INDIANAPOLIS -- Here's a look at the Colts' positional snaps along the offensive line this season:
OFFENSIVE LINE (1,155 total snaps)
LT Anthony Castonzo 1,155 snaps (100 percent)
G Jack Mewhort 986 snaps (85.3 percent)
RT Gosder Cherilus 950 snaps (82.2 percent)
C Jonotthan Harrison 693 snaps (60 percent)
G Hugh Thornton 565 snap (48.9 percent)
G Lance Louis 527 snaps (45.6 percent)
C/G A.Q. Shipley 423 snaps (36.6 percent)
G/T Joe Reitz 270 snaps (23.3 percent)
C Khaled Holmes 171 snaps (14.8 percent)
T Xavier Nixon 96 snaps (8.3 percent)
T Jamon Meredith 15 snaps (1.2 percent)
There was no unit ravished by injuries on the Colts more than the offensive line. They started 11 different groups on the line. The highlight was that they were able to start the same group up front during the three playoff games. But despite the constant shuffling, the unit only gave up 27 sacks, which was a career low for quarterback Andrew Luck.
Castonzo, who didn't miss a snap all season, was the only offensive linemen to play at least 86 percent of the snaps.
A sign of things to come occurred on the first drive in the preseason opener in August. Holmes, the projected starter at center since early in the offseason, suffered a high-ankle sprain that kept him sidelined the rest of the preseason and put him third on the depth chart during the early portion of the season. Harrison, an undrafted rookie free agent, moved into the starting lineup, but then he was dealing with a thumb injury. Shipley went from being released by the Baltimore Ravens to starting Week 1 at Denver days later.
Stay with me. It's just getting interesting.
Shipley, for a reason that nobody in the organization would discuss, lost his job to Harrison in Week 5. Shipley not only lost the job, he fell to third on the depth chart behind Holmes. The Colts stuck with Harrison early on despite his struggles snapping the ball to Luck. That changed in Week 16 when the Colts finally benched Harrison in favor of Holmes.
And that's just center.
The Colts are set on the left side of the line with Mewhort, who just finished his rookie season, playing alongside of Castonzo at guard.
Center and the right side of the offensive line have major issues. Besides starting three different players at center, the Colts also started three different players at right guard and four different players at right tackle, including Mewhort there for a game.
Thornton and Cherilus, the starting right guard and tackle, respectively, both had their seasons end early because of shoulder and knee injuries. Donald Thomas, who was projected to start at right guard, was placed on injured reserve in training camp because of a torn quad.
So just like last year, the Colts head into the offseason with question marks on the offensive line.
