The Colts are hoping that their defense will get a lift as both Dwight Freeney and Bob Sanders will be ready to go by the teams opener vs the Bears in September.  For now though, it looks as if with camp closing in the pair will start training camp on the PUP list.  Mike Chappell of the Indy Star reports today that they, along with Tyjuan Hagler, who tore his pec working out, will be on the list at the start of camp.

Both Freeney and Sanders feel themselves that they will be ready to go for the opener, and the Colts will take their sweet time in making sure they are both 100 percent at the start of the regular season.  The team cannot afford for either of those players to be out long-term.  As for Hagler, he may miss up to two months, which puts him on a time table to be ready to go right about for the opener as well, which would be a lift.

The Colts defense was very good in 2007, allowing 279.7 yards per game.  Many talk about the Colts offense, but take into account the defense last season only allowed four games where their opponents scored over 20 points.  Pretty good, but again, being healthy could be their biggest key this season to make it even further into the playoffs.

CBS Sportsline’s Pete Prisco is out with his annual Top 50 NFL Players list, and the Colts have four on the list, including the #2 player in the land - QB Peyton Manning. Here are the Colts four players breakdown:

2. Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts: Even Manning’s down seasons are sensational. If Marvin Harrison is back this year, watch out.

7. Bob Sanders, S, Indianapolis Colts: The only thing holding him back is the injury issues. When he’s on the field, the Colts have a different defense.

22. Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts: When Marvin Harrison was out last season, Wayne emerged as the team’s go-to receiver. The guess here is that is that it stays that way. He’s a true star now.

25. Dwight Freeney, DE, Indianapolis Colts: He’s coming off a serious foot injury, which is a concern. It’s why his ranking is down. When he’s truly healthy, he’s a top 15 player.

The Colts got bad news today on the injury front, as NFL Network’s Adam Schefter is reporting that starting linebacker Tyjuan Hagler suffered a torn pectoral muscle while lifting weights last week, and will be sidelined at least two months, meaning he will miss training camp and could be out for the Colts opener against the Bears.  Hagler started seven regular-season games and then the AFC Divisional Playoff against the San Diego Chargers last season. He finished the season with 54 tackles and one sack.

Like teammate Dwight Freeney, Colts SS Bob Sanders is on course to be ready to go for the start of the regular season. Sanders is recuperating from shoulder surgery and —similar to his limited role in prior offseasons — will be held out of contact drills throughout training camp in order to ensure a healthy return for Week One action.

The Colts defense could use a lift in 2008, and that lift would come big-time if Dwight Freeney is ready to go and be a force again in week one.  The good news on that front is that team insiders say that Freeney is well on his way to be back in playing condition by the Bears opener.  The DE has been trying to come back from a Lisfranc (foot) injury, and while he’s been working through the offseason on it, there was some thoughts about when he’d be 100 percent.  Team doctors have reportedly told him that he’s ahead of schedule with his return, which is great news for the Colts defense.

Word out of Indianapolis is that super-sized WR Roy Hall appears poised to finally make an impact. Injuries and poor fundamentals kept him from so much as catching a pass during his rookie year, but a team insider noted to PFW that he has finally learned how to catch the ball with his hands instead of trapping it against his body and looks markedly more natural on the field. At 6-3 and 240 pounds, he’s always had the body. The insider also noted that undrafted rookie WR Sam Giguere out of Canada has been a revelation. Nonetheless, he faces an uphill battle to earn a roster spot.

By trading FB Luke Lawton to the Eagles for a conditional 2009 draft pick Friday, the Colts sent a message that they’re reverting to their core spread-offense principles. The Colts experimented with Lawton as a traditional fullback in ’07, but it’s readily apparent that the team will employ two tight ends instead of a fullback when they want to power the football in ’08.