Twenty questions with the Indianapolis Colts . . . No. 10: Will the offensive line improve in 2009?

QUESTION NO. 10: WILL THE INDIANAPOLIS COLTS' OFFENSIVE LINE BE BETTER IN 2009?

If people around the Indianapolis Colts were vocal about anything this offseason, it was that no one liked how the offensive line performed in 2008.

They were vocal about one other thing, too:

The line has to get better in 2009. A whole lot better.

(Note: This is the 10th of a 20-part Examiner series on the Indianapolis Colts -- Twenty Questions with the Colts -- leading into 2009 training camp. Over 20 days, we'll take a look at 20 questions facing the team entering the season . . .)

The Colts, after having one of the NFL's most-solid, reliable, productive lines for much of the past decade, weren't awful last season. They performed well enough to allow quarterback Peyton Manning to win a third Most Valuable Player Award in six seasons, and they performed well enough for the team to win 12 or more games for a sixth consecutive season. But to hear members of the line tell it, the unit wasn't up to its lofty standards, and a priority is getting back to those standards in 2009.

Said offensive tackle Ryan Diem: We were real inconsistent in the run game. It just wasn’t good enough. That’s where we hang our hats. The run game is very representative of the offensive line play. When you’re averaging whatever we averaged – 3.0-something (per carry) – that’s not good enough. It’s definitely something we want to improve on this year. I put no blame on the running backs whatsoever, because if they don’t have anywhere to go, it’s not their fault. It’s something we definitely need to fine-tune and get working a lot better, because it just opens up the rest of the offense. I think now we have a group that has more experience. You take our three young guys (Pollak, Richard and guard/center Steve Justice) and they all have a couple of games under their belt. They have a better grasp of the offense. Hopefully, we have Ryan Lilja back. Me and Jeff are still here and Tony’s got another year. Charlie’s coming along great. I think he played fantastic last year and we look to good things this year.

Said three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday: We've got to be better. There's definitley unfinished business.

Said Colts Head Coach Jim Caldwell: I think it’s huge. It has to be solidified. It has to improve in terms of the running game. I think that’s imperative. Obviously when you look at us and look at that area, that’s one where we were lacking. It’s not a situation where we’re going to be able to go out and throw the ball every down. You can’t do that in this league. You’re not going to be able to survive without controlling the line of scrimmage and that’s what the run game does. So, yes, that’s important, but we have some guys who are hopefully getting a little healthier. The other part of it that can’t be discounted is we did have some younger players playing in that line last year. Often times, if you go through hardships all of a sudden the next year you say, ‘We were much better because of that.’ We have more depth. We’ve developed more depth. No one’s timid about putting a young guy in the game who has had an immense amount of experience. It’s two-fold. You might suffer a bit when you’re going through it, but in the long run, you come out. You get Lilja back – now all of a sudden you have some experience and some depth and we think we can develop into a real formidable front.

Perhaps the most telling comment about the urgency and seriousness with which the Colts are working to improve the line in the offseason came from Owner and Chief Executive Officer Jim Irsay: Our ability to rush the football was completely unacceptable last year. It was more of a miracle that we were able to disguise the problem so much and go so far and do so much with it being such a problem.

As Irsay said, the main issue with the line was the inability to sustain an effective running game. The Colts, after ranking in the Top 20 to Top 25 in rushing nearly every season from 1999 to 2007, slipped to 31st in that area last season. They rushed for more than 100 yards in a game just three times and averaged 79.6 yards a game.

In the Colts' offensive system, that's not enough. As Caldwell mentioned, it meant too often the Colts didn't control the line of scrimmage last season, and that meant not only didn't they run effectively at times, but also that the play-action passing game -- which depends on an effective running game -- was not the weapon it had been in the past. Many of the Colts' big, game-breaking plays come out of play-action and the Colts consider run, pass and play-action the three primary posts in their offensive structure. Two didn't work effectviely last season and the result was their lowest overall offensive ranking -- 15th -- since 1998.

The Colts are focused on improving the area this season, and a big reason to think that focus will reap benefits is that OG Ryan Lilja -- who missed last season with a knee injury -- participated in organized team activities and is expected to return next season. Lilja is a quality run-blocker, and the team typically runs better with him in the lineup. Saturday is back, as is Diem, and offensive tackle Tony Ugoh and guard Mike Pollak -- entering their third and second seasons, respectively -- should be better with a year experience.

The members of the offensive line have been candid this offseason about the need to improve. They have gone out of their way to not blame the running backs for last year's problems, and to take responsibility for the situation. All signs point to a real chance to improve the area next season, which will be key to the team's chances for re-gaining the AFC South title they held from 2003-2007.

QUESTION NO. 10: WILL THE COLTS' OFFENSIVE LINE BE BETTER IN 2009?

Answer: Yes, not only because they would almost have to be, but also because G Ryan Lilja seems to be returning to health and this unit is as focused as they have been in some time.

EXAMINER SERIES: TWENTY QUESTIONS WITH THE COLTS . . .

1) Will Jim Sorgi be the backup quarterback?

2) Will Special Teams be Special?

3) Who will be the Colts' breakout player in 2009?

4) Will loss of former Head Coach Tony Dungy hurt in 2009?

5) What will defense look like in 2009?

6) Will DT Ed Johnson impact the defense in 2009?

7) How important is the return of OG Ryan Lilja in 2009?

8) Will K Adam Vinatieri be ready in 2009?

9) Will WRs be improved in 2009?

THE POSITION-BY-POSITION PRE-TRAINING CAMP SERIES: