State of OL going into 2012

[Oviedo]

We made the mistake of not valuing Starks enough at the beginning of this season (his fault for being fat). I hope we don't make that same mistake and let him go again because he will still be valuable to us for a couple more years.

I think our biggest need is two good Guards. We give up way too much pressure up the middle. Kemo is garbage and needs to be put out on the curb. Foster is nothing more than a back up on any team in the NFL with a decent OL.

I hope we go OG or OT in Round 1 and then get another on in Round 3. If we can get a Round 1 OT then let him OJT on the inside for a year.

Until we fix our OL all we are going to see is inconsistent offense and just hear it blamed on Arians who is trying to drive a car at Daytona with a flat tire (the poor OL).

[Slapstick]

Starks tore his ACL...

I strongly doubt he will be ready for training camp and may be a PUP list candidate...

Assuming he resigns at all, considering he is an unrestricted free agent...

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

The bad news is.....we only have two starting caliber players on the OL.

The good news is that both are very young and we have survived and even won a Super Bowl with bad Olinemen.

The only players who get written in using pen are Pouncey at C, and Gilbert at T, just not sure which T position. Beyond that.....

Colon - Who knows. I do know that I never saw him as a good RT, and then he was seriously injured so we gave him a big contract. I hope that he returns and shows the type of game that I kept hearing about, but two years off does not bode well

Foster - Has been a decent RG, and someone who I give the opportunity to compete, but not somebody who I even pencil in as a starter.

Legursky - Position flexibility makes him a good backup to have, but that is it. I don't want him to be considered even as competing to start.

Essex - Another position flex guy. He plays everywhere but not someone who I think of as more than jack of all trades.

Scott - I would rather have a young guy learning and prepping than him as a backup at any cost.

Starks - Hate to say it but big guy + Age + ACL = Retire

Scott - who knows?

After that...................we better get it together otherwise another year of watching Ben get beaten up and RBs who have no holes to run through.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Starks - Hate to say it but big guy + Age + ACL = Retire.

Max just turned 30 this Tuesday. He's not exactly old (came to us in Ben's draft class). And with advances in surgery over the last decade or two, ACL tears aren't nearly as debilitating as they once were.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Starks - Hate to say it but big guy + Age + ACL = Retire.

Max just turned 30 this Tuesday. He's not exactly old (came to us in Ben's draft class). And with advances in surgery over the last decade or two, ACL tears aren't nearly as debilitating as they once were.

An ACL so late in the season is bad. The usual window is 6-9 months. That is to get back on the field. Usually about a year before the player feels like he is back to normal. That could mean a complete missed year for Starks, then he tries coming back in '13 after a year off where he will be limited in his exercise. Probably out of shape, he then gets back to playing a position that is very tough on a player's legs, a position that requires him digging in and pushing off with a reconstructed ACL. I have always been on the Starks bandwagon dating back to the trib days. I defended him when he lost his starting RT job to Colon, and against many who attacked his play over the years. I hope to be wrong, but I don't see him returning from this, and if he does I do not see him being effective next season.

[StarSpangledSteeler]

There appears to be a disconnect on this board between what the fans think of the OL and what the Steelers management thinks of the OL.

Colbert has said multiple times, he drafted Gilbert to be our left tackle of the future. That is probably what's going down. Regardless of what we the fans might think of his foot speed, Colbert is going into this year's draft with the mindset that he has his left tackle of the future. That's what he did with Starks, and Marvel Smith before him.

What about right tackle? The coaches have shown us on multiple occasions (including contract negotiations) they feel Colon is a near pro bowl caliber right tackle. They do NOT view him as a guard. They have had many opportunities to slide him inside and they are not biting. Foster was a college OT and they moved him inside to OG. Chris Scott was a college OT and they moved him inside to OG. Essex was a college OT and they moved him inside to OG. They are not moving Colon. The problem is Colon may not be able to stay on the field due to injuries. So they may look to draft another OT for depth. Probably a big RT who could flex down to RG. These can be found regularly in the middle rounds.

The one position the fans and front office appear to agree on is LG. The coaches have shuffled around different starters there from day one this past season and they still don't have a solution. Look for them to draft a high round starting LG this April. Glenn, Konz, even trading up for DeCastro, are all 1st round possibilities so far. We'll have to wait and see which juniors declare.

Also, let's not discount the possibility of bringing in a veteran FA at either OT or OG. Brian Waters was available for cheap this last year and had a pro bowl season.

[Oviedo]

The more I think about it, we are in trouble going into 2012.

We definitely need to find a tackle somewhere, either FA or Draft. We have no depth there, and there are a lot of question marks regarding Colon's durability.

J. Scot as we seen this year is not worth his money, unlike 2010 where he was.
Starks is a FA and tore his ACL, not looking good for him to return.

That leaves us with just Gilbert.

An ACL for an offensive linemen is not as big a deal as it is for a speed position player. Starks can definitely be back by the start of the season and even if he starts on the PUP I'll take him for the second half of the season and the play offs. If anything this means we get him at the best possible price because no one else is going to be taking the chance on him.

The thing about Starks is that he is as tight with Ben as any player on the team. Protecting Ben is personal for him. We saw this season how hard it was to replace him. Gilbert is just not ready to be a LT. Let him cut his teeth another year or so at RT.