Should the Indianapolis Colts Worry About Dwight Freeney?

…Let us travel back in the hot tub time machine, to Super Bowl XLIV, when the big stink of the week was about whether all-pro defensive end Dwight Freeney was going to make an appearance. Freeney played well, racking up an early one-handed sack on New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.

As it stands here and now, Dwight Freeney is a question mark injury, on a team that seems to be very far away from another Super Bowl. The Colts have very few players who remain on their roster from last season, and even less from their run to Super Bowl XLIV. The team seemed to fall apart on both sides of the ball last season, resulting in the worst record in the NFL.

Freeney went down with an ankle injury on the Chicago Bears’ second possession of the game against the Colts, and did not return to the game. Previous to Freeney’s injury, the Colts had one sack against Jay Cutler, and had also took a 7-0 lead on an interception return for a touchdown in the game’s first few minutes. In Freeney’s absence, the Colts gave up 41 points in the loss.

The loss of Freeney in week one isn’t necessarily as important as the fact that the team is being overly-quiet about the severity of his injury. If the ankle injury is chronic, Freeney could find himself on the sideline for the next few weeks, as the Colts have an early bye in week four.