The Pittsburgh Steelers are possibly one of the only teams to have a quarterback in his prime and not give him the proper protection. The offensive line has been a substantial flaw for the Steelers for years now and as a result of this, Ben Roethlisberger’s ability to escape defenders has made him a Harry Houdini in the NFL.
Reasonably, the line of Mike Adams, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, and Marcus Gilbert should not be too bad. They are young, motivated and generally should be considered healthy but the picture does not always tell the story.
For example, in the first two preseason games of the 2013 season the Steelers offensive line allowed nine sacks. That is embarrassing and quite frankly dangerous. If Ben is expected to be a part of a team trying to be above average this season, the five guys in front of him are going to have to do better than that.
Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert stood out to me as being particularly weak in the preseason. They were rather slow while protecting the edges and their pass-protection was sub-par, at best. A big improvement is going to be needed from these guys in particular if Ben is expected to survive the 2013 season.
Constant injury and consistent mix up of the line pairings have also been a problem. In 2011 alone there were 26 line combinations and 2012 was not any better. Last year Roethlisberger was injured and ended up missing three games, because of a shaky offensive line.
Mike Adams and Marcus Gilbert stood out to me as being particularly weak in the preseason. They were rather slow while protecting the edges and their pass-protection was sub-par, at best. A big improvement is going to be needed from these guys in particular if Ben is expected to survive the 2013 season.
Constant injury and consistent mix up of the line pairings have also been a problem. In 2011 alone there were 26 line combinations and 2012 was not any better. Last year Roethlisberger was injured and ended up missing three games, because of a shaky offensive line.
It is difficult to be comfortable when you have to move around that much but it is not an excuse. They are professionals and the Steelers offensive line is outperformed an awful lot. Furthermore the Steelers need to stop taking stupid penalties at inappropriate times. Ben does something right? Holding on Marcus Gilbert. It is almost something Steeler fans do not react to anymore. Typical.
The fact remains that there is talent on the offensive line. Pouncey has been in the Pro-Bowl all three seasons in the NFL and David DeCastro could join him sooner versus later if he can escape injury this year. These are big “ifs” though and if the Steelers want any shot at a post season in 2013 they need to stop expecting Ben to put on a magic act week after week and start allowing him to be a quarterback.
The fact remains that there is talent on the offensive line. Pouncey has been in the Pro-Bowl all three seasons in the NFL and David DeCastro could join him sooner versus later if he can escape injury this year. These are big “ifs” though and if the Steelers want any shot at a post season in 2013 they need to stop expecting Ben to put on a magic act week after week and start allowing him to be a quarterback.
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