Far too early to write off offensive tackle Tony Ugoh as key part of Indianapolis Colts' future

Indianapolis Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell (AP)

Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser takes a look at Indianapolis Colts offensive tackle Tony Ugoh's chances of returning to the starting lineup . . .

It may be too early to eliminate Tony Ugoh as a cricial part of the Indianapolis Colts' future after all.

Ugoh, after two seasons starting at left offensive tackle, was moved to backup right tackle/left tackle/guard last week, a major demotion and crucial career crossroads for a player brought in two seasons ago to fill on a long-term basis the high-profile and franchise-critical role of protecting three-time Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning's blind side.

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When Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell made the move, he spoke candidly of Ugoh. He said the former second-round selection from Arkansas had played well as a rookie, but not so well last season. The Colts, he said, discussed moving veteran tackle Charlie Johnson into the left tackle position for offseason and minicamps, but Johnson sustained a pectoral injury.

That gave Ugoh, for whom the Colts traded a 2008 first-round selection to move up to take him in Round 2 in 2007, another opportunity in organized team activities and minicamps to "prove himself," as Caldwell put it.

"I think he made some progress, but not quite enough," Caldwell said a day after the announcement.

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So, when Johnson returned early this week, he began working at left tackle and Ugoh spent the week working at backup right tackle. He talked of continuing to work hard, and also of the difficulty of adapting to the right side, likening it to a left-handed person learning to write right-handed.

But with Johnson held out of the Colts' preseason loss to Minnesota on Friday for precautionary reasons, Ugoh started at left tackle. He then played guard, and the early thought among fans and observers was he played well. On Saturday, Caldwell confirmed those thoughts.

"Tony Ugoh played much better," Caldwell said. "He really made some progress and came along. We are certainly pleased with the progress he's making."

It's too early to say Ugoh will definitely get his job back. This was one preseason game, but you just got a feeling more and more last week that while the Colts made the move to start Johnson in an effort to get the best offensive line possible on the field they also were very much wanting Ugoh -- a guy in which they have a lot of time and draft equity invested -- to take a step up in performance. I hate the term, "Lighting a fire" under a guy, but the way the Colts did this -- coming out quickly and publicly with the Johnson-Ugoh switch and discussing Ugoh's performance as candidly as they did -- sure made this seem a lot more like that kind of a move than was typically the case in seven seasons with Tony Dungy as head coach.

One other thing Caldwell said this past week discussing Ugoh was the Colts were "anticipating that he's going to make a leap here shortly." One preseason game isn't exactly a leap, but it's a start, and you get a real idea Ugoh's going to get every chance to leap back into his old job.

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