Can Joe Philbin solve the Colts offensive line woes?
By Evan Reller
After an injury plagued season at quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts shook up their coaching staff and brought in Joe Philbin to take over the offensive line and improve the protection.
The Colts have struggled to protect their most important player for his entire NFL career. Those issues came to a head last season when Andrew Luck missed nine games due to multiple injuries. Following an 8-8 season, the Colts shook up their coaching staff and one of the most important moves is who took over the offensive line.
Enter former Miami head coach Joe Philbin. He started his NFL career as the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line coach in 2003. He added some responsibilities in the years leading up to taking over as offensive coordinator in 2007. Philbin continued in that position until he left the team following the 2011 season to become head coach of the Dolphins.
During Philbin’s time in Green Bay, he was responsible for protecting two of the best QBs in NFL history: Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. In Miami, he coached Ryan Tannehill through his first three seasons, and a bit of his fourth.
Colts GM Ryan Grigson has spoken highly about Philbin this offseason.
"“Not only (has Philbin) coached good lines throughout his career, but he’s developed them,” Grigson said. “He’s been able to make that position group a lot of times where the sum is greater than its parts. A lot of times the way to greatness at that position is by having those five (players) that just play together and have such great cohesion. That’s what we’re trying to achieve. Great communication on the line, the right skill set that’s what (offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski) wants, what Joe and Coach ultimately wants. I think we’re on the right track.”"
Now Philbin will be working to keep Luck upright and healthy. Does Philbin’s hiring lead to an improved offensive line? There are actually some encouraging numbers from the past 13 years.
We’ve taken Football Outsiders offensive line efficiency statistics. They break it down between adjusted line yards for rushing effectiveness and adjusted sack rate for pass protection. You can read a more thorough breakdown of how theses numbers are divined here.
We’re just looking at how the offensive lines of the Packers and Dolphins ranked in the NFL (and pointed out where the Colts were during those years).
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