Willie Colon to move to guard
We’ve been saying it for years, but the Steelers wouldn’t listen. But finally, our prayers have been answered, and oft-injured Steelers right tackle Willie Colon is moving to guard.
“I’ve made the transition to left guard,” said Colon . “I like it. It’s just a matter of learning the verbiage.”
Colon has been the Steelers’ starting right tackle since 2007. He missed the 2010 and 2011 seasons due to injury, but he had been penciled in to return to his spot at right tackle in 2012. But that was before the 2012 NFL Draft took place.
In the recently held draft, the Steelers selected guard David DeCastro and tackle Mike Adams with their first two picks. And apparently the team wants to see both players in the starting lineup right away.
The original plan was for Marcus Gilbert to move from right tackle to left tackle, and for Willie Colon to return to his right tackle spot. However, with the acquisition of DeCastro and Adams, those plans have been changed. Instead, Mike Adams has been penciled in as the starting left tackle, Willie Colon will move to left guard, Maurkice Pouncey will remain at center, DeCastro will play right guard, and Marcus Gilbert will remain at right tackle.
And just like that, one of the greatest weaknesses on the team (the offensive line), may have become the team’s greatest strength.
There is of course the risk of playing an untested rookie at left tackle. After all, the left tackle is responsible for protecting Ben Roethlisberger’s blind side. However, the Steelers will have plenty of time during training camp to make sure that Adams is up to the task. If he’s not, changes will surely be made. But on paper, this sounds like a move in the right direction.
I was extremely happy when the Steelers drafted DeCastro and Adams. And today’s announcements have made me even happier.
I may be getting excited too soon, but I think the Steelers’ red zone problems may have just been eliminated.
Go Steelers!
yes yes yes yes yes…. This line will be good and this will make colon the only weak link but being in between two great players will cover his weaknesses. I know ben cried a tear of joy when he heard this. This will also help out the so called weakness at runningback. Great news. Adams has first round talent and everyone knows he cant be worse then john scott.
1ABOUT FREAKIN TIME!
Even when Colon gets hurt, Foster can fill in just fine. I’m not super worried about having a rookie starting at LT: we survived Johnathon Scott, didn’t we?
2I like it! I just hope that Colon learns how to stop false starting all the time! And holding!
3Who’d a thunk it? Logic at work.
I’m wondering what input the new coach Haley had here.
I’d think substantial.
The best players playing their best positions will surely equal best results. And sooner rather than later. These men are exceptional.
Sure there will be a learning curve and some frustration and stumbling but it looks to be at a minimum with this group.
Myself I’ve always liked Colon. Talk about hard luck..
He’s one of those told you so types like Harrison who always strive to keep on proving everyone wrong and doing a damn good job of it. Ben has a lot of confidence in Colon.
That said, it’s hard to say it too much and no I don’t think it’s premature … WHAT A DRAFT!!!
4DP,
5When you say that Colon is the weak link, I assume that you mean weak mentally. He does tend to make far too many mental errors, so I would agree with that assessment. However, if you mean weak physically, I have to disagree. He is a prototype “road grader”. He’s strong, and is good at run blocking. But he has slow feet and isn’t as good at pass blocking. That’s why I’ve always wanted to see him move to guard instead of playing tackle. I prefer to have offensive tackles who have quick feet and who excel at pass blocking. That pretty much eliminates Willie Colon.
Dan,
6I agree. I am very comfortable with Ramon Foster as a backup. In fact, he might even surprise us and win a starting spot. Isn’t that what’s he’s done each of the last 2 years?
Steve.
7I think you may be asking for too much. Colon will never stop holding. I’m certain of that.
HP,
8I’m happy with any combination of the 5 players that the Steelers are planning to start on the offensive line. Remember, there were times last year when we had Jonathan Scott, Doug Legursky, Ramon Foster, and Trai Essex playing together. Ouch!
Hah! It was wishful thinking on him not holding any more… and you could be right on the Ramon Foster thing.. if Colon keeps making too many mental errors… we could very well see Foster in that spot before too long!
9In comparison to Kemoeatu, Colon wasn’t as maddening with mental errors. I’m more worried about his health. 1 game in 2 years. There’s the rust factor as well.
10I’m optimistic about Colon at OG. And they put him at LG, which is significant.
Foster isn’t agile enough for LG, at least the way they’ve used them over the years. So either they’ll move DeCastro, or start pulling from RG more (which Colon hinted they would). So Foster is the RG back up, and Legursky is LG/C back up.
Foster NEVER beats guys out in camp. He comes in later in the season to start. And with the talent in front of him this year, I don’t expect that will change.
11@Dan… You obviously don’t remember what Colon was like before injury… he had more mental errors than Kemo did for the most part… usually at worse parts in the game too!
12Dan,
13I’m worried too. 2 years off is a long time. Hopefully he’s healthy and ready to perform.
Jim,
You’re right. Foster never beat anyone out in camp. Which makes it all the more impressive for him. Usually, the coaches decide that he’s a better option than the guy that they had put ahead of him on the depth chart.
BTW, I’m not overly concerned about who is named the starter in training camp. After all, Jonathan Scott was named a starter at left tackle last year coming out of training camp. And I remember Trai Essex being named a starter twice in the past. How did that work out?
14I am not sure that I agree with the psychology of naming Adams the starting LT at this point. It seems to me that with his background, he should be kept on a short leash and be constantly reminded that he should be happy to be here; he needs to earn EVERYTHING from here on out; and he needs to have the mindset that he needs to get better every day.
15@john21
Normally, I’d agree, but seeing as how Johnathon Scott is his only competition, he’ll probably start week 1. I think we’ll see Scott be named the starter for the first week of preseason, and then Adams will take over. Hopefully, we’ll never see Scott starting again.
16I don’t think Colon’s holding penalties were so much mental as the result of slow feet. He got burned off the edge and had to hold to slow his guy down. At OG, obviously, he won’t have to worry about speed rushers and can just do what he does best – latch on and bury his man. The one question (besides whether or not he can stay healthy for longer than 3 days) is whether his slow feet will prevent him from pulling effectively. It’s different footwork, but slow for a tackle isn’t necessarily slow for a guard, so I’m fairly confident as long as he stays healthy.
17In regard to LT, I think Gilbert will start training camp there as planned with Adams behind him. They’re going to want to push Adams to compete rather than just hand him the spot, besides the fact that he might not be ready or get caught smoking again and get suspended four games. The plan would be, though, that at some point in the season Adams would take over at LT and Gilbert would shift back to his old position at RT. The timing will just depend on how well Adams plays in camp compared to Gilbert, and how well Scott plays at RT compared to “being good.”
18