Jack Mewhort Holds the Key for Indianapolis Colts Offense

Who has the most determining effect on the Indianapolis Colts offense?

The easy answer, of course, is Andrew Luck.

But we know Luck is good. We know T.Y. Hilton, Anthony Castonzo, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore and the tight ends are good, aside from slight age concerns on the two free-agent additions.

Even if Johnson (34) or Gore (32) begins to slow down, the Colts have plenty of other weapons to pick up the pace. If Hilton gets hurt, the Colts have other high-potential weapons for the first time, although there would be a drop-off.

What we don't know is what the offensive line will look like, and this is where the Colts offense could have some variance.

Castonzo is a rock at left tackle, but the rest of the offensive line is a question mark.

With Jack Mewhort moving to right tackle, the interior is a mess. Both left guard and center are open battles at the moment, with none of the potential options looking promising. Right guard seems to be veteran Todd Herremans' spot, but he's turning 33 this year and has already shown signs of decline.

Gregg Doyel of the Indy Star summed it up well Monday:

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It's almost funny, how ridiculous the Colts' first unit looks on paper. This isn't Week 13 of the season, when injuries and other attrition can make an offensive line look suspect. This is Day 1 of training camp, as good as it's going to get, and on Day 1 the Colts unveiled a line with one sure thing — left tackle Anthony Castonzo — and four complete guesses.

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The Colts offense looks loaded, and deep, in all other areas.

Luck is the premier young quarterback in the league. Gore has All-Pro experience and a capable slew of backups. The receiving corps might feature the most talented top four in the league, with three or four others battling for spots. Tight end includes a strong pair in Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, with a good mix of skills behind.

Offensive line is the one thing that could hold the Colts back from being an elite offense—or help propel them to historic levels.

The offense will be good, regardless of what the line looks like. There's too much talent, and Luck is that good.

But the line will determine how good, and Mewhort is the key there.

The interior is going to be a mess. Fans need to go ahead and accept that before the season starts. It won't be pretty.

But if Mewhort and Castonzo can turn into a solid pair of bookend tackles, they may be able to mitigate the inconsistencies on the interior. If Mewhort is poor, however, it could create a chain effect that topples any semblance of consistency the Colts may have.

The Colts have faith in Mewhort, cutting veteran Gosder Cherilus this summer in large part because they were confident in the second-year player's ability to move to tackle. Head coach Chuck Pagano spoke to ESPN 1070's Conrad Brunner about Mewhort as training camp began this weekend:

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The good thing about Jack, he’s played them all. He’s a really bright guy, a tough guy, he’s a selfless guy who’ll do whatever we ask of him and he’ll do whatever he has to do to help this team win. He’s gotten some snaps there, obviously he’s going to get a significant number of snaps in this training camp. I don’t think there’s any obstacle other than perfecting his craft day-in and day-out and becoming a better player each and every day.

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As Brunner noted, however, Mewhort's varied experience in college and the NFL has been limited at right tackle. He played 27 games at left tackle for Ohio State, but none on the right side. He played right tackle for just one game last season, the regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans.

The results were mixed.

Mewhort played adequately at guard last season, especially for a rookie, but with the extra space to cover at tackle, he faltered a few times.

It's like he was so focused on making sure he could move his feet and keep up with speed rushes that he gave up a lot of his power, getting off-balance and allowing defenders to push him back into the pocket.

This loss of power happened later in pass protection as well.

This isn't to say that this move is doomed, of course.

Mewhort is smart, usually technically and mentally sound, and he has power in the run game. He's adept at adjusting and was probably the Colts' second-best lineman last season.

But he also doesn't have the top athleticism required to be an elite tackle, and the transition may be tougher than the Colts expect in the first half of the season. Fortunately, having a veteran right guard beside him and his impressive communication and adjustment ability should help.

Ben Gundy of Colts Academy elaborated on Mewhort's potential transition in April:

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While Thornton and other young linemen will often panic when they lose to an initial move, Mewhort seldom lost his technique. His ability to slide his feet and avoid ducking his head in pass protection bodes well for his future, especially if he ends up moving to right tackle. And right tackle might ultimately be his destiny, as Gosder Cherilus appears to be losing his battle with Father Time.

Mewhort has the look of a good right tackle, though he’ll probably never be a great one because of his relative lack of athleticism. Still, he’s smart enough to learn to work within his skills. For example, he was atrocious when pulling in the preseason and the early part of the regular season, but he visibly improved later in the year, missing just one of his 18 lead blocks in the final seven games after missing four of 15 in the first four weeks. That ability to adapt should serve him well wherever he ends up.

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Though he will be key, it's important to remember that Mewhort alone won't make the offensive line. The biggest key for Indianapolis will be consistency, though that might have more to do with health than level of play. Herremans' age, Lance Louis' injury history (knee) and Khaled Holmes' inability to stay on the field put unique concerns at all three interior positions.

Of course, this is all the more reason that Mewhort must stay healthy, and consistent, opposite Castonzo.

No, Mewhort is not the most important or most valuable player on the Colts offense. He's not even tops on the offensive line.

But how Mewhort plays may have the biggest effect on how the offense performs and, ultimately, whether a Super Bowl trip is possible.