'It’s a process': Colts plan to stick with rookie Bernhard Raimann at left tackle

INDIANAPOLIS — From the sounds of it, the Colts are going to roll with the rookie at the most important position on the offensive line.

Bernhard Raimann is going to have some growing pains at left tackle.

Indianapolis knows that already. Raimann was flagged four times in the first start of his NFL career last Thursday, frustrated and flummoxed at times by Broncos pass rusher Bradley Chubb.

Raimann is also the Colts’ best chance to solidify a position that has been a problem since Anthony Castonzo retired two seasons ago. The stopgaps, Eric Fisher and Matt Pryor, haven’t plugged the hole.

If the rest of his rookie class is any indication, the more Raimann plays, the more he’ll grow to meet the role.

“We just think he has the makeup, he has the physical talent,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “We understand — like a lot of our young players — it’s a process. You look at Alec (Pierce), you look at Jelani (Woods), they get better fast, the more they play. … So we’re just going to put him in there, and we’re going to play.”

Raimann has already offered a glimpse of his ability to learn from his mistakes in real time.

When the Colts were in the middle of last week’s slog against the Broncos, the penalties, the physical mistakes stuck out like a sore thumb. When Indianapolis turned on the film the next day, the tape of Raimann’s performance told a different story.

“As the game went on, he started settling in, and that’s what you hope for,” offensive coordinator Marcus Brady said. “That even if it happens to be a rocky start. … that he just gets more and more comfortable after seeing what the defender is doing and how he is playing. We talk about RPMs, where he’s not in panic mode, playing fast, he can kind of slow himself down.”

Raimann also has a veteran’s mentality.

The moment the game is over, Raimann is thinking about how he can get better, how he can improve.

The Colts had plenty of reasons to expect mistakes from Raimann last week. The rookie played 31 snaps in the first two games, then injured an ankle and missed the next two games, trying to rehabilitate the ankle to be ready if Indianapolis needed him. A Thursday night kickoff meant Raimann didn’t get any live practice snaps leading up to the game, and Denver edge rusher Bradley Chubb was waiting for him.

The Colts coaching staff factored all of those disadvantages into their evaluation.

Raimann did not.

“Definitely had a rough start,” Raimann said. “Made a lot of mistakes, a lot of things to learn from, things to work on this week. Not being able to play the previous two weeks kind of slowed me down, but I’ve got to pick that back up again, practicing with the team again and getting used to the speed is definitely going to help.”

Chubb presented one heck of a test for a rookie making his first start.

Raimann has all of the physical tools to deal with a player that has Chubb’s athleticism, but he did not face many players of that caliber in his two seasons as a left tackle at Central Michigan. Despite his age, Raimann is still relatively new at the position, and when he watched the tape, he saw the kind of technical mistakes he can’t make.

“In pass protection, staying on my angle, not opening up too soon,” Raimann said. “That’s something I’ll be working on.”

The Colts know some of those mistakes are going to happen.

But Raimann doesn’t approach the game that way. Keeping his development in perspective is something the coaching staff can afford to do.

He can’t.

“This job needs to be done,” Raimann said. “You just have to look out for your teammates. I’m not trying to make any excuses for myself. I’m just going to go in there as if I’ve played the position in the league for 10 years, work on the little things, and that’s going to make an impact for the team.”

Raimann plans on judging himself by that standard.

The Colts coaching staff know it’s going to take some time.

But it’d be hard for the Indianapolis offensive line to play any worse, and as much as Raimann has gone through some growing pains, he has not been charged with any sacks allowed so far, at least according to Sports Info Solutions. The same service has charged Pryor with five.

Raimann has the kind of athleticism that nobody else on the Indianapolis roster possesses.

“You have to allow these players to develop, and they are only going to develop with experience,” Brady said. “We know that two to three weeks from now, he’s going to be a better player than what he’s showing, but in order for him to get to where we want him to be, he’s got to go through those reps.”

Indianapolis has always believed Raimann has the athleticism to play left tackle.

What he needs is a chance to smooth out his rough edges.

“We feel like he’s got a lot of upside,” Reich said. “Right now, I’d be willing to tell you we think that’s going to be our left tackle.”

The Colts desperately need a player to entrench himself at left tackle, both in the short and long terms.

Raimann looks like he has the best chance to be that player.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts plan to stick with rookie Bernhard Raimann at left tackle