Work Ethic Is Castonzo's Calling Card
- Friday, April 29, 2011 12:18 AM
- Written By: NFL Blog Blitz
The Colts don't have weak spots. Bill Polian is too good at his job to danger the Colts with a kryptonite.
But the Colts do have some average patches. Last season one in particular was the tackle position. Peyton Manning was sacked 16 times, a higher total than both of the two previous years, and the outside rushing game was mediocre. Last year's starters, Ryan Diem and Charlie Johnson, are strong players, but not quite Pro Bowl players.
So Polian fixed the problem. With the 22nd pick, the Colts drafted Anthony Castonzo out of Boston College. Castonzo started all four years at BC, including a freshman season in which he protected Matt Ryan. He was a Freshman All-American, a Sophomore All-America and a first team All-ACC choice.
Probably the most heralded trait of Castonzo is his work ethic. In high school, the 6-7 311-pounder was a two-star recruit with a limited amount of scholarship offers. His rise to stardom at BC was unexpected and seemed to continue a little bit every year. The Colts made a safe pick and can only expect Castonzo to continue to work hard and improve. His rivalry with Mario Williams during the next decade should be fun to watch.
Who could they have taken?
Polian must have looked long and hard at Mark Ingram. Joseph Addai has not been the player the Colts expected him to be, falling short of 1,000 yards rushing in each of the past three seasons. Drafting Ingram could have given the Colts their featured back of the future. My guess is that they'll stick to Addai and try to find a solid power back to complement him.
Indy also could have considered a linebacker. The rushing defense has been atrocious for the past few years and only one linebacker had been taken before pick No. 22. However, Polian must believe in the linebacking core he currently has.
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-- JEFFREY EISENBAND
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