Will The flip flop of OT positions for Adams/ Gilbert stick?

From all accounts I am hearing it may become permanent,
also hearing that Beachum will beat out Gilbert and be opening day starter @RT?

 

what's eating Gilbert????? the defense

 

speed offense requires mobile linemen. I've read adams is struggling with hand placement. that's pass protection.

I wonder how Farrell is looking? or long? at first I heard long was used left side only and whimper right side only, but that's changed some now.

not sure what batiste brings?

it's all hard to base right now because this line is going to be doing a lot of things the old line didn't. you might as well take anything our old lines did and forgeddaboudit. this is going to be different.

we will see more of todd haelys true offense being run and used as tool to help the o-line keep ben upright. like I said last year, mobile linemen will become the order of business. one slow guy or two slow guys messes up timing amongst them all.

things still are not set yet. they may just be giving adams reps.. gilbert has a history of getting dinged up.

 

Tomlin says not to read too much into it. http://www.steelersdepot.com/2013/08/marcus-gilbert-mike-adams-friday-practice-position-flexibility/

Assuming we don't have any injuries our starting oline will be Gilbert, Foster, Pouncey, Decastro, Adams. We should be fine if they stay healthy. If not we're probably looking at another sub par season and possibly top 10 picks.

 

I think Dale Lolley is also where wardismvp is getting that Beachum could beat out Gilbert (correct me if I'm wrong). Although Dale didn't say that will happen, he just said he thinks it should happen. In any case, I tend to take Dale's opinions with five pounds of salt.

I'm all for putting Adams on the left and Gilbert on the right, but if and only if Adams surpasses Gilbert as a pass protector. Could it have happened already? Maybe, he's got the potential. But the last we saw of him he had a long way to go. Beachum did too. Gilbert was the best pass protecting OT on the team last year, and the year before that. I find it hard to believe that both of those guys passed him in one offseason.

Does anyone else have any info on Gilbert struggling in camp (besides the sprints)? I haven't heard much, but I've only heard positive things about both he and Adams so far.

 

Agreed. When they flopped sides everyone started speculating, but I thought we already knew that they needed these reps, because Adams would flip over to LT if Gilbert got hurt. You can't just give him no reps there. And if/when he proves to be a better pass blocker, they can stick him there permanently. That would definitely make us a strong left-running team. Adams is going to be a beast of a run blocker, Foster's got power, Pouncey, and DeCastro pulling that way...

 

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2013/08/marcus-gilbert-mike-adams-friday-practice-position-flexibility/

it wasn't just lolley. tomlin says the best tandum will play. I haven't heard of gilbert struggling though.

the one I read about adams and hand placement needing fixed 58 was also the steeler depot under day 7 practice I believe.

the best news I've heard is foster has yet to be beat in one on one drills and he was looking mobile. that's a big plus.

I will add though in the photo section on steelers .com I believe that's arnfelt rushing has pouncey stretched up in the air, he's running over foster who seems like his butts about to bounce off the ground and DD is already on the ground. I hope that was just picture magic but that didn't look good if it's the case. that or arnfelt is truly an animal.

another thing that worried me and have heard nothing about was a picture of pounce getting his shoe and ankle wrapped and it looks like he has it already wrapped pretty heavy. I went back through the other pictures from day 7 and his ankles were not wrapped like that on that day. did he tweek that ankle again? it was quite noticeable.

I liked MT's response of why troy sat out today. a contusion of the birth certificate. LOL

 

I LMAO over that one. Classic Tomlin

 

Saying the best players will play is not the same as saying they're swapping positions, or that Beachum will beat out Gilbert. There are no real indications that will or should happen.

 

he also said both guys are LT's. I don't think he stated anywhere that it's gilberts job to lose. I take it as they are still deciding. if adams beats him there then so be it. I want the best guy watching bens back. i'm sure MT does too.

 

I think we're having different conversations. One thing we can agree on, though... it sure is too bad Max Starks is gone.

This just in, Adams was at LT and Gilbert at RT for third day in a row. That definitely makes the "Is this permanent?" conversation more legit than it was two days ago, but Gilbert was the #1 LT coming into camp and I believe he'll be the #1 LT in the first preseason game. Adams will have to unseat him there, against other teams. He can do it, he just needs to really step up his pass blocking from last year.

 

i'm guessing he already has gotten better as has beachum. if they didn't think these guys were worthy they would be making some other moves i'd hope. not many players stay at their rookie level.

one guy we haven't heard much about is DD.

 

I'm sure they did get better, I'm just saying we'll have to wait and see if it was enough. I don't mind not hearing about DD. I'm okay with people forgetting about him

 

I want to see Adams at LT. He's a mauler in the run game and with him at LT and Decastro at RG, we'll be able to run power to the left like few teams in the league can. We'll be able to target those smaller LB's and DE's that are primarily pass rushers. It can still be done with Gilbert as Decastro will still pull and block on that side, but Adams is the better run blocker.

 

I agree the old, no news is good news.

it really doesn't matter to me who starts where, just that they do better then what we have had in the past. Woodley has said ben will not be sacked as much with this group of linemen. that's a pretty good endorsement. add TH's scheme helping and maybe we get our qb all year. we need him.

 

The more I think about it, the more I agree. DeCastro's a guard, so it won't be easy for him to wow people in practice the same way as if he was a QB or RB or WR. And his game isn't necessarily to completely dominate guys anyway. It's being mobile and technically sound and just getting the job done. If we were hearing stories about him getting thrown around and missing assignments and struggling to get to LBs or whatever I'd be concerned, but I've barely read or heard his name once all year. To me that says slow and steady development, and by this time next year he'll have quietly become one of the best guards in the league.

 

another year of this line lifting and playing together and they all could be that good as a unit. i'm pretty excited about sat. night and seeing what we got. I don't write much into game one but there could be a lot to take from each one this year. as you say slow and steady.

 

Here's my 2 cents. Max Starks was the only true LT we had and he's gone. We seem to have a lot of RTs in Beechum,Adams,Gilbert but someone needs to play LT. They started with Gilbert on the left side because Adams is hands down the best RT and if Gilbert can lock down the Left side we'd be set. Flip Flopping the two for a day or two is just creating position flexibility. Three days in a row tells me they are concerned Gilbert isn't impressing the coaches @ LT.

I like to read Dale's blog because he has inside contacts and info but he isn't a professional analysis.

Adams struggles at pass protection is nothing new. Hand placement and feet are key and it seems that's what they're working on so everything is all good. Identify the weakness and focus there. I'm not to concerned about our OL and who plays LT vs RT right now. For one thing our new scheme ( zone blocking/ outside zone ) along with Haley's new offense in its 2nd season will help keep Ben safe and improve our run game.

Foster- Its great to hear how dominating he's been on 1-on-1 but remember that was our old system. How well he moves and how quick can he move is what I'm concerned about. He is our Biggest lineman. He's also a scrapper, a fighter who has earned everything he's gotten. He'll never be Pouncey quick, hopefully he'll be quick enough for the coaches.

Last point- I mentioned starks earlier as our best LT. That was true but in the context of our old system. I'm not sure Starks was quick enough for our new mobile zone-blocking scheme so moving forward with younger quicker guys was the right decision this year.

Cajun-

 

He still might be the slowest guy on the OL, but for what it's worth I've read he looks lighter and quicker than at any other point in his career. That will not only help his run game, but pass protection too. So it looks like he's taking that starter money seriously. Should be his best season yet.

 

A couple years back I was high on Legs and low on foster. You posted your assessment of players and pimped foster over legs. I thought you were crazy so I went back and re-watched several games. I still liked Legs as I felt he was starting center caliber and he was quicker than Foster BUT I rarely saw foster get beat 1-on-1 and I saw Legs struggling @ OG. As time went on the steelers needed a LG and moved Legs to C and Pouncey to LG. This worked very well. Problem was Pouncey was a probowl center so that is where he needed to be and Legs was one dimensionable, he can only play center. Today,Legs is gone and Foster is starting OG.

In other words------------------------------ good call snack, you saw something I missed.

Cajun-

 

I have no memory of that. But thanks.