National Football League

Offensive line struggles have Colts searching for answers

Published Aug. 24, 2015 7:35 p.m. ET

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Colts right tackle Jack Mewhort stood up in the locker room Monday and got right to the point.

His mistakes led to the offensive line's dismal performance Saturday night.

After allowing Andrew Luck to be pressured on the first two pass plays of the game and then reliving that experience all over again in the film room, Mewhort uttered the words everyone outside the team facility wanted to hear.

''I need to be better in everything,'' he said. ''We wanted to start fast and we couldn't do that, primarily because we couldn't hold up in pass protection and that's on me.''

Mewhort wasn't alone, though.

Indy's new right side -- Mewhort and right guard Todd Herremans -- didn't always appear to be working together during the 23-11 loss. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo, Indy's best lineman, blew an early assignment that forced Luck to throw the ball away on another third down. And with Khaled Holmes and Jonotthan Harrison still battling for the starting center job, coach Chuck Pagano opted to use both with the starters.

The result: Luck and Matt Hasselbeck were a combined 11 of 18 for 130 yards with no touchdowns, one interception and two sacks and the Colts couldn't move the ball until the second quarter.

That has raised concerns inside and outside the team facility as the Sept. 13 opener with Buffalo nears.

''The clock is ticking. You're running out of time so to speak,'' Pagano said Sunday. ''Are we where we want to be? No, but we're always working.''

There were also some factors working against the Colts on Saturday.

Indy stayed primarily with a vanilla offense and was facing an opponent it had already seen twice last week in joint practices.

But ragged play in August has become the norm in Indy. The Colts' have lost seven straight preseason games and are 11-37 since posting their last winning exhibition season in 2003 (3-1).

Still, fans who have become accustomed to waiting four weeks to find out what the real Colts look like are clamoring for changes. Monday's talk radio were filled with chatter about bringing in new faces who could help reinforce the interior line. Some of the names being bandied about included Evan Mathis, Jake Long and Andy Levitre.

The Colts continue to insist, though, that they don't need outside help.

''It's confidence in there and you have to do it without thinking about something else. You have to go out there and do it,'' Castonzo said. ''Look, I don't think I've had a good preseason since been here.''

This time, though, the offensive line is under much greater scrutiny.

Last season's AFC runner-ups revamped the line by bringing in the 32-year-old Herremans as a free agent, moving Mewhort from left guard to right tackle and cutting former starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus a week before training camp began. Hugh Thornton, last year's starter at right guard, also is out indefinitely with an undisclosed knee injury.

All of the changes have force the Colts to learn on the fly.

''We've got to continue to build that continuity,'' backup lineman Joe Reitz said. ''Our job as a line is to give them (running backs) that crease.''

And, of course, to protect Luck.

They didn't succeed at either Saturday and will spend this week searching for answers before heading to St. Louis this weekend for what is expected to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

''It's a credit to those pass rushers, they had me in a little bit of a tailspin early,'' Mewhort said. ''I've just got to go out there and perfect my craft every day.''

Notes: First-round draft pick Phillip Dorsett (bruised right knee) is expected to return to practice Tuesday. He did some individual work Monday. ... Pagano said the Colts were happy to see receiver Reggie Wayne find a job for this season. Wayne agreed to a one-year deal with Indy's bitter rival, New England, on Monday. ''I'm sure everybody in this building, all his teammates, all the coaches are excited for him,'' Pagano said.

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AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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