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Steelers: Is offensive line worth big bucks?
Monday, August 03, 2009
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/988261-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/988261-66.stm[/url]
By any mathematical standard, the Steelers tossed around a lot of money to re-sign two players -- left tackle Max Starks and left guard Chris Kemoeatu -- from an offensive line that remains, even despite a Super Bowl victory, a lightning rod for criticism.
Starks signed a four-year, $26.3 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus in the offseason, despite beginning each of the past two seasons as a backup. And Kemoeatu, after just one season as a starter, signed a five-year, $20 million deal that included a nearly $4 million signing bonus.
Think that was too much?
The Steelers might have to pay even more if they want to keep right tackle Willie Colon, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The coaches not only think Colon, 26, was the team's best offensive lineman last season; they think he is one of the best at his position in the National Football League.
"I think Willie Colon is as good a right tackle as there is in this league," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.
"He's as good a run-blocking right tackle as there is in the league," said offensive line coach Larry Zierlein. "He's an excellent drive blocker and his pass protection has improved tremendously. He's a lot better pass blocker than people want to give him credit for."
The Steelers allowed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked 46 times last season -- second most among NFL quarterbacks -- and their running game averaged the fewest rushing yards per game (105.6) of any playoff team in franchise history.
But, they won the Super Bowl, despite having four players at new positions on the line, and they rewarded two of those players with enough money to bankroll the new casino opening next to Heinz Field. In the process, they let go two of their former starters -- left tackle Marvel Smith, who had been plagued with back problems; and former No. 1 pick Kendall Simmons, who missed most of last season with a torn Achilles' tendon.
"They obviously believe in Max; they believe in all five of us," said center Justin Hartwig, another player who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. "They signed those guys to big contracts in the offseason and they deserve them. They're up-and-coming young players."
But where do the Steelers go from here?
If Colon, a fourth-round pick from Hofstra in 2006, was their best offensive lineman last season, then Hartwig was a close second. Brought in as an unrestricted free agent to handle some of the bigger nose tackles in the AFC, especially in the Steelers' division, Hartwig more than held his own against players such as Cleveland's Shaun Rogers and Baltimore's Haloti Ngata.
"They're obviously going to make their plays because that's what they're paid to do," Hartwig said. "But, overall, I felt I did a pretty good job to neutralize those guys."
Hartwig, though, signed only a two-year contract with the Steelers and the team would like to sign him to an extension, if possible. He said he didn't want to sign a longer contract at the time because he "didn't know what was going to unfold" with the Steelers.
"I know coach [Mike] Tomlin mentioned to me a while back that he wished he had signed me for longer, but it's a better situation for me," Hartwig said. "If I stay healthy and continue to play at a high level, I feel like everything will take care of itself.
"We've had brief discussions with the Steelers and there's mutual interest in having me here beyond this year, but it remains to be seen. I know there are a lot of guys up after this year and they have paid several players this year."
And they're going to have to pay Colon, especially if they hold him in such high regard.
Colon enters his third season as a starter, but, for the first time, is unchallenged at the position. He spent each of the past two seasons battling Starks for the right tackle spot, beating him out when Starks was the incumbent in 2007 and then holding him last season in what was loosely billed as a training camp competition.
The Steelers have invested heavily in their offensive line, even though the production did not seem to merit such a windfall. But Arians is not concerned, nor is he deterred. He likes the players on his line.
"I think we're a solid offensive line," he said. "An offensive line is all about cohesiveness, five guys working together, and you look at our injuries -- Marvel goes down, Kendall goes down. They really did a great job, I thought, of doing that. They're a very close knit group. They have each other's back."
Gerry Dulac can be reached at [email="gdulac@post-gazette.com"]gdulac@post-gazette.com[/email].
First published on August 3, 2009 at 12:00 am
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/988261-66.stm#ixzz0N6ElwHFo"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/98 ... z0N6ElwHFo[/url]
Monday, August 03, 2009
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/988261-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/988261-66.stm[/url]
By any mathematical standard, the Steelers tossed around a lot of money to re-sign two players -- left tackle Max Starks and left guard Chris Kemoeatu -- from an offensive line that remains, even despite a Super Bowl victory, a lightning rod for criticism.
Starks signed a four-year, $26.3 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus in the offseason, despite beginning each of the past two seasons as a backup. And Kemoeatu, after just one season as a starter, signed a five-year, $20 million deal that included a nearly $4 million signing bonus.
Think that was too much?
The Steelers might have to pay even more if they want to keep right tackle Willie Colon, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. The coaches not only think Colon, 26, was the team's best offensive lineman last season; they think he is one of the best at his position in the National Football League.
"I think Willie Colon is as good a right tackle as there is in this league," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.
"He's as good a run-blocking right tackle as there is in the league," said offensive line coach Larry Zierlein. "He's an excellent drive blocker and his pass protection has improved tremendously. He's a lot better pass blocker than people want to give him credit for."
The Steelers allowed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to be sacked 46 times last season -- second most among NFL quarterbacks -- and their running game averaged the fewest rushing yards per game (105.6) of any playoff team in franchise history.
But, they won the Super Bowl, despite having four players at new positions on the line, and they rewarded two of those players with enough money to bankroll the new casino opening next to Heinz Field. In the process, they let go two of their former starters -- left tackle Marvel Smith, who had been plagued with back problems; and former No. 1 pick Kendall Simmons, who missed most of last season with a torn Achilles' tendon.
"They obviously believe in Max; they believe in all five of us," said center Justin Hartwig, another player who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. "They signed those guys to big contracts in the offseason and they deserve them. They're up-and-coming young players."
But where do the Steelers go from here?
If Colon, a fourth-round pick from Hofstra in 2006, was their best offensive lineman last season, then Hartwig was a close second. Brought in as an unrestricted free agent to handle some of the bigger nose tackles in the AFC, especially in the Steelers' division, Hartwig more than held his own against players such as Cleveland's Shaun Rogers and Baltimore's Haloti Ngata.
"They're obviously going to make their plays because that's what they're paid to do," Hartwig said. "But, overall, I felt I did a pretty good job to neutralize those guys."
Hartwig, though, signed only a two-year contract with the Steelers and the team would like to sign him to an extension, if possible. He said he didn't want to sign a longer contract at the time because he "didn't know what was going to unfold" with the Steelers.
"I know coach [Mike] Tomlin mentioned to me a while back that he wished he had signed me for longer, but it's a better situation for me," Hartwig said. "If I stay healthy and continue to play at a high level, I feel like everything will take care of itself.
"We've had brief discussions with the Steelers and there's mutual interest in having me here beyond this year, but it remains to be seen. I know there are a lot of guys up after this year and they have paid several players this year."
And they're going to have to pay Colon, especially if they hold him in such high regard.
Colon enters his third season as a starter, but, for the first time, is unchallenged at the position. He spent each of the past two seasons battling Starks for the right tackle spot, beating him out when Starks was the incumbent in 2007 and then holding him last season in what was loosely billed as a training camp competition.
The Steelers have invested heavily in their offensive line, even though the production did not seem to merit such a windfall. But Arians is not concerned, nor is he deterred. He likes the players on his line.
"I think we're a solid offensive line," he said. "An offensive line is all about cohesiveness, five guys working together, and you look at our injuries -- Marvel goes down, Kendall goes down. They really did a great job, I thought, of doing that. They're a very close knit group. They have each other's back."
Gerry Dulac can be reached at [email="gdulac@post-gazette.com"]gdulac@post-gazette.com[/email].
First published on August 3, 2009 at 12:00 am
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/988261-66.stm#ixzz0N6ElwHFo"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09215/98 ... z0N6ElwHFo[/url]
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