Diem Staying Put At Rg.

[Balzer40]

My link

Looks like Linkenbach will be staying at RT unless the Colts feel like Ijalana can't be any worse.

[Smitto]

I like the sound of this, hopefully Ijalana takes this chance and move up to that spot but if not nothing wrong with Link being there... The colts are definitely serious about running the ball this year.

[Smonroe]

My link

Looks like Linkenbach will be staying at RT unless the Colts feel like Ijalana can't be any worse.

Also means a lot of 2 TE sets and/or always leaving the RB in to block. Unless it's Collins behind center. Then he's on his own.

"Look out Kerry!!!"

[indy_nick]

NICE!!!! I love the youth and potential of our O-Line. People have to remember that Link is only in his 2nd season. The tackle position usually takes a couple of years to get the hang of. I say let the young guys get their experience early, so that they can mature and learn from their mistakes. What better way to improve than listening to Peyton and Saturday to start your career. This also makes me wonder what we have planned for the RG position for next year since Diem was only signed for one year. Maybe a draft pick is in order for the RG position.

[Rich Cannon]

I like moving Diem to G, hope link can maintain at RT until Ijalana is ready.

[Coffeedrinker]

My link

Looks like Linkenbach will be staying at RT unless the Colts feel like Ijalana can't be any worse.

Ijalana cannot be any worse.

[Balzer40]

Ijalana cannot be any worse.

Thats kind of what I think too. May as well throw him to the fire and let him learn.

[colts52761]

Looks like we'll be drafting more oline next year.

[Smitto]

Looks like we'll be drafting more oline next year.

I doubt it, the colts are set at center pollack will be moving there when saturday is gone, set at RT,LG, McClendon can move to RG when diem's gone, and Set at LT. nxt yrs 1st round pick will be a WR

[colts52761]

Your going to count on Pollak, and i like Mcclendon, but i don't think he has shown that much. Who will be at LG?

[Balzer40]

Your going to count on Pollak, and i like Mcclendon, but i don't think he has shown that much. Who will be at LG?

Joe Reitz.

[Smitto]

Your going to count on Pollak, and i like Mcclendon, but i don't think he has shown that much. Who will be at LG?

pollacks original position is center, thats where he is best at so yea i will count on pollack there. Reitz of course they guy is athletic strong... he could be the next lilja only bigger.

[Coltswarriors]

I like Diem at RG, I just don't like Link at RT... Ugh.

[MAC]

Your going to count on Pollak, and i like Mcclendon, but i don't think he has shown that much. Who will be at LG?

Can we deduce that Pollaks deficiencies at guard preclude him from succeeding at center? I don't know myself. I assume that Center is different than the other positions, and that it often takes time to develop someone for the role. With Saturday around few others have been getting snaps there, and the Colts have asked Pollak to play out of position for years now. There was a reason that the Colts used three draft picks on centers in the same year awhile back. If they have been grooming Pollak for the role maybe he can stop right in. I certainly hope so. Maybe a "so so second round selection" will yet be a key player for years to come.

Some have suggested that some guards only feel comfortable on one side, so McClendon may not be a candidate to switch sides. However I loved Diem at RG in the Packers game. Just because he no longer has the speed or mobility to play tackle doesn't mean he can't be an effective guard. He's a big man, and we ran to the right just fine last week. If he has a lot left, this may not be his last year as a Colt.

[John Waylon]

Good. I, dare I say it, was impressed with Diem (*shudders*) Friday night at guard.

But it looks like RT is still going to be a gaping hole for us again this season. >_<

[everybodysgotone]

Looks like we'll be drafting more oline next year.

Correct. If for no other reason, both Diem and Saturday are getting older and both could be gone when their contracts are up at the end of 2011. Polian admitted to making a mistake and being behind on the O-line project last year. There's no way the front office is playing a game of checkers thinking no further ahead than the next 12 months. That mistake won't be made again, guaranteed. O-line will be drafted next year for depth at a bare minimum. Any doubters bookmark this page for future reference.

[Coffeedrinker]

The 2012 RG for the Colts is already on the roster. It will either be McClendon (who played RG in college) or Tepper, who has been playing RG well enough all preseason to at least make the PS if not the 53 man roster.

[Douzer]

At least 25 RT's will fall off rosters next week. Some of those guys have to be better than Link. If they don't think IJ is ready, they need to make a move.

[GoColts8818]

My link

Looks like Linkenbach will be staying at RT unless the Colts feel like Ijalana can't be any worse.

It's not a matter of Ijalana being worse it's matter of him being ready which right now he's not. You have to be careful with young guys so you don't throw them out here too soon you really hurt their confidence if you do that (see what we did to Painter vs the Jets as an example of this.) Ijalana is doing okay against oher teams backs up and third stringers. He would strugle against number ones right now. The Colts are doing the smart thing in developing him and not rushing him.

[Andy]

Good it's a good spot for him, and now Ijalana will take over at RT

[Balzer40]

It's not a matter of Ijalana being worse it's matter of him being ready which right now he's not. You have to be careful with young guys so you don't throw them out here too soon you really hurt their confidence if you do that (see what we did to Painter vs the Jets as an example of this.) Ijalana is doing okay against oher teams backs up and third stringers. He would strugle against number ones right now. The Colts are doing the smart thing in developing him and not rushing him.

I think you only hurt a players confidence if they are weak minded and immature. Only the Colts know if thats the case. Obviously you don't treat every player the way you suggest or Costanzo wouldn't be out there either. I wouldn't say Ijalana is not ready. In my opinion he has looked fine when he has played even if it is against 2nd and 3rd stringers. I think Ijalana could do just as good as Linkenpuke can do. Yes, he's gonna make some mistakes, but I guarantee Linkenpuke will make his fair share too.

[GoColts8818]

I think you only hurt a players confidence if they are weak minded and immature. Only the Colts know if thats the case. Obviously you don't treat every player the way you suggest or Costanzo wouldn't be out there either. I wouldn't say Ijalana is not ready. In my opinion he has looked fine when he has played even if it is against 2nd and 3rd stringers. I think Ijalana could do just as good as Linkenpuke can do. Yes, he's gonna make some mistakes, but I guarantee Linkenpuke will make his fair share too.

Different players different situations. Costanzo was thought to be the most NFL ready lineman in the NFL draft. It's not a shock that he is playing right away. Ijalana was thought to be a little more of a project but could be a stud tackle in the NFL which is why he slide to round two. The Colts are bringing Ijalana along but he's just not ready yet. If the Colts thought otherwise he would be out there. Also who you plays against does matter. For example wouldn't you expect a lineman to look better if he was trying to block John Chick and Jerry Hughes than if he was trying to block Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis? Ijalana has had some nice plays where he did some good things but he's also had plays where he got beat. Nothing wrong with that he is a rookie after all. He's just not ready for the starters yet. The Colts are in the business of winning games if they thought Ijalana was going to give them a better chance to win right now he would be out there. He's not. So what does that tell you?

[Balzer40]

Different players different situations. Costanzo was thought to be the most NFL ready lineman in the NFL draft. It's not a shock that he is playing right away. Ijalana was thought to be a little more of a project but could be a stud tackle in the NFL which is why he slide to round two. The Colts are bringing Ijalana along but he's just not ready yet. If the Colts thought otherwise he would be out there. Also who you plays against does matter. For example wouldn't you expect a lineman to look better if he was trying to block John Chick and Jerry Hughes than if he was trying to block Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis? Ijalana has had some nice plays where he did some good things but he's also had plays where he got beat. Nothing wrong with that he is a rookie after all. He's just not ready for the starters yet. The Colts are in the business of winning games if they thought Ijalana was going to give them a better chance to win right now he would be out there. He's not. So what does that tell you?

Oh, I realize the Colts obviously want to go with Link right now as opposed to Ijalana, but I don't think its going to last long. I think the biggest reason for that though is because they would essentially be starting 3 rookies if Ijalana was out there if you include Reitz. I think that is the only reason Link is starting and not Ijalana.

[GoColts8818]

Oh, I realize the Colts obviously want to go with Link right now as opposed to Ijalana, but I don't think its going to last long. I think the biggest reason for that though is because they would essentially be starting 3 rookies if Ijalana was out there if you include Reitz. I think that is the only reason Link is starting and not Ijalana.

I don't know how long it it will last I have said a lot i think Ijalana could be starting by the middle of the season or the end of the season. I think the main reason Link is starting is that Ijalana isn't ready yet. If the Colts felt he was ready they would have him out there regardless of if he's a rookie or not.

[Mouthfire]

It's not a matter of Ijalana being worse it's matter of him being ready which right now he's not. You have to be careful with young guys so you don't throw them out here too soon you really hurt their confidence if you do that (see what we did to Painter vs the Jets as an example of this.) Ijalana is doing okay against oher teams backs up and third stringers. He would strugle against number ones right now. The Colts are doing the smart thing in developing him and not rushing him.

There really is something to be said about this. Once you destroy a rookie's confidence, it's really hard to fix. Painter is one example. Living in Houston, I've seen it happen with David Carr, too...

[John Waylon]

There really is something to be said about this. Once you destroy a rookie's confidence, it's really hard to fix. Painter is one example. Living in Houston, I've seen it happen with David Carr, too...

I'd say something along these lines happened to Tony Ugoh... His rookie season, I believe it was, he was pretty good. Showed a lot of promise. But something happened, and it was like a train derailing.

[ColtsHoosiersBB]

There really is something to be said about this. Once you destroy a rookie's confidence, it's really hard to fix. Painter is one example. Living in Houston, I've seen it happen with David Carr, too...

Manning was thrown in the fire his rookie year. It has to do with how strong minded the

player is.

[Mouthfire]

I'd say something along these lines happened to Tony Ugoh... His rookie season, I believe it was, he was pretty good. Showed a lot of promise. But something happened, and it was like a train derailing.

That's different. Ugoh was a total head case.

No, but really... you do have to wonder about Ugoh. it's not like he didn't have the ability.

[Mouthfire]

Manning was thrown in the fire his rookie year. It has to do with how strong minded the

player is.

Actually, it may have to do more with how well prepared they already are. Manning, he was NFL ready from the get-go. Costanza, too, which is why he's already out there.

Ijalana... Not so much.

[John Waylon]

That's different. Ugoh was a total head case.

No, but really... you do have to wonder about Ugoh. it's not like he didn't have the ability.

Something happened with Ugoh. It could have been mental, like you said, or me, myself, have always wondered if he didn't start living that "balla" lifestyle and forget he actually had to play. He seemed really levelheaded his rookie year, pretty down to earth, wanting to work hard to prove himself, and then all the sudden it was like his head got big, and he started acting like he was a made man, which led to Charlie Johnson's ousting from the guard position to LT.

[GoColts8818]

Something happened with Ugoh. It could have been mental, like you said, or me, myself, have always wondered if he didn't start living that "balla" lifestyle and forget he actually had to play. He seemed really levelheaded his rookie year, pretty down to earth, wanting to work hard to prove himself, and then all the sudden it was like his head got big, and he started acting like he was a made man, which led to Charlie Johnson's ousting from the guard position to LT.

He got hurt his rookie year and was just never the same after that.

[John Waylon]

He got hurt his rookie year and was just never the same after that.

I was thinking there was an injury of some sort... It's funny, but I just can't remember much at all about him and his time here, which is kinda rare for me. I remember how awful he was in the end, and how much promise he showed in his rookie year, but very little beyond that.

Didn't he get hurt in camp in his second year?

I don't recall much about the end of the 2007 season, but I thought he started the WC game against SD...

[MAC]

I was thinking there was an injury of some sort... It's funny, but I just can't remember much at all about him and his time here, which is kinda rare for me. I remember how awful he was in the end, and how much promise he showed in his rookie year, but very little beyond that.

Didn't he get hurt in camp in his second year?

I don't recall much about the end of the 2007 season, but I thought he started the WC game against SD...

I don't remember if Ugoh was injured early on, but after he was released I went back and looked at his profile in a draft magazine from that year. It seems that in college there were some "effort" and "commitment" concerns - which sounds a bit like the complaints when he was playing poorly for the Colts. I find that disappointing. People don't change, which is why the Colts usually draft "character" players out of college. I usually am a defender of the front office, but this appears to have been a wasted pick that they should have seen coming a mile away.

[John Waylon]

I don't remember if Ugoh was injured early on, but after he was released I went back and looked at his profile in a draft magazine from that year. It seems that in college there were some "effort" and "commitment" concerns - which sounds a bit like the complaints when he was playing poorly for the Colts. I find that disappointing. People don't change, which is why the Colts usually draft "character" players out of college. I usually am a defender of the front office, but this appears to have been a wasted pick that they should have seen coming a mile away.

I sometimes think the front office knew that Tarik was done after the 06 season. We traded up to get Ugoh, and that was very uncharacteristic of a Polian draft. Trading up for Ugoh now seems like it was a desperation act to give us something at the position in the event Glenn did retire. Worst case, Tarik did retire and he we had a highly projected LT to put in his spot, best case, Tarik stuck it out one more year (Which the team tried really hard to get him to do) to mentor Ugoh to eventually take that LT spot. I think the situation had the office rattled enough that they made a stretch and drafted Ugoh. It was take that chance, or have LT be our biggest weakness, and that just wasn't an option for us. Even though our O-line has been pretty mediocre or worse since 2006, we've always been adequate at LT to help keep Peyton upright.

We may not work hard on the rest of our line, but it's hard to knock us for our treatment of the LT position since Glenn retired. Johnson might not have been a shut-down LT, but he wasn't bad in any sense. (One of his most underrated qualities, which will serve him really well with the Vikings and Adrian Peterson, was his ability to seal the edge, and get out and make blocks in open space on runs to the outside.)

[GoColts8818]

I sometimes think the front office knew that Tarik was done after the 06 season. We traded up to get Ugoh, and that was very uncharacteristic of a Polian draft. Trading up for Ugoh now seems like it was a desperation act to give us something at the position in the event Glenn did retire. Worst case, Tarik did retire and he we had a highly projected LT to put in his spot, best case, Tarik stuck it out one more year (Which the team tried really hard to get him to do) to mentor Ugoh to eventually take that LT spot. I think the situation had the office rattled enough that they made a stretch and drafted Ugoh. It was take that chance, or have LT be our biggest weakness, and that just wasn't an option for us. Even though our O-line has been pretty mediocre or worse since 2006, we've always been adequate at LT to help keep Peyton upright.

We may not work hard on the rest of our line, but it's hard to knock us for our treatment of the LT position since Glenn retired. Johnson might not have been a shut-down LT, but he wasn't bad in any sense. (One of his most underrated qualities, which will serve him really well with the Vikings and Adrian Peterson, was his ability to seal the edge, and get out and make blocks in open space on runs to the outside.)

I think that's the reason why we took the chance on Ugoh. I remember when we drafted him they said he had the last real first round grade of a tackle in that draft. They might not have known he was gone then but I think they knew it was coming and Polian say a chance to maybe get a steal by getting a franchise tackle in the second round knew that was pobably going to be the first round pick of the following year anyway which is why he did it. I don't remember what the 07 draft tackle class looked like either but Polian might have also felt the chances of getting a franchise tackle at the end of round one in 07 was going to be small so that might have factored into why we did it as well. Had it worked out it would have been a great move by Polian and frankly most of his rookie year it looked like it would then Ugoh got hurt and he was just never the same after that. I don't know if he lost the confidence he had his rookie year or if the injury took away some of his abality that he wasn't willing to work to get back or if th NFL just didn't know ho to attack him most of his rookie year and once they figured it out he wasn't willing to work to get better. Who knows it just didn't work and is probably the biggest screw up of the Polian era.

[Coffeedrinker]

I think that's the reason why we took the chance on Ugoh. I remember when we drafted him they said he had the last real first round grade of a tackle in that draft. They might not have known he was gone then but I think they knew it was coming and Polian say a chance to maybe get a steal by getting a franchise tackle in the second round knew that was pobably going to be the first round pick of the following year anyway which is why he did it. I don't remember what the 07 draft tackle class looked like either but Polian might have also felt the chances of getting a franchise tackle at the end of round one in 07 was going to be small so that might have factored into why we did it as well. Had it worked out it would have been a great move by Polian and frankly most of his rookie year it looked like it would then Ugoh got hurt and he was just never the same after that. I don't know if he lost the confidence he had his rookie year or if the injury took away some of his abality that he wasn't willing to work to get back or if th NFL just didn't know ho to attack him most of his rookie year and once they figured it out he wasn't willing to work to get better. Who knows it just didn't work and is probably the biggest screw up of the Polian era.

And remember the year before Glenn missed a significant amount of the preseason because he reported to camp over the maximum weight limit the team had set for him, so the writing was on the wall. I heard(no I cannot provide a link, nor can I even mention where I heard it from) that when it came time to report in 2007 he was approximately 50lbs over the limit, when the team gave him his diet and work-out program he retired.

Ugoh definitely showed some promise as a rook. He was much stronger than anyone anticipated and good feet but, it was just a lack of love for the game. I remember a scouting report that questioned how dedicated he was to football, even had a quote from him in college that stated (I'm paraphrasing because I do not remember the quote exactly) football was just something he did to stay in shape for track (he threw the shot and discus).

[Cusecolt]

So good to see the move to right tackle - now he can use his size and play in tight space - become a force in the run game.

[MAC]

Ugoh definitely showed some promise as a rook. He was much stronger than anyone anticipated and good feet but, it was just a lack of love for the game. I remember a scouting report that questioned how dedicated he was to football, even had a quote from him in college that stated (I'm paraphrasing because I do not remember the quote exactly) football was just something he did to stay in shape for track (he threw the shot and discus).

You're comments (and John Waylons) make sense - I guess it was a necessary risk with significant upside.

Your second paragraph is what I was referring to. It would seem reasonable that he didn't do what was needed to recover/improve. Searching on his name now there is a story about him leaving the Lions training camp without warning because he anticipated that he might not make the team. This is not normal behavior for a professional football player.

[CR91]

And remember the year before Glenn missed a significant amount of the preseason because he reported to camp over the maximum weight limit the team had set for him, so the writing was on the wall. I heard(no I cannot provide a link, nor can I even mention where I heard it from) that when it came time to report in 2007 he was approximately 50lbs over the limit, when the team gave him his diet and work-out program he retired.

Ugoh definitely showed some promise as a rook. He was much stronger than anyone anticipated and good feet but, it was just a lack of love for the game. I remember a scouting report that questioned how dedicated he was to football, even had a quote from him in college that stated (I'm paraphrasing because I do not remember the quote exactly) football was just something he did to stay in shape for track (he threw the shot and discus).

seems kinda weird for the colts not only pick him, but also trade a first round pick for him when he doesnt sound like a colts type of player

[indy_nick]

The more I think about it, the more I am okay with this. Right now I feel like we only have two glaring weaknesses on our team. Right tackle, and our 2nd CB spot. I feel Link gives us the best opportunity to block the run. I also think we will have Brown or Addai helping Link in the pass blocking in the beginning of the season. I am also more comfortable with it not being Peyton's blind side. Lacey still bothers me, but we will have to see what he can do before I am overly-skeptical.