INDIANAPOLIS – Through 11 different starting offensive line groups last season, one member's spot could be written in sharpie marker.
Four different players ran out with the starting unit at left guard in 2014 (Jack Mewhort, Lance Louis, Joe Reitz and A.Q. Shipley).
Three guys snapped the ball to Andrew Luck (A.Q. Shipley, Jonotthan Harrison and Khaled Holmes).
A trio saw starting time at right guard (Hugh Thornton, Lance Louis and Joe Reitz).
With four starters at right tackle in 2014 (Gosder Cherilus, Joe Reitz, Xavier Nixon and Jack Mewhort), that brought the line total to 14 different starters among four spots last season.
At left tackle though, there was Anthony Castonzo logging 1,115 snaps in 2014, the most for any NFL offensive lineman.
"He's like that old pickup. You can always count on him," Chuck Pagano said of Castonzo earlier this year.
"You can turn the damn thing over and he's always going to start. He shows up week-in-and-week-out. I'm very grateful that we have him."
Blocking the blindside of a quarterback as valuable as Andrew Luck carries an immense burden.
Castonzo hasn't blinked in taking on that task.
He's missed just four snaps in the last two seasons (those coming in the 2013 regular season finale when the Colts had a 30-3 lead on Jacksonville).
In 2012, he played every offensive snap (1,169).
"I take pride in the fact you can count on me to be out there," Castonzo said earlier this year. "I've had bumps and bruises, things here and there. Everybody pretty much plays hurt, but I take pride in being able to grit through a lot of things."
One of those "bumps and bruises" came in the form of a sprained MCL during the third game of the 2013 preseason.
With the regular season opener in serious jeopardy, Castonzo was in the starting lineup two weeks after the injury and didn't miss a snap untill Week 17 of 2013.
In a season, and now offseason, with so many unknowns across the offensive line it's the left tackle spot where the worry is nonexistent.
"I don't know when the last time he missed," Chuck Pagano said referring to Castonzo's reliability.
"The guy obviously takes care of himself. He's tough as damn nails. He's smart as hell. He works as hard as anybody in the locker room."
