Kravitz: It's on Ryan Grigson now

The ball is in general manager Ryan Grigson's court now, just the way it was in Bill Polian's court all those years ago. Like Polian, Grigson has a franchise quarterback. Like Polian, Grigson has some scattered pieces necessary to win a title, like Robert Mathis and T.Y. Hilton, among others. Like Polian, Grigson has a sub-standard offensive line and a porous defense he couldn't patch with an influx of medium- and high-priced free agents.

If Grigson does his job well – that is to say, if he works his 2012 magic and not his hit-and-miss work of 2013 – the Colts should be competing for Super Bowls within two, three years. But Grigson has to get it done; it's the responsibility that comes with being gifted a quarterback like Andrew Luck. These kinds of guys don't often come along, unless you're the most fortunate football city in the country, Indianapolis. If Grigson can't get it done with Luck, he will be deemed a failure, just as Polian was criticized for winning "just'' one Super Bowl with Peyton Manning.

It will be interesting now to see how the Colts attempt to build this team around Luck. Jim Irsay has said in the past that the mistake of the Manning years was to put too much emphasis on the offense, leaving the defense to make do with lesser talents and a smaller chunk of the payroll. In the Luck era, Irsay wants a more balanced team around Luck, a team that can be good in all three phases.

The money should be there, roughly $35-40 million to spend as they see fit.

My guess now is, Grigson goes big in the off-season, looks to fill the roster with offensive and defensive linemen, a requirement after a game when the Colts got out-rushed by New England 234-69. My guess is he looks to bolster the interior of the offensive line. My guess is he looks to upgrade the defensive line and maybe add an inside linebacker.

Want to run and stop the run, their stated albeit dubious and outdated desire? Add some beef.

Maybe in free agency, he can focus in on a young receiver who can someday take the reins from Reggie Wayne. Let's speak the truth about Wayne: We don't know what he's going to be when he comes back. We don't know if he's going to be the player he's been for so many years. So the Colts are going to need another wide receiver, both for next year and the years to come.

Two years ago, Grigson could do no wrong. His draft was exemplary, as it should have been with the Colts picking either first or second in every round of the draft. His budget free agents filled massive gaps in a depleted, cap-strapped roster. His street free agents and mid-season pickups made game-altering plays. He was Executive of the Year, and for good reason.

This past year? Not so much. This is the nature of sports and specifically the art of personnel evaluation. The Midas touch took a holiday. There were hits and there were misses in free agency.

Hits:

• Gosder Cherilus. He settled in beautifully at right offensive tackle and gave the Colts the promise of two bookend tackles for years to come.

• Erik Walden.Was he worth the big check the Colts gave him? Maybe not. But he made some impact plays this season, especially in big games. He was brought in to set the edge and did his job fairly well.

The misses:

• Darrius Heyward-Bey. There's a whole lot to like about Heyward-Bey as a man, and he should be lauded for stepping up and volunteering to be a gunner on special teams when Sergio Brown got hurt. But he was a complete bust as a wide receiver. By season's end, he was a complete cipher, having lost his job to the likes of Da'Rick Rogers, Lavon Brazill and Griff Whalen. At times, he left us pining for the salad days of Donnie Avery. The only saving grace is he was given a one-year deal for a humble (by football standards) sum. He won't be back. Clearly.

• LaRon Landry. He was supposed to be the trained killer in the run game, a larger version of Bob Sanders, but he never performed at a consistently high level, not at a $6 million a year level. He's an adventure in pass coverage, where he seems to be stiff in the hips and incapable of adjusting on the ball. Not a complete bust, but a disappointment.

• Greg Toler. When he played, he played reasonably well. But he couldn't stay healthy, which was a problem for him in Arizona.

Some guys just filled roles and did so decently: Aubrayo Franklin, Ricky Jean Francois. Others lost most if not all of the season to injuries: Donald Thomas, Ahmad Bradshaw, Lawrence Sidbury. Matt Hasselbeck was a valuable insurance policy.

For better or worse, Grigson will always be known as The Guy Who Traded For Trent Richardson, and that's going to be a demerit on his public record unless A) Richardson re-discovers his inner Jim Brown or B) the Colts win a Super Bowl, in which case all is forgiven and forgotten.

In the interest of full disclosure, I was fully in favor of the trade and wrote glowingly about the deal, saying Richardson would be Luck's Edgerrin James for years to come. But we've watched Richardson for almost a full year now. And he's, well, not good. I'm almost certain those are the same offensive linemen blocking for Richardson who block for Donald Brown, a guy who averaged more than five yards per carry during the regular season. Richardson lacks vision, instincts, that burst. And it's hard to understand how a full off-season in the Colts colors is going to change him that much as a player.

Yes, he's a very good blocker in pass protection, but you don't give up first rounders for guys who are good in pass protection.

The draft just didn't provide much in the way of immediate help, not the way it did last year. Hugh Thornton was thrown into the fire at left guard when Thomas got hurt. Bjoern Werner got limited time at outside linebacker. And beyond them…nothing. Even at a time when the Colts were desperate for offensive linemen, draftee Khaled Holmes couldn't find the football field.

Current Colts free agents? There will be some tough calls, none tougher than Antoine Bethea, a great pro who's got some mileage on him. Donald Brown had a nice year, but he only returns for the right price. Grigson loves Mike McGlynn's nasty streak, but he's on the bubble; maybe he returns as a center if Samson Satele is vanquished. It's likely Vontae Davis will be re-signed; they gave up a second rounder to acquire him. Kavell Conner? Just a guy; take him or leave him, depending on price. Pat Angerer – gone. Here's hoping they hold onto Adam Vinatieri and Pat McAfee (because I'm sure as heck not going to host that show).

Grigson has two years to fill out his team with talent before the bill comes due on Luck's first big mega-contract. Once that hits, the equation will change, forcing the Colts to work around Luck's bigger number.

The key now is not to repeat the mistake of the past, which was to become too reliant on the franchise quarterback.

It's all on Grigson now.

Oh, and no pressure.

Bob Kravitz is a columnist for The Indianapolis Star. Call him at (317) 444-6643 or email bob.kravitz@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BKravitz.