When Colts coach Chuck Pagano took a not-so-subtle shot at General Manager Ryan Grigson for the quality of offensive linemen in front of his quarterback, it was clear he wasn’t thrilled with his personnel.
But he ostensibly has the right to deploy them as he wishes, and for a day, it worked.
The Colts overhauled their line during Sunday’s first win of the season, and those two things could be related.
“We just felt like we needed a change,” Pagano said, via Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “We need to get a spark. I felt like we need to get some guys in there and give them an opportunity.”
The shake-up consisted of benching guards Todd Herremans and Lance Louis, moving right tackle Jack Mewhort and Hugh Thornton into those spots, and having Joe Reitz replace Mewhort at right tackle.
Herremans is clearly a Grigson add, a 32-year-old veteran with ties to the G.M. from his days in Philadelphia. But he was far from the only problem and scapegoating him would be unfair. Thornton, for instance, was flagged four times yesterday – three for holding and a false start.
The Colts still gave up three sacks and Luck was hit four times. But they scored points in multiples and in the first half and won for a change, so it was more effective than what was happening previously.