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2009 Offensive Line Analysis - Indianapolis Colts

2009 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Tony Ugoh
Left Guard: Ryan Lilja
Center: Jeff Saturday
Right Guard: Mike Pollak
Right Tackle: Ryan Diem

2008 Injuries:
Ryan Lilja: All season
Mike Pollak: Weeks 1-3
Jeff Saturday: Weeks 1-2, 13-14
Tony Ugoh: Weeks 3-7

2008 Statistics:

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The Indianapolis Colts offensive line has been one of the main reasons for the team’s success in the past few years. In 2008, the Colts ranked 15th in yards of offense, the first time they were outside the top ten since Manning’s rookie year in 1998. This is no surprise when you look at the number of injuries that this line suffered in 2008. Despite those injuries, Manning was still sacked only 14 times but the Colts ranked last in the league in yards per carry with 3.4.

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. However, Ugoh has not been able to stay healthy in his first two NFL seasons and because of those injuries he has not improved as quickly as many expected him to after his rookie year. His third NFL season will be a very important one for him; he has to show that he can be the left tackle of the future for the Colts and that he can be relied on for years to come week in and week out. On the other side is 6’6” and 320 lbs Ryan Diem. Diem 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 30 and has a number of years left in the NFL as long as he can remain healthy. Last season Diem is the only player on the Colts line who managed to avoid injuries but he had missed 12 games in the six previous seasons.

At guard, the Colts hope to be able to count on the 6’2” and 290 lbs Ryan Lilja. Lilja underwent three surgeries on his knee and missed the entire 2008 season but is apparently feeling much better now and should be ready for the regular season. Lilja is not the strongest or most athletic guard but his great technique and awareness allow him to create holes in the running game. He is almost as important to this line as Jeff Saturday and he will need to be healthy if the Colts are to have any kind of success running the ball this season. Starting on the right side should be the 24-year old Mike Pollak. Pollak was selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft and made a very smooth transition to the guard position after playing center in college. He has good power and decent quickness but lacks technique and is susceptible to being pushed into the backfield. Pollak showed great improvement last year but should be much better this season if he has Saturday and Lilja on his left for the entire season. The top backup at both guard and tackle on this line is Charlie Johnson who is entering his fourth season in the NFL. He started all 16 games last season in place of Ryan Lilja and moved over to left tackle when Ugoh went down for a few games. Johnson did an adequate job at left tackle but he should not be relied on for an extended period of time to protect Manning’s blindside. Adding depth is backup guard Daniel Federkeil, a very athletic undrafted free agent out of Canada who started three games in place of Pollak last season.

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 was named to three straight Pro Bowls before last season. Saturday had only missed two games since 2000 but he suffered a leg injury last season and missed the first two games as well as a calf injury later in the year which also made him miss two games. In those four games, the Colts averaged only 2.7 yards per carry against opponents that allow on average 4.0 yards per carry. Saturday is healthy right now but he is 34 years old and age my catch-up with him sooner rather than later. The Colts drafted Jamey Richard in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL Draft and he started seven games last season including four at center in place of Saturday. Richard still has a lot to learn and probably still needs a few more years as a backup before the Colts can rely on him as a starter.

See all of our 2009 Offensive Line Analysis Articles