Insider: Don't jump to conclusions about Colts' O-line

• Browns at Colts, 1 p.m. Saturday, CBS

INDIANAPOLIS – You can dwell on the four sacks, or you can concentrate on the spacious running lanes.

You can fixate on the few breakdowns in protection, or focus on the many clean pockets.

How you assess the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive line so far in 2017 is mostly a matter of perspective. Really, you can see whatever you want. 

If you wish to criticize, there’s ample room to do so. If you prefer to point to the unit’s occasionally impressive play, that is certainly justifiable, too.

It wouldn’t be the Colts if the offensive line wasn’t a source of debate. But whatever your assessment, let’s get one thing straight:

Jim Irsay was wrong.

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When the Colts owner said in June, “The offensive line is fixed,” he jumped the proverbial gun. But that infamous statement at a Colts town hall doesn’t mean this Colts’ offensive line isn’t salvageable.

Be sure to look at the complete picture before drawing premature conclusions.

“There’s always some half-full, always some half-empty,” offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski said.

That pretty much describes Sunday’s performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe you can’t get past the image of Arizona's Chandler Jones decking Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett at pivotal moments in the fourth quarter. Granted, it was a painful sight (especially for Brissett).

But that is an incomplete picture of what the offensive line contributed Sunday. It doesn’t, for example, take into account Brissett holding the ball too long in the pocket, putting extreme stress on his lineman against one of the better defenses in the NFL. That’s not a knock on Brissett, who had about five minutes with the Indianapolis playbook before making his first start.

Just think of it as important context to consider when judging what the Colts’ offensive line put on film in Week 2. More context: The unit was implementing a new starter at right tackle Sunday, with Joe Haeg moving to the outside after spending most of the offseason working at guard. The loss of Denzelle Good, who played well in Week 1, to wrist surgery made the move necessary.

And, do not forget the Colts are still playing with an undrafted rookie, Deyshawn Bond, at center. Starting center Ryan Kelly, last year’s first-round pick, expects to return to his spot in the coming weeks after recovering from foot surgery.

Much of that is the basis of that half-full, half-empty assessment Chudzinski mentioned. And, all things considered, the current group is good enough that the Colts are aiming to keep it intact moving forward (the anticipated return of Kelly being the one likely change).

“That’s the plan,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “Continuity is always a good thing.”

Said Chudzinski: “We’ve shuffled so many guys around … that it’s important now to get the five guys in their spots and let them go to work and work on getting better. We want them to get used to playing exactly where they’re playing and with the guys next to them.”

That kind of thing can be huge for players like Jeremy Vujnovich. He spent the offseason shuttling between guard and tackle, seemingly finding a home at right tackle in the preseason before being abruptly moved to left guard heading into Week 1. And he’s hanging in there. The same is true even for a veteran like Jack Mewhort, who played next to Haeg for the first time in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals.

The guy who has had the most stability on the line is veteran left tackle Anthony Castonzo. He’s manned the position since his rookie season in 2011, but his consistency is as much an issue now as it’s ever been. Castonzo has given up two sacks in two games, not including the near-sack in the fourth quarter Sunday on which he was flagged for holding Jones.

There are no options outside of Castonzo. The Colts have to make it work with the seventh-year tackle who, between base salary and roster bonuses, will earn $10 million this season. His overall play has been defensible, but it’s those occasional plays where the bottom falls out that often define Castonzo.

There’s that half-empty, half-full issue again.  

Left tackle, however, seems to be the one position where the Colts can’t settle for mediocrity.

“We need Anthony to play great,” Chudzinski said.

On the whole, this isn’t a great offensive line. And maybe it isn’t where you’d think it should be one year after drafting four linemen in a single draft. But it’s also not among the worst in the NFL at a time when offensive-line performance leaguewide is seemingly at an all-time worst.

Half-full? Half-empty? That’s your call.

Follow IndyStar Colts Insider Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.