Question: Who was playing on the OL?

[lloydroid]

The only sacks I saw us take were on Charlie for holding the ball way too long. He held it so long I thought for sure there was a number 7 on his back.

It was even longer than Ben holds it; we were screaming at the TV, "How long do you think you have back there!??!"

[hawaiiansteel]

Colon, Brown & Wallace practice

Posted by Teresa Varley on December 6, 2012

Tackle Willie Colon was back at practice on Thursday and is hoping to play this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.

“I feel good, I feel real good,” said Colon. “I ran around, I was able to pull, do the necessary things I needed to do. I will see how it reacts tomorrow and try to go this Sunday.”

Colon missed the last two games after a bruise on his knee swelled up.

“I had to drain it a couple of times,” said Colon, who said he thinks it will be a game time decision whether he plays this week or not.

Also returning to practice were receivers Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, while fellow receiver Emmanuel Sanders was limited in practice after missing practice on Wednesday.

Not practicing on Thursday were tackle Mike Adams (ankle), punter Drew Butler (illness), safeties Ryan Clark (hip) and Troy Polamalu (not injury related), quarterback Byron Leftwich (ribs), cornerback Ike Taylor (ankle), and linebacker LaMarr Woodley (ankle).

[URL]http://blog.steelers.com/2012/12/06/colon-brown-wallace-practice/[/URL]

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers offensive line settling into its comfort zone



Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey holds off Baltimore Ravens defensive linemen in the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 2, 2012 in Baltimore, Maryland.

By Ralph N. Paulk
Published: Friday, December 7, 2012

The last time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was behind center, the offensive line collapsed under Kansas City’s relentless pressure.

As a consequence, Roethlisberger was knocked out of action for three games with shoulder and rib injuries. With Roethlisberger set to return Sunday against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field, the Steelers’ front five have vowed to keep him clean.

“We really need to come out and make a statement,” guard Ramon Foster said. “The biggest part is communication. We’ve all been on the same page, and it’s worked out for us.”

The offensive line, which surrendered six sacks in protecting backups Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch, played arguably its best game of the season in a 23-20 win over AFC North leader Baltimore this past Sunday.

Even with All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey playing out of position at left guard, the Ravens barely touched Batch. Generally, Batch was given ample time to survey the field in completing 25 of 36 passes for 276 yards.

“The offensive line was phenomenal,” Batch said. “I held onto the ball a couple of times that resulted in sacks, and I shouldn’t have.

“I think (right tackle Kelvin) Beachum really played great. I don’t think anybody expected him to be out there on an island at right tackle and hold his own in a hostile environment. I think he exceeded everybody’s expectations.”

Suddenly, the expectations are much loftier for an offensive line that has endured an array of injuries this season.

It has carried on without tackle Marcus Gilbert and first-round draft pick David DeCastro, and guard Willie Colon has missed the past two games with a knee injury.

The Steelers have yielded only 25 sacks after giving up 42 last season. More impressive, the offensive line has dealt with adversity better than it did in 2011.

For the most part, its improved consistency has been overshadowed by Roethlisberger’s injury, a perpetual battle at running back and a top-ranked defense that has been credited for rescuing the Steelers’ playoff hopes.

However, the offensive line played a key role in the win at Baltimore. And it’s likely to be counted on again against the Chargers, whose defensive schemes are somewhat similar to the Ravens.

“It’s always a good thing when the offensive line isn’t mentioned,” Starks said.

“You look for your teammates to say how well you played. I think anonymity loses its value if the media talks about what the offensive line did.

“We weren’t called for penalties, and we didn’t do anything stupid as far as assignment errors and giving up sacks. When you look at the Cleveland game (a 20-14 loss), our line was penalized for holding penalties, phantom chop blocks and tripping.”

Again, the offensive front will be forced to prove itself, considering any loss could potentially derail the Steelers’ postseason chances.

The 4-8 Chargers are simply playing out the string with a lame-duck coaching staff. That, of course, could make them tough to beat.

“We have to be head-on with those guys,” Foster said. “We’ve got to play as well as we did in Baltimore.”

“We felt like we did a reasonably good job of protecting Charlie,” guard Doug Legursky said. “San Diego does a couple of different things with their pressure packages, but it’s similar to what Baltimore does.”

[URL]http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3082153-85/offensive-steelers-roethlisberger#ixzz2EQvPapJ2[/URL]