In the weeks leading up to the kickoff the 2008 NFL Season, I’ll take a look at position groups that could potentially lift teams to new heights, or bury them and their postseason hopes. Wednesday I take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers and their potential offensive line woes.
I read a stat the other day that was shocking. Apparently Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked 93 times in the past two seasons, second to only Jon Kitna of the Detroit Lions.
Granted, part of the reason why Roethlisberger has been dropped so many times is simply because he holds on to the ball too long. In fact, it has been noted that Roethlisberger has been working with QB coach Ken Anderson this offseason on making quicker reads and getting the ball out of his hands faster.
But the reason for the high sacks hasn’t been entirely Big Ben’s fault. After years of solid production, the Steelers’ offensive line has actually become a significant weakness, and something that could potentially kill Pittsburgh’s playoff aspirations this year.
When guard Alan Faneca signed with the Jets in the offseason, he took his five-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro-Bowl résumé with him. Even though the Steelers didn’t want to financially bend over backwards for an aging guard, Faneca was one of the best offensive linemen in team history. Chris Kemoeatu, a 2005 sixth-round pick with only three NFL starts under his belt, has been summed to replace Faneca. His lack of experience is a concern, but even more troublesome is that he missed the first eight days of training game due to a triceps injury.
The only holdovers from the 2007 season are guard Kendall Simmons and left tackle Marvel Smith. There’s an open competition at center between Justin Hartwig and Sean Mahan, who had a sub par 2007 season while trying to replace former Pro Bowler Jeff Hartings. Willie Colon and Max Starks are currently competing for the starting right tackle job.
One of the reasons why the Steelers have been solid offensively through the years is because Hartings, Faneca and Starks brought cohesion and continuity to the offensive line. But those days appear to be long gone and outside of Simmons and Smith, there remains a ton of uncertainty on the o-line. Head coach Mike Tomlin and the players say there’s no need for concern, but the fact of the matter is that there is no such thing as a productive offense with a poor offensive line. And even if Hartwig, Kemoeatu and Colon overachieve, the line on a whole is still going to need time to gel.
A team doesn’t replace a combined nine Pro Bowls (Hartings/Faneca) overnight, especially not with a player who was released from another team this offseason (Hartwig) and a former second day pick with only three NFL starts (Kemoeatu).
The attention in Pittsburgh seems to be on Willie Parker’s recovery and rookie runner Rashard Mendenhall’s development. But a bigger problem is brewing in the trenches and it could damage the Steelers’ postseason hopes.
