Hey, let’s get ready for the 2015 NFL season by checking out all those cool cats who help comprise The Shield™.

Last Year: The Indianapolis Colts started 0-2 but rallied to win 11 of final 13 regular season games to win AFC South title. Indy humbled old friend Peyton Manning in the AFC Divisional playoffs. However, when the history of the NFL is written years from now, it will be the Colts created for blowing the whistle on Deflategate and in turn, launching what is becoming a grisly battle between the league and long-time Colts nemesis Tom Brady.

When We Last Saw Them: New England pushed Indy around again for the second straight postseason. Deflated balls or no deflated balls, the Patriots devastated Indianapolis 45-7 in the AFC title game. After the 38-point whitewashing at the hands of New England, the Colts dropped two games to the Pats by a combined score of 87-27. When Rob Gronkowski is throwing people out of the club, it’s time to go home…

What’s New: For some bizarre reason, the Colts didn’t pay a ton of attention to adding to a questionable defense that got muscled at critical moments last season. While the Colts used four consecutive picks on defensive players, their high-profile acquisitions leaned on the offensive side. Indy picked up long-time 49ers running back Frank Gore and Houston Texans mainstay Andre Johnson. Plus, they used a first-round pick on University of Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. Oh, and there is Indy’s brand-new runner-up AFC Finalist banner:

Cute.

Twitter Watch: Bob Kravitz

Kravitz is the reporter who originally reported the Deflategate story in the hours after the AFC title game. Since Deflategate and the Brady suspension, Patriots fans are going HAM after Kravitz. I get it but the whole death threats thing is a bit much.

As of August 2, Kravitz has stopped caring…

2015 Best-Case Scenario: Andrew Luck and the offense take advantage of a mediocre schedule and rack up tremendous offensive numbers…Veteran defensive end Trent Cole gives the Indy defense a boost…Colts beat Patriots in October and take a step forward towards grabbing home-field advantage.

2015 Worst-Case Scenario: Indy’s precarious offensive line allows Luck to take a beating…Frank Gore shows his age and offers little punch to the Colts rushing attack…Andre Johnson ages…Indy’s lack of credible defensive personnel rears its ugly head again when the postseason rolls around. Oh, and Andrew Luck gets hurt. That would stink.

Summary: Once the Brady suspension was announced, it appeared the AFC road to the Super Bowl might go through Indianapolis. However, Indy did so little to address a less than impressive defensive unit, one has to wonder if they can deliver when it matters come January. Luck’s talent is enough to easily carry Indy to another AFC South title and 12-13 wins. But a Super Bowl victory? Meh, not so fast my friends.