The Indianapolis Colts have a lot riding on this upcoming season, especially for Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen. Carlie Irsay-Gordon, who took over as CEO from her father, said right away that she expects the team to win now, and said they have been warned that their record so far has been unacceptable.
Unfortunately for both, the Colts seem to have an uphill road ahead of them. While Indianapolis does have a lot of talent on the roster, but quarterback - arguably the most important position on the team - is still questionable.
That puts even more pressure on the rest of the team to step up and overcompensate for any shortcomings the team may have to deal with from Daniel Jones or Anthony Richardson.
Tanor Bortolini could be the x-factor for the Indianapolis Colts' success
The good news, for both Jones and Richardson, is that the Colts have a very good offensive line, including Bernhard Raimann, who has been called a "secret superstar" for the team. And the offensive line will need to be at its absolute best so both Jones and Richardson can have the best chance possible to succeed.
And it could be a new starter that ends up making all the difference.
ESPN's Ben Solak argued that Bortolini, who is taking over at center from Ryan Kelly, is vital to the offense.
Kelly spent his entire career with the Colts, until he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason. Despite his age and history of injuries, Kelly has been an elite center, and was in serious demand. Bortolini replaced Kelly throughout last season as a rookie and fought for the starting position during training camp with Danny Pinter.
Ultimately, though Pinter put up a good fight, Bortolini kept the job, and Arthur thinks he can make all the difference for the Colts offense. But can he adjust to being a new starter quickly enough?
"Bortolini looked pretty solid, but a new center is a new center -- especially important when the quarterback is new, as well. We already saw a major protection miscue in the Colts' preseason with Anthony Richardson Sr. under center. When a young center takes the helm with a quarterback new to the system, as Week 1 starter Daniel Jones is, it's easy for assignments to get missed in pass protection -- and the running game can suffer the same errors.Ben Solak
I liked what I saw on Bortolini's film, and his movement skills will shine on screens and perimeter runs. How high is his ceiling as an anchor in pass protection and pre-snap processor? It remains to be seen."
It will hurt to have Kelly's expertise missing, but Bortolini showed a lot of promise last season. He started in five of 12 games last season, with 351 total offensive snaps. He received a grade of 65.4 in run blocking, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), putting him in 10th place among rookie offensive linemen.
He did even better at pass protection, coming in seventh with a grade of 64.6, and allowing just seven pressures on the quarterback, with zero sacks. He scores best as pass-block efficiency, though, coming in with a grade of 98.2 and ranking third among rookie linemen.
There will certainly be an adjustment period, but the Colts have every reason to be optimistic about Bortolini's future.