finale

told FOXSports.com in March that he considers Freeney, Mathis and 12-year wide receiver Reggie Wayne the “three pillars” of the
team’s locker room.
“It’s, obviously, very tough to fill in all the things that Peyton did,” Freeney said. “We all know the on-the-field, but there was a lot of
leadership stuff off the field. Just making sure everybody was on the same page and being a presence in the offseason to make sure
you’re around and the younger guys see that you’re working hard and it’s OK to do that.
“Those are the intangibles that people don’t know that Peyton was great at. Those were some of the things we loved him for.
Obviously, with him leaving, it creates that void. It’s really going to take all of us (veterans) to fill that void and try to groom these
young guys so they understand what Colt ball is all about.”
Helping the Colts get back on track is another one of Freeney’s biggest goals — even if he might not still be there by the time that
foundation is done being laid.
“Yeah, we lost a lot of guys, but we’re not laying down for anybody,” he said. “Everybody likes to throw around this ‘rebuilding.’ For
us, we’re going out like it’s 2005, ’06, ’07 and ’08. We’re going to give everybody our best. That’s what we do.”