Colts' WR Anthony Gonzalez Dislocated His Thumb on the First Play of the Game

FanHouse's Michael David Smith summed it up succinctly this morning -- Peyton Manning missed Marvin Harrison -- but he also missed Marvin Harrison's replacement, Anthony Gonzalez.

ESPN.com's Mike Sando has the lowdown on where Gonzalez disappeared to as the game wore on:

... Gonzalez suffered a dislocated left thumb on the first play of the game. He tried to play thereafter, but the thumb lacked the strength needed to grasp much of anything, let alone fastballs from Peyton Manning. Gonzalez was buttoning his shirt with one hand in the locker room following the game. His palm seemed to show some discoloration. He said the thumb was pointing out to the side after a Patriots defender -- presumably Randall Gay, who made the tackle on the play -- grabbed his thumb while defending the play.

Well, that helps explain the dropped touchdown pass during the Colts' second series. For an idea of how short-handed Indy's offense was, consider this: Joseph Addai was the team's leading receiver, and Dallas Clark only hauled in two passes.

Sando goes on to write that such an injury can bother a player all season, which means that between Marvin Harrison's knee and Gonzalez's thumb, the Colts could be in the market for a short-term solution at wide receiver. Might I suggest Mike Williams. He has the speed of a tight end and the body of an offensive tackle. If nothing else, he can replace Charlie Johnson as Tony Ugoh's backup.