Biggest Hole: Offensive Line
As you would expect from a Super Bowl participant who didn’t lose any free agents of consequence, the Indianapolis Colts have very few holes. Or, at least they had very few holes before cutting starting guard Ryan Lilja. General Manager Bill Polian publicly expressed his displeasure with the offensive line’s performance during the Super Bowl, where they most notably failed to get a first down on third-and-1 on the drive that started in the shadow of their own goal line. The Colts’ offensive line was generally acceptable in short yardage, ranking 12th in the NFL in power situations. They also didn’t allow many sacks, although much of that is due to Peyton Manning. Outside of those two areas, the Colts’ offensive line did not excel. They ranked 26th in Adjusted Line Yards and 27th in runners getting stuffed for a loss or no gain.
The Colts have tried to address the offensive line in recent drafts, but second-round selections Tony Ugoh and Mike Pollak are notable among recent Colts picks for being flameouts. Former sixth-round pick Charlie Johnson spent last year at left tackle in place of Ugoh and undrafted Kyle DeVanRyan Diem and Lilja both slipped in 2009, leaving Diem a candidate for replacement and Lilja on the street after the Colts deemed his 2010 salary excessive. relegated Pollak to the bench. Compounding the problems, right tackle
Subject to the uncapped year restrictions, the Colts were limited in their ability to address the position in free agency. They only added low level players in Adam Terry and Andy Alleman. An ideal solution would be to find a cornerstone left tackle at the end of the first round, allowing Johnson to shift to a more natural right tackle position.
Free Agency Recap
The Colts took care of their most important free agent by re-signing middle linebacker Gary Brackett. Beyond that, the Colts haven’t gotten involved in free agency — exactly what you would expect given their recent history of free agency inactivity and the restrictions they face in this uncapped year. The secondary depth took a hit with the departures of Tim Jennings and Marlin Jackson, and Jim Sorgi is now backing up the other Manning. Beyond that, the only moves have been the aforementioned release of Lilja and additions of Alleman and Terry. There’s a reason Ned Macey last year dubbed writing the Colts’ free agency recap “the easiest job at Football Outsiders.”
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