08-11-2009, 12:24 AM
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PatsFans.com Supporter
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 19,949
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Did Polian make a costly drafting boo-boo?
And a potential humdinger at that at LT? 
Quote:
Charlie Johnson returned to practice today. And on his first day of training camp, he started at left tackle. Tony Ugoh was with the second team.
Colts coach Jim Caldwell made it clear this wasn't a one day experiment. He said Johnson is his starter. And we would have known it sooner had Johnson not been hurt in the offseason.
Some people may brush this off as no big deal. But I won't dismiss it so quickly because this confirms what many suspected in recent years -- that the Colts made a mistake by moving up in the draft to get Ugoh.
You'll remember the Colts traded first- and fourth-round picks to move up to the second round to select Ugoh with the 42nd overall pick in 2007. He appeared to have all the tools, good size and speed, but some questioned his intensity level. I have to admit, when talking to him as a rookie thrust into the starting role by Tarik Glenn's unexpected retirement, Ugoh seemed a bit asleep. A very, very quiet man. I was told painfully shy. But it's human nature to question someone's fire if they are quiet.
Anyway, Johnson was a sixth-round pick in 2006. All you need to know is the obvious, that sixth-round picks don't usually beat out second-round picks. And Johnson has been the whipping boy for criticism in the past, so I'm not necessarily saying he's the long-term solution at left tackle, which is such an important position -- is there anything more important on this team than protecting Peyton Manning's blind side?
It's fair to say this move says more about Ugoh.
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