ANDERSON, Ind. -- Andrew Luck isn't a smoker. But the Indianapolis Colts offensive line wants to block so well that the quarterback could indulge, if he so chose.
"He should be back there, to be able to smoke a cigarette if he wants before he throws the ball," left tackle Anthony Castonzo said. "That's how I look at it. He just has to drop back and throw the ball. ... We'll take care of the rest."
Luck, and everybody else in the organization, would be happy if the offensive line gave him more than a second or two before he had to make a decision about where to throw the ball.
That has been the goal since the moment the Colts selected Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012. It's still a challenge today and it will remain so until Indianapolis proves it can protect its franchise player better.
That's what happens when you give up 118 quarterback hits -- second-most in the NFL -- lose your franchise player to injury and use five different quarterbacks, seeing three go down with season-ending injuries, during an 8-8 campaign in 2015.
Changes had to be made on the offensive line, from both personnel and coaching standpoints. The days of putting together a patchwork unit and hoping it could do enough to keep Luck upright are done.
The front office and coaching staff made the line a priority in the offseason. Led by their first-round selection, center Ryan Kelly, the Colts used half of their eight draft picks on offensive linemen. They also hired former Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin, who has a history coaching offensive lines, to lead the unit.
It might take time, but the belief is the line will be better with Philbin developing the players, particularly the young ones. He has been emphasizing moving at a fast pace, no matter what they're doing on the field or in the meeting room, because it will translate to the game.
"When you are an offensive lineman your job description is clear-cut," Philbin said. "You run block and you pass block. Those are the critical elements in their job and it's my job to get them to perform at a high level.
"With that said, football is a team game and certainly we want to do everything we can to keep our quarterback upright and keep the pocket clean. ... We are built as a one-on-one pass protection, one man blocking one man, and at the end of the day you have to be able to do that to play in the National Football League."
Kelly is the clear-cut starter at center, with Castonzo and Jack Mewhort at left tackle and left guard, respectively. Hugh Thornton, who has been inconsistent through his first three seasons, is getting the first shot to start at right guard, as Joe Reitz will at right tackle. But the starting spots on the right side of the line are far from being set in stone.
"I'm excited about our offensive line and getting out on the field and seeing where we are at," offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said. "I've always felt like you have an idea of what you are and what you'll be during the course of the season, but things change and they change in a hurry. Whether that's injuries, whether it's who ends up playing where and when and [in] what job, and what guys surprise you during the course of training camp.
"People have to step up and that's what this will be all about, is seeing who is going to step up and how all these spots will work themselves out."