"Who's Laughin Now!"; The Steeler Offensive Line

In light of the Max Starks deal, it's time to assess the infamous offensive line for the Black 'n Gold.
In the past three years, the O-line has been deemed the worst unit of the team. Although most of the blame for this has been shot towards the release of Alan Faneca, the offensive line wasn't that great when he was the keystone; Ben Roethlisberger was sacked 46 times that season, and Charlie Batch ate turf 3 times.

As a Steeler fan, I cringe when an unblocked pass-rusher is coming at Ben at full speed, and I stomp my foot every time Willie Colon is called for a false start. However, given Roethlisberger's ability to avoid pass rushers, and his amazing talent to actually improve his game on the run, the o-line isn't as big of a liablity as portrayed. Also hidden, is the fact that Ben causes his own "downfall", literally, by not making quick enough decisions; on the recieving end, the wideouts need to also make sure to run quicker routes and come back looking for the ball often. I think this can be easily improved with time and practice; the worry should be much more in the run-blocking game, considering that Willie Parker is fairly easy to bring down if he isn't given large holes, but if he has an opening, he's one of the most dangerous backs in the league. If the offensive line can improve their run-blocking, which is their obvious weakness (run blocking was Faneca's strongpoint and why he is missed, see Willie Parker's Super Bowl XL run), the Steelers will be much harder to defend. It will make Willie Parker and Mendenhall much more dangerous, and consequentially make the play-option and overall passing game a larger threat.

Let's look at the composition of the O-Line at the moment. The probable roster has:

Centers: Justin Hartwig (starting), Greg Warren
Guards: Chris Kemoeatu (starting), Darnell Stapleton (starting), Craig Urbik,
Tackles: Max Starks (starting Left), Willie Colon (starting Right), Jason Capizzi, Tony Hills

Caveat: This may not be the final roster at the end of camp, but at the moment these are the guys that either have the most potential or have proven their on-field ability.

Centers:For the center position, Justin Hartwig has proved his, as Mike Tomlin would say, "mettle." There haven't been up the middle explosions, and the snap transaction happened very smoothly throughout the season-very few instant fumbles or bobbled snaps. Although many would like to see A.Q. Shipley, unless he goes ape-shit at camp and blows the coaches out of the water, Greg Warren will be the backup. Warren was incredibly consistent as a long-snapper, and we all took that for granted until the Giants game when Warren was injured, and chaos ensued.

Guards: Chris Kemoeatu is the only sure starter in this category, simply because Stapleton could easily be outperformed by rookie Craig Urbik. I could see either of these guys getting the second spot, but Stapleton did a decent blocking job last year filling in for Marvel Smith, and I think that will push him past Urbik for one year. However, I think Urbik will get some playing time, and this year will be a learning experience. When he does eventually step in to that position, he will improve the line significantly. He has the tough and gritty mentality that will get him far with Tomlin, and also will make him an effective run-blocker. As far as Kemoeatu goes, I've seen him stick out like a sore thumb and fall on his face at times, but he is very effective against the run, and he's the best we've got in terms of experience and talent at the guard position. Furthermore, he has a lot of room to grow, and has the potential to be a dependable starter.

Tackles: However annoying Willie Colon's false starts and burnt out pug face may be, he is a good player, and can shut down fairly talented defensive ends. Surprisingly, Ziggy Hood mentioned to Jim Wexell that playing against Colon was like a smack to the face; He really opened some eyes when it comes to Colon's game. False starts are tendencies that can be improved with work and experience, and the pug face is something we all have to deal with. Max Starks is the most talented player on the offensive line. He doesn't get the credit, because he was outperformed in camp several times, but he has shut down some of the league's best on the strong side. When has the Steeler' backfield ever been demolished by one player? It's always against several fast players within a smart defensive scheme (see Philadelphia Week 3). Max Starks has done his job against the stars that should be getting to Roethlisberger, and that's why he was rewarded with a new contract yesterday-and a fairly cheap contract at that. Starks also has potential to grow, and I don't see him being outperformed this year. However, I could see Willie Colon outperformed by Capizzi or Hills, given their youth and gaining knowledge of the Steeler system.

Overall, if a guard in Capizzi or Hills steps up, and Craig Urbik performs to his potential, our offensive line will mature into a talented group throughout the next two years. They have the capability and/or potential to shush the doubts as soon as this year.