. The Ravens were a paper tiger that season. All Indy did was expose them. As the AFC Championship that year proved, the Patriots were a better team than the Ravens.

But, I understand Rex Ryan is as big a homer for his teams; as well he should. However, the quote under-scores Ryan and the Jets' obsession with defeating the Colts. Back in late April, the Jets designed their entire draft around finding players who could help them beat Manning. After the jump, we go into detail...

As we expected, Pat McAfee  has looked outstanding in camp, booming punts and nailing kick-offs. McAfee was an unsung weapon for the Colts last year, improving the team's field position and providing a much needed upgrade over former-Colts punter Hunter Smith. Hunter certainly wasn't a bad punter, but what he couldn't offer was McAfee's ability to kick-off. By allowing Adam Vinatieri  the ability to focus solely on place kicking, it will likely increase his longevity Anthony Gonzalez in the league coming off multiple injuries that had him miss much of the 2009 season.

For Vinatieri, there will be more scrutiny on him this season than in season's past. He hasn't been healthy, truly healthy, since 2005. Even in 2006, his first year as Colts kicker, he was battling all sorts of injuries. The team had to sign Martin Gramatica for a period during the season while Vinatieri recovered. He returned to play out the rest of the season, including a marvelous performance in the post-season. He tied an NFL playoff record against the Baltimore Ravens by going 5-5 on field goals.

The key element of the special teams this off-season is the Colts investment in finding a truly dynamic kick and punt returner. In general, the team is happy with their punter and kicker. They were NOT happy with the (lack of) punt and kick return yardage last season. Using Football Outsiders, the Colts were a putrid -1.6 on kick returns and a -5.8 on punts returns.

In camp, 7th round pick Ray Fisher has started to dazzle on-lookers in Anderson with his kick returns. On punts, Brandon James is pretty much a lock to get the job unless, of course, he goes out in a pre-season game and fumbles the ball all over the place. Both Fisher and James clearly stand out on return drills.

The other players vying for a job as a returner are Blair White, Sam Giguere, and (surprisingly) Anthony Gonzalez. Don't be surprised to see the Colts use Gonzo as a returner in special situations. Gonzo has very good speed, and is especially good with yards after contact. He also has sure hands.

Devin Moore is looking to win a job as a returner, but I haven't seen many folks make note of him in their camp reports.