A knowledgeable friend told me the other day he agreed with me that the Colts’ top pick will be an offensive lineman. For those not yet on board, here are my reasons:
They lost Jake Scott: Long derided as the team’s fifth-best lineman, he was still very good. The Titans did not pay Scott just short of $20 million because he’s a bad player. Never truly dominant, but always competent, (1) Scott gave an honest day’s work and always played with intelligence and surprising leg drive. His ability to slide over to right tackle when necessary will also be missed.
Dylan Gandy may not be the answer: People have already penciled him in as a starter, but there’s a reason Scott kept this 2005 fourth-rounder on the bench for three years (2) — he was a better player. Gandy is an NFL quality pass protector (2.5 sacks allowed and one hold in 14 starts), but is nowhere near Scott’s equal as a run blocker. And that’s really the part of the offensive line that needs improvement. Besides, he's still an unsigned restricted free agent.
There’s little depth: There’s been some talk about moving Charlie Johnson from tackle to compete with Gandy, but there’s no guarantee Johnson can play any better inside than outside, and it would further subtract from already shaky depth at tackle. (3) The Colts also have Patrick Ross and Mike Elgin — two salt-of-the-Earth types who lack athleticism and size — and Tala Esera — a big guy with slow reflexes — inside. None of them appear to be the answer. (4)
Neither of the team’s starting tackles have been durable: Left tackle Tony Ugoh missed five games last year due to injury, but I’ll cut him a break because he was a rookie and was pretty injury-resistant in college. Right tackle Ryan Diem, though, seems to get injured every year, missing 20 games in seven seasons; and each injury seems to sap him just a little more. Scott was the team’s third-best tackle and he’s gone. Johnson’s the fourth best (5) and people are talking about plugging him inside.
Free agency and the cap are looming: Jeff Saturday may still be a top center, but he’s a free agent after next season. He’ll be 34 years old, and coming off a season in which he had a $4,684,667 salary. Diem is signed thru 2011, but his salaries will be $6,050,000 in 2009, $4,950,000 in 2010 and $5,400,000 in 2011 — perhaps more than he’s worth if injuries continue to mount. He’s four years younger than Saturday, but may have less tread left on his tires.
The team is built around offense: All those top picks spent on offense (like Ugoh, Dallas Clark, Anthony Gonzalez and Reggie Wayne) when the fans were screaming for defense were not actually surprises if you know Bill Polian’s philosophy. The team is built around Peyton Manning; to succeed, you get Manning targets and protection. And don’t think Manning doesn’t have a say in things. If a quarterback can wave off his coach’s decision to send in the punting unit on national television, you know he has input in the war room.
In other news, the Colts also looked at two more college players:
Gian Villante ILB Hofstra (6016, 234, 4.64): All-Colonial tackling machine is a monster between the tackles, not a bad blitzer and a crunching hitter. Would likely get audition on specials.
Joe Reitz TE Western Michigan (6061, 261, e4.85): The Colts were one of a few teams to work out this athletic power forward with no football experience after high school. One assumes he projects as a tight end. He’s an Indy native with a 3.73 GPA in Finance. Nice scoring touch, will fight for rebounds.
Notes:
1. Except that horrible playoff game against Pittsburgh when he was undone by hidden interior blitzes. In his defense, though, Ryan Lilja was just as bad.
2. When Gandy did start, it was usually because Scott was playing tackle.
3. The other tackles at present are Daniel Federkeil, Michael Toudouze and Corey Hilliard.
4. I could be wrong. Who ever thought undersized, undrafted Saturday would have a future when he arrived in Indy after he’d already been cut by the Ravens?
5. And it was a long drop from Scott to Johnson.
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