How would YOU feel if...

[Oviedo]

Re: How would YOU feel if...

We wouldnt sign Gross if we could get him for 8 per. Love the thoughts of him being over there tho. Wonder how good Ben would be if he didnt have to worry about his blind side?

I agree. Gross will become the highest paid OL in the NFL come this spring and we won't be paying that salary. The most likely scenario I see playing out is as follows:

Left Tackle: The FO will make a priority to resign Starks because they can sign him before anyone else can talk to him. I would support this because I think he has earned it. If that fails they will go after one of the other free agents like Khalif Barnes or Vernon Carey but will have to overpay to get either one of them. They will consider bring Marvel back for a vet minimum because he essentially will have no value in the market. If he comes back and can play healthy we would have hit the jackpot. Don't even think they consider putting a rookie here. It won't happen. Additionally they will resign Essex for a cap friendly contract or let him walk.

Left Guard: They will try resign Kemo but only at a very favorable cap contract. Kemo has been average all season and may still develop but the FO will not overpay for him given they have other options at Guard, e.g. Simmons, Stapleton and moving Colon inside. Guard is also easier to replace in the free agency (i.e cheaper) and in the draft.

Center: Hartwig will stay as the starter. He has been solid and is getting better. Look for a possible mid round back up to be drafted as an additional back to Stapleton. Whoever they draft will have the flexibility to play both C and OG.

Right Guard: Stapleton and Simmons battle out here. maybe a rookie enters the mix or Colon moves inside here if we resign Kemo.

Right Tackle: Most likely position for a change. Colon is overmatched against outside speed rusher s and when he attempts to adjust or get an advanatage he commits a false start or lines up set back to far to buy an extra second. I really believe that Tony Hills could be the solution here. If we go OT in Round 1 or Round 2 he could play here too.

Draft: We most likely will draft 2 OL with the first 4-5 picks. I would guess one OT and one C/G. More change than that doesn't make sense. If the season has shown us anything the OL is about consistency and continuity. You can't play a rotation on the OL like you do on the DL. That is why I expect we will try to keep as many pieces in polace as we have now.

While everyone else thinks new and different equals better hopefully the front office knows that isn't necessarily the case.

[mshifko]

Re: How would YOU feel if...

we're probably going to have to draft a potential RT in this draft...leave max at LT, keep hartwig, kemo, and hope that stapleton can develop...i would let colon have his shot to battle at RT with the high draft pick at RT...but we'll see...

they have been playing well lately and i tip my hat to that

[Iron Shiek]

Re: How would YOU feel if...

There is no way the Steelers OL will be 'fixed' to everyone's liking in a year. But the pieces can be put in place...

LT- Let Marvel walk. Can't hope that he can hold up again- 2 years in a row he's finished the season early & too expensive to take a chance on. Starks has done reasonably well at LT since stepping in. The Steelers will have to pay well to keep him, but Chadman gets an idea he'd like to stay (Off Topic- through the magic of Facebook, Chadman is in contact with Trai Essex, Darnell Stapleton & Willie Colon. One thing that becomes evident right away is that these guys, along with Max Starks, are good mates with eachother & with Ben R. Keeping them together might not be as hard as you would think...). Isn't Max Ben's 'best friend' on the team? Trai Essex is valuable because he can play OT & OG. Tony Hills needs a shot at LT before we can write him off. Also- On Jordan Gross, with Peppers saying he wants out, Gross will become the Panhthers number 1 priority to retain. Scratch him. And drafting a rookie LT at 32...you'll be looking at the 6th or 7th best prospect- there is better value elsewhere.

LG- Kemo was a promising player going into the season. He's getting less promising as the season goes on. He can't pass block. He just doesn't seem to know who to block. Chadman would let him walk. Move Simmons to LG for next season. His back-up will come later...

Center- Hartwig is solid. He should be the starter again next season. The Steelers can, however, still get a rookie to back him up & also play OG. Alex Mack (if still around at 32) could play OG right away until Hartwig moves on. Jonathon Luigs is a solid option in Round 2 to do the same.

RG- Darnell Stapleton is playing pretty well- but doesn't seem to have the strength needed in the running game. He's worth holding onto though because he's cheap & plays effectively. Chadman would move Willie Colon from RT to Rg. Watching Colon play, it's not a matter of his strength that causes him trouble blocking. He's solid once he gets his hands on you. It's his speed. He has the turning circle of the Titanic. If he was to move inside to RG, his lack of foot speed can be negated, and Chadman believes you get a solid player there. If you take away his speed, he's an effective blocker in both running & passing games.

RT- This is where the Steelers need an immediate upgrade. While drafting at #32 gets you the 6th or 7th best LT, it could get you the #1 RT. For Chadman, that man is Phil Loadholt. Chadman would draft him at #32 & plug him in at RT right away. Have Essex, Colon & Hills be his back-up if he struggles.

So then you have a line that looks like this-

LT- Max Starks
LG- Kendall Simmons
OC- Justin Hartwig
RG- Willie Colon
RT- Phil Loadholt

Essex, Stapleton, Luigs & Hills are the back-ups.

First thing you do schematically is dump ZONE BLOCKING & use the size of this OL to your advantage. These are some big boys. They are not agile enough to Zone Block.

By shoring up the right side of the OL in one year, you know that future work is to be done on the left. It's a process, but the players Chadman named have shown improvement this season.

Chadman, is that where Loadholt is rated? The guys on Sirius NFL Radio (Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan) are reporting all week from Mobile, Alabama, sight of the Senior Bowl. They are watching all the practices and workouts. Of ALL the people on the radio, I trust these two to analyze a football player more than any other on the radio. With that said, they seem to think Loadholt is a guy that isn't quite developed and he'd be a 3rd or 4th round pick. From a different position, they had a lot of great things to say about G-C from Oregon...is it Unger? They said he seems to be ready for the NFL now (and he could jump into G and take over for Hartwig at moments notice). I just don't know where he is rated...would he last that long...

[Oviedo]

Re: How would YOU feel if...

There is no way the Steelers OL will be 'fixed' to everyone's liking in a year. But the pieces can be put in place...

LT- Let Marvel walk. Can't hope that he can hold up again- 2 years in a row he's finished the season early & too expensive to take a chance on. Starks has done reasonably well at LT since stepping in. The Steelers will have to pay well to keep him, but Chadman gets an idea he'd like to stay (Off Topic- through the magic of Facebook, Chadman is in contact with Trai Essex, Darnell Stapleton & Willie Colon. One thing that becomes evident right away is that these guys, along with Max Starks, are good mates with eachother & with Ben R. Keeping them together might not be as hard as you would think...). Isn't Max Ben's 'best friend' on the team? Trai Essex is valuable because he can play OT & OG. Tony Hills needs a shot at LT before we can write him off. Also- On Jordan Gross, with Peppers saying he wants out, Gross will become the Panhthers number 1 priority to retain. Scratch him. And drafting a rookie LT at 32...you'll be looking at the 6th or 7th best prospect- there is better value elsewhere.

LG- Kemo was a promising player going into the season. He's getting less promising as the season goes on. He can't pass block. He just doesn't seem to know who to block. Chadman would let him walk. Move Simmons to LG for next season. His back-up will come later...

Center- Hartwig is solid. He should be the starter again next season. The Steelers can, however, still get a rookie to back him up & also play OG. Alex Mack (if still around at 32) could play OG right away until Hartwig moves on. Jonathon Luigs is a solid option in Round 2 to do the same.

RG- Darnell Stapleton is playing pretty well- but doesn't seem to have the strength needed in the running game. He's worth holding onto though because he's cheap & plays effectively. Chadman would move Willie Colon from RT to Rg. Watching Colon play, it's not a matter of his strength that causes him trouble blocking. He's solid once he gets his hands on you. It's his speed. He has the turning circle of the Titanic. If he was to move inside to RG, his lack of foot speed can be negated, and Chadman believes you get a solid player there. If you take away his speed, he's an effective blocker in both running & passing games.

RT- This is where the Steelers need an immediate upgrade. While drafting at #32 gets you the 6th or 7th best LT, it could get you the #1 RT. For Chadman, that man is Phil Loadholt. Chadman would draft him at #32 & plug him in at RT right away. Have Essex, Colon & Hills be his back-up if he struggles.

So then you have a line that looks like this-

LT- Max Starks
LG- Kendall Simmons
OC- Justin Hartwig
RG- Willie Colon
RT- Phil Loadholt

Essex, Stapleton, Luigs & Hills are the back-ups.

First thing you do schematically is dump ZONE BLOCKING & use the size of this OL to your advantage. These are some big boys. They are not agile enough to Zone Block.

By shoring up the right side of the OL in one year, you know that future work is to be done on the left. It's a process, but the players Chadman named have shown improvement this season.

Chadman, is that where Loadholt is rated? The guys on Sirius NFL Radio (Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan) are reporting all week from Mobile, Alabama, sight of the Senior Bowl. They are watching all the practices and workouts. Of ALL the people on the radio, I trust these two to analyze a football player more than any other on the radio. With that said, they seem to think Loadholt is a guy that isn't quite developed and he'd be a 3rd or 4th round pick. From a different position, they had a lot of great things to say about G-C from Oregon...is it Unger? They said he seems to be ready for the NFL now (and he could jump into G and take over for Hartwig at moments notice). I just don't know where he is rated...would he last that long...

I was watching the workouts. It appears there is a growing opinion that Loadholdt can't play LT and will be an RT only. He will get drafted in Round 2 at the latest. Unger did good but not first round. Alex Mack looks over rated. Andy Levitre looks like a guy who has positional flexibility but will have to move into Guard at the NFL level. The other player who really stood out was Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin. None of the guys I saw are Round 1 caliber and unlikely any of them can play from day 1.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Re: How would YOU feel if...

There is no way the Steelers OL will be 'fixed' to everyone's liking in a year. But the pieces can be put in place...

LT- Let Marvel walk. Can't hope that he can hold up again- 2 years in a row he's finished the season early & too expensive to take a chance on. Starks has done reasonably well at LT since stepping in. The Steelers will have to pay well to keep him, but Chadman gets an idea he'd like to stay (Off Topic- through the magic of Facebook, Chadman is in contact with Trai Essex, Darnell Stapleton & Willie Colon. One thing that becomes evident right away is that these guys, along with Max Starks, are good mates with eachother & with Ben R. Keeping them together might not be as hard as you would think...). Isn't Max Ben's 'best friend' on the team? Trai Essex is valuable because he can play OT & OG. Tony Hills needs a shot at LT before we can write him off. Also- On Jordan Gross, with Peppers saying he wants out, Gross will become the Panhthers number 1 priority to retain. Scratch him. And drafting a rookie LT at 32...you'll be looking at the 6th or 7th best prospect- there is better value elsewhere.

LG- Kemo was a promising player going into the season. He's getting less promising as the season goes on. He can't pass block. He just doesn't seem to know who to block. Chadman would let him walk. Move Simmons to LG for next season. His back-up will come later...

Center- Hartwig is solid. He should be the starter again next season. The Steelers can, however, still get a rookie to back him up & also play OG. Alex Mack (if still around at 32) could play OG right away until Hartwig moves on. Jonathon Luigs is a solid option in Round 2 to do the same.

RG- Darnell Stapleton is playing pretty well- but doesn't seem to have the strength needed in the running game. He's worth holding onto though because he's cheap & plays effectively. Chadman would move Willie Colon from RT to Rg. Watching Colon play, it's not a matter of his strength that causes him trouble blocking. He's solid once he gets his hands on you. It's his speed. He has the turning circle of the Titanic. If he was to move inside to RG, his lack of foot speed can be negated, and Chadman believes you get a solid player there. If you take away his speed, he's an effective blocker in both running & passing games.

RT- This is where the Steelers need an immediate upgrade. While drafting at #32 gets you the 6th or 7th best LT, it could get you the #1 RT. For Chadman, that man is Phil Loadholt. Chadman would draft him at #32 & plug him in at RT right away. Have Essex, Colon & Hills be his back-up if he struggles.

So then you have a line that looks like this-

LT- Max Starks
LG- Kendall Simmons
OC- Justin Hartwig
RG- Willie Colon
RT- Phil Loadholt

Essex, Stapleton, Luigs & Hills are the back-ups.

First thing you do schematically is dump ZONE BLOCKING & use the size of this OL to your advantage. These are some big boys. They are not agile enough to Zone Block.

By shoring up the right side of the OL in one year, you know that future work is to be done on the left. It's a process, but the players Chadman named have shown improvement this season.

dude, i watched their bowl game (and one other game that i can't recall), scouting loadholt and i wasn't terribly impressed with him. i'll pass.