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Steelers RT Colon out for the season (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Avery
- Start date
massraider
Footballguy
Wow. Is Tony Hills the replacement?
ChuckLiddell
Footballguy
Flozell still out there?
Avery
Footballguy
I think he just got flagged.
Grahamburn
Footballguy
I was looking forward to drafting Mendenhall too. 
massraider
Footballguy
Well, to take the other side, there is a wagering pool going on at one Steeler message board, asking how many sacks/penalties the 2010 Steeler RT will give up.
Over/Under is 15, the number Colon gave up last year.
They can replace this guy with average, and get the same production (in theory).
Over/Under is 15, the number Colon gave up last year.
They can replace this guy with average, and get the same production (in theory).
Eviloutsider
Footballguy
An injured Colon isn't good for anybody but it's especially not good for your running back in Mendy.
HellToupee
Footballguy
they can get the same sack/penalty #'s with his replacement but what they can't replace is Colon's run blocking
Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
This is an excellent point, Colon means a lot more than Penalties, plus the Steelers OL was terrible last season and it caused guys like Colon to have to over compensate sometimes. The starting Center/Hartwig from a year ago was almost dead last in most of the categories. Colon is easily top10 at his position.
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Raiderfan32904
Footballguy
Yikes! They could ill afford to lose Colon. He is best at run blocking, but with Leftwich back there the first 4 games...expect the defenses to pin their ears back and set a beeline trajectory to the tree in the pocket. It will be ugly. Hope you have a plan C, Steelers.
Sorry if you took that the wrong way, I wasn't trying to come off like that... I understand you were just reporting the headline. I just wanted to clarify that because, while it's still a significant loss, I think there's a big difference in losing your LT than your RT. Thanks for sharing the news here though.
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Kenny Powers
Footballguy
Colon easily being Top 10 in the NFL at RT is news to me. This is bad for the Steelers more because they have a bunch of stiffs behind him moreso than Colon being that good.
treat88
Footballguy
I'm not sure where Colon gets the rep of being a top 10, let alone an even average RT. It certainly doesn't come from folks who follow the Steelers closely.I guarantee that there was more compensation because of Colon than Colon compensating for anybody else's deficiencies.The continual positives I hear about his run blocking sure don't show up watching the games. He, along with Hartwig gets zero POA push and in fact he is routinely walked into the backfield. The constant false start penalties and missed assignments just seal the deal.It's unfortunate he got injured, and it's certainly not good for the Steelers OL continuity particularly because Pouncey was slated to start at RG, but I've never heard more accolades about a less talented player than I have about Willie "In Spite Of Me" Colon. Just ask Bill Belichick.
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Avery
Footballguy
I really don't know enough about his skill set, or lack thereof, to profess any opinion but especially if what you say is true, it's shocking that the Steelers don't have a replacement they are grooming in the wings.I'm not sure where Colon gets the rep of being a top 10, let alone an even average RT. It certainly doesn't come from folks who follow the Steelers closely.I guarantee that there was more compensation because of Colon than Colon compensating for anybody else's deficiencies.The continual positives I hear about his run blocking sure don't show up watching the games. He, along with Hartwig gets zero POA push and in fact he is routinely walked into the backfield. The constant false start penalties and missed assignments just seal the deal.It's unfortunate he got injured, and it's certainly not good for the Steelers OL continuity particularly because Pouncey was slated to start at RG, but I've never heard more accolades about a less talented player than I have about Willie "In Spite Of Me" Colon. Just ask Bill Belichick.
Addai's Adidas
Footballguy
Colon Blows anyway.
He should write a blog while he's recuperating.
He should write a blog while he's recuperating.
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
Colon is 'easily top 10 at his position'....if you're Colon's agent or his offensive line coach. How does a guy who plays on the outside(especially on the right) 'overcompensate' for anyone? Tackles basically have one job in pass pro: Get between the guy in front of you and your QB and stay there.If anyone on that line is asked to overcompensate, it's Hartwig. Hartwig is certainly no prize, hell he was probably going to get beat out at C by a rookie this TC if OTAs were any indication before this Colon injury, but he's been asked to make up for a HOST of deficiencies that the other Steelers interior blockers have had when it comes to pass protection in his time there. Kemoeatu flat out can't stop anyone who has a halfway decent inside move and for a guy his size he gets bull rushed WAY too frequently. Essex/Foster/remaining chum haven't exactly showed to be stalwarts blocking for the pass either(or stalwarts at anything....Kraig Urbik, looking at you there, bud). Hartwig has frequently been forced to try and go one on one vs. some pretty good noseguards, and he's not good enough to do that. So he gets eaten up. There are times when he's chipping a guy one of the guards failed to pick up while he's trying to take on his man. Recipe for disaster: Mediocre C being asked to make plays like an All- Pro. Guaranteed delicious.This may shock some folks, but in case you hadn't noticed......the Steelers' offensive line isn't very good. Colon will be missed as a run blocker, I'll give him that much, but that's pretty much it. And it's not even that he's fantastic at it, it's just that ther OL as a whole is pretty lousy at it and he's the 'least lousy.' That OL has pretty much stunk for 3 years with him, it can(and probably will) stink without him.I expect this injury will save Hartwig from the bench for this year. Essex will likely be moved to RT, thereby ending any real 'competition' that Pouncey was going to have for the starting RG spot and they'll just plug the rookie in there. I will also wager that they will bring in no player of significance, via FA or trade, to replace Colon. My guess is it'll be Starks, Kemoeatu, Hartwig, Pouncey, Essex left to right. The guy the new OL coach brought in at RT will be anointed the #1 backup there and they'll go on their merry, mediocre way to another 45+ sacks and blah running game.And not for nothin', buuuut......Ziggy Hood better turn out to be the next Aaron Smith, or some of those OTs they passed on to draft a 3-4 end at pick #32 a couple drafts ago are going to come back to haunt them. Didn't really dig that pick then and it's compounded now. Guess we'll see.Not looking great for the Steelers 'getting back to runnin' it more while Ben is out' right about now, that much is clear.
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treat88
Footballguy
100% agreed.Colbert has shown no priority to the OL generally over the last number of seasons. If Hartwig hadn't been so blatantly and spectacularly awful I think he would have passed on Pouncey as well.I'm not criticizing the strategy because I do understand it and they've had recent success following it, but it could certainly bite them in the ### in short order.I really don't know enough about his skill set, or lack thereof, to profess any opinion but especially if what you say is true, it's shocking that the Steelers don't have a replacement they are grooming in the wings.
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
I'm basically in agreement with this, particularly the bolded(I think Hartwig sucked balls a year ago as well, but I think he's basically a man alone on an island between those two guards....and he isn't talented enough to perform like that. Still, he clearly needs to be benched....which likely doesn't happen now. Yay!). It's perplexing. It has driven me nuts for about 3-4 seasons. You have a 100 million dollar franchise quarterback and you're 'protecting' him with a 5th rounder, a couple 3rd rounders, a 4th rounder and a busted up C. When it became apparent that Marvel Smith was declining, and Starks was 'doghoused' for basically a season and a half, the offensive line needed to be addressed aggressively. Either via FA or with premium draft picks. They chose to do neither and instead brought in a guy to play C who was recovering from a serious hip injury and drafted a 3-4 DE in the first round instead. I wasn't a fan of the Hood pick(not that I think Hood is a bad player, I just felt they had greater needs) and this injury is magnifying exactly what I didn't like about it: The Steelers had a poor starting OL with zero real talent pushing any of the incumbents. It's been 3 offseasons that I've felt that way and it appears that next year will be the 4th. Pouncey was a nice start, but that's all it was: a start.
They need to carpet bomb that OL soon and will have basically no choice, but to do it in the next offseason now. One could argue that they've potentially pigeon-holed themselves out of being able to address their 2nd biggest area of concern in the process(getting younger at NT).
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Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
So you hate Colon, that's fine. Fact is he is a quality run blocking RT, also is quite effective as a screen blocking RT too. And an OL can over compensate when part of it is not pulling it's weight. Hartwig was one of the worst Centers in the game which is partly why they jumped on Pouncey(not sure I spelled that right). Are you a Pittsburgh fan?
Godsbrother
Footballguy
It is not a question of us hating him, he just isn't that good. The problem for the Steelers is that while Willie Colon is just an average OT on his best day, the "talent" they have behind him is suspect. The thought of Trai Essex starting at RT for the season is pretty scary. The Steelers did sign RT Jonathan Scott from Buffalo who started 8 games last year for the Bills so my guess is that he has the inside track as the starter. While the Bills apparently didn't think much of Scott, Steelers o-line coach Sean Kugler (o-line coach for the Bills last year) is obviously familiar with him and must have seen something he liked. The Steelers are high on Ramon Foster so I guess he would also have a shot at the starting gig.
It wouldn't surprise me to see the Steelers bring in a veteran FA though.
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
So, you basically ignored everything I posted? Cool.I don't 'hate' Colon. I KNOW Colon. Given your posts on him here, you probably haven't watched many of his games. I've seen every single snap of this guy's career. He's a subaverage OT in pretty much all facets of his game. He's likely the best guy the Steelers had in the run blocking department at present, but that's the definition of 'damning with faint praise.' It's not as if he's some uber-road grader. He is terribly outclassed blocking for the pass if a rusher has any sort of speed. The guy should be a guard.You also may want to save your breath on trying to educate me on why the Steelers jumped on Pouncey. I'm intimately familiar with how bad Hartwig played a season ago...which I stated in my last post. Again, I watch the games.....the fact remains, he's not as bad of a player as he showed in '09. That doesn't mean I think he's great. Far from it. The Steelers' interior lineman flanking him are horrid blocking for the pass. Hartwig is a mediocre C being asked to perform as if he's about 4 rungs higher on the talent ladder vs. the likes of Ngata, Rogers, Gregg, et al. It doesn't work.This is a 'big blow' to Pittsburgh merely because of the utter dearth of talent that they have behind an already subaverage set of starters on the offensive line.
treat88
Footballguy
Pretty much spot on.There are no facts involved in any assessment of Colon as a quality RT in any facet of the game.
5-ish is mostly right, although with the Steelers looking to return to "Steelers football" and become more of a mauling team on offense, I think Colon was going to be a terrific fit. He is their best run blocker, and if he was asked to just fire off the line at the snap and maul the guy across the line from him, I think he was going to have his best season as a pro. This hurts Mendenhall - IIRC, Colon was a star on the O-Line when they steamrolled Denver on MNF last year.
Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
5-ish is entitled to his opinion like everyone else but Colon was their best run blocker. At RT that is more important since Ben can see the pass rush coming. It's hard for fans of teams to have a neutsral say. I do take what the fans say seriously, as they post they see every snap. But if you want that to be the measuring stick then I guess your opinion about the other 31 teams would pale in comparison.
It's good to have differing POV, I hope the put downs would be kept to a minimum. It's incredibly difficult to have an exchange if it only centers on who watche the most snaps. No one watches every snap for every team. I hear what the Pitt fans are saying, maybe we need to fire up a Pittsburgh thread because I would be interested to hear what the overall assessment of the team is. And just to be clear I have Pitt penciled in now for about 6-8 wins, I don't see them competing for the division and that does not center around the Colon injury although it surely doesn't help.
Cheers
Sabertooth
Footballguy
Mike Tomlin is pretty smart. He had Colon at the top of the depth chart. This means that it is a pretty reasonable assumption that the offensive just stepped backward to some extent. People may say he sucked or whatever, but I'll take Tomlin's action of putting him in the lineup each week as an indication that his backup is inferior to him.
On a line that has been panned before he got hurt, that ain't good.
On a line that has been panned before he got hurt, that ain't good.
Ray Finkle
Footballguy
Mendenhall had 116 carries to the right at almost 5.3 YPC versus only 65 carries to the left at 4.8 YPC. Regardless of how we feel about Colon it's apparent that the Steelers preferred to rush to his side and had greater success when doing so.
Flozell Adams came for a visit to Pittsburgh today, wouldn't be surprised if he's signed sometime this week.
The Steelers would have him play the right side and keep Starks at LT. Flozell is partially deaf in his right ear, which explains a lot of the pre-snap penalties he's had in his career at LT, but that wouldn't be much of a problem with him being on the right side.
Colon was a fighter on the field and had developed into a solid tackle. I think Flozell would be a nice addition on the right side for a year if he showed up in decent shape. Starks and Adams as your bookend tackles, along with a guard the size of Kemoeatu, is a pretty massive line. Throw in Pouncey into the mix at either C or G, and they'll probably be alright.
The Steelers would have him play the right side and keep Starks at LT. Flozell is partially deaf in his right ear, which explains a lot of the pre-snap penalties he's had in his career at LT, but that wouldn't be much of a problem with him being on the right side.
Colon was a fighter on the field and had developed into a solid tackle. I think Flozell would be a nice addition on the right side for a year if he showed up in decent shape. Starks and Adams as your bookend tackles, along with a guard the size of Kemoeatu, is a pretty massive line. Throw in Pouncey into the mix at either C or G, and they'll probably be alright.
Kenny Powers
Footballguy
Addai's Adidas
Footballguy
Instead of paper bags, Steeler fans can now wear colostomy bags on their heads.
Godsbrother
Footballguy
Are you calling us $$$$heads?
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
Being 'their best run blocker'(which I have basically agreed with twice in this thread) and being 'a top ten RT' are two completely and utterly different arguments. You are comparing coconuts to distributor caps. As far as 'put downs'....if that was directed at me, you're sensitivity meter needs adjusting. I wasn't putting anyone down, nor were my statements/opinions 'based only on how many snaps I've watched.'(Although, I can't think of a better metric for forming an opinion on how a player actually plays. Maybe I'm crazy?) A discussion about Colon being a top 10 RT was being had and I was pointing out that I disagree with your assessment of his talent level. That's all. I'd point out that your initial rebuttal was more than a little bit preachy.I basically said the exact thing that Sig did: Colon was their best run blocker and this will hurt their running game....but I believe it's moreso because at present they have total chum behind their starters on the depth chart, not because Colon isn't replaceable. Colon is a pretty vanilla player.Ministry of Pain said:
5-ish Finkle
Footballguy
Any idea how many of those carries also had Heath Miller/a TE lined up to that side? Would be interesting to see a breakdown for that.
Ray Finkle
Footballguy
Cousin 5-ish,I don't have that information but would be interested in seeing it as well.
