Two issues kept Ugoh from becoming a facet at left tackle in his first two seasons. The first is that Ugoh missed nine games in his first two years due to injuries. The second is that blowing pass blocking assignments in an offense which features Peyton Manning, quite possibly the most prolific passer in the history of the NFL, was not acceptable in the eyes of Bill Polian, Jim Irsay, or Howard Mudd. When the entire franchise is just one blown passing assignment away from an injury to the franchise quarterback, mental mistakes will not be tolerated.
The mental part of the NFL ultimately cost him his starting job in 2009, when one of the Colts most well-rounded offensive linemen, Charlie Johnson, took over his role. That summer, owner Jim Irsay indicated that Ugoh would have to prove capable in the mental aspect of the game or he would lose his starting spot. “Tony Ugoh has to be more consistent,” he said. “We gave up a lot for him to play left tackle. He’s got to be more focused. He’s got to be ready to go.”
Apparently Ugoh was unable to move past his mental mistakes and so he sat behind both Charlie Johnson and Ryan Diem as the Colts back-up offensive tackle. He has had an entire season to think about his weaknesses, sitting as he watched other players playing in his place, and should have all the motivation he will ever need to get things turned around. In order to win his spot back though, he will have to unseat a surprisingly capable and very consistent Charlie Johnson.
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