How did Willie Colon look?

**toddjammin** · 08-21-2012, 08:25 PM

I just rewatched the game and I thought Colon played fantastic at LG. With him and Max on the left side, there should be a lot of running room for the running backs.

**flippy** · 08-21-2012, 08:31 PM

Colon is built to play G. The only weakness I've ever seen in his game is handling the speed rushers off the edge at RT. Now he's fighting in a phone booth. He's built to dominate that battle. And while he's not got the best feet for a tackle, he's got great feet for a G.

**fezziwig** · 08-21-2012, 08:33 PM

I said the same thing about Colon in the day that he is built to be a guard.

**Steel Life** · 08-21-2012, 08:47 PM

Originally posted by toddjammin

I just rewatched the game and I thought Colon played fantastic at LG. With him and Max on the left side, there should be a lot of running room for the running backs.

In what has to be the least asked question...how did Gilbert look? All things considered I thought Gilbert looked pretty good & would think he'd be alright at LT for a bit.

**flippy** · 08-21-2012, 08:54 PM

Originally posted by Steel Life

In what has to be the least asked question...how did Gilbert look? All things considered I thought Gilbert looked pretty good & would think he'd be alright at LT for a bit.

Gilbert looked better at LT this week than he did at RT last week. But he was still far from perfect.

I have to say, the way we keep shuffling the line around, I worry we're gonna start slow this year until these guys get used to playing in their spots. Hopefully we have our interior line locked down now to get these guys used to playing with one another.

And then hopefully Haley lets them run block for the first 4-6 weeks until they get used to playing next to one another.

**D Rock** · 08-21-2012, 09:14 PM

Following with Flippy's post above...how did Decastro look on film?

It seems as though Decastro has become the starter at RG without it ever really being announced. The injuries and position shifts of other guys gave him the spot and nothing out there says he's going to give it back to anyone else.

**fezziwig** · 08-21-2012, 11:04 PM

Does that mean DCast earned it or is it by default ?

**D Rock** · 08-22-2012, 07:45 AM

As soon as Foster is done playing tackle, if Decastro is still starting, then he earned it.

**Oviedo** · 08-22-2012, 08:24 AM

No holding calls on Colon or DeCastro. That is a significant improvement over Kemo and Foster.

**phillyesq** · 08-22-2012, 09:55 AM

Originally posted by D Rock

Following with Flippy's post above...how did Decastro look on film?

It seems as though Decastro has become the starter at RG without it ever really being announced. The injuries and position shifts of other guys gave him the spot and nothing out there says he's going to give it back to anyone else.

DD is certainly agile and mobile. Saw a few times where he hit an initial defender and hunted down a linebacker. Would like to see him hit a few more guys when he's on the move, but so far, he has at the very least been solid, which is a huge improvement.

**BigRob** · 08-22-2012, 03:19 PM

[url]http://craigwolfley.com/2012/08/pretty-good/[/url]

“Pretty Good”

By [URL="http://craigwolfley.com/author/wolfley/"]Craig Wolfley[/URL] On August 21, 2012 � [URL="http://craigwolfley.com/2012/08/pretty-good/#comments"]Leave a Comment[/URL] � In [URL="http://craigwolfley.com/category/personal-interviews/"]Personal Interviews[/URL], [URL="http://craigwolfley.com/category/steelers/"]Steelers[/URL], [URL="http://craigwolfley.com/category/steelers-training-camp/"]Steelers Training Camp[/URL], [URL="http://craigwolfley.com/category/tunch-wolf/"]Tunch & Wolf[/URL]

I was jacked to set up on the sidelines for the pre-season Heinz Field home opener with the Steelers playing host to the Indianapolis Colts. Not because of Andrew Luck, or the return of Bruce Arians or anything like that. I wanted to see Willie Colon make his first start at guard.
All right, i suppose you can call me a Hogg sympathizer, or an offensive line snob, but i have followed Willie Colon’s career for quite some time and i have always believed he could play guard, and do it well. Sunday night, Big Willie didn’t disappoint.
On the openeing series for the Steelers they ran the ball with, i believe it was, Johnathan Dwyer carrying the pigskin that called for a double-team block on the frontside between Marcus Gilbert and Colon. 300 hundred plus pounds of Colts DT Tony Moala dug in versus about 700 pounds of Hogg-on-the-hoof as Willie acted as the post-man and Gilbert the hip banger with an eye to come off on a linebacker trying to run through.
Colon hit Moala square down the numbers and started to “crane” or lift Moala up from a low pad level. Gilbert, as the man who comes in from the side to bang the hip of Moala and double-team him out of the trenches didn’t get low enough but Marcus has plenty of strength, and he used it all.
Slowly (though realize when i say this it’s just a matter of 1.5-2 seconds), Colon and Gilbert raised up the Colts DT who was fighting mightily, trying to stay low and turning sideways to reduce the hip area available to Gilbert. There seemed an awfully long moment where the colliding forces seemed to neutralize each other. But only for a moment.
Like an aging, old Oak tree that has withstood the onslaught of hundreds of storms only to finally meet it’s match and crack under enormous pressure, Moala suddenly gave way to the fury of a storm named Marcus-Willie.
Moala was lifted up and then, like a cascading wave crashing onto the shore line carrying human bodies like debris, Moala, Gilbert and Colon all crashed to the Heinz Field turf about five or six yards down the field. Awesome.
It’s hard to convey a titan-esque physical match-up like that if you’ve never been fortunate enough to be in on one. In the “game within the game,” where superior fire power means a lot, this was a huge win and what i knew Willie would be great at. Willie is a natural drive blocker and capable of rolling his hips through thereby lifting up and securing the down lineman on a double-team so that the tackle can provide extra oomph, and go get somebody on the second level.
Colon and Gilbert literally carried Moala several steps before the big splash and the play netted a positive gain just because the “shoreline” was now six yards or so back further than when the storm started. This was a perfect example of what it means to “Re-establish the line of scrimmage on the other side.”
After the game i saw Willie in the lockerroom. I said, “Check out that double-team on the first drive during films.”
I saw Willie today at practice, and i said “How’d that double-team look on film?”
Willie just let a grin crease his face and replied, “Pretty good.”

**fezziwig** · 08-22-2012, 09:57 PM

Originally posted by Oviedo

No holding calls on Colon or DeCastro. That is a significant improvement over Kemo and Foster.

Had Colon been the tackle you wouldn't be saying that. Also no bone head penalties either like Kemo does plus, the guy would not even run the plays that were called at times. Glad Kemo is gone. Gone along with his pile diving.

**Flasteel** · 08-22-2012, 10:13 PM

Originally posted by phillyesq

DD is certainly agile and mobile. Saw a few times where he hit an initial defender and hunted down a linebacker. Would like to see him hit a few more guys when he's on the move, but so far, he has at the very least been solid, which is a huge improvement.

I was only able to go back and watch most of the first two series before I was interrupted, but DeCastro go out to the 2nd level on nearly every play. A couple of times he really didn't engage anyone though. Overall I thought he looked good.

Colon looked good too, although he did kind of fall off of one double-team block and wind up on all fours. It was hard to see what happened from my angle, but there was real good push on the play. He failed to get out in front of a linebacker on another play, but was able to get just enough of him to stop the guy from getting a hand on the RB. He did a great job of not drawing a hold on that one. He totally drove Robert Mathis all the way across the formation and out of the play on a check-down.

Gilbert clearly held on one play and he couldn't get out in front of the linebacker that made the initial contact on Rainey's fumble...it might have been the same play that Colon got just enough of his guy.

I want to go back and look at more, but the line seemed to be improved over last week. Not much opportunity to see any pass blocking either. Can't wait to see if Starks can stabilize everything.

**fezziwig** · 08-23-2012, 01:44 PM

My opinion of the Colts game was the o-line played better and everything you mentioned flasteel is spot on. At least on how I seen things. I do believe Philly has a much better defesive front than the Colts so, maybe that is why there is an improvement. I see our o-line being a strength to the team by week 6. Not to say they are so bad but by then, they'll have the groove going.