Freeney has been the life blood of that team. When he is down or out (ie: Super Bowl XLIV) the team struggles greatly. The key to winning in Indianapolis is getting off the field and getting the ball back for the league MVP. If Freeney is not playing, and wreaking havoc on every down like he is capable of doing, the team has a hard time getting off the field, and consequently winning the football game.
Freeney is blocked, chipped, and doubled on almost every down (not to mention held, but I'll leave that debate for another post), yet he still manages to get in the top echelon of the leagues pass rushers. I honestly believe that Dwight Freeney makes Robert Mathis who he is. Without Freeney, Mathis is just an undersized, average pass rusher.
Freeney makes the Colts tick on defense. Our defense is big on safety tackling because Freeney is such a strong pass rusher, that if he runs out of a play our defense's gap control is built for a safety (ie: Bob Sanders) to come flying up and make the hit.
Freeney makes this defense go. Last year, amidst all sorts of injuries incurred by the team Freeney quietly put up a Pro Bowl caliber season, and kept the Colts in more games than we know.
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