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Bob Sanders is long gone, and injury-prone Melvin Bullitt is not with the Indianapolis Colts anymore.

Indianapolis has a dire need at strong safety, where the Colts platooned David Caldwell and Joe Lefeged last season after Bullitt was lost early on with a shoulder injury.

Even with Tom Zbikowski added, they need an upgrade next to free safety Antoine Bethea, a strong player against both the pass and the run.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the Colts defense was last in the NFL on throws more than10 air yards inside the numbers in three important categories: completion percentage (72.7), yards per attempt (16.1) and attempts per TD (7.9).

Better defense on short passes over the middle is an absolute necessity for the Colts if they are going to be more effective under first-year coach Chuck Pagano and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky.

Safety is thin in the draft, and strong safety is particularly thin. Possible candidates include South Carolina's Antonio Allen (fourth or fifth round projection), Alabama's DeQuan Menzie (fifth), Arkansas State's Kelcie McCray (fifth), LSU's Brandon Taylor (sixth).

Can one of those guys start on opening day? It'll probably take a good combination of scouting projecting and coaching to make it happen.

Tom Zbikowski played in 14 games, starting the first four, for the 2010 Baltimore Ravens. He finished the season with 16 defensive and seven special-teams tackles. At the end of the season he worked as a backup to strong safety Bernard Pollard, a fierce run defender who struggles in pass coverage.

The Colts will likely look for more from Zbikowski, who joins defensive lineman Cory Redding as players from Baltimore’s defense to join the Colts. Indianapolis coach Chuck Pagano was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator.

“Tom is a very dedicated and fiery player,” Pagano said in a team news release. “His competitiveness drives him to perform at a high level and his aggressive style of play parallels the attitude we’re looking for from the defensive unit. We’re very excited Tom will be joining the Colts this season.”

Zbikowski can also return kicks; he had a 23.2-yard average on nine returns last year.

The Colts platooned David Caldwell and Joe Lefeged at strong safety after Melvin Bullitt was lost early in the season. Bullitt was recently released. Zbikowski should have a good chance to rank ahead of that duo and play alongside of one of the team's few remaining stalwarts -- free safety Antoine Bethea.

Here is a scouting report on the newest Colt from Scouts Inc.

Zbikowski has adequate size, strength and athleticism for the position. He is solid in filling the alley in run support and has pop and power on contact. He does a nice job maintaining leverage when defending the run and the pass. He lacks great speed and recovery quickness in man coverage but can be effective in combination-zone schemes. He has contributed some as a kick and punt returner but his production is nominal and is best as a core special teams player.

Regrets? Everybody’s got a few… We asked for some feedback on one thing you’d like to go back and change for each team in the AFC South.

For the Colts, the overwhelming response was regretting not having a solid backup plan for Peyton Manning. But I’ve said time and time again that all but a few teams in the league would trade the Colts run of success and one awful year for what they’ve had. So I don’t place a lot of blame -- developing some young quarterback with Manning yielding no snaps or luring a quality veteran backup who expected he’d never play would have been difficult.

Here’s my biggest second-guess about the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

Not shoring up the secondary.

Re-signing safety Melvin Bullitt was, I believe, the right thing to do. But he quickly got hurt and the backup plan was insufficient.

The same can be said at cornerback. They let Kelvin Hayden go over money and while Justin Tryon’s been cast as far better than he is, he was better than the other options. He landed in the doghouse and got cut. Jerraud Powers was the lone quality corner and was under too much strain before he got hurt.

Jacfob Lacey was awful, and got benched, though he rebounded well when he found his way back into the lineup.

No one was afraid to throw the direction of safeties Joe Lefeged or David Caldwell or corners like Terrence Johnson, Kevin Thomas or Chris Rucker.

The Colts got good play from Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney on the defensive line and from Pat Angerer at middle linebacker. But on the secondary level, no one played to that standard and it was a big part of what killed the Colts in a miserable season.

Whatever system the new Colts run, it’ll be a big part of what they need to fix under new GM Ryan Grigson.

ESPN Stats & Information can now delve into playtime percentages, a great feature we will use often.

My initial reaction to the available info was merely to ask for the numbers on some key situational guys and some stars from each of our teams. Keep in mind some are influenced by time missed because of injuries.

Here’s the percentage of their team's snaps on offense or defense they’ve played.

Houston Texans: CB Kareem Jackson 74.4, CB Jason Allen 52.8, WR Kevin Walter 66.8, WR Jacoby Jones 71.5, DT Shaun Cody 35.9, DT Earl Mitchell 25.6.

Indianapolis Colts: TE Dallas Clark 86.9, TE Brody Eldridge 41.3, WR Austin Collie 59.2, CB Jacob Lacey 75.3, DE Dwight Freeney 63.1, DE Robert Mathis 64.3, DE Jamaal Anderson, 38.3, DE Tyler Brayton 45.6, S David Caldwell 44.1, S Joe Lefeged 38.1.

Jacksonville Jaguars: LB Clint Session 42.3, FB Greg Jones 40.3, RB Maurice Jones-Drew, 71.9, CB Drew Coleman 53.0, DE John Chick 25.3.

Tennessee Titans: DE Derrick Morgan 57.7, LB Will Witherspoon 83.8, DT Karl Klug 50.7, DT Jurrell Casey 56.1, TE Craig Stevens 33.6. TE Jared Cook 62.1, RB Chris Johnson 70.7.

Antoine Bethea is surrounded by nobodies.

Jerraud Powers is a good corner who’s going to be a factor for a while, but he’s got a bad hamstring.

Everyone else in the Indianapolis Colts’ secondary is hardly noteworthy.

Yet Bethea is playing as effectively as a free safety in such circumstances can, a true pro who won’t allow his game to be influenced by such circumstances.

Quarterbacks are completing 69.9 percent of their passes against Indianapolis. They have a 104.0 passer rating and a 70 QBR (out of 100), the 31st worst number in the league.

I’m not sure what Indianapolis’ plan for the secondary was this season. When they let cornerback Kelvin Hayden go because he cost too much, one had to believe the Colts felt confident in the alternatives. Then Justin Tryon, who was an effective player last season, fell out of favor and wound up getting cut. The No. 2 corner, Jacob Lacey, is no longer a full-timer in the base defense with Terrence Johnson getting some time in the spot.

The Colts are playing David Caldwell at strong safety in the base defense and Joe Lefeged in the spot in the nickel.

Corner Chris Rucker is also seeing some action.

“As a veteran back there, I see myself as the glue,” Bethea said. “One of my roles is to get everybody lined up and confident. As a safety, that’s my job.”

Bethea said he likes the way the Colts are deploying their other safeties, using Caldwell (“He lays the boom”) against the run and Lefeged (“He plays the ball well”) in passing situations. In time each may be well-rounded enough to be a full-timer, but for right now splitting the job between them is a smart approach.

Bethea is backing his guys, but neither has been great since Melvin Bullitt was lost for the year with a shoulder injury.

Bethea said the young corners need to play technique, show improvement week by week and be sure not to repeat the same mistakes.

The Tryon situation was business, and players can’t spend time questioning a front office decision. Bethea is great at focusing on his stuff and his guys. He said that although 0-5 is a miserable place, no matter where the team goes moving forward we will not see the sort of fissures that often open on struggling teams.

As for being surrounded by unproven guys ...

“You can’t let other people affect how you play,” Bethea said matter-of-factly. “How you play is how you play, how you study is how you study. If my play goes down because there are different players around me, it says guys can’t look up to me. They need to see 41 flying around, playing hard, making plays.”

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FALLING

1. The secondary, Indianapolis Colts: Safety David Caldwell dropped an end-zone interception that really could have influenced the game early on. The three cornerbacks who were on the field a lot struggled to locate pass-catchers and get them to the ground. Are Terrence Johnson, Jacob Lacey and Chris Rucker good enough to hold up against superior passing teams like New Orleans, Atlanta, Houston and New England coming up later on the schedule? It’s a rhetorical question, and the answer right now is no.

2. Danieal Manning, Houston Texans special-teamer: We’re not knocking Manning the safety here. We’re knocking the guy who blocked a Pittsburgh field goal attempt on the last play before halftime. He circled around and was one of a convoy of Texans following Johnathan Joseph as he scooped up the kick to run it back for a score, and Manning inexplicably shoved kicker Daniel Sepulveda in the back. There was no way the kicker was going to threaten the play, and Houston was very fortunate to survive the lost touchdown. So props to Manning on the block, but he’s got to be smarter from there.

3. Linebackers, Jacksonville Jaguars: The team poured money into the position in the offseason, and Paul Posluszny and Clint Session are good players. But Posluszny dropped a pick and Daryl Smith let Drew Brees guide him out of bounds on an interception return. The backers were repeatedly victimized by running back Darren Sproles, who averaged 10.9 yards a touch, and tight end Jimmy Graham, who caught 10 balls for 132 yards. The Jaguars need more from these guys against players like that.

RISING

1. Pierre Garcon, Indianapolis receiver: He can be maddening with his drops -- he had one early against the Bucs. But the reason he’s around is that he can change games with one play. He had two of them for the Colts Monday night, grabbing Curtis Painter passes and doing excellent work after the catch. They were the sort of explosive offensive plays Indianapolis has to have if it’s going to be competitive.

2. Tight ends, Tennessee Titans: Among the people the team has talked of needing to help fill the void without Kenny Britt, Jared Cook was a top name. If teams choose to cover him and attempt to tackle him the way the Browns did, look for him to put up monster numbers. Craig Stevens is regarded as more of a blocker, but he did well to catch a touchdown. If Cook, Stevens and Daniel Graham can continue to be counted as good targets for the accurate Matt Hasselbeck, there is a lot of cause for hope. Those guys complementing receivers Nate Washington, Damian Williams and Lavelle Hawkins are looking like a strong group.

3. Antonio Smith, Houston Texans defensive end: He’ll represent the entire defensive front here, which has been very good and which just overwhelmed the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line in Sunday’s win. Ben Roethlisberger can be exceptionally tough to drag down, but Smith and the Texans ganged up on him for five sacks and really hit him with great regularity. The secondary is vastly improved, but life is a lot better back when a quarterback like Roethlisberger has little time to work.

The Indianapolis Colts' defense made a strong showing against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night without linebacker Gary Brackett and safety Melvin Bullitt.

Any further strong efforts will also have to come without the two starters, as the team put them both on injured-reserve Wednesday with their shoulder injuries.

One of the roster spots made room for quarterback Dan Orlovsky. The other was used for A.J. Edds, who was signed off the New England Patriots' practice squad. Edds played in the Patriots’ first two games before he was cut and signed to the practice squad.

The Colts are better equipped to deal with the loss of Brackett than Bullitt, even as Bullitt was not off to a good start.

Pat Angerer slid from the strong side to the middle with Brackett out since the opener, and Angerer made 20 tackles from the spot against Pittsburgh Sunday while Philip Wheeler stepped in as the third linebacker.

But David Caldwell, who replaced Bullitt in the starting lineup in Week 3 for his first NFL start, was not as good.

The Colts were depleted at the strong safety spot opposite free safety Antoine Bethea in the center of the defensive backfield last season when Bob Sanders and Bullitt were both lost to injuries. Ultimately they turned to Aaron Francisco, who wasn’t even on the opening day roster.

They released Sanders after the season, and he’s now in San Diego. They re-signed Bullitt, an unrestricted free agent, and now will turn to Caldwell or another player they didn’t draft, rookie Joe Lefeged.

Defensive depth has taken a serious hit just three weeks in. And with Peyton Manning, Brackett and Bullitt all out of action, they’ve got some big dollars out of the lineup.

UPDATE: Ironically, San Diego put Sanders (knee) on IR Wednesday as well.

ANDERSON, Ind. -- It’s trendy to call the Colts aging and to view the Texans and even the Jaguars as up-and-comers in the AFC South.

But if Indianapolis is healthy, it’s awfully risky to be ahead of the curve regarding its demise.

This is a team that lost a ton of talent to injury last season and still won the division at 10-6. It’s added some nice pieces on defense through bargain-basement free-agency. It drafted two offensive tackles who should be pillars, and also selected a short-yardage back.

There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about a big rebound year, and most teams aren’t even talking rebound when it comes to following a division title.

“I think it’s really the same team,” middle linebacker Gary Brackett said.

The same team is a major threat to win the division and compete for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Should it break through for the third Super Bowl appearance of the Peyton Manning era, a huge prize awaits: The game will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium.

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Manning’s health.

He spoke after signing his contract and has been seen around the team a couple of times during training camp at Anderson University. But like in 2008 following offseason knee surgeries, he’s not practicing.

This time it’s a result of neck surgery in May. It’s the second year in a row Manning had a neck procedure after the season. But he and the team have expressed confidence that all he needs is time and rehabilitation. It’s unlikely that a five-year, $90 million contract would have gotten done if the medical staff and management had any doubts.

While the Colts move forward without Manning, his absence also puts them in limbo. No matter how strongly they spin Curtis Painter’s performance, the defense isn’t being pushed in practice the way it would be if Manning was running the other side.

And no matter how precise the routes, how good the blocking or how well-timed the play, the offense will still need to sync it all up with the star quarterback once he returns.

That knee in 2008 limited him early, when the team struggled out of the gate. Coming back from a neck injury, Manning is less likely to have any sort of mechanical issues or physical limitations that affect his passing. That’s one case for expecting a better start after so much missed time.

The timetable for his return is unknown. You know the drill: They say he’s progressing well, that they are optimistic, etc., and no one outside a very tight circle has any real idea when he will re-emerge. He was spotted once throwing with what a witness called “decent velocity.” Hey, encouraging news is encouraging news.

2. Is the secondary deep enough?

Last season, the Colts were stretched virtually everywhere. Aaron Francisco wasn’t on the team for opening day, ranking as the fourth or fifth option at strong safety, and he played a good share of the season as the starter.

Behind free safety Antoine Bethea and re-signed and healthy strong safety Melvin Bullitt, there are unproven options including Al Afalava, Joe Lefeged, Mike Newton, David Caldwell and Chip Vaughn.

And after the top three corners -- Jerraud Powers, Justin Tryon and Jacob Lacey -- there also isn’t proven depth.

“At the safety position, I’m confident that we’re going to get two guys that will emerge there,” Colts vice chairman Bill Polian said. “We see enough signs to know that there is quality in that group.

“I also think there is some quality in the backup corners. Kevin Thomas is one of them. There are some interesting guys, and they’ll play themselves on or off the roster based on the preseason. But based on what I’ve seen thus far, I’d say we’ve got a good group and one or two guys will emerge.”

They will all benefit, of course, from a better pass rush. And if Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis are better supplemented by Jerry Hughes and Jamaal Anderson on the edges and Tommie Harris provides a solid nickel push in the middle, they could have one.

3. Will the passing game have enough consistent weapons?

The ability of the 2010 Colts to get production from the likes of tight end Jacob Tamme and receiver Blair White was remarkable.

But if they can’t count on often-injured receiver Anthony Gonzalez or Austin Collie, who was shut down last season after concussion issues, it will be harder to make things go again.

Reggie Wayne is in fantastic shape and working hard, and will be a key target for Manning as always. Dallas Clark is back from a wrist injury. If the Colts are calling plays for those two and Pierre Garcon, Collie and Gonzalez, they can be potent. If the group shrinks, the effort is more exhausting.

Manning averaged 6.92 yards per attempt in 2010. That’s the lowest mark in his career outside of his rookie season (6.5). The Colts need to find more big plays and move the ball with a little less effort to be the kind of team they want to be.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

If the Colts get a significant contribution out of Anderson, Harris or linebacker Ernie Sims, it’ll be a win. All three signed cost-effective one-year deals that amount to low-risk, high-reward scenarios. Polian said in a normal year, the market wouldn’t have given the team an opportunity to sign players like these, veterans who are all ideally suited for Indy’s defense. If they get something from two of them, it will make for a home run. Three-for-three amounts to a grand slam. Harris looks very good so far, while Sims is recovering from an appendectomy.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Polian was singing Philip Wheeler’s praises and saying that while the team loves starting strongside linebacker Pat Angerer, it loves Wheeler too. But he failed to hold the job last season and should be able to win and hold a starting job by now. Brody Eldridge gets a mention, too. He had knee surgery after last season, and a setback means he hasn’t seen the practice field yet. They need him to be part of the run game.

OBSERVATION DECK

• Delone Carter is coming into a perfect situation as a rookie. He’s unlike any of the Colts' other running backs and should get chances in short yardage and goal-line situations. If Javarris James ran for six touchdowns last season, Carter could run for 12 this fall. The Colts can continue to praise Donald Brown, but with Joseph Addai back and Carter in the fold, when does Brown get on the field?
• It was a surprise to find Lacey as the No. 2 cornerback at the start of camp. He was better as a rookie than in his second season. And he can be an effective piece of the secondary. But I’d bet on Tryon passing him before opening day.
• After one long and hot afternoon practice session, two players stuck around to catch machine-thrown balls: Wayne and Bethea. Those are some solid veterans and the kind of guys any team would like to have leading the way.
• Manning didn’t react well to TV crews that saw a recent throwing and running session. My understanding is that the Earth is still spinning, however. I understand being private, but everything and everyone cannot always be controlled. Did I miss the catastrophic outcome?
• The buzz is good on Hughes, and with him and Anderson in the mix, the Colts may pace Freeney and Mathis better. That could make for fresher stars in December and January.
• They won’t talk until after the season, but as of now I’d expect the Colts to try to keep both Wayne and Mathis with new contracts.
• Jacques McClendon or Joe Reitz could be an upgrade over Kyle DeVan at left guard. The big question on the line to me -- presuming Anthony Castonzo takes over left tackle reasonably quickly -- is right guard. Mike Pollak has had sufficient opportunity, and the team can aspire to be better there. Couldn’t they be better with Ben Ijalana there until he’s ready to displace Ryan Diem at right tackle?
• 'Tis the season for Garcon to prove he's a consistently reliable threat. He had too many drops and too many lapses last season. He needs to be more than fast. He spent more time with Manning this offseason, before the neck surgery, than he did last offseason.

The Colts just sent out a pre-camp injury report.

They says Peyton Manning's injury "continues to progress, but there is no timetable for his return to unrestricted activity.”

The one item of note I see here is that while most of the key players get updates that say they have “been cleared for full participation,” Austin Collie’s note on concussion recover is worded differently: He’s “been cleared to return for football activities.”

Their updates:

David Caldwell, DB

• Injury: Shoulder (Was placed on injured reserve before the start of the regular season)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Dallas Clark, TE

• Injury: Wrist (Was placed on injured reserve on October 25, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation and will wear a splint during practices

Austin Collie, WR

• Injury: Concussion (Was placed on injured reserve on December 22, 2010)
• Update: All concussion symptoms have cleared and has been cleared to return for football activities

Kavell Conner, LB

• Injury: Foot
• Update: Has been cleared for limited participation

Brody Eldridge, TE

• Injury: Knee
• Update: Practice status is to be determined

Cody Glenn, LB

• Injury: Neck (Was placed on injured reserve on November 30, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for limited participation

Anthony Gonzalez, WR

• Injury: Knee (Was placed on injured reserve on November 6, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Kelvin Hayden, DB

• Injury: Neck (Was placed on injured reserve on January 8, 2011)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Brandon King, DB

• Injury: Hamstring (Was placed on injured reserve on October 19, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Peyton Manning, QB

• Injury: Neck (Had surgery in the offseason)
• Update: Injury continues to progress, but there is no timetable for his return to unrestricted activity

Devin Moore, RB

• Injury: Shoulder (Was placed on injured reserve on October 5, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Jerraud Powers, DB

• Injury: Foot (Was placed on injured reserve on December 7, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Jamey Richard, OG

• Injury: Hip
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Kevin Thomas, DB

• Injury: Knee (Was placed on injured reserve on August 28, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Chip Vaughn, DB

• Injury: Ankle and Shoulder (Was placed on injured reserve on November 23, 2010)
• Update: Has been cleared for full participation

Reading the coverage:

Michael Lombardi adds up rushing attempts and pass completions for an interesting chart in here.

Houston Texans

Alan Burge asks if you’d rather have Kareem Jackson or Leigh Bodden.

Indianapolis Colts

I look at John Chick for “On The Radar” last week. Here’s Phillip B. Wilson with more on the former CFL star.

Running down some of what Football Outsiders says about the Colts offense with Nate Dunlevy.

Jamie Dukes follows the consensus and ranks Peyton Manning the league’s top quarterback.

Brandon Scott previews Colts camp. There’s a Manning interview from his quarterback camp attached.

Rookie safety David Caldwell talked with Coltzilla.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Will this bumper sticker campaign help the Jaguars in Jacksonville?

A closer look at undrafted defensive lineman Aaron Morgan from Adam Stites.

Hunter Ansley thinks the Jaguars could be a surprise team.

Tennessee Titans

It’s not been the best Titans’ offseason, but don’t jump to say it’s the worst says David Boclair.

Kevin Matthews has special ties to the Titans, writes Phil Brame.

With third-round draft pick Kevin Thomas lost for 2010 due to a knee injury he suffered at an early rookie practice, cornerback depth is an issue for the Indianapolis Colts.

After Kelvin Hayden, Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey, the options are limited.

Indianapolis drafted Ray Fisher in the seventh round, brought in six undrafted corners and has a leftover from the practice squad.

I asked Steve Muench of Scouts Inc. if he could tell us a bit about each of them so we might gain a better feel for who has a chance to emerge this year the way Lacey did in 2009.

Here’s what Muench said:

Ray Fisher (Indiana) -- Fisher is a developmental prospect who played receiver for the first three years of his career at Indiana and sustained a season-ending knee injury in his only season playing corner [last year]. It’s going to take him some time to pick up an Indianapolis scheme that’s been more creative under defensive coordinator Larry Coyer. So, as you point out, Fisher is going to make his biggest impact on special teams at least early on.

Here is how I would rank the rest of their options at corner at the back end of their roster. We don’t see any of them developing into quality starters but they are capable of providing adequate depth.

Brandon King (Purdue) -- King doesn’t have great man-to-man cover skills but he flashes the ability to reroute receivers at the line of scrimmage. In addition, it’s still a base Cover-2 scheme and he can hold up in underneath zone coverage.

Mike Newton (Buffalo) -- Newton doesn’t have great speed for a corner or size for a safety but he is a four-year starter who shows above-average instincts and can line up at corner as long as he gets help over the top. He’s capable of picking up this scheme and giving Coyer some flexibility in coverage.

Terrail Lambert (Notre Dame) -- Lambert is the X factor here. He signed with San Francisco as a rookie free agent in 2009 and later signed with the Colts. I don’t know how he’s progressed over the course of the last year but I put him here because he spent some time on the practice squad last year and should be comfortable with the scheme/team.

Thad Turner (Ohio) -- Turner has the potential to be an effective reserve bump-and-run corner but he needs to add weight and his upside is limited by stiff hips.

Jordan Hemby (North Carolina) -- There’s a lot to like about his upside but Hemby has had some problems staying healthy and it has hindered his progress. While he’s someone to keep an eye on, I’d be surprised if he made a substantial contribution this year.

Donye’ McCleskey (Indiana State) -- The good news is he has the tools to develop into an effective reserve safety. The bad news is he got away with suspect technique at Indiana State and he’ll have to break those bad habits to succeed in the NFL.

David Caldwell (William & Mary) -- Caldwell is a small-school prospect who should have a more difficult time adjusting to the speed of the game than McCleskey because he doesn’t have as much natural ability.