Mag 7-camp edition

Johnny O tells you what matters

7) A serious issue. A pre-season knee injury is a long way from disaster, particularly if Colts C Jeff Saturday can return early in the season. But let’s spend a few sentences on what’s obvious: the absence of Saturday for any extended period is a serious situation for the Colts, particularly this season. And it’s not that Saturday is necessarily irreplaceable as a run- or pass-blocker. At 35, it’s possible that there are others on the Colts’ roster who could physically play as well as the 12-year veteran. But Saturday’s ability to make line calls at the line of scrimmage is critical to the Colts’ offense. He has worked so long with QB Peyton Manning that the two are rarely out of sync, and with Manning often changing plays at the line – and often doing so as the play clock nears :00 – Saturday’s ability to make his calls and necessary corresponding changes is key. That long has been the case, as evidenced by the Colts’ struggles offensively the last time he missed games, in 2008. Manning’s knee was an issue that season, but Saturday’s absence was, too. This year, Saturday’s presence may be equally important. The Colts will have at least one personnel change on the interior of the offensive line because of Ryan Lilja’s off-season release. You don’t want to compound potential confusion by having Saturday absent for an extended period.