Polian looking for more power running, corrections on line

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts president Bill Polian is going right back to work.\nAfter his team's latest playoff failure, Polian is spending this week evaluating what went wrong, what must be corrected and how to turn the Colts from Super Bowl contenders into Super Bowl champions.\n"We are going to be resolved to get this worked out, we are going to be resolved to be better a football team next year and we are going to be resolved to be a better playoff team next year," Polian said on his weekly radio show Monday night.\nDespite coach Tony Dungy's plea to keep the Colts intact next year, it's clear Polian will be making some changes.\nFirst, he must decide how to handle free agency. Four starters — running back Edgerrin James, receiver Reggie Wayne, defensive lineman Raheem Brock and linebacker David Thornton — will become unrestricted free agents. So too will Mike Vanderjagt, the NFL's most accurate kicker, and defensive tackle Larry Tripplett, a key backup who just completed his best season.\nPolian said Wayne would definitely return, perhaps an indication the team will use the franchise tag to retain Wayne. A telephone message from The Associated Press was left for his agent, David Dunn, Tuesday.\nBut there are other areas Polian must contend with after Sunday's 21-18 loss to Pittsburgh. The top priority, Polian said, is making sure the Colts are more effective running near the goal line.\n"People say we've got to find a a guy who can run it up in there, and maybe we do," Polian said. "The bottom line is we've got to be a better goal-line running team and a better red-zone running team."\nPolian did not indicate whether a new philosophy could signal the end of James' career in Indy. James has spent all seven seasons with the Colts and rushed for more than 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns this year. He was a free agent last year and the Colts kept him then by using the franchise tag.\nPolian also gave agent Drew Rosenhaus permission to seek a trade last spring, but Rosenhaus could not work anything out. Rosenhaus declined comment Monday when asked about James' future with the Colts.\n"I'm never going to beg or that stuff, I'm going to go with the flow," James said recently. "If you want to do something, cool. If not, cool."\nPolian acknowledged that the Colts may seek a bigger back for short-yardage situations and place a greater premium on running in the postseason.\n"You must run the football in the playoffs," he said. "Fifty-seven yards is not near enough. We can get better at goal line as a running team, which is something we have not been and we have not been for a long time."\nDungy said one complication in free agency is the lack of a new collective bargaining agreement. If a deal can be completed before free agency starts, then the Colts may have a greater flexibility to re-sign players such as James, Wayne and Brock.\nIf not, the Colts could lose some key ingredients to their high-scoring offense and vastly improved defense.\nBrock's agent, Kevin Pompey, said the Colts have already expressed interest in bringing back his client.\n"We were very appreciative of that call because Raheem would like to be back in Indy," Pompey said.\nAnother concern is pass protection.\nAlthough the Colts allowed a league-low 20 sacks this season, they struggled to protect two-time MVP Peyton Manning on Sunday. Manning was sacked five times and routinely knocked down and hurried.\nThat forced Manning to hurry throws, which routinely sailed over the heads or wide of receivers. He blamed the subpar offensive performance on poor blocking, and Polian agreed.\n"We've got to find out what we did incorrectly and get it fixed," he said. "When you block the way we did, that's something that you've got to find out why."\nPolian also suggested there were three or four positions that needed upgrades although he wouldn't state which ones.\nSo as the Colts head into another critical offseason after another early playoff exit, Polian is determined to figure out how to improve the Colts.\n"I'm going to be here and work through that process," he said. "We're going to come back next year and play just as well as we did this year"