Ed: Steelers OL to Have Different Look in '13

[hawaiiansteel]

Ed: Steelers OL to Have Different Look in '13

WEDNESDAY, 09 JANUARY 2013 WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE

Good morning,

Three regular starters in the Steelers offensive line likely won’t return in 2013 and all three players who took turns starting at right tackle should start at three separate positions next season.

There is a caveat to all of this, of course – provided they all stay healthy.

Look for Max Starks and Ramon Foster to leave in free agency and Willie Colon to be released. Colon’s knee injury that placed him on injured reserve for the third straight season was the last straw. The Steelers want to move on and they believe they have the right man to replace him.

The Steelers drafted Kelvin Beachum – their fourth and final pick in the seventh round last year – to play guard even though he started all 52 games in his four years at SMU. When Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams were shelved by injuries after starting at right tackle, the Steelers turned to Beachum. He started there the final five games and did a nice job. It helped convince them he can start at guard – coincidentally, moving from and to the same position that Colon did.

They will turn the right tackle job over to Adams. Gilbert will start at left tackle. There was a time many assumed Adams would play left tackle, but he is a more natural right tackle, a better run blocker, and Gilbert’s more natural position is left tackle.

David DeCastro will take over at right guard as he did at the end of the season when he became healthy from his preseason knee injury. And, of course, there is three-time Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey.

Their backups are to be determined because at the moment only John Malecki is under contract from their season-ending roster.

That, ladies and gents, is your 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line. Check back for medical updates.

[URL]http://plus.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/pro-sports/steelers/119444-ed-steelers-ol-to-have-different-look-in-13[/URL]

[Chadman]

Well..... at least the OL will be cost effective, right?

[Eddie Spaghetti]

god help ben with gilbert on his blindside.

[phillyesq]

Wow is that a terrible group. There is no depth there at all and counting on Beachum to start is an amazingly poor decision. Neither OT has demonstrated an ability to stay healthy, DeCastro is coming off a major knee injury, etc.

If the Steelers jettison Colon and/or don't resign Foster, that isn't the worst thing in the world, but counting on Beachum, aka Trai Essex 2.0, to start?

[steelfin]

WOW....Lets hope Ed is wrong on this one...

I liked how Beachum represented himself and hope he continues to develop...But Gilbert at LT...really?

Ben will not make it to the half way mark of the season and we will lose another OL to the Gilbert effect...

I have never seen another OL get ragdolled as much as Gilbert...

[Eddie Spaghetti]

maybe this gives rise to ovis desire to draft another OG in the 1st.

[supersteeler]

Gilbert played LT in college so we hope it works out, and as you said Chadman cost effective. On paper that line may do well, of course as always injuries play a part too.
I think everyone would be ok with that lineup if Beachum can hold his own, the LT position could be of concern if Gilbert doesn't work out, but thats his natural poistion so who knows.
It sounds logical what ED stated, Max is a fan favorite and there is some comfort there with him at LT however the Steelers have to make some tough choices this may be one of them.

[Crash]

Spread 'em out.

3 wide.

Less congestion. Make it easier for them.

[RuthlessBurgher]

And to make things worse, potential franchise LT types Taylor Lewan and Jake Matthews announcing that they are returning to Michigan and Texas A&M, respectively. Right now, the only other potential first round tackle (other than Joeckel who should go in the top 5) would be Central Michigan's Eric Fisher (we'll have to see how he performs against a higher level of talent at the Senior Bowl in a couple of weeks).

I wasn't on the Chance Warmack bandwagon (because I couldn't see us using 1st round picks on interior lineman in 3 out of 4 drafts), but if he is on the board, and we let Starks, Colon, and Foster all walk, then that pick would make sense as the BPA at a position of need.

[Mister Pittsburgh]

To let Starks go with no attempt to keep him is moronic. This article, in a nutshell, is why our offense sucks.