I never felt like he played poorly last year.
The largest reason for this trend, Colts fans must hope, is due to nagging injuries that have kept Hayden out of chunks of the 2008 and 2009 season. Watching him in the 2009 playoffs it was easy to see that he still had not returned to form, noticeably struggling more in 2009 than he had in previous seasons.
Needless to say, with the injury to Kevin Thomas and the release of Tim Jennings and T.J. Rushing following the 2009 season, Hayden needs to re-emerge as the leader of the Colts corners. Additionally, with such a large contract and with the emergence of both Jerraud Powers and Jacob Lacey, who proved they were capable substitutes in his absence, Hayden needs to prove that he is worth the high salary.
The good news for Colts fans is that Hayden stayed healthy for the final seven games in 2009. If he has his hamstring issues under control and manages to stay healthy in 2010, he should easily produce career numbers. His presence will also give the Colts the strongest three corner back rotation that it has seen since Peyton Manning arrived, assuming Lacey and Powers continue developing and manage to also stay healthy.
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