CrazyCowboy
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Zoners: just as I have posted numerous times in the past.......it is an OFFENSIVE LINE that is drafted high.......just read this!
Biggest difference in Steelers is right up front
Jan. 24, 2006
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!
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DENVER -- Everyone wants to know the secret to the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in the Super Bowl. How can a team that was once 7-5 now find itself one game away from the impossible, getting a ring after ripping off seven consecutive victories, including three on the road in the playoffs?
Is it the improvement of Ben Roethlisberger?
How about the play of All-World safety Troy Polamalu?
Left guard Alan Faneca hasn't missed a start since the 2001 season. (Getty Images) Maybe great run defense?
They've all been a big factor, but if you really want to see the secret to the Steelers' turnaround, it's really right in front of our faces.
How could we possibly miss 1,700 pounds of them?
It's the Steelers' powerful offensive line, five guys who have suddenly jelled into a unit that not only protects Roethlisberger, but also can run the ball when the Steelers get a lead.
They are strong enough to play the road-grader line, yet nimble enough to handle blitzing teams as they did Sunday against Denver in the AFC Championship Game.
"We're playing at a high level," right tackle Max Starks said. "It's coming together for us at the right time."
The Steelers have traditionally had some of the best lines in the NFL, precision units that created running room to pound the football yet were athletic enough to excel in pass protection.
Think Steelers and you think about their offensive line, a nasty group of players who fight to the whistle and make up for their lack of athletic ability with a toughness you would expect from a blue-collar team.
"This has been an organization that prides itself on putting a good line on the field," Starks said. "They know if you have a solid offensive line, everything goes from that point on. You can dictate what you want to do."
For the early part of this season, it didn't quite look that way. The Steelers lost the right side of their line to free agency last season. Oliver Ross signed with the Arizona Cardinals and Keydrick Vincent signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers felt both were replaceable. Kendall Simmons, who missed all of 2004 with a torn ACL after starting 30 games his first two years, would replace Vincent at right guard and Starks, a third-round pick in 2004, would replace Ross.
Starks is a huge man at 6-8, 350 pounds, but some league personnel wondered about his toughness. Simmons had to answer questions about bouncing back from the injury.
There were good players in the other three spots. Center Jeff Hartings and left guard Alan Faneca are among the best at their positions in the league. Left tackle Marvel Smith was coming off a Pro Bowl season.
"We felt good about the line going into the season," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said earlier this year. "Then we had some problems."
Smith missed time with injuries, which forced rookie Trai Essex in as the starter. That, in turn, led to Faneca trying to do too much to compensate for the rookie. As a result, his play dropped off, too.
Simmons was slow to come around, and Starks struggled to gain a comfort level at right tackle, which you might expect from a player starting for the first time. A lot of fingers were pointed in the direction of the right side.
"Naturally, there was going to be the big microscope on the right side," Starks said. "But we weren't about to make it so people called us the weak links. We were going to do whatever it took to be a good line. We had some rough spots in the middle of the year, but now we're all on the same page."
"We played some games without Marvel and we had a new right side, so it took time," Faneca said. "We knew the talent was there, so it was just a matter of time before we started to play better."
There was too much pedigree for it not to work. That's one thing about the NFL and good teams: Their offensive lines are usually pretty dominant.
For that to be the case, it usually takes premium picks to be successful. The Indianapolis Colts' line was dominated by the Steelers are few weeks back. Do you know how many first-, second- or third-round picks are on that line? One.
The Steelers have three former first-round picks, a second-round pick (Smith) and a third-round pick (Starks). The front office has made drafting big bodies a priority, although Hartings was signed as a free agent from Detroit.
"This is a team that uses high picks on linemen," Starks said. "When they drafted us, they expected us to be successful. And right now that's apparent."
What else is apparent is how much more comfortable this line looks than it did seven games ago. With Smith back in the lineup, it's allowed Faneca to go back to his dominating ways inside. Simmons and Starks have both become better players the past month.
Hartings is the steady guy who pulls it all together.
"The more games you play together, the more in synch you get," Starks said. "I credit that to center Jeff Hartings. He does a great job making the calls and keeping the rest of us in line."
In the playoffs, the line has jelled. Seven weeks ago, that might have seemed impossible, but hard work and player development have allowed that to become a reality. Credit line coach Russ Grimm with molding this unit into a top-notch five.
Come Super Bowl week, the focus of the media will be elsewhere. It will be on Jerome Bettis and his return to Detroit. It will be on Big Ben and his suddenly star status. Or on Bill Cowher trying to get that elusive ring.
None of that would be possible if it weren't for the playoff performance of the five big guys up front.
"We know what we mean to this team," Starks said.
We do, too.
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Biggest difference in Steelers is right up front
By Pete Prisco
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Tell Pete your opinion!
DENVER -- Everyone wants to know the secret to the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in the Super Bowl. How can a team that was once 7-5 now find itself one game away from the impossible, getting a ring after ripping off seven consecutive victories, including three on the road in the playoffs? Is it the improvement of Ben Roethlisberger?
How about the play of All-World safety Troy Polamalu?
They've all been a big factor, but if you really want to see the secret to the Steelers' turnaround, it's really right in front of our faces.
How could we possibly miss 1,700 pounds of them?
It's the Steelers' powerful offensive line, five guys who have suddenly jelled into a unit that not only protects Roethlisberger, but also can run the ball when the Steelers get a lead.
They are strong enough to play the road-grader line, yet nimble enough to handle blitzing teams as they did Sunday against Denver in the AFC Championship Game.
"We're playing at a high level," right tackle Max Starks said. "It's coming together for us at the right time."
The Steelers have traditionally had some of the best lines in the NFL, precision units that created running room to pound the football yet were athletic enough to excel in pass protection.
Think Steelers and you think about their offensive line, a nasty group of players who fight to the whistle and make up for their lack of athletic ability with a toughness you would expect from a blue-collar team.
"This has been an organization that prides itself on putting a good line on the field," Starks said. "They know if you have a solid offensive line, everything goes from that point on. You can dictate what you want to do."
For the early part of this season, it didn't quite look that way. The Steelers lost the right side of their line to free agency last season. Oliver Ross signed with the Arizona Cardinals and Keydrick Vincent signed with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Steelers felt both were replaceable. Kendall Simmons, who missed all of 2004 with a torn ACL after starting 30 games his first two years, would replace Vincent at right guard and Starks, a third-round pick in 2004, would replace Ross.
Starks is a huge man at 6-8, 350 pounds, but some league personnel wondered about his toughness. Simmons had to answer questions about bouncing back from the injury.
There were good players in the other three spots. Center Jeff Hartings and left guard Alan Faneca are among the best at their positions in the league. Left tackle Marvel Smith was coming off a Pro Bowl season.
"We felt good about the line going into the season," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said earlier this year. "Then we had some problems."
Smith missed time with injuries, which forced rookie Trai Essex in as the starter. That, in turn, led to Faneca trying to do too much to compensate for the rookie. As a result, his play dropped off, too.
Simmons was slow to come around, and Starks struggled to gain a comfort level at right tackle, which you might expect from a player starting for the first time. A lot of fingers were pointed in the direction of the right side.
"Naturally, there was going to be the big microscope on the right side," Starks said. "But we weren't about to make it so people called us the weak links. We were going to do whatever it took to be a good line. We had some rough spots in the middle of the year, but now we're all on the same page."
"We played some games without Marvel and we had a new right side, so it took time," Faneca said. "We knew the talent was there, so it was just a matter of time before we started to play better."
There was too much pedigree for it not to work. That's one thing about the NFL and good teams: Their offensive lines are usually pretty dominant.
For that to be the case, it usually takes premium picks to be successful. The Indianapolis Colts' line was dominated by the Steelers are few weeks back. Do you know how many first-, second- or third-round picks are on that line? One.
The Steelers have three former first-round picks, a second-round pick (Smith) and a third-round pick (Starks). The front office has made drafting big bodies a priority, although Hartings was signed as a free agent from Detroit.
"This is a team that uses high picks on linemen," Starks said. "When they drafted us, they expected us to be successful. And right now that's apparent."
What else is apparent is how much more comfortable this line looks than it did seven games ago. With Smith back in the lineup, it's allowed Faneca to go back to his dominating ways inside. Simmons and Starks have both become better players the past month.
Hartings is the steady guy who pulls it all together.
"The more games you play together, the more in synch you get," Starks said. "I credit that to center Jeff Hartings. He does a great job making the calls and keeping the rest of us in line."
In the playoffs, the line has jelled. Seven weeks ago, that might have seemed impossible, but hard work and player development have allowed that to become a reality. Credit line coach Russ Grimm with molding this unit into a top-notch five.
Come Super Bowl week, the focus of the media will be elsewhere. It will be on Jerome Bettis and his return to Detroit. It will be on Big Ben and his suddenly star status. Or on Bill Cowher trying to get that elusive ring.
None of that would be possible if it weren't for the playoff performance of the five big guys up front.
"We know what we mean to this team," Starks said.
We do, too.
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