INDIANAPOLIS -- Tony Dungy has a message for the Indianapolis Colts: Forget 2003.\nWhen the Colts kick off the NFL season Thursday night at New England, he expects the bar to be higher, the pressure more intense, the spotlight brighter. It's natural when you are the conference championship runners-up.\nBut Dungy doesn't like to reminisce when there's still work to do.\n"At the beginning of the season, you can get into a false of security, saying everything is OK when it's not," he said.\nOn paper, the Colts haven't changed much.\nThe 2003 AFC South champs have their high-scoring offense intact and a defense that is getting younger and arguably better. When Dungy hears prognosticators say that means the Colts are good enough to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1970, he laughs.\nHe also worries. Dungy has already detected some dangerous warning signs.\nUntil Friday night's preseason finale, the offense looked anything but sharp. NFL co-MVP Peyton Manning threw three interceptions in limited action, and the Colts lost four fumbles. Defensively, Indianapolis' opponents averaged 3.9 yards per carry and completed 70.2 percent of their passes.\nIt's not what Dungy expects -- even in preseason -- because he realizes this is how good teams get beaten.\n"You don't just flip a switch," he said. "That happens to a lot of teams, and then it goes until about Week 12, and you have to win four straight games to get into the playoffs. Usually, those teams win three of the four and miss the playoffs and everyone wonders what happened."\nInstead, Dungy and the Colts are trying to start fresh, even if the NFL's schedule-makers are foiling their attempts.\nFirst, Indianapolis returns to New England, the site of last year's 24-14 title game loss to the eventual Super Bowl champs. The Colts have lost seven straight in Foxboro, Mass., dating to November 1995.\nNot enough?\nIn Week 2, Indianapolis returns to Tennessee, where it took control of the AFC South last December with a 29-27 victory.\nThe other early test could be even more significant. Dungy wants his run defense to improve after finishing last season tied for 20th. By Week 5, Dungy might know if it has -- after facing New England's Corey Dillon, the Colts will have to contend with Tennessee's Chris Brown, Green Bay's Ahman Green and Jacksonville's Fred Taylor the next three weeks. Brown led the NFL in preseason rushing.\nColts players seem to be responding to Dungy's message with a more dedicated effort.\n"What's happened in the past is that one guy can make one mistake and then another guy makes one mistake and then another guy makes one mistake," defensive tackle Larry Tripplett said. "Then it looks like a guy has a whole bunch of yards. But I think we can get that fixed."\nOffensively, the Colts don't need much work.\nThe triplets return for what could be their final season together after Manning signed a $98 million contract in the offseason. Both Edgerrin James and Marvin Harrison are free agents next year, and it is unlikely the Colts can afford both.\nBoth appear to be on top of their games. James averaged 4.7 yards on 14 carries in the preseason, and Harrison has been, well, Harrison. Manning is confident they will perform up to their usual lofty standards.
"I like the way we are practicing, I like the way we are getting ready to play," Manning said. "Just tighten up a few notches there, and I think we'll be in good shape."
The key will be the defense.\nIndianapolis must replace four players: linebacker Marcus Washington, cornerbacks Walt Harris and David Macklin and defensive lineman Chad Bratzke. The Colts believe a quicker, more confident cast can get it done.\n"I think we will be better," linebacker Rob Morris said. "From the first year to the second in this system, we cleaned up a lot of mistakes. I think we'll do the same thing again."\nThose may not be the most comforting words to Dungy, who prefers results to historical analyses.
