Colts Inactives vs. Titans: Lance Louis Will Start at Right Guard

At 1:00 p.m. eastern time the Indianapolis Colts (1-2) will host the Tennessee Titans (1-2) in an AFC South matchup.  Often, the players who won't play can have a big impact on the game.  As such, let's take a look at the Colts inactives for today's game:

WR Da'Rick Rogers

S Colt Anderson

LB Jerrell Freeman

LB Andy Studebaker

C Khaled Holmes

OL Hugh Thornton

DL Arthur Jones

A few thoughts...

• There are absolutely no surprises on this list.  In fact, I speculated as to who the seven inactives would be and this was the exact list I came up with too.  No surprises.
• We knew earlier this week that Freeman and Jones would miss the game (also Mario Harvey, who was waived-injured yesterday).  It is the third straight game Freeman (hamstring) has missed and the second straight missed game for Jones (ankle).
• We also knew on Friday that Hugh Thornton was doubtful for the game, and since that moment it appeared unlikely that he would go.  To me the bigger question was who would start for him at right guard, and now we know: it'll be Lance Louis.  He has not started an NFL game since 2012, but he was with the Colts this year in training camp and emerged as a reliable backup option.  Oh, and get this: last week, Louis was a healthy inactive. This week, he's starting at right guard.  If that doesn't inspire confidence, I don't know what will.
• Once again, because I get this question every week: Nothing is wrong with Da'Rick Rogers, he's just the sixth wide receiver.  It makes total sense that he's inactive.
• Don't overlook the absence of Colt Anderson and Andy Studebaker.  They are two of the best special teams guys that the Colts have and their being inactive today could cause in the Colts' coverage units not being as great today.  It's at least something to keep an eye on.
• Khaled Holmes is one of only two healthy inactives today (the other being Rogers).  It seems like a far fall for a guy who all offseason was clearly the team's starting center, but it makes sense - in fact, I speculated earlier this week that it might very well happen.  Once it was announced that A.Q. Shipley would be starting at center, Holmes' job would have been at most a backup center.  The Colts also have Jonotthan Harrison as a backup center, and the team likes his ability to play guard better than they like Holmes' ability to play guard.  That gives Harrison the edge in the versatility category, which is perhaps the most important thing for a backup lineman.  Thus, Holmes is inactive.  I wouldn't get concerned about this or anything, nor would I assume it to mean that the Colts are moving away from him.  I think at some point he will be starting at center, but since he's not this week, there's no point in him being active with another backup center in Harrison who provides more versatility (at least in the team's mind).