| DeCastro and Adams could both be in the lineup in Week 1. (US PRESSWIRE) |
Fans have long clamored for the Steelers to move right tackle Willie Colon inside to guard, something that the coaches reportedly weren't interested in doing. Not until the organization selected David DeCastro and Mike Adams in the first two rounds of last month's NFL Draft. Now, as WDVE's Mike Prisuta first reported Wednesday, Colon will relocate three spots to his left along the offensive line, making his new home at left guard.
“My only issue I would have had was, ‘Don’t move me to left guard midway through (training) camp.’ I pride myself on being a mechanic and a technician," Colon told Prisuta. "So if it was to happen, do it right now when I have the time to learn and go through my mechanics.
“(The Steelers) honored that. I got the call right after the draft after we picked up DeCastro that I was going to move to guard. I have no problems with it. I’m taking it well. I like being there."
Previously, one of the concerns about moving Colon inside was that he wasn't proficient at pulling, which is critical to what the Steelers like to do in the running game. As CBSSports.com Rapid Reporter Chuck Finder pointed out, Colon played left guard at Hofstra, and Colon takes umbrage at the notion that he can't be successful on the move inside.
“The Bears wanted me as a guard (last offseason). Since I’ve been here there’s always been speculation about me moving to guard," he said. "I’m not 6-foot-6 or 6-7. I’m just 6-3; big back, barrel chest, typical guard frame. I’ve never been against it. All I wanted was the time to learn the position.”
This means the interior offensive line is set (in May no less, something that hasn't been the case in Pittsburgh since Alan Faneca was still with the team): Colon, Maurkice Pouncey and DeCastro. Now the Steelers will have to sort out the two tackles.
After the 2011 season, coach Mike Tomlin announced that right tackle Marcus Gilbert would move to left tackle for the 2012 season. The thinking at the time: Colon, who had missed all but one game with injuries the last two seasons, would resume his duties at right tackle. But then the draft happened, things couldn't have unfolded better with DeCastro and Adams falling to the Steelers, and the O-line could go from weakness to strength in less than a year.
It may also mean that Gilbert will remain on the right side, with Pittsburgh choosing to go with a rookie at left tackle. There's some three months to sort out the details, but according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette, Adams will get a shot at the gig.
"Adams will go to left tackle and Marcus Gilbert will stay at right tackle," a source close to the situation told Bouchette on Thursday. "At least that’s the plan going into training camp. That obviously could change if Adams cannot handle the job, but the coaching staff believes he can and quickly made that decision right after they drafted him. It’s why they put the phone call into Willie Colon so quickly to inform him of his move to left guard."
Depending on how the next 12 weeks play out, Adams could go from being completely off Pittsburgh's draft board to the Week 1 starter. It would make for a great story, but the reality remains: he still has to prove himself after failing a drug test and then lying about it. Another concern: the failed test is his first strike, according to the league's substance-abuse policy. If it happens again, he'll miss four games. After that he'll be suspended for the season. But sometimes, last chances are enough to motivate those who have wandered off the straight and narrow to get back on course.
“I knew that I screwed up,” Adams said last month. “I struck out to meet them and just let them know what happened and show my remorse -- and that I'll do anything to be a part of (the team).”
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