Indianapolis Colts Offensive Line Analysis

2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Tony Ugoh
Left Guard: Ryan Lilja
Center: Jeff Saturday
Right Guard: Dylan Gandy / Charlie Johnson
Right Tackle: Ryan Diem

2007 Injuries:
LT Tony Ugoh: Weeks 8 to 12
RT Ryan Diem: Weeks 12 to 17
T Daniel Federkeil: Weeks 9 to 17

Overview:
The Indianapolis Colts offensive line has been one of the reason for Peyton Manning’s success in the past few years. About six weeks before the beginning of the 2007 season, starting LT Tarik Glenn announced his retirement which forced second round pick Tony Ugoh into the starting spot as a rookie. The Colts had to trade their 2008 first round pick as well as a fourth round pick in 2007 to move up and draft Ugoh but in retrospect it was a great move. The Colts depth on the offensive line was tested in 2007 when Ugoh went down in week 8 and backup tackle Daniel Federkeil went down the next week. This forced backup Charlie Johnson into Ugoh’s spot while RG Jake Scott had to shift to RT to replace Diem and Dylan Gandy stepped in at RG. Michael Toudouze was signed from the practice squad in week 10 and saw some action right away against the Chargers.

The Colts are in excellent shape at tackle with Tony Ugoh on the left side and Ryan Diem on the right. Ugoh is an excellent run blocker and showed it in college with Arkansas when blocking for the duo of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. Ugoh still has to improve his pass blocking technique but definitely has the potential to become a Pro Bowl level tackle in years to come. Diem on the other hand has good technique and is very strong but his lack of speed can hurt him at times against speedy defensive ends. He is still only 29 and has a number of years left in the NFL as long as he can remain healthy. Backup tackle Daniel Federkeil is a very athletic undrafted free agent out of Canada who was used as a special teams player in 2007 but also provides depth on the line. Michael Toudouze who was signed from the practice squad last year played a few games in 2007 and did not look too bad.

At guard, the Colts recently resigned Ryan Lilja to a one year deal to return on the left side. Lilja is not the strongest or most athletic guard but his great technique and awareness allow him to create holes in the running game. The situation is a little more complicated on the right side with Jake Scott signing a long term deal with the Tennessee Titans in the off-season. The position will likely be filled by either Dylan Gandy or Charlie Johnson, both of whom saw action in 2007 due to injuries to the rest of the line. Both are young players who still have a lot to learn but who have both seen a lot of action in the past two seasons and should be ready to step in for Scott. Johnson is a tackle who could be moved to guard if he wins the battle over Gandy in camp.

At center, the Colts rely on another undersized lineman with excellent technique in Jeff Saturday. He is a leader for this line and a very hard worker who has been named to three straight Pro Bowls. Saturday will be entering his 10th season with the Colts in 2008 and has only missed two games since 2000. The Colts drafted Mike Pollak in the second round of the draft and he will likely be Saturday's replacement in a few years. Pollak has good power and decent quickness but lacks technique and is susceptible to being pushed into the backfield. He will however have a great mentor in Jeff Saturday and should be ready to come in sooner rather than later if required to do so.

2008 Outlook:
Last season, the Colts line showed they could adjust very well and be pretty solid no matter who was on the field. Gandy or Johnson should have no problem filling in for Lilja at RG but the problem might be if one or two linemen were to go down with an injury, there is little depth after those guys. Ugoh will continue to improve as he adjusts to the NFL game and although the rest of the line is aging, they are not a group that relies on their athletic abilities much so they should be able to continue to play at a very good level. Until Ugoh went down in week 8, the Colts had given up only five sacks in six games and were averaging 4.5 yards per carry. In the next ten games with either Ugoh or Diem absent, they gave up 18 sacks and averaged only 3.3 yards per carry. The loss of Lilja will hurt and I doubt the statistics will be as impressive as they were in those first six games but with a full training camp to work together, the line should be much better overall than it was in the injury filled 2007 season.