Grigson: 'We all know what we're trying to accomplish'

The fruits of Ryan Grigson's three-year labor are littered up and down one of the league's most talent-thick rosters.

It starts with the youthful core Grigson — Indianapolis Colts general manager since 2012 — plucked on draft day 2012, the present and future of the franchise (hello, Andrew Luck, Dwayne Allen and T.Y. Hilton). There's the supplementary parts he's lured to town to shore up the team's gaping holes (see: Vontae Davis and D'Qwell Jackson). And there's the recent $71 million free agent spending spree that, Grigson is certain, netted the pieces that will push this team past its greatest hurdle (welcome to town, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore and Trent Cole).

What's left? Plenty. Now, it's more patchwork than pillar-building. Now, Grigson scours for the finishing touches.

What can get the Colts one game further in the playoffs next season? What can get them to a Super Bowl?

It begins with the warts that have been so blatantly exposed in the team's past two playoff exits — games that were mirror images of one another, lopsided losses on the same field against the same team. But before they can think of getting back to the AFC Championship Game, the Colts must address the injuries that plagued them last year and have lingered well into this offseason.

How's Robert Mathis' Achilles tendon? What can the team expect from Vick Ballard, who hasn't played a game in two years? Or Donald Thomas? What of Gosder Cherilus' knee? And his groin? And his shoulder?

"We're going to wait and see on a lot of guys," Grigson said Thursday, a week before his team will pick 29th in the first round of the NFL draft. "Sometimes a guy's rehab is a sticking point; you just never know. We'll just keep tabs on it and once you start getting into the field work and seeing guys move around — I'm not a doctor — but I can at least tell with a naked eye if a guy's movement looks right. If a guy's not healthy, you can tell."

That's where next week's draft comes in. The Colts — owners of nine picks — need to be prepared if the injuries from 2014 don't heal quickly, or don't heal at all. A capable replacement in the event a key cog goes down — practically an inevitability in today's NFL — would serve as a nice insurance policy for Grigson and Co.

"I think it's a balance," Grigson said. "Say we are quote unquote 'deep' at a spot, but there's an undeniable talent there (in the draft), then you can, yes, call us stockpilers. But if you have guys that are all kind of aligned on your board and obviously there's a position of need staring you in the face and those players are of equal value on the board, then you're going to do what common sense says and take that player. Again, it's a balance."

A tricky balance, to be sure. If Mathis isn't right, the Colts will need help in the pass-rush department. If Cherilus' isn't right, the Colts will need help along the offensive line. (Same goes for Thomas.) With the uncertainty surrounding Ballard, they will definitely need to bolster their depth at running back.

Suffice to say the Colts better use their nine picks wisely. Injuries are an unavoidable reality in the NFL. Teams must adapt. Teams must prepare. The Colts know this more than most.

"There's always going to be some areas that you have to think are healthy," Grigson said. "Then you get through two weeks at training camp and, all of a sudden, it's a big epidemic."

Grigson might as well have been talking about his offensive line. Consistency eluded the unit throughout 2014. Injuries, like those to Thomas (torn quadriceps in training camp) and Cherilus (knee, groin and shoulder pain all season) played a central role in the Colts using 10 different starters over the course of the season (tied for the league high). They never went more than three games with the same combination (tied for worst in the NFL) and changed up their five-man line week-to-week on 11 occasions.

"June, June-ish, I think," Grigson said Thursday when asked when Cherilus is expected to return to the field. "Hopefully sooner, but that's kind of where we're at with him ... We're just going to have to see if his body is going to cooperate."

And Thomas? Will his body cooperate?

"One of our strongest guys on the team, he looks physically very strong," Grigson said. "It's another kind of wait-and-see thing."

Same with Ballard and Mathis, who are both on the mend from torn Achilles tendons that cost them the entire season.

Nothing is guaranteed. The Colts, in a sense, have to be prepared for the worst. Which is why it won't come as a huge surprise if Grigson addresses some or all of these areas — offensive line, pass rushers, running backs — next week in Chicago.

"I have a barometer kind of in my mind based off the information that I have and that's what I have to go off of," he explained. "But if I am told, 'This guy's going to be fine,' or if we're at a point where we haven't field-tested it yet, (then) we don't know. To me, it's always been the more competitive you are in (training) camp, we'll just figure it all out later.

"Why not just stock the shelves with as much talent as possible and let it work itself out in camp?" he said. "You've got 90 spots. We all know what we're trying to accomplish here."

What they're trying to accomplish — one game further in the playoffs, remember, which means a spot in Super Bowl 50 — won't change, no matter if injuries decimate the roster or offer barely a smudge.

Colts GM addresses a few additional topics

Grigson hit on a few other topics Thursday, seven days before the Colts will make their first of nine picks in the draft.

On his mindset when picking 29th in the draft:

"The best player available mentality is I think the healthiest mentality to have especially when I feel like for the most part, the roster looks pretty balanced. We have some areas of concern but there's always those no matter what stage of the game you're in – regular season, offseason, or what have you. There's a lot of things that factor. There's guys that are off the board for character. It's not just a big talent grab."

On what he wants to see from linebacker Bjoern Werner – a first-round pick in 2013 – next season:

"Just want to see where by midseason he's flying around making plays. I think with Bjoern, it's never going to be because of lack of want-to. He plays with a high motor. I think he needs to develop his pass rush repertoire more. He knows that. But as far as making plays, I think he's shown us that he can make plays in space as a longer guy. I know how much he cares about the name on the back of his jersey and he wants to be a great player. I think he will be."

On new wide receiver Duron Carter, acquired from the CFL in February:

"He is very young. The talent's there. He knows he has a lot to prove. He's kind of on a show me, prove it to us basis. But the talent is there, the length is there. I think he needs to spend some time in the weight room. It's a physical game. He's a long, lanky guy, but he's got big play ability."



On whether or not the fact that coach Chuck Pagano's contract – which has not been extended beyond this year – will be a distraction for this team this season:

"Absolutely not. I don't talk about player's contracts. Obviously I'm not going to talk about our head coach's. But no, business as usual around here. Everything's good and we're ready. Everyone's looking to do the same thing in this building. We're all trying to achieve the same goal. Everyone's on board. Everyone's all in."

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134. Follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.