Do you think we'll ever have an elite Offensive Line?

[AllYouNeedIsLuck]

And what are the steps in doing so? How have other teams like the 49ers and even the Jets built a great O-line? 

 

I can't help but to imagine Luck with one like the Niners. I saw somewhere that when Luck wasn't hurried within like 3 seconds he had a 75 ish completion percentage. To tell you the truth I wouldn't mind if we use this one offseason to just load up on the line and then worry about defense next year. It seems to be a strong position in free agency this year and it's time to finally construct an elite O-line in Indy. Maybe use the draft for defense, especially with the 1st round pick helping the secondary. 

[chad72]

You dont need an elite one, just an efficient one that works well together. When you see the Giants' O-line open holes for Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw (though it was a few years ago), it was a thing of beauty. No one really called that O-line elite but they worked well together. That is what we need, an O-line that works real well together, responds correctly to the calls made by the QB, and Luck needs to do his part too by getting rid of the ball early helping out his O-line at times.

 

A combination of all the above factors will make us a very efficient and effective offense that controls tempo on the field. That is what I want - the sum of the parts to be greater than the parts themselves.

[jbaron04]

The oline is the number 1 priority , don't spend one penny until your o line guys that u want are set ,we have one starter and 4 pretty alright backup (last yr starters) on the team right now we need 4 starters on the oline 3 might come thru free agency and 1 thru draft

[ÅÐØNϧ 1]

Elite will take a couple of years ,

First thing to do is figure out what we have that can contribute in the future contracts as well as players who were injured  , There are a few linemen on both sides of the ball that might be a step up from last year  . Regardless the team has many needs the defense has been put off long enough , Ryan Grigson will just have to prove that he is indeed Executive of the Year . No doubt the line in front of Andrew Luck will be improved .

[SLILLINGTON10]

i tend to agree with chad, the ravens o-line didn't come together until the playoffs and they just had good chemistry. having said that, having all the chemistry in the world is not worth anything if there isn't any real talent either. i really believe with o-line there is no quick fix. FA that are worth anything are over priced and draft picks need about 3 years before they are worth a starting.

[TKnight24]

Elite? Not necessary.

Our GM is a Former Offensive Lineman. Like I've said before if we don't get an oline, something is wrong with that Picture. Honestly when Grigson was with the Eagles, he gave Vick a good oline. But due to injuries & Vicks style of play, that line collapsed

[Luck_Is_Skilled]

The Niners spent 3 first rounders in the last 5 years on the o line, for starters. If we did that, with the right players starting with Castanzo and a pick this year and maybe next year too we could be on track with that. I do expect we add atleast 2 long term starters on the line this year so that would cover 3 of 5 spots.

The only real way to build an elite line is through consistently smart drafting. It's the cheapest way to Keep your line intact over a long period. Add in an occasional free agent upgrade to solidify what you have and you're in business.

[gacker65]

I do not know about elite, but we can have a very good O-line built through the draft and FA, JMO

[chad72]

i tend to agree with chad, the ravens o-line didn't come together until the playoffs and they just had good chemistry. having said that, having all the chemistry in the world is not worth anything if there isn't any real talent either. i really believe with o-line there is no quick fix. FA that are worth anything are over priced and draft picks need about 3 years before they are worth a starting.

 

True. We dont need a bunch of first rounders but with the right free agent pickups that bring the right talent, experience and cohesion to the table, I think good chemistry with solid talent can be developed. Free agency is a better bet for OL contributions right away, so even with free agent pickups this year, I'd give it at least 2 years before excellent chemistry is formed. I just dont want our OL to be filled with journeymen, lets build it with pickups that have at least 4-5 good years left in them, preferably all under 30 so that they can bond together and grow together in the offense.

 

In this era of free agency, anything more than 4-5 years of cohesion is unrealistic expectation and I understand that.

[NewColtsFan]

I posted this months ago, (during the season) but I'll never find it again....

 

To sum up....   there was a story put out by Colts.com.....   Grigson was generally talking about building the team....

 

His quote that jumped out at me was that his goal was to build the best offensive line in football.    Now, he didn't say how he was going to do that...   FA or the draft,  nor did he say how long it would take....    only that it was his goal.

 

Gotta tell you,  that made me a happy Colts fan!!    With a great offensive line,  you can do almost anything...   any scheme you want...    and it makes the talent around you that much better....

 

I doubt we'll have the best OL in the NFL in 2013....   but I think we all believe it'll be dramatically improved over what we all witnessed this past year...

 

(of course,  it'd be hard to be much worse....)

 

Either way....   with this GM....   better days ahead for our OL...      

 

Oh....  dopy me....   to answer the OP's original question....   yes,  someday we'll have an elite Offensive Line...

[Carlos Danger]

If we want a truly elite OL, it will take more than this year's FA and draft to construct it, unless the staff and F.O. are willing to myopically focus on the OL and ignore other holes on the roster. I think we will get at least 2 pieces this offseason and finish the overhaul over the next season or 2... I hope our line ranks in the top half of the league next season... top 10 would be great... I don't know if we will ever have a top 5 OL and I'm not sure that we need one... To make matters more confusing, we will never truly know how good our OL can be if our QB reaches a level of skill that disguises many of their shortcomings... same goes for the WR corps, as well. Not a bad problem to have, though.

[TKnight24]

Honestly, I'm not asking for an "Elite" offensive line. Just give me a line that allows Luck to stand still for 5 Seconds & our RB's to have holes to run through. With this WCO we're running now, that's really all you need with the quick passing game it brings.

[Smonroe]

The Niners spent 3 first rounders in the last 5 years on the o line, for starters. If we did that, with the right players starting with Castanzo and a pick this year and maybe next year too we could be on track with that. I do expect we add atleast 2 long term starters on the line this year so that would cover 3 of 5 spots.

The only real way to build an elite line is through consistently smart drafting. It's the cheapest way to Keep your line intact over a long period. Add in an occasional free agent upgrade to solidify what you have and you're in business.

 

Yeah, that's a crap shoot too.  (Ugoh, Ijalana, Polak, all high draft picks)  

 

The only way to get proven players is to get proven players.  

[CR91]

oh how i would love to see luck get an oline like brady's three hundred hours

[BPM_Colt]

give me an above average OL to protect Luck and I will be more than happy

[throwing BBZ]

If it is understood that a line needs to play together for AT LEAST a couple years, of course we can get there.

Castonzo looks like an Mid-level tackle AT BEST, but what will he be in two years?

Add Vasquez as a FA. Draft Fluker for RT. And Ijalana comes back healthy and plays well at Guard, and we are really close.

That would be a LOAD of Big Bad Lineman starting game 1 next season. Ijalana/Fluker might switch?

We could most likely get a really good Center in rd 3 next year and be set. (I like Ol' Shipley though) ;)

One way to do it. Go Colts!

[shakedownstreet]

10-4

[AllYouNeedIsLuck]

If it is understood that a line needs to play together for AT LEAST a couple years, of course we can get there.

Castonzo looks like an Mid-level tackle AT BEST, but what will he be in two years?

Add Vasquez as a FA. Draft Fluker for RT. And Ijalana comes back healthy and plays well at Guard, and we are really close.

That would be a LOAD of Big Bad Lineman starting game 1 next season. Ijalana/Fluker might switch?

We could most likely get a really good Center in rd 3 next year and be set. (I like Ol' Shipley though) ;)

One way to do it. Go Colts!

What is Ijalana's status? I liked him coming out of college but he's always been too injured to have a chance. Is he healthy for the start of next season?

[Coltsfandenmark]

If anybody Can do it, its grigson! Looking forward to the o-Line play this season, prob not elite but atleast improved!

[throwing BBZ]

Ijalana was done last year in late July I believe. So 6 plus months into rehab.

A Big guy like that with a prior knee injury will likely need till the July camp to be ready. Maybe even brought along slow then?

We could sure use him healthy.

[Balzer40]

i hope we can build an elite o-line, but unless you get really lucky through draft picks its nearly impossible to do with cap restrictions and having to pay an elite QB which we all know Luck will be eventually. If we can just build a very good o-line, I would be completely happy. I don't think Grigson will make the same mistake Polian did here by choosing to just get less than mediocre talent at O-line and sink all the money into skill positions. Luck can do with the weapons he has as long as we build a solid o-line to protect him and able to run block.

[Carl Dzienkiewicz]

sign vogel,kunz,pratt,taylor and donaldson

[FalseStart]

O-Line Draft 2013

2 picks from the following list plus 1 FA:

 

DRAFT: Warmack, Cooper, Warford, Fluker, Jones, Johnson, Pugh, Watson, Long, Aboushi, Holmes, Bailey, Winters, Hawkinson...

FAGENT: Levitre, Schwartz,  etc... 

 

LT: Castonzo

LG: Warmack, Cooper, Warford 

C: Shipley, Satele, Jones

RG: Levitre, Schwartz, Ijalana, Fluker

RT: Johnson, Watson, Pugh, Aboushi, Long

[scousecolt]

A lot of it is down to coaching too, not sure who the coach has been but lately I haven't seen a single o-lineman overachieve for the colts. We've had some OK talent in that has played exactly that, just OK, think that's a part of the problem too.

[SLILLINGTON10]

True. We dont need a bunch of first rounders but with the right free agent pickups that bring the right talent, experience and cohesion to the table, I think good chemistry with solid talent can be developed. Free agency is a better bet for OL contributions right away, so even with free agent pickups this year, I'd give it at least 2 years before excellent chemistry is formed. I just dont want our OL to be filled with journeymen, lets build it with pickups that have at least 4-5 good years left in them, preferably all under 30 so that they can bond together and grow together in the offense.

 

In this era of free agency, anything more than 4-5 years of cohesion is unrealistic expectation and I understand that.

 i just don't see any truly elite OLine in FA that is priced right... hope i am wrong and grigs can bring some here for the right price. i just see us going after some no names and diamonds in the rough types.

[United We Stand]

Obviously we need lineman to be good at both run blocking and pass blocking, but they should be run blockers first.  WCO should allow for mostly quick passes.  That and a good run game will allow us to keep defenses off balance and then take our shots down field

[sb2001]

Probably when we have a crappy QB!

[Firedawgs]

I believe we can build an offensive line by getting the key positions through the draft or free agency (LT, (Castonzo), RT, C) but remember that undrafted free agents (Saturday, Jason Peters,) can and have help build some of the elite lines in the league. The thing that makes them elite is the personnel that are backing them up should someone go down to injury, someone to step in and not miss a beat. The WCO's short to meduim passing and play action should help with quick releases.

[jskinnz]

I do not know about elite, but we can have a very good O-line built through the draft and FA, JMO

So let me understand, the best way to build a quality offensive line is through through the draft and free agency? Interesting theory.

Tell me, what are the ways to build a crappy offensive line.

[pacolts56]

So let me understand, the best way to build a quality offensive line is through through the draft and free agency? Interesting theory.

Tell me, what are the ways to build a crappy offensive line.

Put Polian in charge.

[chad72]

 i just don't see any truly elite OLine in FA that is priced right... hope i am wrong and grigs can bring some here for the right price. i just see us going after some no names and diamonds in the rough types.

 

I do think the OG position is much harder to play than the OT position because you have to be aware of communicating with the center for double teams, deal with bigger DTs/NTs, and are responsible for a more direct path to the QB, and deal with more stunts and blitzes. OG position has to be boosted via free agency, the OT position has to be boosted via the draft for younger and quicker legs whose assignment most of the time will be dealing with edge rushers. I do think the assignments at the NFL level are tougher for OGs than OTs.

 

So, putting the money on OGs via free agency is a better bet, IMO.

[Andy]

The Colts had one 9 years ago...

 

... and with at least 35 more years of the NFL, I like our chances of having a good line.

 

The Colts have their left tackle of the future. That's a good start.

[Warhorse]

Shoot for a very good o-line. Great and elite just comes from a very good o-line staying healthy and at their starting positions for year after year.

[21isSuperman]

It's very easy to say how to build a good O-line, but it's incredibly difficult to actually do it.  Very few teams actually have really good O-lines.  The simple answer is to draft well.  Carl Nicks, Marshal Yanda, and Jahri Evans were taken in rounds 5, 3, and 4, respectively.  It is possible to find good talent later on in the draft, but it's very difficult to do.  It takes a number of things, in my opinion, to develop an elite offensive line:

 

-good talent

-good coaching

-consistent coaching/system (which can be difficult if you have a successful O-line since the coach may get other offers)

-players that stay healthy

-players that don't leave due to free agency

-the players play together for a long time (I've heard on multiple occasions that an offensive line will play better the longer they are together.  If you are constantly having to shuffle guys in and out, you will get no chemistry)

 

It's very hard to get all of those pieces together.  Will the Colts ever have one?  I'm sure we will at some point.  But I don't think it is a requirement for us to have one in order to be successful.  It doesn't need to be elite.  It just needs to be good.

[NewColtsFan]

Honestly, I'm not asking for an "Elite" offensive line. Just give me a line that allows Luck to stand still for 5 Seconds & our RB's to have holes to run through. With this WCO we're running now, that's really all you need with the quick passing game it brings.

 

 

Don't look now, but you just described an elite offensive line.....      Just sayin....

[UKColt13]

I think we could get a very respectable O line in the next two drafts and FAs.

[lollygagger8]

I like Justice, but as depth, not as a starter.

 

I know Satele has another year on his contract, but A.Q. should be starting Center.

 

Throw Castanzo over to the right side, and draft/pickup a guard and left tackle.

[chad72]

Don't look now, but you just described an elite offensive line.....      Just sayin....

 

Yeah, if Luck has 3 seconds consistently, I will be happy and take it as an improvement.

[TKnight24]

Don't look now, but you just described an elite offensive line..... Just sayin....

No... Elite is Tom Brady's line. I swear he just stands there. He could literally make a sandwich while he's back there smh

[Gavin]

We will have an elite O Line sometime, Its bound to happen, last year I would have just settled for below average but new that wasn't going to happen, It was going to be bad from day 1 that was a given, anyone who went back and watched some games from 2011 on Satele in Oakland and Mcglynn in Cincy and even before that in 2010 in Philly would have said the same thing. It was a given but Luck survived and hopefully we move forward come next year with actual NFL caliber O Linemen, If not then Luck should just put on body armor such as a jousting suit with lance in tow