Mike Wells, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Mailbag Part I: What should Colts defense expect against Tom Brady?

Mike Wells: The defense will have to be ready for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick no matter if the quarterback is suspended for four games, three games, two games or one game because I think the Patriots will try to score 100 points against the Colts in that Week 6 matchup. The Colts are the reason why the Patriots are the most talked-about team in the NFL at the moment because they’re the ones who alerted the league about the possibility of balls being underinflated. Beating the Patriots has been a challenge for the Colts the past few years. It’ll definitely be one in October even though Indianapolis currently has a better team on paper than New England.

Wells: I think a lot has to do with Vick Ballard’s health and the direction the coaching staff wants to go. Frank Gore will be the starter. Daniel “Boom” Herron will likely be on the roster too. Colts owner Jim Irsay already has compared rookie Josh Robinson to Maurice Jones-Drew physique-wise, and coach Chuck Pagano said he has every-down skills, so I think there’s a good chance the sixth-round pick will stick on the roster. That leaves Ballard and Zurlon Tipton. Ballard is coming off back-to-back seasons of a torn ACL and Achilles and he’s not taking part in OTAs. Tipton spent most of last season on the practice squad until Ahmad Bradshaw went down with a broken leg in Week 11.

Wells: Whalen has been solid during his time with the Colts. It also helps that he has a great relationship with quarterback Andrew Luck going back to their days as teammates at Stanford. But Whalen faces a significant uphill battle in making the roster because of the depth the Colts have at the position: T.Y. Hilton, Andre Johnson, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, Duron Carter and Vincent Brown. That’s six receivers I would put ahead of Whalen on the depth chart. So I’d say it’s a long shot for Whalen right now.

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