Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

Now that the Super Bowl is behind us, it’s time to start looking at what changes the Steelers need to make during the off-season.

While some prefer to jump right in and start suggesting players that the Steelers should draft or sign as free agents, I prefer to start by reviewing the season that just ended.

This is going to be Part 1 of a series in which I evaluate all of the Steelers positions, and analyze how the players at each position performed this season.

The first position that I’m going to look at is offensive tackle.

The offensive tackle position got off to a strange start this season, and things got stranger as the season progressed.

The very first move that the Steelers made was to cut Flozell Adams, their most consistent offensive tackle from the previous season.  Adams was deemed to be expendable, since Willie Colon would be returning from a season-ending injury.    But that move was just the start of a bizarre year at offensive tackle.

Let’s look at how the various players performed.

Willie Colon
Colon had missed the entire 2010 season with an injury, and the Steelers were happy to welcome him back for the 2011 season.  To show him just how happy they were, the team signed him to a new contract that paid him a bazillion dollars.

And to show the team just how much he appreciated all the cash, Colon proceeded to injure himself again, and he missed the entire season (Again!).

I’ve always thought that Colon was a bit over-rated.  He’s historically been a holding call, or an off-sides penalty waiting to happen.  But the Steelers coaches have consistently said that he was their best offensive lineman (prior to the arrival of Maurkice Pouncey).

It’s been so long since I’ve seen Colon play, that I don’t know what to make of him.  But I do know that he is going to make a lot of money this year.  The Steelers may not want to tie up so much money on a player who has missed two consecutive seasons.

Jonathan Scott
Jonathan Scott spent most of the 2010 season practicing new ways to get beat by defenders.  As a reward for his ineptness, the Steelers named him the starting left tackle heading into 2011.  Huh?

Obviously, the Steelers thought they saw something in Scott that I never saw.  But by the second game of the season, they realized that what they thought they had seen was actually a mirage.  They also realized that the team was in big trouble at left tackle.

Jonathan Scott is a backup.  He’s always been a backup.  He’ll always be a backup.  End of story.

Max Starks
Max Starks was the biggest surprise of the 2011 season.  Starks had missed most of the 2010 season with a neck injury, and then he allowed himself to get fat while he rehabbed.  He showed up at training camp weighing over 400 lbs.  The Steelers were having none of that, and sent him packing.

But when Jonathan Scott showed that he was better at being a matador than a left tackle, the Steelers gave Starks a call and begged him to come plug the gaping hole they had at left tackle.  Starks obliged, and played amazingly well.

Starks injured his ACL at the end of the season, and some say that it may be a career-ending injury for a player who recently turned 30.

If Starks is unable to come back from the injury, he leaves a gaping hole on the Steelers’ offensive line.

Marcus Gilbert
When Willie Colon went down with an injury, the Steelers didn’t have to bring back 70 year old Flozell Adams because they believed that rookie Marcus Gilbert was ready to fill the position.

Gilbert suffered more injuries during the season than I was comfortable with.  But despite that, he played surprisingly well for a rookie.

Some say that he is the heir apparent at left tackle for the Steelers.

Trai Essex
Trai Essex is the John Salley of the Steelers.  As you probably remember, John Salley was an NBA player who collected championship rings playing for the Detroit Pistons, the Chicago Bulls, and the LA Lakers, even though he never became a starter for any of those teams.  Essex has two Super Bowl rings, and played in a 3rd Super Bowl, despite never earning a starting job.

Essex has never impressed me, and I firmly believe that his “position flexibility” is the only thing that keeps him on the Steelers’ roster.

Essex played every position on the offensive line this season.  For that, he deserves a lot of credit.  The only problem is that he’s not outstanding at any of those positions.

I don’t believe that being mediocre at 5 positions is a good enough reason to make the roster.  Hopefully, the team will find an upgrade in the off-season.

Chris Scott
Despite the problems that the Steelers had at tackle, Chris Scott never set foot on the field.  The Steelers thought that playing two career backups, a rookie, and a 400 lb. guy who was sitting at home, were all better alternatives than giving Chris Scott a shot.  Need we say more?

Some say that offensive guard is the Steelers’ biggest offensive line concern this off-season.  But I’d argue that offensive tackle might be a bigger concern.

Do you readers agree or disagree?  What are your thoughts on the Steelers offensive tackles?

April 12, 2009
By Donald Starver

Special thanks to reader Keith, who suggested that I follow up the series “The 3-4 and the Steelers draft” with a similar series on the Steelers’ offense.  I don’t know if I will have enough time to finish this series before the draft, but I am going to give it a try.

I almost called this series “Arians’ offense and the Steelers’ draft”.  But after thinking about it, I realized that I couldn’t write a series with that title.  Using that title would imply that I actually understand Bruce Arians’ offense.  But the truth is that I don’t.

I’ve watched Bruce Arians’ work as Steelers 0ffensive coordinator for 2 years now, and I still am not quite sure what he is trying to do.  His offense is definitely not a traditional Steelers power running game.    The Steelers have struggled to get the tough yards, particularly on the ground.  The Steelers ranked in the bottom third of the league in rushing yards, so I’m not sure if they have much of a rushing attack, “power” or otherwise.

The Steelers’ don’t run a power passing attack.  Ben Roethlisberger ranked 14th in the league in passing yards, and had almost 2,000 fewer passing yards than league leader Drew Brees. 

They don’t run a classic West Coast offense.  In fact, I struggle to place Bruce Arians’ offense into any particular category.  The most accurate description that I can give it is probably the “gain as few yards as possible and then depend of the defense” offense.

To be fair, Bruce Arians’ offense did win the Super Bowl, so I guess I have no right to question him.  But still……

With that in mind, I plan to look at the offensive positions generically, rather than specifically in the context of the Steelers’ offense (since I don’t understand it).  I hope the readers won’t mind that approach.

I’ll start with the area of greatest need on the Steelers offense, the offensive line.  Specifically, I will start with the most important position on the offensive line; the offensive tackle.

To illustrate just how important offensive tackles are, we need look no further than the 2008 draft.  The first overall pick in 2008 was an offensive tackle, Jake Long.  In addition to Long, 7 other offensive tackles were taken in the first round; more than any other position.  Contrarily, no centers or guards were taken in the first round, nor were there any wide receivers selected.

Offensive tackles are usually the biggest linemen on the team.  They are also typically the most athletic.  Left tackles are valued more highly than right tackles, since most quarterbacks are right-handed, and many of the top pass rushers in the league (e.g. DeMarcus Ware, Joey Porter, James Harrison, etc.) play on the right side of the defense.  The left tackle must protect the quarterback’s blind side. 

Because of the greater importance of the position, left tackles are typically drafted earlier than right tackles, and they are paid significantly more.

Left tackles must have the speed and agility to handle speed rushers coming off the edge.  They must also have the strength and base to anchor against bull rushers. 

Contrarily, the right tackle doesn’t need to be quite as fast as the left tackle.  Instead, right tackles must have tremendous leg strength to get an effective push in the running game.  They need to be an “earth mover” who can successfully push back their defensive opponent.  Most running backs are right handed and prefer to run to the right side, so having a mauler in front of them is important to the success of the running game.

Long arms are considered a highly desirable trait for an offensive tackle.  This allows them to extend into defenders.  Extension is important for two reasons.  First, it allows them to get their hands on the defender from farther away, thus controlling the defender and preventing them from gaining momentum.  Secondly, long arms allow the offensive tackle to protect a wider area.  So an offensive tackle with short arms is going to be down-graded by scouts, regardless of how massive he may be.

Looking at this year’s draft class, there are a number of good offensive tackles available.  Most projection have at least 4 offensive tackles being taken in the first round.

Offensive Tackles:

Eugene Monroe (6’5″, 311 lbs.), Virginia.  Monroe is equally adept at run blocking and pass protection.  He uses excellent technique, and is extremely consistent.

Andre Smith (6’5″, 340 lbs.), Alabama.  A hugely talented player with great size.  In college, he was always a man among boys, so he didn’t develop great technique.  He will have to do so at the next level.  Smith’s decision making and mental attitude have raised some questions.

Jason Smith (6’4″, 305 lbs.), Baylor.  A converted tight end who probably won’t be ready to start on day one.  However, he has great athleticism, and should prove to be a good investment for a team that is willing to put in the development time.

Michael Oher (6’5″, 309 lbs.), Mississippi.  Probably the biggest risk among the top-rated offensive tackle.  He had 3 different position coaches in 4 years, and will need coaching at the next level.  He won the Outland Trophy in 2008.

Eben Britton (6’6″, 310 lbs.), Arizona.  Not a great athlete, and he can be beaten by edge rushers.  However, he is a scrappy player who has good size and solid technique.  He will get the job done, although he may not look good doing so. 

William Beatty (6’6″, 291 lbs.), Connecticut.  Outstanding athlete who has questionable toughness.  Doesn’t play with passion.  Didn’t play against the best talent.  May be taken in the first round, but it will be more due to potential than to actual performance. 

The Steelers’ can use an upgrade on both sides of the offensive line.  Willie Colon, in particular may be vulnerable to rookie competition.  He has the longest tenure at his position on the Steelers starting offensive line, yet he continues to fail to impress.  Max Starks played surprisingly well last year, but the Steelers still don’t seem to be convinced that he is their long-term solution at left tackle.

Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith, and Jason Smith will be long gone before the Steelers make their first pick.  However, it is likely that Eben Britton and/or William Beatty will be available when the Steelers select at #32.

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