Ultimate Fantasy Football Strategy - Offensive Line Analysis

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Pittsburgh Steelers

2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Marvel Smith
Left Guard: Chris Kemoeatu
Center: Justin Hartwig / Sean Mahan
Right Guard: Kendall Simmons
Right Tackle: Willie Colon

2007 Injuries:
T Marvel Smith: Weeks 12, 13, 16 and 17

2007 Statistics:

LEFT END		LEFT TACKLE		MID/GUARD		RIGHT TACKLE		RIGHT END		Passing
ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY	Rank	Sacks	Rank
4.75	9	4.55	10	3.73	28	4.54	11	4.34	12	47	25

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The Pittsburgh Steelers returned to their 2005 shape last season and made the playoffs in their first season under new Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Their defense was one of the best in the NFL while their offense was only slightly above average due to disappointing play by the offensive line. The line was in the bottom third of the league with 47 sacks allowed but was slightly above average in the running game with 4.2 yards per carry.

Starting at left tackle will once again be the former second round pick Marvel Smith. Smith played through a back injury last season which caused him to miss the last few games of the season. He had surgery in the off-season and says he now feels no pain in his back and is ready to go. Smith is a 6’5” and 310 lbs tackle who is known for being much better as a run blocker than in pass protection. He has good strength which allows him to get a push in the running game and seal the corner pretty well but lacks the quick feet a left tackle requires. At 30 years old he is likely to start slowing down and remains average at best in pass protection but overall he is still an above average tackle and an asset for this team. On the opposite side will be an interesting battle between the 26 year old Max Starks and the 25 year old Willie Colon. Starks is very big and strong at 6’8” and 340 lbs but has slow feet. He is a very good run blocker and does an excellent job of sealing the edge but will struggle in pass protection unless he has help on the outside. He lost his starting job at right tackle last season to Willie Colon but neither was very impressive, especially in pass protection. Colon is not as big at 6’3” and 315 lbs and he does have quicker feet so he is better than Starks in pass protection but he was not as good as a run blocker. Colon has to get stronger but he is good when blocking in small areas and may be moved to the guard position if Starks beats him at right tackle this season. Adding depth at tackle is the 6’4” and 325 lbs Trai Essex. He was a third round pick in 2005 and saw some action due to injuries last season but he was not particularly impressive. He is decent in pass protection but will struggle when it comes to run blocking and is likely no more than a career backup. The Steelers also selected Tony Hills in the 2008 NFL Draft to add further depth at the position. Hills has good size and has quick feet and good awareness which make him a good pass protector. The downside with him is that he is not overly strong and will struggle to hold his blocks for a long time. He still needs to improve his technique to find a way to get more push as a run blocker or he will likely be a career backup.

The left guard position is a big question mark for the Steelers entering the season after seven-time Pro Bowler Alan Faneca signed as a free agent with the Jets. The job is likely to go to 2005 sixth round pick Chris Kemoeatu who has started only two games in three seasons with the Steelers. The 6’3” and 345 lbs guard is a good run blocker because of his size. The problem with Kemoeatu is that he has very little mobility so will be a good run blocker if he is asked to block right in front of him but he does not have the ability to pull to the outside. He will also struggle with lateral movements in pass protection and will get beaten by quick and strong defensive linemen. Kemoeatu also makes quite a few mental mistakes and will take penalties and miss assignments at times. Overall Kemoeatu is strong and big and will be a good run blocker up the middle but will struggle in all other aspects of the position. On the other side of the line will once again be the 2002 first round pick Kendall Simmons. Simmons was rewarded with a five-year extension right before the season started and for some reason it seemed to affect him. He was quite disappointing in both run blocking and passing protection last season but did seem to step up his play later in the year. He is a slightly below average guard, especially in pass protection and could see some competition at the position if Colon makes the move to guard.

Starting at center will likely be the 29 year old Justin Hartwig who was acquired as a free agent from the Carolina Panthers after they released him. Hartwig struggled most of last season with the Panthers because of a groin injury he suffered in 2006 and should be better this season. He is pretty big for a center at 6’4” and 315 lbs but lacks strength and does not have a good enough technique to make up for it. He will often get pushed into the backfield in pass protection but does have the ability to create some holes in the running game. The good news for the Steelers is that even though he is a below average center, he is an upgrade over Sean Mahan. Mahan provides depth at center and guard but he was the worst lineman on this line last season and was often pushed into the backfield. He does have a lot more experience at guard so may be better suited at that position but he should only be a backup this season.

2008 Outlook:
The Steelers line which struggled last season in pass protection will likely not see any improvement this season after losing Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca. Kemoeatu is a downgrade over Faneca in both pass protection and run blocking and will hurt the offense. The good news for the Steelers is that Smith will be healthy and his play should improve and Justin Hartwig is a slight upgrade at the center position. The Steelers line did have some players playing hurt last season but none of them other than Smith missed significant time so it is hard to expect much of an improvement this season. In terms of depth, things are not much better for the Steelers who only have Willie Colon as a decent backup and potentially Mahan at guard. Overall, if everyone stays healthy the line will be slightly worse in run blocking and should be about the same in pass protection but things will be much worse if one or two of the linemen go down with an injury.

Updates:
August 4, 2008 - Willie Colon seems to have won the starting job at right tackle while Hartwig and Mahan are still balling for the starting center position but Hartwig has the edge. We thought Hartwig was an upgrade over Mahan but if they are still battling for the starting job he can’t be much better. In other words you take a line that gave up 47 sacks last season and averaged 4.2 yards per carry, you take away a 7-time Pro Bowler and replace him by a sixth round pick who has started two games in three years in the NFL. The line did average 4.5 yards per carry in the 12 games that Marvel Smith played so that is why we have the run blocking as being only slightly worse this season.