Sunday, February 10, 2013
How Steelers will alter O-line
By Tom Carpenter
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette expects the Pittsburgh Steelers to alter their offensive line this offseason by "injecting more youth, more athleticism and less girth."
"When [OC Todd] Haley was the head coach in Kansas City, the Chiefs had the league's No. 1 rushing attack with an offensive line that averaged less than 300 pounds," Dulac wrote. "And, in an interview last week on the Steelers website, [new O-line coach Jack] Bicknell said he doesn't like offensive linemen 'who get huge and then they can't bend and move.' He said he wants players who can move, run and have the quickness off the ball 'to get into people.'"
With that in mind, Dulac thinks the Steelers will cut ties with Max Starks and Willie Colon. Dulac expects Marcus Gilbert to replace Starks at left tackle, Mike Adams to start at right tackle, and for Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and right guard David DeCastro to be secure as the backbone of their new-look O-line.
Dulac doesn't see Ramon Foster as the long-term answer at left guard but points to tackle Kelvin Beachum as an option to move there, because the seventh-rounder has the lighter frame and agility for which the Steelers are looking.
