O-line switch around

[Valpo2004]

So what does everyone think of our switching the O-line around and putting Mewhort back at left guard and sending Reitz out to RT.

 

Honestly I thought it was an improvement over what we had before.  However it's hard for me to tell if we would not have been better off leaving Mewhort at RT and just putting Reitz at LG.  Honestly I think Reitz is an improvement over either guard that we have had there.

 

And despite many of his struggles so was Hugh Thornton.

 

That all said, it is clear to me that this O-line still badly need upgrades.  

[pgt_rob]

It was for the better I think. Luck still took some hard hits. It just really shows that playing guard and tackle in the NFL is tough. I wish our young guys would be clicking and doing a great job by now. It's kind of hard to watch for Luck's sake. I'm curious about what Denzell Good can bring to the table.

[MTC]

The running game was better as more holes were created. 

 

Pass blocking a slight improvement. Need Thornton out of there. 

[BrentMc11]

It was for the better I think. Luck still took some hard hits. It just really shows that playing guard and tackle in the NFL is tough. I wish our young guys would be clicking and doing a great job by now. It's kind of hard to watch for Luck's sake. I'm curious about what Denzell Good can bring to the table.

The hardest was from a major league whiff by Anthony Castonzo from the back side.  That hurt watching it.  OUCH!!!

[csmopar]

The hardest was from a major league whiff by Anthony Castonzo from the back side.  That hurt watching it.  OUCH!!!

yeah from our stud LT.......

[BrentMc11]

Thornton played hard and mean.  He got a raw deal on 2 of those holding penalties.  His run blocking was very good after watching Herremans and Louis.

 

I have always liked Joe Reitz and I have stated for 5-7 years now he should still be next to AC on the left.

 

People are slamming on the offensive line?  Five teams had four or more sacks yesterday, and 3 had 3......including TN.

 

The line was improved.

[BrentMc11]

yeah from our stud LT.......

You just knew it would happen after signing his name on the dotted line...

[#12.]

Pep's play calling is as much, if not more, of a problem than the O-line play. It needs to be a combination of better play calling, better O-line play. A quick/short passing game = fewer penalties, fewer turnovers, longer sustained drives.

[csmopar]

You just knew it would happen after signing his name on the dotted line...

yep. He's not been playing particularly well the last 3 weeks either

[John Waylon]

yeah from our stud LT.......

Maybe you care to point out the player that makes 100% of the plays?

[pgt_rob]

Also wanted to add that I thought Thornton getting called on those 2 holding penalties back to back almost were tacky... It appeared that the defender fell forward both times and Thornton had his hands on him which made it look like he "slammed" him to the ground. I didn't think it was his fault.

[BrentMc11]

Maybe you care to point out the player that makes 100% of the plays?

Nobody not Everyone......(Where is Nobody?)  

[John Waylon]

I don't think the changes helped much. The pocket wasn't good at any point yesterday. Pressure is still getting to Luck on a consistent basis.

All of these guys outside of Costanzo and MAYBE Mewhort need to go IMO. We're settling for mediocre or worse players up front. Holmes isn't bad, but I think it's a stretch to say he's good. But yet we're settling for that.

Mewhort certainly hasn't looked as encouraging as he did last year so far this season.

Hopefully our next GM gets it fixed because it is plainly painfully obvious at this point that Grigson simply is not capable of fixing it.

[Track Guy]

Thornton played hard and mean.  He got a raw deal on 2 of those holding penalties.  His run blocking was very good after watching Herremans and Louis.

 

I have always liked Joe Reitz and I have stated for 5-7 years now he should still be next to AC on the left.

 

People are slamming on the offensive line?  Five teams had four or more sacks yesterday, and 3 had 3......including TN.

 

The line was improved.

 

I don't get why they moved Mewhort to LG and put Reitz at RT. Why not just put Reitz at LG? Then Mewhort doesn't have to switch sides, which can be a little tricky to do mid-season. 

[BrentMc11]

I don't get why they moved Mewhort to LG and put Reitz at RT. Why not just put Reitz at LG? Then Mewhort doesn't have to switch sides, which can be a little tricky to do mid-season. 

I was a little shocked when I saw it.  You make a valid point for sure.  Coaches must seem to think he is a tackle now...I see him being a better guard since he has bulked up over the years.  

 

Gore got a lot of his yards to the right.  Maybe they did something reit..z.  

[King Colt]

Yesterday it was said during the game about the defense, "they just don't have the big names to stop the opponents"  and I think the same holds true for the offense. The offensive coordinator was not picked by Pagano and big things are coming in terms of personnel changes. Simple truth Luck is fighting for his life and for a look in to the future watch what happened to Roethlisberger yesterday.

[csmopar]

Maybe you care to point out the player that makes 100% of the plays?

Granted  but so far, AC has been playing poorly. The entire team has especially Luck and the OL

[Smash Mouth]

I don't think the changes helped much. The pocket wasn't good at any point yesterday. Pressure is still getting to Luck on a consistent basis.

All of these guys outside of Costanzo and MAYBE Mewhort need to go IMO. We're settling for mediocre or worse players up front. Holmes isn't bad, but I think it's a stretch to say he's good. But yet we're settling for that.

Mewhort certainly hasn't looked as encouraging as he did last year so far this season.

Hopefully our next GM gets it fixed because it is plainly painfully obvious at this point that Grigson simply is not capable of fixing it.

I think Mewhort is getting a raw deal. He plays well last year at LG, then gets moved to RT, and now he's back at RG.  He's a 2nd year player not a grisly veteran.  Our GM, or the next one, needs to build some stability on the OL.  Leave Mewhort alone and fix the other positions.

[Smash Mouth]

I was a little shocked when I saw it.  You make a valid point for sure.  Coaches must seem to think he is a tackle now...I see him being a better guard since he has bulked up over the years.  

 

Gore got a lot of his yards to the right.  Maybe they did something reit..z.  

They ran to the right-side pretty effectively.  Thornton and Rietz were solid running the football.  The whole line is inconsistent with pass blocking.

[Surge89]

So what does everyone think of our switching the O-line around and putting Mewhort back at left guard and sending Reitz out to RT.

 

Honestly I thought it was an improvement over what we had before.  However it's hard for me to tell if we would not have been better off leaving Mewhort at RT and just putting Reitz at LG.  Honestly I think Reitz is an improvement over either guard that we have had there.

 

And despite many of his struggles so was Hugh Thornton.

 

That all said, it is clear to me that this O-line still badly need upgrades.  

 

I am against it.  No need to move Mewhort.  No need to put Reitz on an island.  In fact I think this oline was weaker than our first 2 games against better defenses.  Jmo though. 

 

This Oline can be the oline we need but we need to mask the short comings instead of exposing them. Until that is done we will continue to complain about the Oline. 

 

Edit* Also I didn't like that against the Lebeau defense we didn't run 2 RB sets.  Lebeau loves to confuse guards with run overs and expose the middle of the pocket.  Why did we not have an adequate gameplan to counter that?  2 RB in the backfield is not only perfect protection against those blitz's but also gives us a great check down game.  But of course...

[chad72]

At this point, I feel get the right guy at LG and build some continuity. No more horsing around unless an injury happens. Reitz and Mewhort, let them be on the right side and build some chemistry there.

 

Justin Blalock, former Atlanta Falcons guard, who retired, maybe they can call him?

 

He was pretty solid in fact before he retired.

 

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2015/03/report_detroit_lions_in_the_mi.html

[BrentMc11]

They ran to the right-side pretty effectively.  Thornton and Rietz were solid running the football.  The whole line is inconsistent with pass blocking.

They really did, and all I read is Thornton needs to go.  Even old Bob Lamey said "These new young officials obviously do not know what holding is."  Thornton played mean and then got meaner with the calls.

[Valpo2004]

I don't think the changes helped much. The pocket wasn't good at any point yesterday. Pressure is still getting to Luck on a consistent basis.

All of these guys outside of Costanzo and MAYBE Mewhort need to go IMO. We're settling for mediocre or worse players up front. Holmes isn't bad, but I think it's a stretch to say he's good. But yet we're settling for that.

Mewhort certainly hasn't looked as encouraging as he did last year so far this season.

Hopefully our next GM gets it fixed because it is plainly painfully obvious at this point that Grigson simply is not capable of fixing it.

 

Considering all the guys we do have to replace, "isn't bad" makes him the 3rd best lineman on our team.  Which means he'll probably be here for a couple more years.  

 

So many guys that need replacing more then he does.  

 

True we where missing Toler (although this is his contract year anyways) but we need better DB's and a pass rush.  Luck didn't touch the ball at all the 2nd quarter.  Titans drove the field, we got the Int for a TD and then they just drove the field again to close out the quarter.  Not saying Luck didn't blow it a few times and the OL wasn't a part of that, but that quarter was a huge reason the Time of Possession was so majorly in the Titans favor.  Mariota just picked our D apart and had all day in the pocket to do it with.  Similar issue in the 3rd quarter.

[GoColts8818]

yeah from our stud LT.......

who had a bad game. It happens. I wouldn't worry too much about him.

[lollygagger8]

Thornton is a good run blocker, but horrible pass protector. 

 

If Mewhort is going to be our RT of the future, then why not leave him there? If he isn't, why didn't we bring in Jake Long, Evan Mathis, etc for a workout? 

 

Reitz is money at LG next to Castanzo. I don't understand putting him at RT. 

 

I think Harrison should be tried at guard. He was much better there than at C. 

[GoColts00]

I am against it.  No need to move Mewhort.  No need to put Reitz on an island.  In fact I think this oline was weaker than our first 2 games against better defenses.  Jmo though. 

 

This Oline can be the oline we need but we need to mask the short comings instead of exposing them. Until that is done we will continue to complain about the Oline. 

 

Edit* Also I didn't like that against the Lebeau defense we didn't run 2 RB sets.  Lebeau loves to confuse guards with run overs and expose the middle of the pocket.  Why did we not have an adequate gameplan to counter that?  2 RB in the backfield is not only perfect protection against those blitz's but also gives us a great check down game.  But of course...

^^^^This

[Dark Superman]

I can't believe the Colts would even try to attempt this..

 

They really need to make a trade for a guard or RT.

 

This is just getting ridiculous.

[Bluefire4]

I think that right move next week is letting Herremans get another shot at RG and leaving everyone else in the same spot.

[Doctor Mad]

This is management's fault.  We indicated that the OLine assingments wouldn't change.  Yesterday, we moved Mewhort back to LG, bring in Thorton to RG and Reitz to RT.  Here we go again.  changes, changes.  No wonder we can't block effectively!  We keep changinf assignments.  No continuity!  We had shots at obtaining Iupati, Incognito and Mathis and chose to pass.  Now we are paying the price.  No more changes, please.

[TheRustonRifle#7]

I unfortunately couldn't watch the game down here in south Florida but I am glad they made the change and hope they stick with it moving forward? I do however feel that it may be more prudent to move Reitz to LG and leave Jake a RT. I don't like the idea of moving him around too much this early in his career?

[Colts_Fan12]

I don't think the changes helped much. The pocket wasn't good at any point yesterday. Pressure is still getting to Luck on a consistent basis.

All of these guys outside of Costanzo and MAYBE Mewhort need to go IMO. We're settling for mediocre or worse players up front. Holmes isn't bad, but I think it's a stretch to say he's good. But yet we're settling for that.

Mewhort certainly hasn't looked as encouraging as he did last year so far this season.

Hopefully our next GM gets it fixed because it is plainly painfully obvious at this point that Grigson simply is not capable of fixing it.

agree 100% we can only hope we get a new GM at seasons end

[BpG]

This is management's fault.  We indicated that the OLine assingments wouldn't change.  Yesterday, we moved Mewhort back to LG, bring in Thorton to RG and Reitz to RT.  Here we go again.  changes, changes.  No wonder we can't block effectively!  We keep changinf assignments.  No continuity!  We had shots at obtaining Iupati, Incognito and Mathis and chose to pass.  Now we are paying the price.  No more changes, please.

 

 

This.

 

 

I was on this board screaming that Incognito would be the PERFECT fit for the Colts at a bare minimum price!

 

Incognito and Mathis would have come cheap on one year deals and been PERFECT! 

[GoColts8818]

This is management's fault.  We indicated that the OLine assingments wouldn't change.  Yesterday, we moved Mewhort back to LG, bring in Thorton to RG and Reitz to RT.  Here we go again.  changes, changes.  No wonder we can't block effectively!  We keep changinf assignments.  No continuity!  We had shots at obtaining Iupati, Incognito and Mathis and chose to pass.  Now we are paying the price.  No more changes, please.

last I checked Mathis wasn't playing that great in Denver but I didn't watch the Sunday night game so that could have improved.

As for changes the starters weren't getting the job done they had to try something. I would expect after Sunday they will try something else at least at right guard and keep trying things until they feel they have the best group they have out there. While continuity is ideal if Luck keeps taking the beating he has been its not worth it until you at least figure out what's the best you have.

I think it's pretty clear they could have done more to address the line in free agency. They choose not too and elected to try to trust the guys they drafted. They missed on Thorton and it's showing big time right now. I agree more needs to be done but I also feel like constantly talking about guys they could have signed is crying over spilled milk at this point. They can't go back and get them now. Hopefully Grigson has learned from his mistakes and will correct them in the very near future. If not a new Colts GM hopefully will.

[GoColts8818]

I think that right move next week is letting Herremans get another shot at RG and leaving everyone else in the same spot.

while he's not great I do think he's the best guard we have right now outside of Mewhort.

[pgt_rob]

This.

 

 

I was on this board screaming that Incognito would be the PERFECT fit for the Colts at a bare minimum price!

 

Incognito and Mathis would have come cheap on one year deals and been PERFECT! 

 

Mathis isn't perfect. Still trying to catch on. He let Peyton eat dirt a few times already. Luck probably doesn't respect Incognito after the whole verbal abuse ordeal with his old teammate. It's whatever though, we need someone that can perform halfway decently or Luck is toast this year. Sad to say.

[BpG]

Mathis isn't perfect. Still trying to catch on. He let Peyton eat dirt a few times already. Luck probably doesn't respect Incognito after the whole verbal abuse ordeal with his old teammate. It's whatever though, we need someone that can perform halfway decently or Luck is toast this year. Sad to say.

 

Football players respect other players who can execute and Incognito has been BURYING people this year already.

 

https://vine.co/v/eQhpDA3WT3A

 

https://vine.co/v/exY6P6xM27b

[Archer]

I think the idea was that we wanted to get some decent guard play, so we put our best option (Mewhort) there.  It kinda worked - it stabilized the interior of the line and led the way to some good running up the middle.  The problem many have with the move is that it takes our best option at RT (Mewhort) away.  As far as Reitz goes, he was pretty terrible at run-blocking when he played LG a few years back.  For whatever reason, at LG he is a good pass-blocker and a terrible run-blocker.  At RT, he's a good run-blocker and a low-end pass-blocker...

[pgt_rob]

Football players respect other players who can execute and Incognito has been BURYING people this year already.

 

https://vine.co/v/eQhpDA3WT3A

 

https://vine.co/v/exY6P6xM27b

 

There's no doubt that I would think he's a decent pick up for the Colts (too late now). But my speculation was that Luck probably doesn't have respect for him. Incognito bullied his friend for a long time and he ended up stepping away from football the following season. But I could be way wrong, just my opinion.

[Superman]

Here's my thoughts on how/why this change happened, and what impact it had.

 

We had Mewhort at RT, and he was doing okay, but we were forced to keep TEs in to block more often on the right side. There was a multi layered effect on our offense, and even though Mewhort wasn't playing bad, it wasn't optimal. Putting him back at LG theoretically solves any issues on the left side. Both he and AC missed some blocks in the last game, so it's not perfect yet, but you figure they'll both settle in and play well. 

 

Reitz has better movement and is more seasoned as a pass protector at RT. He did a reasonable job in the playoffs last year, but he didn't have a good preseason at any position. Well he did a good job on Sunday, and that's without the amount of help that Mewhort has been getting from TEs (Fleener and Doyle each had four pass blocking snaps; Allen had 13 pass block snaps by himself in Week 1). And most notably, and most encouraging, IMO, is that Reitz did a really good job run blocking.

 

So the early result, if we're being optimistic about the left side, is that LT, LG, C and RT are adequate, with the potential to be good. 

 

The big question mark is at RG. No one wants Herremans back in the lineup, right? After rewatching the game, I think Thornton's struggles were overblown. I said during the game that the penalties were mostly bogus, and his mini meltdown was exaggerated. All told, he was far better than Herremans, and without the penalties, it wouldn't even be close. Maybe it's confirmation bias because I already think Thornton has the potential to be really good, but I at least rewatched the game and paid close attention to him, rather than deciding he should be cut over a few rough plays.

 

I was glad to see this change. It's the lineup I was hoping for during the offseason. Let Louis and Harrison backup at interior line, and Herremans can backup at tackle (because he's not getting it done at guard), along with Good. If we keep running the football, and get the rhythm passing game going, I think the line will be good enough against everyone we play this year.

[Track Guy]

Here's my thoughts on how/why this change happened, and what impact it had.

 

We had Mewhort at RT, and he was doing okay, but we were forced to keep TEs in to block more often on the right side. There was a multi layered effect on our offense, and even though Mewhort wasn't playing bad, it wasn't optimal. Putting him back at LG theoretically solves any issues on the left side. Both he and AC missed some blocks in the last game, so it's not perfect yet, but you figure they'll both settle in and play well. 

 

Reitz has better movement and is more seasoned as a pass protector at RT. He did a reasonable job in the playoffs last year, but he didn't have a good preseason at any position. Well he did a good job on Sunday, and that's without the amount of help that Mewhort has been getting from TEs (Fleener and Doyle each had four pass blocking snaps; Allen had 13 pass block snaps by himself in Week 1). And most notably, and most encouraging, IMO, is that Reitz did a really good job run blocking.

 

So the early result, if we're being optimistic about the left side, is that LT, LG, C and RT are adequate, with the potential to be good. 

 

The big question mark is at RG. No one wants Herremans back in the lineup, right? After rewatching the game, I think Thornton's struggles were overblown. I said during the game that the penalties were mostly bogus, and his mini meltdown was exaggerated. All told, he was far better than Herremans, and without the penalties, it wouldn't even be close. Maybe it's confirmation bias because I already think Thornton has the potential to be really good, but I at least rewatched the game and paid close attention to him, rather than deciding he should be cut over a few rough plays.

 

I was glad to see this change. It's the lineup I was hoping for during the offseason. Let Louis and Harrison backup at interior line, and Herremans can backup at tackle (because he's not getting it done at guard), along with Good. If we keep running the football, and get the rhythm passing game going, I think the line will be good enough against everyone we play this year.

 

I can see that, but it still confuses me that they put Mewhort on the left side and Thornton on the right while they did most of their work in the preseason on the opposite side. Seems like you'd just slide Mewhort in to RG and put Thornton at LG, but I suppose they played last season with Mewhort at LG and Thornton saw a lot of RG. I would've been tempted to Leave Mewhort at RT and put Reitz at LG but your logic makes sense.