Colts player who must step up in Week 9: OT Anthony Castonzo

The Colts offensive line had a bit of a nightmare performance against the Kansas City Chiefs last week as they allowed six sacks and 12 quarterback hits on route to a 30-14 home defeat. At the middle of it was left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who has had many a fan point fingers in his direction this season for the team's struggles in pass protection.

Castonzo gave up two of those six sacks and was up front this week about accepting the blame for what happened.

“I have no problem (with) that,” Castonzo said, per the Indianapolis Star. “We all can watch and see where everybody makes mistakes. In the outside world, if I have to shoulder the blame, I have no problem doing that. I didn’t play well Sunday – that’s the reality.”

Castonzo wasn't the only offensive player to take the blame following the loss as quarterback Andrew Luck did so as well, proclaiming after the game that he was the root of the offensive struggles against the Chiefs. Castonzo however pointed at the offensive line as the reason things went wrong for Luck.

“Most of the time, if Andrew is struggling, he doesn’t have the time he needs to throw the ball,” Castonzo said. “If he has that time, he’s a stud. We recognize that we need to give him that time, and when he has it, he does special things.”

The Chiefs came into Sunday's game with eight sacks on the season and without their best pass rusher (Justin Houston) due to injury. This week, the Colts face a Packers team that has been one of the better pass-rushing teams in the league with 18 sacks, so the Colts linemen have had to quickly put what happened against Kansas City behind them and focus on the challenge ahead.

"We have Green Bay coming up this week with great edge rushers and a good defense just like every other team in the NFL so there is really no time to dwell on past games," Castonzo said, per Colts.com.

The Colts seemed to take a step forward in their pass protection two weeks ago in their win against Tennessee, during which they allowed three sacks and six hits against a talented Titans pass rush. They'll need to take that step again this week in order to give Luck a chance to lead the offense to a win in Green Bay.

“We have confidence that we are good players... we just need to be more consistent with our fundamentals and technique and really trust it every play, play in and play out," Castonzo said. "Once we can settle into that, we know that we are good enough.”

More games: friv

Detroit Lions' Teryl Austin heaps praise on humble star Ziggy Ansah

Lions defensive end Ziggy Ansah was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time last season. That was high praise. But maybe not as high as the praise Teryl Austin gave him Thursday.

The defensive coordinator said Ansah, who has 30 sacks in three seasons, “is as fine a football player as I’ve been around.”

And Austin has been around some fine football players: Tom Brady at Michigan, Walter Jones with the Seattle Seahawks, Kurt Warner with the Arizona Cardinals and Ray Lewis with the Baltimore Ravens, to name a few.

In typical taciturn fashion, Ansah smiled when asked for his reaction to Austin’s praise.

“I appreciate you, Teryl,” Ansah said. “It’s nice, it’s nice. Coming from the defensive coordinator, I think it helps me to do better every day.”

There you go. A few simple words of encouragement from Austin must be the key. How else can you explain how Ansah, who grew up in Ghana, Africa, and started playing football in 2010, became a pigskin savant?

Ansah had 14 1/2 sacks last year. He finished third behind the Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt with 17 and the Oakland Raiders’ Khalil Mack with 15.

Coach Jim Caldwell believes Ansah is just getting started.

“If you ask me the question, do I think he can get better, I certainly do, and I think you’ll see that,” Caldwell said. “If he can stay healthy, you’ll see an even better version of him because he’s just really starting to scratch the surface of all of the things that he’s capable of doing within the context of our scheme.

“But from a defensive standpoint, he’s a pretty special guy. All you do is take a look at the film. You look at practice film, even. He does things that no one else does. He has some very unusual traits and characteristics.”

Ansah spoke sparingly about himself Thursday. Instead, he turned nearly every question about his game into a discussion of the defense as a whole.

“Yeah, you know, just got to keep working on my craft,” he said. “The one thing we’ve got to do this year is start faster than we did last year. We put too much work into this to come out slow.”

And how does he feel about his own game?

“I feel good about this year,” he said. “I feel good about this team. Like I said earlier, we’ve worked way too hard just to start sloppy. Our main focus is to come out, stop the run and make our opponents one-dimensional. And that’s how we’ll be able to beat them.”

If there’s one player in the NFL who needs a hype man, Ansah is it. Austin did his best to apply for that position Thursday while lauding his quiet star, whom he already considers one of the NFL’s best defensive players even if he tends to be overlooked outside Detroit.

“I like to think he’s already there,” Austin said. “I just think he just has to keep improving. I’m not looking for any numbers or anything like that.”

This week, Ansah draws an interesting assignment. He will go head-to-head with Indianapolis Colts left tackle Anthony Castonzo, who likely will get help while trying to protect quarterback Andrew Luck, who is coming off a season of injuries.

Double teams. Chips. Ansah shrugs it off. Opponents have their plan. He has his.

“I go out every day just to work out, just to be the best that I can be, just to improve on the little things that I do,” he said. “I wouldn’t say (it’s) too bad, but obviously teams do pay attention to me. You’ve just got to find a way to beat that.”

Doyel: Colts humbled, hungry, dangerous

It was Super Bowl or Bust last year. After an 8-8 season, the national media isn't talking much about the Colts. IndyStar Insiders Zak Keefer and Stephen Holder break down the team heading into training camp.

(Photo: Matt Kryger/IndyStar)

They are lying in the weeds now, a better way to enter the season than a year ago when the Indianapolis Colts were favored to reach Super Bowl 50.

The hype was too much, the team bought into it — the words “Super Bowl” were spoken routinely within the organization — and the season unfolded like a seat on a whoopee cushion. The Colts lost their first two games, then quarterback Andrew Luck on two occasions, then backup Matt Hasselbeck. Ending the season with three quarterbacks they found in the recycling bin, the Colts finished 8-8.

It was ugly. The national media pounced. So did the local yokels. Including, ahem, me. We tore the Colts down, and why? Because we exalted them in the first place. They were preseason Super Bowl favorites, you know.

But the weeds, the weeds, the weeds. That is where the Colts reside now, barely noticeable, disguised as something harmless.

I’m seeing a placid pond. I’m seeing weeds in the water. I’m seeing nothing of note, just two eyes peeking up from the weeds.

I’m wondering if that’s an alligator.

How much will the Colts eat this season? Don’t know, but they’ve removed the words “Super Bowl” from their mouths.

During the 2015 NFL draft, owner Jim Irsay was talking about multiple Super Bowls.During the 2016 NFL draft? He was talking about the AFC South — and how the Colts aren’t the favorite.

“I can’t call us the team to beat in the division because Houston won the division (in 2015) — they’re the team to beat. You have to give them that respect,” Irsay said in April. “Look, we have a lot to prove.”

Before last season General Manager Ryan Grigson was saying what every GM in the league believes but few vocalize — that every move he makes has the Super Bowl in mind. Now? Grigson isn’t mentioning the final Sunday of the season. He’s mentioning all the ones that come before it.

“Every team is good in this league. Anyone can win on any given Sunday,” Grigson said. “You have to constantly be striving for greatness or you are going to be left in the dust.”

Both years, the message filtered into the locker room. A year ago free agent running back Frank Gore was convincing receiver Andre Johnson to join him in Indianapolis because “we can win the Super Bowl if we go to Indy.” Another offseason acquisition, guard Todd Herremans, said of the Colts’ brass: “They are looking to win a Super Bowl — right now.”

This year a more modest message — a mixture of humility and hunger — has seeped into coach Chuck Pagano's locker room.

“Work, work and just continue to work,” left tackle Anthony Castonzo said of the team’s mindset entering 2016. “That’s the way you get better in this league, because everybody has got the talent. What sets people apart is who’s willing to put in that work.”

But talent helps. And the Colts have it. Do they have a Super Bowl helping of it? Don’t ask me, but they can be — should be — better than many of the preseason predictions would suggest. Various websites rank the teams from 1-32 entering the season. At NFL.com, they have the Colts third …

… in the AFC South.

That’s an extreme viewpoint. More common is this tepid praise, this backhanded compliment, from CBSSports.com:

“You could make the case for any of the four clubs (in the AFC South) at this point, even the Titans, given the lack of a true bully on this block. (But we) actually like the Colts to regain their perch.”

With camps starting this week around the league, the pressure is elsewhere. Now it’s on the Houston Texans and even the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South, and on Carolina, Arizona and Seattle overall.

Meanwhile, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is back, healthy and ticked off. He doesn’t like how he played last season, which he began as the emerging face of the NFL after scheduling for himself a busy offseason in the spotlight. Luck has been quiet this offseason, as quiet as a player can be after landing the biggest contract in NFL history.

But even Luck is lying in the weeds. Outside of this market, the general reaction to his record-setting contract was: Huh? Did you see how he played last season beforehe got hurt?

It’s a valid point, but one that misses Luck’s more established track record as one of the NFL’s most successful young quarterbacks.

The Colts addressed two weak spots this offseason, their offensive line and secondary, and believe a fully healed Robert Mathis and the eventual healing of Henry Anderson will address the pass rush. The Colts should be much better than they were a year ago.

And let’s discuss what happened a year ago.

As it was happening, the Colts’ 2015 season was a disappointment, then a Dumpster fire. Given some time to reflect on what happened here — and elsewhere — let’s look at it another way. Fifteen NFL teams had to start at least one backup quarterback last season.

Record of the other 14 teams with a backup quarterback in 2015: 29-47.

Colts’ record with a backup QB: 6-3.

But the offensive line, we said! Luck had no chance! And this is true, up to a point. That point being, there is no guaranteeing the health of any player, especially a quarterback. The Cowboys were believed to have the NFL’s best offensive line last season, and all that got Tony Romo was four starts and two broken collarbones. Dallas went 3-1 with Romo, 1-11 without him.

Could be, we were too high on the Colts before last season — and too harsh on them as it was unfolding.

The 2016 Colts have no such burdens. Andrew Luck faces enormous pressure, but he’s the only one. And if the Colts’ 2016 season rides on Luck being the player he was from 2012-14 — and not the player he was in 2015 — well, they ought to like those odds.

Colts' 53-man roster projection features 40 percent of offensive line as rookies

The Indianapolis Colts wrapped up their offseason program on June 9 and open training camp on July 26 at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Here’s a 53-man roster projection:

QUARTERBACK (2): Andrew Luck, Scott Tolzien

Tolzien goes from backing up Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay to being Luck's backup after the Colts decided not re-sign Matt Hasselbeck after three seasons.

RUNNING BACK (4): Frank Gore, Tyler Varga, Josh Ferguson, Robert Turbin

Keep an eye on Ferguson, an undrafted free agent out of Illinois, to push Turbin to be Gore's primary backup. Gore had 227 more carries than his closest teammate last season.

TIGHT END (3): Dwayne Allen, Jack Doyle, Erik Swoope

The Colts have depth concerns at tight end after the departure of Coby Fleener in free agency. Allen has missed 21 games over the past three seasons and Swoope has only played one NFL game after making the switch from basketball.

WIDE RECEIVER (5): T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Phillip Dorsett, Quan Bray,Brian Tyms

There's a lot of uncertainty at this position after Hilton, Moncrief and Dorsett. Bray is primarily a return specialist.

OFFENSIVE LINE (10): Anthony Castonzo, Jack Mewhort, Ryan Kelly, Hugh Thornton, Joe Reitz, Denzelle Good, Joe Haeg, Jonotthan Harrison, Le’Raven Clark, Austin Blythe

Talk about pressure, 40 percent of the offensive line will be rookies, including starting center Kelly.

DEFENSIVE LINE (8): Kendall Langford, Art Jones, Henry Anderson, David Parry, Zach Kerr, T.Y. McGill, Hassan Ridgeway, Kelcy Quarles

A healthy Jones and Anderson will make the line the strong suit of the defense. But of course there's no timetable on when either player will be completely healthy after both suffered injuries that sidelined them for all or most of last season.

LINEBACKER (9): Trent Cole, Erik Walden, Robert Mathis, D’Qwell Jackson,Earl Okine, Nate Irving, Sio Moore, Josh McNary, Antonio Morrison

This is the oldest unit on the entire roster. Cole, Walden, Mathis and Jackson are all at least 30. The Colts need to find a replacement at middle linebacker for the departed Jerrell Freeman.

CORNERBACK (5): Patrick Robinson, Vontae Davis, Darius Butler, D’Joun Smith, Tevin Mitchel

Robinson will start opposite Davis and Smith will push the veteran Butler to be the slot cornerback.

SAFETY (4): Mike Adams, T.J. Green, Clayton Geathers, Winston Guy

The second-year Geathers will start with Adams after being used as a dime linebacker at times as a rookie. Guy likely will be the primary backup until Green, a rookie, is ready to take on a bigger role.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3): Adam Vinatieri, Pat McAfee, Matt Overton

This trio makes up one of the best special teams units in the NFL. The 43-year-old Vinatieri wants to kick for at least two more seasons.

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Running Back Burning Questions Heading Into OTAs

Intro: We are less than two weeks away from the Colts beginning their 2016 offseason program. Where do the questions start at the running back position in 2016?

INDIANAPOLIS – April on the calendar means work is about to start back up for the Indianapolis Colts.

With the team’s offseason program commencing on April 18, we start our burning question series.

Over the next week and a half, Colts.com will take a look at the “Burning Questions” surrounding all position groups entering 2016.

Here’s a look at the running back burning questions heading into the offseason program:

• Can Frank Gore keep up this pace at the age of 33?

Frank Gore gave the Colts what they were looking for out of their starting running back in 2016.

Availability and consistent production was what the Colts had longed desired for at running back.

Gore was that in 2016.

He once again started in all 16 games.

He ran for 967 rushing yards on 260 carries.

The number ‘967’ doesn’t jump off the page for a running back, but it is when you take a closer look at the circumstances around Gore in 2015.

Andrew Luck missed nine games last season. Without Luck in the lineup, Gore’s yards per carry went from 4.1 to 3.5.

Anthony Castonzo missed three contests last year. Without Castonzo in the lineup, Gore’s yards per carry went from 3.9 to 2.7.

When the Colts were without two of their most offensive pieces, opponents could load the box against a beaten up unit.

Despite that, Gore still fell just short of becoming the first Colts’ player to reach 1,000 yards since 2007.

Gore, who turns 33 in May, remains an incredibly durable and productive running back in the NFL.

STAT TO NOTE: Gore had the third most rushing yards in the AFC last season.

What do the Colts have in backups and Jordan Todman?Robert Turbin

Finding a backup for Frank Gore was on the offseason checklist for the Colts.

Early patience in free agency led to the Colts bringing in a pair of veteran backs who have served backup roles in the NFL.

Turbin was Marshawn Lynch’s backup from 2012-14, before an ankle injury hampered his 2015 campaign.

The Colts brought in Turbin, after he has proven to be a three-down option thanks to a 222-pound frame and 50 career receptions.

For Todman, injuries last year in Pittsburgh slid him up the team’s depth chart. He had 11 carries for 65 yards in Pittsburgh's playoff win over the Bengals.

Todman has earned various special teams roles in previous NFL stops, something the Colts were attracted to after already bringing in Turbin.

The Colts would love some consistency behind Gore, after attrition led to a handful of different backups in 2015.

STAT TO NOTE: While an ankle injury limited Turbin in 2015, the 26-year-old didn’t miss a game from 2012-14 in Seattle.

• Is the Colts’ future at running back on the roster?

At the League Meetings last month, Ryan Grigson made it a point to mention the Colts haven’t ruled out taking a running back come draft time.

Delve deeper into the running back depth chart and you see why.

Gore turns 33 years old in May (another reminder of his remarkable longevity).

The backups, Robert Turbin and Jordan Todman, are both on one-year contracts.

Tyler Varga and Trey Williams round out the group with three combined carries.

That’s why the Colts aren’t shutting the door at adding another running back this offseason.

Recently, teams have found running back success late in drafts.

The Colts will be monitoring that position closely come April 28-30.

STAT TO NOTE: Gore’s 76 consecutive regular season games started is the longest active streak in the NFL.