Ryan Grigson used an extra-long scoop to fully explore the bottle of the barrel, bringing in stop-gap players such as Mike McGlynn and Samson Satele. The 2012 Colts offensive line was indeed a larger, more powerful group. In the end, it really just meant that they stunk it up in a different manner than the 2011 offensive line.
Lets review the visual evidence:
Ow! Group Hug! Watch it! This chair is rock-hard No riders! Really?
Wow. And that was before the game even started.
So, are things better now? What has changed?
Gone:
- A.Q. Shipley
New Players Acquired:
- Gosder Cherilus, Right Tackle, Free Agent from Detroit
- Donald Thomas, Guard, Free Agent from New England
- Hugh Thornton, Guard, Rookie, drafted 3rd round
Instead of speaking generally about the above names, I'll just go into my grading for each player on the offensive line. Bear in mind that a "A" grade represents a player in the top tier at his position, and who is a good fit for the Colt's scheme.
Starters (current):
Left Tackle: Anthony Castonzo, Grade C+
Castonzo was the last 1st round pick from the horribly failed Chris Polian era (2004-2011), and like most Chris Polian picks, this was a pick for need. Unfortunately, Castonzo was more of the kind of LT that we looked for back then, not so much what we are looking for now.
Basically, Castonzo is a average LT in the league today, but is undersized for what Pagano wants on offense. He is a better than average drive blocker, but can be overwhelmed when matched up with a huge defensive end. He is a better than average pass blocker, relying more on quick feet and technique, than size and power. Again, he can be overwhelmed in pass protection by a larger defender.
Is the C+ grade harsh? No. While he is better than average at both run and pass blocking, he simply does not fit our scheme. He is signed through next year, and I can guarantee you he will not be re-signed. It's even possible that he will be cut this upcoming off-season. You heard it here first people.
Anthony Castonzo Breakdown:
Technique / discipline: B
Size / strength: C
Overall talent level: C+
Scheme fit: D
Left Guard: Donald Thomas, Grade C+
We signed Donald Thomas away from the New England Patriots, where he was a bench player pressed into a fair amount of action. While he acquitted himself well, the Pats had no intention of letting him compete for a starting job in 2013. It's probably silly, but I always have a little bit of paranoia in grabbing a player that the Patriots allow to get away. Like any team they try to retain their best players, but when they give huge contract extensions to trigger-happy gang-bangers, what is Donald Thomas - a serial killer perhaps? Don't say you haven't wondered the same thing. One thing is that they seem to like larger guards, as do we. He is slightly undersized for what we want to do going forward, so I'd be surprised if he is a long-term solution for us.
So, how does Stabby McStabstab grade out on the field so far? Pretty good I'd say. I haven't seen him make a single truly excellent play, but I have seen him make the expected play most times. I've also watched him make some pretty serious mental errors though, and I'm trying to attribute them to the new environment instead of something worse. And there's also been a couple of times when his hustle level did not seem to match those around him. Maybe he's just confused by playing with a QB that doesn't wet 'em when he gets pressure around his feet.
I do expect him to improve, so I'll keep an eye on him.
Basically, Castonzo is a average LT in the league today, but is undersized for what Pagano wants on offense. He is a better than average drive blocker, but can be overwhelmed when matched up with a huge defensive end. He is a better than average pass blocker, relying more on quick feet and technique, than size and power. Again, he can be overwhelmed in pass protection by a larger defender.
Is the C+ grade harsh? No. While he is better than average at both run and pass blocking, he simply does not fit our scheme. He is signed through next year, and I can guarantee you he will not be re-signed. It's even possible that he will be cut this upcoming off-season. You heard it here first people.
Anthony Castonzo Breakdown:
Technique / discipline: B
Size / strength: C
Overall talent level: C+
Scheme fit: D
Left Guard: Donald Thomas, Grade C+
We signed Donald Thomas away from the New England Patriots, where he was a bench player pressed into a fair amount of action. While he acquitted himself well, the Pats had no intention of letting him compete for a starting job in 2013. It's probably silly, but I always have a little bit of paranoia in grabbing a player that the Patriots allow to get away. Like any team they try to retain their best players, but when they give huge contract extensions to trigger-happy gang-bangers, what is Donald Thomas - a serial killer perhaps? Don't say you haven't wondered the same thing. One thing is that they seem to like larger guards, as do we. He is slightly undersized for what we want to do going forward, so I'd be surprised if he is a long-term solution for us.
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| Dammit Donald, you let someone get within 15 yards of me. Now I have to go and change my armour. |
So, how does Stabby McStabstab grade out on the field so far? Pretty good I'd say. I haven't seen him make a single truly excellent play, but I have seen him make the expected play most times. I've also watched him make some pretty serious mental errors though, and I'm trying to attribute them to the new environment instead of something worse. And there's also been a couple of times when his hustle level did not seem to match those around him. Maybe he's just confused by playing with a QB that doesn't wet 'em when he gets pressure around his feet.
I do expect him to improve, so I'll keep an eye on him.
Technique / discipline: C+
Size / strength: B-
Overall talent level: B-
Scheme fit: C+
Center: Samson Satele, Grade C+
Setele was one of Ryan Grigson's free agent pick-ups from 2012, and was expected to provide a steady, yet unspectacular presence at center. This he did; until he got hurt. He was in good company though, as the line was riddled with injuries and players were shifting positions faster than your local politician.
Satele is a smart player, which is how he makes up for his physical shortcomings. A bit undersized and underpowered for what the Colts ideally want, Samson is still a key part of the team. That said, with a large cap number for 2014, I expect him to be cut after the season. This is the same situation as Castonzo and Thomas; they are not the ideal physical type that Grigson is looking for. Satele and Thomas were signed because they were the closest fit that met the price we could pay. It's going to be a pretty deep draft for offensive linemen next year, so expect a few changes.
Samson Satele Breakdown:
Technique / discipline: B+
Size / strength: C
Overall talent level: C+
Scheme fit: C-
Right Guard, Mike McGlynn, Grade D
I want to start this off by saying I don't know Mr. McGlynn personally, and I am very aware that he could totally kick my ass. But from what I saw from him last year, and from what I've seen so far this year; my grade on him might be a little high.
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| McGlynn getting overpowered by elderly gentleman. |
He does play with good technique, but when he has a large and powerful player across from him, he (and those who depend on him) are in for a long day. He is a better physical fit at center.
I do not expect him to be the starter in the 2013 season opener. Who will replace him? Let's not get ahead of ourselves, more on that later in the article.
Mike McGlynn Breakdown:
Technique / discipline: B+
Size / strength: D-
Overall talent level: C-
Scheme fit: D
Right Tackle, Gosder Cherilus, Grade C+
Cherilus was clearly high on Grigson's list as he wasted no time in signing the former Detroit tackle on the first day of free agency. There was some grumbling about the large contract in league circles, but if he's your guy, you do what it takes - so, that did not bother me. What did bother me a little was that Detroit did not seem to feel it was very important to retain him. Of course Detroit has some pretty bad command and control issues, so maybe I shouldn't put too much stock into what they do or don't want.
I was not familiar with Cherilus from his time in Detroit. I don't really watch Detroit games, and since he does not play for a New York team or the Cowboys, there's no reason for anyone to have ever heard of him. Based on what I've seen from him so far this preseason, he looks like Ryan Diem in his prime: basically a pretty good right tackle. And he fits what Grigson is looking for in the size/strength ratio.
Of course that should rate a better grade than C+, right? Except for a few blown assignments in pass protection, he would have rated a B; but those blown assignments were pretty scary. So far this year, I have seen him beat inside and outside by rushers. And when he gets beat, he gets beat clean - for a big shot on the QB. This is bad.
Now because I am not too familiar with his early albums, I really don't know if this is a case of a veteran not caring about pre-season too much, or maybe he's dealing with some minor injuries. Either way, he needs to be more consistent in his pass blocking.
His run blocking has ranged from good to great. He does not seem to have the raw brute strength of a pure road grater, but he's strong enough and persistent. He has very good balance and he moves his feet well. Unless he has an inconvenient injury, we should expect him to be our starting right tackle through next season, but with a large cap number in 2015, he will probably be cut after next season. Like I said earlier, the 2014 draft class looks to be deep in offensive linemen. Cherilus's replacement will be drafted next season.
Gosder Cherilus Breakdown:
Technique / discipline: C+
Size / strength: B+
Overall talent level: B
Scheme fit: B+
Basically it looks like I have the Colts offensive line averaged out to a C+ grade. Is this average for the league? Probably.
What about the reserves? Well, I'm not going to go into depth on each of them. Jeff Linkenbach is a adequate spot replacement for either tackle position, and a stop-gap at either guard slot. I expect him to make the team this year. I imagine that rookie Khaled Holmes will make it. Joe Reitz is not a scheme fit (too small and weak), but he might make this year's squad based on him knowing where to line-up.
But the guy I really want to talk about is the guy who will soon be the starting right guard for your Indianapolis Colts: 2013 3rd round pick, Hugh Thornton:
Right Guard, Hugh Thornton, Grade B+
I can't even say how impressed I am with this guy. At 6'3" and 330 lbs, he is an ideal fit for the body type that Grigson wants in our offensive line. And unlike some of our other players, he plays stronger than his size would suggest. In just two of his series against the Browns starters, I watched him violently pancake two different very large players on run plays. Also in one of these two series, I watched him take a blitzing LB (who had timed the snap perfectly) and pick him up and rag doll him. Slammed him to the freaking ground. I have not seen a player at guard in the NFL with this sort of strength since Larry Allen of the Cowboys.
In extended playing time with the starters, he only had two plays where it could be said that he should have performed better. One was a blitzer who timed the snap perfectly and caused a hurried pass from Luck, and the other was a DL on a slanted rush who surprise him to the inside. His man didn't make the tackle, but the play was disrupted.
That's it. Other than that, it was ass-kicking power and head on a swivel awareness. He was ridiculous. I imagine that McGlynn has been allowed to occupy the right guard position out of veteran respect, but unless there is something behind the scenes that I can't see, Thornton is a massive upgrade over anyone we could possibly put into the right guard position. He's that good.
You want to know why we all the sudden started moving the ball on the ground in the third series against the Browns? Whoever we had playing RG got hurt and Thornton came in for him. It was that much of a difference.
Hugh Thornton Breakdown:
Technique / discipline: C
Size / strength: A+
Overall talent level: A
Scheme fit: A+
So, expect to see Thornton starting, sooner than later.
Where does this leave us? Can we compete for the Super Bowl with this offensive line? Yes we can. Line play has become somewhat depreciated by recent rule changes favoring the passing game. In the last few years, we have seen a team with the worst offensive line in the league win the Super Bowl (Pittsburgh), and last year Green Bay's horrific line did not stop Aaron Rodgers from looking like superman.
And we have our own superman, in the person of Andrew Luck. With this year's new emphasis on the short passing game, I can't imagine that Luck will see anything close to the level of pressure he got in Arian's downfield passing offense. That and with better talent and experience at WR, I think we are looking at a very nice year on offense.
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