I was a tad shocked when I read the aforementioned tweet, because I figured that the Steelers would at least consider giving Starks a tryout or at least a chance to prove to the organization that his knee was healthy coming off of his injury which he sustained in the Playoffs.  In fact, I believe that if Starks’ health holds up, he would actually be a valuable signing for the Steelers, because he could bring three very important things to the 2012 team: depth, experience, and leadership.

Starks is still unsigned, but hopefully the team will consider bringing him back. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Depth, Experience, and Leadership

Injuries have completely ravaged the Offensive Line over the last few seasons, but most notably at the Tackle position.  Starks, as well as Willie Colon, and Jonathan Scott have gone down with injuries, and turned in some less than stellar performances.  This has led to mass shuffling along the Offensive Line and guys like Flozell Adams and even Starks have been signed late in the offseason/during the regular season.  To their credit, the Steelers have done their due diligence and acquired two fantastic young Tackles in the last two Drafts in the forms of Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams, yet there is not a whole heck of a lot of experience behind both the Rookie Adams and Gilbert who is just starting his 2nd season.

Yet on a positional unit that is just beginning to get settled, disaster could strike in the form of injury or poor play and Rookie mistakes at any minute.  With those things in mind, depth, especially experienced depth is a valuable asset to have, and Starks has plenty of experience.  Plus, do you want to see Jonathan Scott or another backup with limited experience taking snaps and protecting Big Ben’s blind-side on a consistent basis again?  Protecting #7 is the most important thing for this franchise to do, and the best way is making sure that he can stand upright, no matter what sorts of injuries happen at the Offensive Tackle position.

Furthermore, what better mentor to have for guys like Gilbert and Adams, along with the rest of the young Offensive Linemen than Starks?  The guy has played 8 seasons in the League, started 79 games over 8 seasons, started at Right Tackle for one Super Bowl winning team, and at Left Tackle for another.  He has experienced demotion (when he lost his Right Tackle job to Willie Colon), injuries (missed most of 2010 with neck injury), and all sorts of other ups and downs over his eight year career.  Starks knows what it takes to be a professional, play well, and carve out a long career in the League.  Because of this, he could be a solid influence for the Offensive Linemen as well as the younger players to look up to in the locker room.

Final Thoughts

Look, I am not on the “Starks Right Now!” bandwagon as of yet.  He is still rehabbing the injury he sustained last offseason, and there is still time before Training Camp, the Preseason, and even the Regular Season all begin for this situation to be sorted out.  Yet if the price is right for the somewhat cash-strapped Steelers to sign Starks (hopefully Wallace can be signed for at least this season), I say there is no harm in at least giving the guy a tryout.  If Starks is signed and does not play a snap this season because Gilbert and Adams play well/stay healthy, then so be it.  He was there for depth purposes, and I am sure that he was a valuable veteran Lineman to have at the team’s disposal.  Yet if in the off-chance Starks is forced to play, the team can at least know that they have a legitimate and reliable option to go to if disaster strikes.  Plus, Starks is a far better backup option at the Tackle position than Jonathan Scott has proved to be over the last two years as well.

Adams and Gilbert may be the future of this franchise at the Tackle position, and both could very well develop into the best set of bookends this franchise has had since probably before I was born.  However, depth is key is the N.F.L., and teams’ without any, do not accomplish very much over the long haul of a season.  Starks can provide depth, leadership, and experience to a young and emerging Offensive Line.  Thus, I believe that the Steelers should not hesitate to bring Starks in this season if he is healthy and can be signed at a reasonable price.

What do you readers think?  Should Starks be signed if he is healthy?  Or should the team cut ties?

Stats Courtesy of: Pro Football Reference.com

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Could Martin fall to the Steelers? Mandatory Credit: Jim Z. Rider-US PRESSWIRE

Introduction: Do The Steelers Need Help at Tackle?

The answer to the question above is a resounding yes in my opinion.  As I alluded to in a previous article, while Tackle might not be the most pressing of all needs for Pittsburgh, it’s still a pretty darn big question mark heading into 2012.  I mean, take a look at what the Steelers have heading into this season: Talented 2nd Year man Marcus Gilbert appears to be stepping into the Left Tackle spot because Max Starks is coming off a knee injury, but Gilbert played most of last season at Right Tackle and now will be faced with the responsibility of protecting Big Ben’s blind-side.  As for Right Tackle, the oft-injured and usually inconsistent Willie Colon will be hopefully coming back after logging only 1 start in the last two years.  Plus, Jonathan Scott will likely be the #3 guy, and that is reason alone for concern for an Offensive Line as a whole that gave up 42 Sacks last season.  With all of the question marks surrounding the Tackle position, Pittsburgh sure could use some stability at the position and a natural Left Tackle to help shore up the Line.  Luckily for the Steelers, Stanford’s Jonathan Martin’s (a once projected Top 10 pick) stock is slipping a bit, and he might be in range for Pittsburgh to select.

Martin’s Unfortunate Offseason

Missing The Combine, and a subpar performance at his Pro Day are the two biggest reasons why Jonathan Martin sliding down draft boards right now.  In terms of wowing scouts at the “Underpants Olympics,” Martin did not improve his stock in Indianapolis when he came down with an illness he attributed to food poisoning and did not participate in drills.  To make things worse, Martin had himself an unimpressive Pro Day where he only put up a 5.33 time in the 40 and only 20 reps in the Bench Press (225 lbs.).  Granted, it’s never super to come up short when the off-season workout lights are shining, but Martin’s poor workouts could be a blessing in disguise for Pittsburgh if he does slide.  And personally, I’m not overly worried about the low Bench numbers and “slow” 40 time.

While it can be a bit alarming to see a supposedly highly rated Tackle put up that number of reps., strength can be honed much easier than technique as a Tackle in pass protection and run blocking which Martin actually has.  At 6’5” and with 34″ arms, Martin could add a bit more mass to his frame (10 lbs.) and has room to work on his raw upper body strength over the course of his career.  While it will not be a walk in the park, helping a player add strength is what strength and conditioning programs for N.F.L. teams are all about.  As for the 40 though, I’m even less worried.  How many “Go” Routes will Martin be running in the N.F.L.?  Granted, I’d like every Offensive Lineman to be a “track-star,” but 5.33 is nothing to scoff at for a guy weighing in the neighborhood of 315 lbs..  While it is a tad discomforting to see players under-perform, I would much rather select a player that has shown that they can succeed on a high level and on a consistent basis on film during real live competition (Martin), as opposed to a champion of The Combine workouts that has raw skills, but loads of bad tape.

Which Teams Could Target Martin? & Why They Could Pass

Bad performances during offseason workout aside, Martin is still a 1st Round talent, and there are some teams in the 13-23 range that are in need of Tackles like #13 Arizona, #18 San Diego, #19 Chicago, #22 Cleveland, #23 Detroit which could target him.  Nevertheless, these teams have other needs and draft strategies of their own, and it would not shock me if they passed on Martin.

Each team could go after another position of need like Inside Linebacker or Wide Receiver for the Cardinals (Luke Kuechly or Michael Floyd), Pass Rushing Outside Linebacker for San Diego (Courtney Upshaw, Nick Perry, Whitney Mercilus), Wide Receiver or Pass Rushing Defensive End for Chicago or Cleveland (Kendall Wright, Stephen Hill, Perry, Mercilus), and finally Defensive End or Cornerback for Detroit (Perry, Mercilus, Stephon Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick, Janoris Jenkins).

Or, if these specific teams decide to draft an Offensive Lineman, they could find themselves taking other 1st Round prospects not named Martin all together.  Riley Reiff of Iowa, the versatile OG/OT Cordy Glenn of Georgia, have 1st Round grades, and Mike Adams of Ohio State has 1st Round talent and for whatever reason (blocking scheme, coaching staff preference, versatility, upside, etc.) might end up being selected before Martin hears his name called.  With more options to choose from plus multiple needs for every team, the greater the chance Martin has to stay on the board until pick #24.

Should Pittsburgh Take Martin? & Final Thoughts

Granted, quite a bit has to go right for the Steelers to be in a position to select Martin with the 24th pick.  But if Martin is indeed on the board at #24, Pittsburgh has to at least consider a few things about him:  He’s a player that started 37 games at Left Tackle for a major college program and protected the blind-side of one of the best collegiate signal callers in the last two decades.  Martin is also a two time All-Pac 10 (12) first team selection and helped the Cardinal become one of college football’s best Offenses over the last 3 years  Bad workouts aside, from the games I’ve watched Martin play however, he’s definitely strong enough and nimble enough to warrant a 1st Round pick.  Watching him and David DeCastro in the run game was awesome, and I saw them first-hand help the Cardinal put almost 250 rushing yards last season against Arizona and run for almost 211 Yards Per Game in 2011 overall.

Protecting Big Ben is a must for this franchise, and because  Pittsburgh usually selects so late in the Draft, and has over the last decade, elite Left Tackle prospects are really not in the neighborhood for them in Round 1.  A player like Martin falling to them at #24 could be too good to pass up, and would definitely warrant a selection over more “need” positions (especially ones with deep classes this year) like Guard, Inside Linebacker, and Nose Tackle which can be found in later Rounds of this specific Draft.

It might be wishful thinking to believe that Martin could fall to #24 (they could trade up for a Tackle or Guard), but stranger things have happened in Round 1 on Draft Days.  I personally would like to see some stability on the Offensive Line for Pittsburgh in the coming years, because Big Ben has at least 5 more seasons left in his “prime” and of course could benefit from being protected better.  It could be more or it could be less, but it sure would be nice to see Roethlisberger drop back to pass and not fear for him.  With the weapons he has at his disposal, and “Bubble Screen Wizard” Bruce Arians out of the picture, Big Ben could flourish if he indeed an upgrade in the protection department.  Whatever happens though, I’ve got faith as always in Colbert & Co. to do what is right and acquire yet another hit in Round 1.

Now it’s your turn readers.  Will Martin be available at #24?  Should the Steelers take Martin if he is available?  Should Pittsburgh target another Lineman in Round 1?  Let me know.  I’m interested.

After watching Pittsburgh Steelers superstar Troy Polamalu run around last week like a headless chicken, I think it’s time to look past the hype, the hair, and the Jesus stuff. Troy was hurt most of last season, and failed to create the impact he had made in his first couple seasons. This year, a lot of the fans I’ve talked to have overlooked his disappointing play, due to the successes the defense has had so far this year. But make no mistake, he has been disappointing this year, recording a middling fourteen solo tackles, with zero sacks and zero interceptions as of week seven. Not completely embarrassing, but far below the impact the perennial Pro-Bowler and member of the Steelers all-time team should have.

Troy failed to make a big play through most of the Broncos game, and when he finally did, he made it by tackling a Bronco by the head, stopping the run but garnering a big penalty in the process. Troy seemed to be going for the big play, but he was out of position and left a hole in the middle of the field that the Broncos exploited to help put together a win over a team that by rights they shouldn’t have been able to beat. And that’s been the story with his play all season-going for the big play, but mostly being out of position. It’s no accident that the Steelers’ best game defensively this year was the game against Seattle when Troy was out, as well as Casey Hampton. The backups did a great job of not messing up, staying in position, and playing for the benefit of the team, and sometimes that’s all you need to do.

Starting last season, it seems like Steelers coaching staff started to believe the hype about their flyin’ Hawaiian, decided to quit coaching him and just allow him to do as he wished on the field. I hardly want to take away from Troy’s obvious talent and the success he had in his first three seasons as a Steelers, but if he would pull back and try to play more fundamentally sound football, the big plays would come naturally.