NFL odds: Finally some good news for Colts

By Jordan Walters
WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer

Sports Betting at WagerWeb Online Sportsbook

No NFL team has more stars rehabbing injuries heading into training camp than the Indianapolis Colts. The list is a who’s who of Pro Bowlers: Peyton Manning, Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney and Marvin Harrison.

Those first three starters will not be on the field when training camp opens Friday, but the Colts did get good news this week in that Harrison, a likely future Hall of Famer, will be good to go and was cleared for all team activities. It was expected that Harrison would join Manning, Sanders and Freeney on the PUP list to start camp.

"He's been running and feeling good and everybody, including Marvin, is really enthused and optimistic about how that's gone," coach Tony Dungy said.

What was initially labeled a left knee bruise took most of the season to recover, and Harrison was ineffective when he returned for the team’s playoff loss to San Diego. Harrison, 36, missed 11 games with the injury and also had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee during the offseason. He had made eight consecutive Pro Bowl appearances before last year.

Reggie Wayne now has surpassed Harrison as Manning's top option, but a less-than-effective Harrison would allow defenses to roll their coverage in Wayne's direction and clamp down the Colts' running game led by Joseph Addai.

Meanwhile, Dungy said that Manning, who underwent surgery on a bursa sac in his left knee last week, "is doing fine."

"I have talked to Peyton," Dungy said. "We're just following the doctor's instructions right now. He's doing fine. There's nothing we can do except wait it out at this point. Mentally, he's doing fine. We're ready to roll."

 

An eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Manning never has missed a start due to injury in 10 seasons. Dungy expects that streak to remain intact and that there’s a chance he could see a few snaps during an exhibition game.

"An ideal option would be (Manning) getting a couple of weeks (of camp) in, but if that's not able to happen, I think we'll still be fine and still be able to function," Dungy said.

The Colts' season odds at WagerWeb.com are -170 to win the AFC South, +500 to win the AFC and +750 to win Super Bowl XLIII.