Week 10 Mag 7

7 Great thoughts from Johnny O

4. Missing Gonzalez. Don’t get this entry wrong. WRs Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie each made clutch plays late Sunday, but they also made enough errors early against New England that it became even more apparent the Colts miss WR Anthony Gonzalez. Remember when Gonzalez was injured in Week 1? Manning spoke extensively of how much he would be missed, and while it took a while to see why, lately it has been evident. At times this season, Garcon has shown he has as much as or more big-play, gamebreaking speed and ability than Gonzalez. At other times, Collie has shown he can make the tough catch across the middle the way Gonzalez does. But as a third-year veteran, the Colts expected Gonzalez to do those things on a consistent basis and he had shown serious signs last season of being able to do just that. It’s still unknown how much longer Gonzalez will be out. He originally was projected to miss 2-8 weeks and there has yet to be a timetable on his return. How soon — and if – he returns will be a key storyline as the postseason approaches. The Colts have shown they can win without him, but they’ve also shown they need him and his presence could be critical in the coming months.