Will the Colts’ Offensive Line Hold?

September 22, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Indianapolis Colts tackle Anthony Castonzo (74) blocks San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith (99) during the third quarter at Candlestick Park. The Colts defeated the 49ers 27-7. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Mayday, mayday; the offensive line is sinking and it’s sinking fast.

The Indianapolis Colts have had their fair share of offensive injuries last season with several starters hobbled for most of the year. That seems to continue this year as the offensive line has sustained several injuries that may derail the Colts before the season even started.

Starting guard Donald Thomas, an impact player who was returning from a torn quadricep, re-tore his quad this preseason, resulting in the end of his season before it began. To boot, the Colts have had to endure semi-serious leg injuries on the offensive line, including an ankle sprain from starting center Khaled Holmes and a broken ankle from tackle Ulrick John. Finally, rookie Jack Mewhort has been fighting off a hamstring issue, making his practice reps tough to come by.

This offensive line is in panic mode and it’s not even Week 1 yet.

I’d be scared too if two of the biggest impact positions on offense were just taken off the field. Thomas, who has worked so hard to get back and rejoin the team at the guard spot has to take another hiatus from the game while Holmes has trained all offseason for this center spot; he’s all the Colts have.

Hopefully, Holmes will be ready for the opener, which would put a spark back into the offense, but it hasn’t been pretty since. While starting running back Trent Richardson looks like he knows what he’s doing in the backfield, the offensive lines will not make holes for him. The inexperience and youth shows on the interior of the line in the run game. We haven’t started the season yet and the Colts already may have to become a pass-first team because of the inability to make any decent run blocks.

Jonotthan Harrison has done less than stellar in replacement for Holmes at center and Mewhort hasn’t been able to see the field much since having to take over the guard spot from Thomas. While opposite guard Hugh Thornton has been solid, the Achilles Heel of this offense is very obviously the two interior guys. Teams will pick up on inexperience and game-plan around it, something that Denver is sure to be doing right now.

Tackles Anthony Castonzo and Gosder Cherilus may be the only ones that can keep this offense sane after all these injuries. If there’s any solace for a Colts fan, it’s that the outside tackles are solid. Both Castonzo and Cherilus can run block decently while both excelling on pass blocking.

The depth behind the starting five isn’t pretty. Lance Louis and Xavier Nixon will likely make the roster along with Joe Reitz. The great thing is that these guys are versatile and have experience playing at almost every position on the offensive line. However, they are mediocre, no matter what position they play.

The Colts aren’t in a tailspin yet, but one bad injury could make this team wonder how this offense could have been ran with healthy guys.