Colts Offensive Line: Changing of the Guard?

As the draft approaches and sports fanatics search the internet for the next best mock draft, there is little question Colts fans will read about how terrible the offensive line is, and the work that must be done in the off-season to correct the problem. In the words of my favorite underachieving Indiana football coach, “Not so fast my friend!”

When asked who has the top ranked offensive line in football many would not hesitate to guess Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Philly, or maybe even Oakland, all who rushed for more yards than the Colts. Few would guess the Indianapolis Colts would be in Ludacris’ #1 spot according to the NFL rankings system.

Indianapolis racked up 13 rushing touchdowns — ranking them 12th in the league. The 1,483 rushing yards ranks 29th in the league, but that is also on only 393 attempts which would be the 4th fewest attempts by any team in the league. It must also be noted that the Colts handed the ball to Donald Brown, Javarris James, and Mike Hart — whom have proven absolutely nothing in the NFL — for 210 of those carries, and 37 more of those went to Dominic Rhodes who is on the wrong side of 30. (Colts Nation still loves you though Dominic!)

I’ll be the first to admit that rushing the ball is an important asset to the team, but unlike the in past, it is not the say all end all. The Colts rank number one in sacks allowed, and number two in the amount of times the quarterback has even been hit. It’s time for Colts fans to admit that neither Marshall Faulk nor Edge is being handed the ball, and as current Pro Bowler Ryan Lilja has showed us, there is a big difference when you’re handing the ball to talented running backs.

That being said, with Logan Mankins (another casualty of the “Patriot Way”) recently saying that it is highly unlikely he will return to the Patriots next season it would make perfect sense to add an All Pro guard to the line replacing DeVan. Charlie Johnson is simply a mistake waiting to happen, so it wouldn’t be terrible to see the colts draft a left tackle early, Anthony Costanzo, Nathan Solder, Derek Sherrod, or Gabe Carimi all would be good options.

Take a deep breath Colts fans we already have the best overall line in football. With just a couple of tweaks we could have a line that simply dominates the league.