The Colts have more to worry about than Peyton Manning’s neck when they go to Houston to play the Texans for the season opener on September 11. Plenty of problems face the Colts, not only at the quarterback position but also on the defensive side of the ball, where the Colts allowed 125 rushing yards a game last season.

Even with a busy off-season that saw the arrivals of tackle Tommie Harris, linebacker Ernie Sims and end Jamaal Anderson, the defense still has struggled against preseason opponents. Oh, and apparently the Colts grew tired of Harris, releasing him Friday.   Sims was hurt for a good part of training camp, but he’s still one player I’m excited to see play alongside Gary Brackett and the rest of the Colts D.

During the preseason, the Colts allowed less than 150 yards rushing in just one game, and that was against the pass-first Packers. Even though it’s only the preseason, this is still concerning since the Colts do start the year off in Houston,  where last season Arian Foster had his coming-out party and rushed for over 230 yards and 3 touchdowns against Indy.

It’s not like the Texans are one-dimensional, either, with wide receiver Andre Johnson running wild and Matt Schaub behind center.  In addition, the Texans now have a healthy Owen Daniels, who was recovering from a torn ACL in 2010 and had an overall slow year.

Week 1 in Houston should be very interesting given that there are so many ways for the Texans to attack the Colts defense, and  I’m really curious to see how the boys in white and blue will respond. With our franchise quarterback most likely out for this game, it’s going to take a lot more from the defense to notch a win.

Mike Hart helped pave the way for running game, having 84 rushing yards and averaging seven yards per carry

The Indianapolis Colts entered this game looking for revenge. Last time the Colts met the Houston Texans, they were embarrassed in a away Week One match-up, letting Arian Foster run right over them with 231 rushing yards and a Texans’ 34-24 win. Now they looked to get their first away win against Indianapolis, as they’re 0-8 against them on the road.

Could they break the streak? Nope. Many thought this would be a close game, due to the large amount of injuries Indianapolis has, along with that many would think their defense couldn’t stop Foster. They did. So what if they allowed him to have 105 rushing yards? They technically shut him down, since the Colts destroyed them towards a 30-17 win.

Without Dallas Clark, the Colts looked to be in trouble. But after two great defensive stops on Matt Schaub and the Texans’ poor passing game, Peyton Manning drove down the field to help set up a touchdown to Jacob Tamme. However, it really started by Mike Hart, who burst for a 30-plus yard run. This set up himself for a career-high of 84 yards on only twelve carries.

Tamme showed signs that he could be a solid tight end once he starts improving for the Colts. And when Clark returns for next season, the Colts can add another passing threat to the checklist of many great ones.

Manning was solid all game. Of course, he passed great, going 26-of-45 for 268 yards and two touchdowns which led to a 89.9 rating. He also helped set up a block, letting Pierre Garcon run off a screen pass. He also rushed for a seven-yard first down. Manning showed what a true athlete he was on Monday Night.

“It was a screen, and Pierre has that ability to cut back,” Manning said. “I think Pierre really did all the work. Let’s take it for what it really was — it was a good run.”

This game was extremely important for Indy, as if they lose, they will trail in the AFC South division. But now they evened up the series with Houston and now are finally on top of the AFC South, leading with a strong 5-2 record. The only teams that could only stand in their way now are the Jacksonville Jaguars, who the Colts are currently 0-1 against so far this season, and the Tennessee Titans, who Indy has yet to play.

The defense continuously abused Matt Schaub. Though he had a great second half, the damage was too much from the first half. Schaub would total up going 22-of-38 for 201 yards with a touchdown and 70.2 rating. He also had an interception, which happened early in the second quarter where Kelvin Hayden took it and took it back 20 yards into the end zone for a go-ahead 14-0 lead for Indianapolis.

“It was a huge part in the game,” Colts linebacker Gary Brackett said. “Obviously, a big momentum swing for us. Great play by him, great read, finishing the deal, catching that ball, scoring.”

Hayden has had some controversial moments. The most controversial one was against the Jacksonville Jaguars on their last drive, where Josh Scobee booted in a 59-yard field goal to set up a 31-28 victory. But on a crucial down, David Garrard threw right at Hayden, but he dropped the interception. If he had got it, he would have had a touchdown. Now he has made up for it.

The Texans would follow-up the Hayden interception with a field goal by Neil Rackers, which barely went in. The Colts would come back, making the last score of the half with an Adam Vinatieri field goal, which was sailing way to the right but then slowly turned to left to creep in for three points, building on a lead that insult to injury, as Indy had a 17-3 lead.

The Texans did make a strong second half push, coming as close to 27-17, but it wasn’t enough.

“It was a collective effort of mishaps,” Johnson said after hurting his right ankle in the game. “Everybody was taking turns making mistakes. We had mental lapses, when you have those things, you’re not going to win.”

Indianapolis will face Michael Vick and the tough Philadelphia Eagles next.

Although he hasn't got his contract yet, we all know Peyton Manning will become the highest-paid player in the league history soon

Jim Irsay will have to wait until after this season until his star franchise quarterback Peyton Manning will get his new deal, according to the Associated Press. The Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback looks to become the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Irsay said he was set to give Manning his contract during the team’s bye week, but Manning and his agent insisted that they will have the deal done after the season. Nice sign of unselfishness, don’t you think?

“Any negotiation is a two-way street and we were ready to roll and we had a proposal, but they wanted to wait,” Irsay said. “That’s OK because every player is different. We had a bye week, and we thought we could have gotten [negotiations] rolling.”

Manning’s deal will expire after this season. Irsay hopes that Manning is a Colt for the rest of his career.

Manning will make his 199th career start tonight against the Houston Texans, hoping to get revenge on them at home after an embarrassing lost at Houston, led by Arian Foster. Whoever wins this game takes control of the AFC South division.

Manning is the only four-time MVP in the league. The Colts look to franchise-tag Manning if necessary. But it might not happen, since Manning will get his maxed-out contract.

“He is going to be the highest-paid player in the league,” Irsay said Monday. “Look, we love him, and we’d like to see his career end here.”

The Colts look to sign much higher than New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady’s recent contract, which was a four-year $48.5 million contract extension.

Manning will get his contract, but the question of what time?

“During the season, Peyton wants his only focus to be on preparing for football games,” agent Tom Condon told The Associated Press.

The only thing that could mess up the contract is the CBA. A new collective bargaining agreement stands in the way. But Condon doens’t see anything slowing down the contract.

“It’s probably not any more or any less difficult because of that,” Condon said.