How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline problems?

The Chargers started an undrafted free agent rookie at left tackle last night, they coached him up during training camp and he got rave reviews from from everybody. Why is it we draft players and cant get them ready to play on the Oline for a season opener? And why do we always have the Oline tapping out during games? That only leads to one conclusion, we cant coach them up, and their physical conditioning is subpar, even Decastro told Ben he had the mental part down pat but he wasnt physicaly conditioned enough to dominate, what do you think about this???

Harris Rises to the Occasion
Posted 8 hours ago
Ricky Henne
Managing Editor


The Oakland media started the week off by calling Mike Harris fresh meat.

The undrafted rookie free agent finished it off by having the last laugh.

After putting together an impressive preseason, Harris continued his strong play in the team’s season opener with a dominant performance. For his effort, head coach Norv Turner awarded the left tackle the game ball.

“I just knew I had to go out there and do whatever it took to help this team win,” Harris said humbly after the game. “I know I still have a lot of improvement, and there are 15 more games left, so I am just going to look forward to getting better for the next one.”

The rest of the Chargers weren’t quite so humble in their praise of their teammate who turned a lot of heads nationwide on Monday Night Football.

“He did an absolutely great job,” said Nick Hardwick. “Our quarterback for the most part stayed clean, and Mike did a great job. We didn’t have to worry about him at all. We didn’t have to special gameplan. We just left him on his own and he held his own. He did an unbelievable job.”

Philip Rivers certainly appreciated the strong work Harris put in, crediting the rookie for helping keep him on his feet virtually the entire game.

“Mike did a great job,” he said. “They all did a great job. Protection was not an issue on one single play in the game.”

As if starting on opening day wasn’t enough, the night was extra special for Harris since he hails from the Oakland area.

“I was born here, so it was amazing to come home into this loud environment,” he said with a smile on his face. “That got us going. The rowdy fans got us going and I had a great time playing football. I’m just happy that I’ve gotten this opportunity and that my teammates believe in me. I’m just going to keep getting better and hopefully we keep winning games.”

Winning certainly comes a lot easier when your left tackle plays the way Harris did tonight.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

How about that, a rookie undrafted free agent left tackle starting and getting high praise. How did the Steelers miss this guy? We draft two guys in the first and second round and our O-line sucks! What I hope is that Adams gets better each game and eventually starts, and DeCastro's knee injury doesn't stop him from being an all-pro and that he is not a bust!

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

To be fair, Marcus Gilbert had a solid rookie season last year (I know he wasn't undrafted... though was Ramon Foster?). I think part of the issue is that most of us were confident that the o-line would have a marked improvement this season because of the draft. But this is a season long issue, not a game long - and as a rookie, I'm sure Harris will be exposed against certain opposition, even if he turns out to be an eventual hall of famer.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

I'm starting to lean towards coaching on this issue. Every season lately the Steelers O-Line is a disaster and it doesn't look as though that will change this season by how overwhelmed they appeared out there Sunday Night.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

...yet only a few seasons ago I remember the old MB singing Kugler's praises for turning a bunch of mediocre players into a relatively cohesive, if not always effective, unit...

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

Well, I don't think we are the only team that have oline issues but we just don't have luck finding quality in that area. When was the last pro bowler not name Pouncey? Hartings? Faneca? I think it's scouting. I've always been critical of our oline selection. I just posted in another thread that we sign a 5th string corner instead of looking for quality offensive lineman. After the debacle in Denver where the entire right side of our oline was gone in two plays we should be addressing this. Our backups was Legursky, Adams and Beachum. Legursky is no more than a backup center, Adams doesn't have the strength or the technique yet and Beachum is a 7th round tackle switch to guard out of SMU (i believe.).

If it wasn't for Starks coming back last year off the couch Ben would be in the hospital. Who's idea was it to cut Starks in the first place and go with Jonathan Scott as your starting left tackle? Now suppose that Starks would of signed with someone this year? Someone already signed Jonathan Scott and Trai Essex. We would be up a creek without a paddle.

I'm not saying we have to have pro bowlers at every position across the line. But I know it gots to be some serviceable offensive lineman on the street right now after the league just reduce rosters last week better than what we have as back up offensive lineman. I just read that the ex-patriot lineman is signing with Denver. Why aren't we looking for this guy. We had 4 defensive backs come in and we settled on DVD. No olineman? Why not? With our track record with our group we need at least 9 on the active roster. I would to see our starting 5 lineman get through one game without getting hurt. I wonder if anyone can compile the data last year of how many games we had when they didn't.

I know its a rough sport. I played college ball. And you get ding up but these guys are either made of paper or just unlucky.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

I say it's conditioning, these guys wilt on a no huddle drive, it's supposed to make the defenses wilt, I watched parts of just about every game on Sunday ticket and I never saw any team going through all their Olineman that they dressed out, but it seems we do just that in about every game, I think leg conditioning is more important to a lineman as much as upper body, but we continually have players tapping out with leg and ankle injuries, like Pouncey every year, while thats not a problem for the rest of the teams in this league, you would think Tomlin and Kugler would notice this, but evidently they dont....

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

I take your point here, though I've always felt that o-line signings are similar to our DB signings - we waste an awful lot of time on players who are basically 'bodies'. The quality linemen are usually commanding big bucks which we won't pay (which I don't necessarily disagree with). The Raiders got lucky with Harris - if he turns out to be a diamond in the rough - but one week isn't enough to tell.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

I think people need to watch other teams. Other team' s QB's are under siege.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

It's frustrating...

2nd and goal @ the 2...

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

Have you seen the Arizona Cardinals play their o-line is worse than the Steelers.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

maybe playing a mile high had something to do with that.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

We always have offensive line problems, why?

It is our style of play. We want to run continually. Just my opinion, but more stress and more injuries can occur when asking OL to run block as opposed to taking a three quarters stance and then standing up for pass protection. Yes, I realize that many OL injuries come duing pass protection, but the overall physical beating a OL takes is far more during run blocking than pass protection.

The second issue is physical conditioning. These guys are fat tubs of lard! They are big, slow and not very agile. This is why they are good in pass blocking for many teams but suck wind in the running game. Hugely overweight guys that simply cannot move that well and thus are more prone to injuries.

But I must say, the Steelers went from having a rock OL in the 70's to a patchwork quilt these days.

rutan

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

I agree with this. If we all watched every NFL game with the same scrutiny that we have while watching the Steelers, I think a lot of light would be shed on the expectations of OL play.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

Pick any game or team and you will notice that every team's QB is under siege. All QB's in the league take hits. Some QB's limit the amount of hits they take due to the way they play the position.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

I believe one issue for offenses is that there are bigger, quicker, and faster athletes on the defensive side of the ball. There are 300 pound Dlinemen that are as fast and quick as LB's. Those type of players can give Olinmen fits on any given play. It's one reason why I feel it's so difficult for offenses to sustain long drives on a consistent basis. Someone on the offense will eventually commit a mistake(penalty, holding, sack) going up against those types of athletes on the defensive side of the ball. The smoke and mirrors, stunts, and angles used to attack protection schemes presents more challenges for offenses.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

its funny 95% of us here were sooooooooooooo happy when decastro fell to us .. and then mike adams was icing on the cake.. so we allllllllllll would have drafted the same as the steelers FO.. now decastro is hurt.. adams isnt starting .. and we all think the steelers cant draft OL and DBs... but i agree our OL seem to get hurt a lot. maybe it is conditioning .. but as far as the draft... 95% of us thought we had a great draft and whoud have done the same thing as the FO .. now 95% a bit&^ing about it...

HINES

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

maybe playing a mile high had something to do with that. [/quote:154bcebc]


No excuse! Teams have routinely gone in and beaten them at that stadium. Starks and Pouncey didn't look tired? Why not? If the altitude was a question since it was the first game of the season that you know you need to perform well, Why not travel earlier to at least get a little more aclimated?

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

No team has ever beaten a Manning led Bronco team at home....EVER!

HACK

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

Lizard I disagree when the game is the home opener. Someone posted their home opening record the past several years and it was something like a 80 or 90% winning percentage. Denver loses rarely in their home opener. Again this is a marathon not a sprint. If this continues to be a problem in week 9 then we have issues but I hope they will get better as the season progresses.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

Very True!

That steller 1-0 record will have the talking heads complimenting all week long. LOL

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl

They were in full force yesterday on NFL Network. Heath Evans and Jamie Sharper was stepping all over each other to talk about Manning.

If Broncos would of lost we wouldn't be the replay game or it would of been less highlights.

 

Re: How come it seems, we are the only team with Oline probl