Colts' LT Tony Ugoh Loses Starting Job

The plan was supposed to work something like this: the Indianapolis Colts would draft a left tackle, he would sit and learn behind Tarik Glenn, and when Glenn finally moved on, Indy would have Peyton Manning's blindside protector already on the roster ready to assume the role.

With that in mind, it made sense that the Colts used a 2007 second-round pick on Arkansas tackle Tony Ugoh. Even though it was costly -- Indy sent their 2008 first-rounder to the 49ers for the right to move up in the '07 draft -- team president Bill Polian's player-personnel development record is spotless. If he thought it was a deft move, chances are, it was.

Unfortunately, there wasn't an opportunity for "learning by watching": Glenn retired in July, a few weeks before Ugoh would attend his first NFL training camp. He'd win the starting gig over '06 sixth-rounder Charlie Johnson, and not only that, he would go on to have a successful rookie season. It looked like Polian knew what he was doing even if the plans had been accelerated by Glenn's retirement.

Then last year happened. Ugoh struggled with injuries, and when he returned he was ineffective. And now, he's lost the left tackle job to Johnson. Usually, when left tackles struggle, they'll move to the right side where the pass rushers are less menacing and the consequences for a blown assignment are less dire (at least in terms of a right-handed quarterback being able to see the rush as he's crushed underneath it).

Not in Ugoh's case. According to new head coach Jim Caldwell, Ugoh will be listed behind Johnson and right tackle Ryan Diem on the depth chart.

The Indianapolis Star's Mike Chappell writes that while some were surprised by the move, it's been in the works for a while.

During the summer, owner Jim Irsay basically put [Ugoh] on alert. "Tony Ugoh has to be more consistent," he said. "We gave up a lot for him to play left tackle. He's got to be more focused. He's got to be ready to go."

And now, the Colts gave up a lot to get the team's swing tackle. This isn't so much an indictment of Polian's eye for talent as it is proof that evaluating players is more crossing your fingers and throwing darts at a board than feeding some names to the Justice League computer for a list of future Pro Bowlers. (Although, the Justice League computer could have warned the Titans about drafting Pacman Jones.)

Needless to say, some fans aren't happy. And I imagine rolls will swell the first time Johnson misses a block and Manning gets knocked through the turf.