A Look At The Offensive Line

As we finish up our look at the offensive side of the ball, we dig into the offensive line. The past few years have seen this unit get ridiculed weekly for their shortcomings, for their failure to protect Big Ben and for their inability to create sufficient holes for the running game. 

The coaching brass decided it was time to bring in a new coach, one with experience and one they felt could turn the unit around. So they went out and hired ex Titans head coach Mike Munchak. Munchak has already dug his claws in deep with this unit and plans to shape them up or ship them out. He’s instituting cut blocking as part of the scheme and these guys will either do their job or sit.

The first question  is how many linemen should the team keep? In my opinion, they should keep no less than 8 on the active roster and probably have another 1 or 2 available via the practice squad if necessary. Lineman are hard to come by and can get hurt easily, see Maurkice Pouncey last year.  It’s necessary the team carries as many as possible.

The startling line will be led by Pouncey as he’s returning from missing all but the first half of the first game last season and is sporting a brand new six year 48 million dollar contract. As the center and an All Pro, he must lead the way and keep the troops together.

The left side of the line should see Kelvim Beachum at Tackle and David Decastro at guard. Both players are entering their third season and have gotten better and better each year. They are primed to take the next step into becoming an all star duo on Roetlisbergers’ blind side. 

The right side should see veteran Ramon Foster at the guard position and Marcus Gilbert manning the tackle position. 

The bench may be the most important part of the unit as these guys need to be ready at a moment’s notice.  Cody Wallace is guaranteed to make the team as he’s versatile and can play both guard and center, something that is difficult to find. Guy whimper at the tackle position should return for another season and I believe you’ll see third year man Mike Adams round out the top eight. Adams should have been the starting right tackle by now and his progress has been nothing short of disappointing. He’ll really need to prove his worth or it will be his last year in the black and gold.

Should the team choose to keep a ninth man, the battle will rage between guards Bryant Browning, Chris Hubbard and Will Simmons along with tackles Chris Elkins, Wesley Johnson and Emmanuel McCray.

I believe that any two of these guys could be kept on the practice squad but none will make the 53 man roster out of the gates. 

This unit may be the most improved on the team and could finally even be described as a strength vs. a hindrance. If they can accomplish the things they are capable of, keeping Big Ben upright, opening holes for the running game and generally allowing the offense to move the ball downfield, the Pittsburgh Steelers could go a long way this year.