Steelers right guard DeCastro, offensive line starting to stabilize

The Steelers have transitioned from one offensive line combination to another since right guard David DeCastro arrived as a first-round pick two years ago. Some moves were made out of urgency when a player couldn't get it done; some were made because of injury emergencies.

Ramon Foster went from right guard to left guard. Mike Adams went from right tackle to left tackle to the bench. Maurkice Pouncey got hurt, then Fernando Velasco did. Kelvin Beachum went from all-purpose backup to starting left tackle.

But now that Pouncey, the three-time Pro Bowl center, is back following his nearly season-long knee injury absence, the offensive line finally looks stable with Beachum, Foster, Pouncey, DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert lining up from left to right — with Adams, the former second-round pick, also pushing for snaps.

This is what the Steelers envisioned when they devoted four early-round draft picks to the offensive line from 2010-12....


Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/...#ixzz34KJ474CV

So is the offensive line glass half empty or half full?

---------------------------------

28. Pittsburgh Steelers. Maurkice Pouncey is back. Mike Munchak is the latest line-coach cook to try to stir the blocking broth, and he is a good one. Le'Veon Bell gives the Steelers a power runner who can make the most of what an offensive line offers him. The Steelers line looked much better in the second half of last season than the first half, so everything is fine, right?

Not quite. David DeCastro's development at guard has been slower than expected. Mike Adams has been developing in reverse. Marcus Gilbert, drafted as a left tackle, has become an injury- and penalty-prone (though not terrible) right tackle. Kelvin Beachum is now the left tackle, and while the former seventh-round pick is capable enough, he doesn't make anyone forget that he won his job because two bigger-reputation prospects lost theirs.

The Steelers offensive line finished near the middle of the analytical pack in 2013 due to second-half improvement, but the team needed a talent upgrade that the draft did not provide until the fifth round. Maybe Munchak is the missing puzzle piece: There is still time for a great coach to get the most out of DeCastro, Gilbert and Adams. Didn't we say the same thing last year about Jack Bicknell?

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article...-ravens#!XmT3a

Um, did the morons at SOE forget that DeCastro missed nearly an entire season 2 years ago, which happened to be his rookie season? Don't you think that might have an impact on his development? Or that Bicknell was pretty much phased out last year from mid-season on, after which the OL started to gel? And let's not forget the injury bug that has plagued the unit over the past several years. So after consistently going El Cheapo with their OL coaches, they bring in one of the best in the business in Mike Munchak. If he doesn't get the most out of these guys, then at that point, you can probably say they wasted those OL picks. But I'm not expecting that to be the case. Munch WILL turn this group into a solid unit.

Quote:

---

Maybe Munchak is the missing puzzle piece: There is still time for a great coach to get the most out of DeCastro, Gilbert and Adams. Didn't we say the same thing last year about Jack Bicknell?

---

Please. Comparing Bicknell to Munchak is like comparing Rich Kotite to Vince Lombardi.

Quote:

---

Marcus Gilbert, drafted as a left tackle, has become an injury- and penalty-prone (though not terrible) right tackle

---

Injury prone? He started all 16 games last year. Who the hell is SOE (Mike Tanner? Who?) anyways?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tube517

Injury prone? He started all 16 games last year. Who the hell is SOE (Mike Tanner? Who?) anyways?

---

Someone whose "research" apparently involved reading Steelers message boards as opposed to actually paying attention to the team.

The OL couldn't get much worse. We could put up a turnstile and a few traffic cones to get the same productivity as the last few years.

For us to have FOUR recent #1 or #2 picks on the OL all playing basically the same as when they were rookies ... well, either we are not only horrible at drafting but also impossibly unlucky ... or we've had some very bad coaching. I have faith that an OL coach who actually knows what he's doing can get this straightened out in no time.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by steelreserve

For us to have FOUR recent #1 or #2 picks on the OL all playing basically the same as when they were rookies ... well, either we are not only horrible at drafting but also impossibly unlucky ... or we've had some very bad coaching. I have faith that an OL coach who actually knows what he's doing can get this straightened out in no time.

---

I think we have had some bad luck AND some bad coaching.

I would be surprised if we did not see a marked improvement this year.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GBMelBlount

So is the offensive line glass half empty or half full?

---------------------------------

28. Pittsburgh Steelers. Maurkice Pouncey is back. Mike Munchak is the latest line-coach cook to try to stir the blocking broth, and he is a good one. Le'Veon Bell gives the Steelers a power runner who can make the most of what an offensive line offers him. The Steelers line looked much better in the second half of last season than the first half, so everything is fine, right?

Not quite. David DeCastro's development at guard has been slower than expected. Mike Adams has been developing in reverse. Marcus Gilbert, drafted as a left tackle, has become an injury- and penalty-prone (though not terrible) right tackle. Kelvin Beachum is now the left tackle, and while the former seventh-round pick is capable enough, he doesn't make anyone forget that he won his job because two bigger-reputation prospects lost theirs.

The Steelers offensive line finished near the middle of the analytical pack in 2013 due to second-half improvement, but the team needed a talent upgrade that the draft did not provide until the fifth round. Maybe Munchak is the missing puzzle piece: There is still time for a great coach to get the most out of DeCastro, Gilbert and Adams. Didn't we say the same thing last year about Jack Bicknell?

http://www.sportsonearth.com/article...-ravens#!XmT3a

---

Another pessimistic article from a source that highly unlikely paid any attention to the team through the entirety of the season, looked up some stats and highlights to write an article that gives zero credit to a job well done by a late round gem at LT? Well boys, color me shocked!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Someone whose "research" apparently involved reading Steelers message boards as opposed to actually paying attention to the team.

---

Well put!!

"starting", Id be shocked if we have the same lineup for at least 8 Games

A bushel full of top picks and a coach that is proven to be a great O Line coach.

Bell, Blount and Ben should have monster seasons.

Sounds pretty much spot on to me. There is significant reason to hope for and even anticipate a massive improvement in the offensive line. However, that is all speculative at this point.

Foster and Pouncey are the only known and NFL proven commodities in the projected starters. Gilbert, Adams, and DeCastro all have to prove they are able to consistently play up to their pre-draft billing. The entire line needs to work on staying healthy -- or actually get lucky for once.

Munchak is bar none the best offensive line coach any of these guys have worked with. If he can get them playing as a cohesive unit, understanding and executing their assignments without the array of mental breakdowns that have been evident the past couple of seasons, then the line will be way better than the ranking provided in the article.

Or there is the version where Mucnhak lacks a magic wand and Beachum looks a bit overwhelmed at LT, Gilbert is still dumb and kinda slow, and Adams is still absolutely terrible because he has poor footwork and bad strength/leverage.

Then we put McCullers in to take up space.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by tube517

Injury prone? Gilbert started all 16 games last year. Who the hell is SOE (Mike Tanner? Who?) anyways?

---

Perhaps he meant that Gilbert is prone to injure others...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GBMelBlount

Perhaps he meant that Gilbert is prone to injure others...

---

:heh: don't give the writer that much credit

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk