And because long, long ago – a few months ago, at least – the Colts’ president said he knew there was little chance Indianapolis would be in position to acquire an elite offensive left tackle in the 2010 NFL Draft, he did what he would be expected to do.
He moved on. He planned the draft accordingly.
“This was a very thin draft for offensive tackle,” Polian said Saturday afternoon. “Once you got past the first down, it thinned out pretty dramatically. From my perspective, it was a thin draft for offensive tackles.
“We don’t ever believe in forcing a pick or in trying to fill a need that you are hoping would fill the need.”
And therein lies the key not only to the Colts’ 2010 NFL Draft, but one of the reasons they long have been one of the NFL’s most consistently successful franchises:
Maybe the Colts needed left tackle in this year’s draft. Maybe they didn’t.
Maybe deep down Polian believes Charlie Johnson is fine at the position. Maybe be doesn’t. Maybe he thinks Tony Ugoh can play. And maybe he doesn’t.
What’s important about Polian isn’t the answers to those questions, but how he responded early this off-season once it became clear a franchise-level left tackle – one that would solidify the blind side of QB Peyton Manning for the rest of his career – wasn’t available.
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