Colon may be lost for the season
Just when we thought the 2010 season couldn’t get any worse for the Pittsburgh Steelers, it just got worse.
As if an off-season full of Big Ben drama and the Steelers practically giving away Santonio “Wake & Bake” Holmes weren’t already enough to make Steelers fans pull out their hair, here comes more bad news.
Steelers starting right tackle Willie Colon injured his Achilles tendon today during agility drills. Colon will undergo an MRI tomorrow, but the early indication is that he will probably be lost for the season.
Steelers tackle Willie Colon
Colon has been extremely durable since he joined the Steelers’ starting line-up 3 years ago. He has not missed a game due to injury during that time.
The Steelers’ offensive line has been under scrutiny for the last several years, and this can’t possibly help. Colon is considered by some to be the Steelers’ best offensive lineman.
To compound the problem, the only back-up that the Steelers have with starting experience at tackle is Trai Essex. Essex is likely to lose his starting spot at right guard this season to rookie Maurkice Pouncey. Moreover, I never felt that Essex was particularly dependable at tackle when he was called upon to play that position.
It’s unclear what the Steelers will do, but I would surmise that they’ll probably sign an experienced veteran to provide more competition at the position during training camp.
The Steelers’ 2010 season hasn’t even started, and already it’s been full of excitement. I don’t know about you, but I wish August (i.e. Steelers Training Camp) would hurry up and get here already.
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When they brought in new O-line coach from the Bills, they also brought in LT Jonathan Scott who has 4 years of experience under his belt with the Lions and the Bills. He started 8 games during the 2009 season and was said to be impressive at the RT position in OTAs to be tentatively placed behind Colon on the depth chart. Would he be a better replacement than Essex who was horrible at RG and will have an even tougher time doing the work alone?
1Martin,
2Excellent point. I can’t say that I know very much about Jonathan Scott, but I think we’re all going to be paying attention to him this year at Steelers Training Camp.
Training camp will be interesting, won’t it? It never fails that the OL will be one of the most watched areas. I feel that Ramon Foster may get a real shot at the starting RT spot. It’s just a hunch, but it is based on his ability to play different positions.
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