Colts put their faith on the line
INDIANAPOLIS – Pro Bowl pass catchers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne stay in the spotlight, but linemen Tarik Glenn and Jeff Saturday might be just as important to the Indianapolis Colts.
Glenn, a left tackle, has been a Pro Bowl selection the past three years. Saturday, a center, has been picked for the past two. They anchor an offensive line that has become one of the league’s best, but it has been overshadowed by quarterback Peyton Manning and his array of talented receivers and backs.
“I think that it’s just the nature of our game,” Saturday said. “We have very good skill position players. They’re obviously going to get a lot of the attention. I think we do our part and we do our share of what we’re supposed to get done. If that goes under the radar, so be it. We’re about winning games.”
The line has helped Manning become one of the league’s most durable quarterbacks. Manning hasn’t missed a game in his nine-year NFL career – that’s 156 straight games including the playoffs. The Colts have allowed the fewest sacks in the league the past three years, and Manning never has been sacked more than 30 times in a year.
The Colts also have had a 1,000-yard rusher 11 of the past 13 years – Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Dominic Rhodes and now rookie Joseph Addai have broken the barrier. James had two NFL rushing titles before he left for Arizona after last season.
“Our linemen take pride in being able to run the football,” Rhodes said. “That’s what we want to do. People may think that we aren’t a running team, but we get it done and that’s the bottom line.”
Saturday said Glenn is equally strong mentally and physically.
“Tarik’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around,” Saturday said. “He understands the game of football very, very well, and he’s such a great athlete. Week in and week out, he’s facing the best pass rusher on the other team, and he does a great job of studying what they do, what their moves are.”
Glenn said Saturday has similar attributes. The 6-2, 295 pounder often makes calls on the field, then executes with power.
“He dominates his guys,” Glenn said. “You just think about the guys that you look at in his position, you’re not going to find too many guys who have as much responsibility as he has, but at the same time, can compete just as hard as he competes.”
Continuity has been a key to the line’s success. Glenn started 101 straight games to begin his career. Saturday had a streak at one point of 75 straight starts and right tackle Ryan Diem has started for five straight years. The trio has started together in most of the Colts’ games since Diem became a starter in 2002.
“Communication is so important for our offensive line,” Glenn said. “It takes experience, it takes time with each other and repetition.”
Diem, a 6-6, 320-pound right tackle, has earned Manning’s respect.
“Ryan’s been an outstanding member of this team, been a great teammate, a great locker-room guy,” Manning said. “I’ve never gone a day without being thankful that he’s my right tackle.”
Dylan Gandy and Ryan Lilja have split time at left guard and Jake Scott (University of Idaho) has started the past two years at right guard.