Indianapolis Colts: Offensive line gets boost with return of Howard Mudd

The Indianapolis Colts offensive front was much-improved in 2018. And this unit may be on the verge of getting even better thanks to an old friend.

Over the last few weeks, the Indianapolis Colts have addressed one of the team’s strong suits this past season. In 2018, thanks to some key additions in April’s draft by general manager Chris Ballard, the team’s offensive line blossomed in time.

One year after allowing a league-high 56 sacks, the Colts surrendered an NFL-low 18 quarterback traps. The unit was under the guidance of Dave DeGuglielmo, who has made his share of stops with several clubs.

But head coach Frank Reich opted to go in a different direction and now the Colts have their men. Former Denver Broncos assistant Chris Strausser was named the club’s new offensive line coach late last month. And he’s now been joined by assistant line coach Klayton Adams and a very familiar face when it comes to this organization.

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Howard Mudd is back with the organization for the first time since 2009. That was the final year of a 12-season stint with the Colts in which he handled the offensive line. The team was in the playoff 10 times under head coaches Jim Mora, Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell. The club reached Super Bowls XLI and XLIV, winning a Lombardi Trophy in 2006.

Of course, Peyton Manning was the quarterback was for all 12 of those seasons and never missed the game. The combination of his quick release, the prowess of Mudd and talented blockers such as left tackle Tarik Glenn and center Jeff Saturday made for an ideal situation.

From 1998-2009, the Colts surrendered just 227 sacks in 192 contests. To put that in perspective, the Tennessee Titans gave up the second-fewest sacks in the league over that span with 337.

Last April, Ballard used the sixth overall pick on Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson. In the second round, the club grabbed Auburn blocker Braden Smith, who wound up as the team’s right tackle. The team already had former first-rounders such as left tackle Anthony Castonzo and center Ryan Kelly. Add in right guard Mark Glowinski and this group jelled once they were able to all get on the field at the same.

After a slow start, the Colts were able overcome a 1-5 record by winning nine of their final 10 games. After giving up nine sacks in their first four contests, Reich’s club allowed the same amount of QB traps in their final dozen outings. The Colts’ ground game blossomed as well and quarterback Andrew Luck (who missed all of 2017) got more comfortable as time wore on.

All told, the changes to the offensive line coaching staff, highlighted by the return of Mudd, could make the team’s resurgent front an even bigger force in 2019.