Adam Schein Thinks David DeCastro Played Poorly in 2013

In an article cleverly titled “The Schein Nine” on NFL.com, Adam Schein lists 9 guys who he thinks need to “put up or shut up” this year. The list goes as follows: 1) Robert Griffin III, 2) Mike Wallace, 3) Trent Richardson, 4) Sam Bradford, 5) Matthew Stafford, 6) Jay Cutler, 7) Morris Claiborne, 8) Dom Capers, and 9) David DeCastro.

Here’s what Schein had to say about DeCastro:

“Everyone once called DeCastro — a steady, sturdy offensive guard from Stanford — one of the safest picks of the 2012 NFL Draft. Well, a knee injury claimed his first season and poor play marred 2013.

Pittsburgh hired O-line guru Mike Munchak this offseason. DeCastro must live up to the billing.”

Poor play marred 2013? Subtract a poorly placed cut block that arguably shouldn’t have been in the playbook on week 1, and DeCastro played like an All Pro for much of the season.

Of the guards who played all their games at right guard last season, ProFootballFocus had David DeCastro ranked 5th. Not that PFF is the end all be all, but it’s not without merit. Aside from that, I don’t know how anyone who was paying close attention last year could suggest that DeCastro “underachieved”. The second year right guard lived up to his reputation of being a technician. Putting DeCastro on the same list as Mike Wallace just adds insult to injury. Mike Wallace- the former Steelers wide receiver who the Dolphins signed to a $60 Mil contract last year, who was hardly a factor for them.

I have to be honest, I struggled with the title of this article. Alternate headlines I considered were “Adam Schein Doesn’t Watch Football- Proof Inside” and “Adam Schein Knows That Schein Rhymes With Nine”. In the end, I figured it best to keep it professional.