Indianapolis Colts: Offensive Line Must “Establish Themselves Physically”
By Kyle Nishida
There has been non-stop talk about the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line flaws. ESPN’s Mark Schlereth thinks the unit can improve if they pick up their level of physicality.
People have mixed opinions about Schlereth, but he does knows about offensive line play. He was offensive guard in the NFL for 12 seasons. Over that time, Schlereth won three Super Bowls and made two Pro Bowls.
On SportCenter, Schlereth was asked about how the Colts’ offensive line could protect starting quarterback Andrew Luck better. Schlereth responded with this answer:
"“I think one, establishing themselves physically. You need to go out there, you need to establish the line of scrimmage, you need to run the ball. Remember, they haven’t put up a 100-yard rusher in lord only knows long… It’s a ridiculous number of games. And then, you know Andrew Luck he took a beating last year. It’s never good when your quarterback goes on IR with internal injuries… So they’re just going to have to control the line of scrimmage. They’ve got to be technically sound, but more importantly physically sound.”"
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Schlereth’s suggestion is pretty accurate because the Colts have really struggled with physical play in the past. Their offensive line does not fire of the line of scrimmage and attack their opponents. Their opponents are the ones doing the attacking.
To be fair, it is not like the Colts are not trying to be physical. In the past, they have constantly worked on their physicality in practice. However, it always seems like the offensive line reverts back to a finesse style of play in games.
The Colts probably knew they needed to get more physical entering this offseason. Their offseason moves definitely reflect their desires to “establish themselves physically” on the offensive line.
The Colts drafted four young and hungry offensive linemen who look physically intimidating. They also brought in former Miami Dolphins’ head coach Joe Philbin, who is regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in football.
Hopefully, these additions help the Colts reach the level of physicality needed to protect Andrew Luck and run the football effectively.
As a side note, Schlereth is right about the Colts’ inability to have a 100-yard rusher a single game for a long time. The Colts have not had a running back eclipse 100 rushing yards since Vick Ballard in Week 15 of 2012. That is 55 games and counting when including the playoffs.
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The Colts still have about a month left before the regular season begins. That is still a good amount of time to practice with a physical mindset. However, practicing with a physical mindset is one thing.
The concern for the Indianapolis Colts is whether or not the offensive line can translate that mindset over into game day performances. They have struggled to do it in the past so only time will tell.