The above short article details the loss of Pittsburgh Steeler left tackle Max Starks, and his subsequent placement on IR (neck) prematurely ending his 2010 season.
SportsReaction
This hurts…badly. I am of the opinion that football games are won and lost “in the trenches” and a good offense is only a byproduct of a good offensive line. Losing a player as consistent and as familiar with their playbook as Starks (2010 is his seventh year as a Steeler), can only be categorized as “devastating.”
This becomes even truer (is that possible?) when you consider that the Pittsburgh O-line wasn’t even that good with Starks. According to Adjusted line yards (as found on footballoutsiders.com) their line is only tied with the Arizona Cardinals for 21st in the NFL this season.
When you take a line that was already in the bottom third of the league and subtract out their most experienced player you get a unit that could have a lot of trouble opening up holes for Rashard Mendenhall, or giving Ben Roethlisberger sufficient time to find an open receiver. There is no doubt that this will be a huge blow to a team that many claim to be the best in the NFL right now.
A team with a questionable offensive line loses its best piece, and it seems that a fall out of the “top five” seems inevitable. Especially when you consider that the Steelers face very tough competition in the form of the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, and the surprising Cleveland Browns in the season’s second half.
Look for Pittsburgh to be “knocked down a peg” as the 2010 season unfolds.
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