It's all on offensive line for Steelers this year

[Slapstick]

Re: It's all on offensive line for Steelers this year

Yeah, between the horrible offensive line, the incompetent offensive coordinator, the terrible defensive secondary, the cheap ownership and the soft defensive game plans, it's amazing that the Steelers ever win a game...

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: It's all on offensive line for Steelers this year

this should be our starting OL against the Readskins on Friday:


Ken Laird via twitter @ Ken_Laird:

oline remains j. scott, legursky, pouncey, c.scott, colon left to right

8/10/11

[fordfixer]

Re: It's all on offensive line for Steelers this year

Great big Scott has shot at guard
Friday, August 12, 2011
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11224/1166811-66-0.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11224/1166811-66-0.stm[/url]

Chris Scott is one of the lucky ones. As a fifth-round draft choice in 2010, he could participate in offseason training activities, watch film and sit in on coaches meetings before he went to training camp.

Without that, he might not be where he is today -- on the verge of becoming the starting right guard for the Steelers.

"Being able to learn what I learned last year by sitting in the classroom, all of the time I was able to do that, was good for me," Scott said. "The coaches really focus on a lot of drill work and technique. Now rookies are getting thrown into the fire."

Scott never made it to training camp as a rookie because he broke his foot working out at his alma mater, Tennessee, in late June. Even though he missed the entire preseason, the Steelers placed him on the physically-unable-to-perform list because they liked what they saw of Scott (6 feet 5, 340) in offseason workouts.

Six weeks into the regular season, when he was eligible to be activated, the Steelers placed him on the 53-man roster, and he never has left.

But imagine what could have been?

Scott probably wouldn't be in this position if his first season was affected by the lockout that prevented rookies from working with coaches and participating in OTAs this year. After he couldn't participate in training camp, Scott might have been waived injured without that opportunity to impress the coaches in the offseason.

"It's a credit to how hard he's working," said right tackle Willie Colon, who, like Scott, was injured right before training camp in 2010 and missed the season with an Achilles tendon tear. "He was extremely attentive in meetings. He was one of those guys who worked and never talked a lot."

When the Steelers open their preseason tonight against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Md., Scott probably won't be the first-team right guard. But he will get a bulk of the snaps at that position because the Steelers want to continue to take a long look at the lineman who has been one of the standouts at training camp.

Because of his thick build and powerful run-blocking ability, Scott has a good chance to open the season at right guard alongside Colon. Curiously, Scott started every game at left tackle his final three seasons at Tennessee.

"He's a legitimate challenger to anyone," coach Mike Tomlin said of Scott. "We haven't anointed anyone at this juncture. He's in the mix and he's in the mix because of how he's prepared and performed."

Doug Legursky, who started four games at right guard last season, likely will open there tonight against the Redskins. Ramon Foster, who started the final 10 games, including playoffs, in 2010, might not play after getting what Tomlin termed a "mild concussion" at camp early in the week.

But the Steelers aren't ready to declare anyone the starter for 2011, especially because Scott has worked himself into a serious challenger in just a short amount of time.

The reason: The Steelers like the idea of a thick body at guard because the other teams in the AFC North play a 4-3 defensive front, allowing Scott to line up over a tackle and use his run-blocking skills.

"But he's extremely mobile for a guy his size," Colon said. "He's picking up the offense really well. They're asking a lot of him, and he's stepping up to the bell."

"He's done a good job of representing himself out here," Tomlin said. "The circumstances of the [collective bargaining agreement] allowed him to get some quality reps with the first unit early on. He slid in and also got some opportunities at guard and he's done a nice job."

Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11224/1166811-66-0.stm#ixzz1UnQA7DGr"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11224/11 ... z1UnQA7DGr[/url]