Great point. People forget that Peyton got rid of the ball fast and his command of the playcalling made the olines look a lot better than they actually were.

Let us not forget who gradually got more control within the Colts organization after the 2006 Championship.

I believe that had more to do with the poor drafting than any other factor.

This is incredible, if anyone missed it today:

https://www.albertbridgecapital.com/...ay-in-the-game

My best friend is basically this guy's kid. Powerful read. I really felt this one. Forever a K-Mo fan.

As a dog lover, I can really relate to this story. I have been through some down times like we all have but my dogs always keep me in the game.

Great post...

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Yeah he did. He drafted Costanzo. He also drafted Charlie Johnson, who played for the Colts and then they lost him in free agency, cap problems.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/J/JohnCh23.htm


Part of it was the cap, part of it was Howard Mudd. He could work with guys like Llija and ________ and make them searvicable. But he drafted Jake Scott and we lost him to free agency. Polian was working with a tighter cap and he made his own problems when he hit on so many players.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/clt/draft.htm


And remember, all that winning kept putting the Colts at the back end of the draft year after year. He hit on a bunch of late round guys who played long careers. Go look at the list. He had guys who were lost to free agency who played a long time. If there was a "failure", they should have let some guys go sooner than later, and kept the young guys.

Like Jerry Hughes? A douche bag here, and he figgured out if he didn't get his butt in gear he was out of the league after the Colts let him go. Its' a crap shoot on the draft. Antone Bethea is still playing, and he was a 6th rounder?

Every team has to decide what to emphasize. Where to invest the limited resources they have. Polian chose to play to Manning’s strengths - skill position players on O and a D that was designed to play with a lead. On the surface it makes some sense. However the team would have been better off to put resources into areas that would have allowed them to win when Manning wasn’t brilliant. Building a D that didn’t need a two touchdown lead to be at its best would be the best example. A stronger offensive line that could move the pile to get a yard when needed is another.

That change in philosophy needed to be made early in the building process. Once they started drafting at the bottom of every round and the cap space was tied up in the core of skill position players it became much harder to change the teams direction and identity. I’m thankful that, so far, Ballard doesn’t appear to be repeating that mistake (although like a few others I’m a little worried about the size of the interior D line).

Castonzo was drafted by his son and they were on their way out because they couldn’t fill those talent holes that they used to. Also Castonzo was just ok early in his career, not exactly a pass blocking prodigy. I think he was a poor fit for that system. Johnson was serviceable, and really did little once he moved on. Remember Ugoh beat him out initially for the job, Ugoh actually looked pretty good very early on then declined rapidly. Johnson benefited from Manning’s play, and was really on the field because he was the only one healthy.

As for the other stuff, doesn’t really change anything I said.

Polian was in charge, and took the blame.