Is the line offensive?

It's interesting that the big news on the day I choose to write about the Colts' offensive line, there's a big shakeup there. The Colts cut backup center AQ Shipley and backup tackle Mike Person — neither of whom played in the opener — and signed veteran lineman Trai Essex (6044/322/5.61c5.46pd in 2005). 

I hesitate to put a position down for Essex because in 2011 alone, he played right guard, right tackle, left tackle, left guard, center and even fullback for Bruce Arians and the Pittsburgh offense. The Colts have him listed at guard, and it would appear that he will compete with Seth Olson for the right to start in Joe Reitz's left guard spot.

But he might wind up playing right tackle. The situation is almost as tenuous there. Starter Winston Justice was knocked out of Game 1 with a concussion and his replacement, Jeff Linkenbach, did not play well. If Justice can't play, Essex could get the call with Linkenbach likely to be kicked inside to see if he can oust Olson.

The scouting report on Essex is largely agreed-upon by fans and media alike. He's very talented and smart, but lazy and he carries a little more weight around the midsection than is ideal. He reminds me a bit of Tony Ugoh. Not because he's a great athlete like Ugoh or because he has terrible technique like Ugoh, but because he has moments that make you wonder if he actually likes playing football. When he's motivated — and let's hope having a paying job rather than waiting by the phone is motivating enough — he's a plus pass protector, but even at his best, he's not an asset in the run game.

Looking back at the Bears game, I think I may have been too harsh to call the offensive line's effort a debacle. There were some promising signs.

Left tackle Anthony Castonzo had the unenviable task of reining in Julius Peppers most of the night and faced first-rounder Shea McClellin most of the rest of the time. Castanzo graded out decently in pass protection, but did not get much push in the run game.

Left guard Olson, playing for the injured Reitz, looked better than he had in preseason, but still not up to NFL starter standards. He was close to adequate in pass-pro, but offered no help for the running game, failing to get any push.

Center Samson Satele was, in my opinion, the biggest disappointment. A veteran coming off a mostly successful 2011 season in Oakland, Satele was beaten frequently by the Bears' Henry Melton on pass plays, and generally made Andrew Luck's debut an adventure. On the plus side, Satele generated the most push of all the Colts' linemen in the run game, but that's little consolation when compared to his contributions in pass-pro, especially since the Colts only ran 13 times.

Right guard Mike McGlynn, thoroughly criticized throughout the preseason, actually played the best of the bunch, busting his butt to help keep Luck's jersey clean and to open holes for Donald Brown (which Brown often didn't see). My one criticism with McGlynn's play was that he could have done more to help Satele, who was obviously having a tough outing.

Right tackle Winston Justice also graded out decently, effectively silencing Israel Idonije as a pass rusher. But, again, I didn't see him do anything positive in the run game. After he left the game, Linkenbach stepped in and, to be honest, stunk the place up. The Bears just ran right over him like a speed bump. I don't think Linkenbach is as bad as he appeared to be Sunday, but his confidence must be shaken after all the moving around and criticism he's had to withstand of late.

Overall, I think we can make some conclusions about the line:

• It was designed to protect Luck, not pummel defenses with a heavy-duty rushing attack. All of the starters are more accomplished in pass-pro than run blocking (although you couldn't tell by Satele's effort), and the Colts' halfbacks will most likely do little to make the men in front of them look good.

• Depth is perilously thin. Olson's play is making me long for the return of Joe Reitz. Yeah, Joe Reitz. That's how much faith I have in Olson. And Linkenbach was terrible in relief of Justice. Imagine if he had to stand in for Castanzo. Behind them now are the recently signed Essex and nobody else.

• There are no stars. Obviously Castanzo is the big name here, but while he is a pretty good player and still improving, hopes that he'll be the next Joe Thomas are quickly fading. The other starters and major contributors are stopgap players, and will probably all be replaced in three years if not sooner.

• Say what you will, they did a great job avoiding penalties.

Other things (aside from the secondary and special teams, which I will get to later) I'm thinking about:

• Luck attempted just three passes of over 20 yards in the air. One was a pick, one was incomplete and the other was caught by Reggie Wayne for 23 yards.

• The more I think about Brown's two dropped passes, the more I can't get over them. Come on, Donald, you've improved in just about every other area, why is this happening now? Maybe it's just a statistical anomaly, and he'll bag the rest of them.

• Although he saw just a smattering of plays, I really liked what I saw from Dominque Jones.

• To all those who-knew-Tim-Jennings-was-good? people: Me, I did, look it up. I always supported him as a Colt, and was really bummed when they got rid of him.

• You know who was way better than I thought? Martin Tevaseu. I wouldn't sit Mookie for him quite yet, but he bears watching.

• Let's see more Drake Nevis.

• Yes, I know Jerrell Freeman had a Pick-6, but he also missed a few tackles. That's a break even. Still, he's not likely to get an interception every week, but you can be pretty sure he's gonna miss a few tackles.

• I think injuries will decide who will fill the currently open roster spot. It could be a pass rusher or another offensive lineman.

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