In order to have a cohesive offensive line and for that matter a cohesive offense as a whole, the interior of an offensive line has to be able to hold their own and win the famed 'battle of the trenches.' We all know that the Steelers struggled with pressure up the middle in 2007 and at times, Ben simply had no time to even brace himself (Dewayne Robertson in Jets game). They'll be hard pressed to improve in 2008 considering that the best interior lineman is now wearing another teams jersey but there is hope that the unit as a whole can be greater than any one player individually. But will it be enough?

The Incumbent Starters/Front-Runners: The starters last year were (from right to left) Kendall Simmons, Sean Mahan and Alan Faneca. Faneca is in New York now and if the season started today, Chris Kemoeatu would start at left guard. Kemo is a passionate, physical and at time wreckless player who is a road-grader in the running game. His lack of control at times and his poor pass protection have kept him off the field until now. He's recently been praised by the coaching staff though who think that he can step in admirably for the departed Faneca. In order to make a case for Simmons and Mahan, you'd have to consider what the offensive line went through in 2007. Simmons,  76 career starts, is a veteran who was playing with a inexperienced tackle to his right and a center playing out of position to his left. It led to his worst season as a professional and off season surgery. He gave up the second most sacks of anyone on the offensive line and was equally bad in the running game. Mahan, a free agent signee from Tampa, played out of position at center and lacked the strength to handle nose tackles. He is undersized (6'3 301) and had tremendous problems in both pass protection and run blocking. There are some though that think a second consecutive year working together would improve the games of Simmons and Mahan.

The Challengers: While fans can be underwhelmed by the lack of Pro Bowl talent at guard and center, they certainly can't be discouraged by a lack of warm bodies. The newcomer, is another free agent signee Justin Hartwig. Hartwig has solid starting experience at center and if he can stay healthy, something he couldn't  do in Carolina, he will instantly upgrade the center of the offensive line. He's got the size and quickness to not only handle the point of attack but also hold his own against pass rushers. Lurking in the shadows at the center position is second year pro, Darnell Stapleton. He was an undrafted rookie last year but the coaching staff thought enough of him to keep him over a two players who were either more experienced or drafted higher. He's gained the weight necessary to play center at an NFL and took reps with the first team at guard this spring. Some fans, myself included, see him as the center of the future and considering that he'll turn 23 in a couple of months, they have time to be patient with the kid. Don't be surprised though if he gets some rave reviews again this year during camp and if Mahan and Hartwig don't perform,  he could get his chance (someone at NFL.com likes him b/c he's already listed at the starter). Another dark horse in the mix at guard is Willie Colon, last year's 16 game starter at right tackle. The first thing that most people say when they see Colon is that he looks like a guard, but to this point in his career the coaching staff have kept him at tackle. If he loses the job to Max Starks early in camp, he could finally start getting reps inside. His added competition could be enough to push Simmons back to the player that he was a couple of seasons ago. If he ends up as a backup though, it's conceivable that he could be the primary backup at RT, RG and LG. 

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So we've ranted and raved about the offensive line since week 4 of last season, but is the solution on the roster? Here's your last chance to predict the starting lineup for week one before camp starts. Is Stapleton the future or just another guy? Is Kemo the answer at LG?

As training camp inches closer and OTAs near their conclusion later this month, the competition for starting jobs along the offensive line will begin to sort themselves out.  Thank God for that, as I can't imagine there being any possible angle that we haven't discussed here on BTSC.

It occured to me however, that there's one guy who's name has been thrown around more recently that I know very little about: 2nd year C/G Darnell Stapleton. Who is he, where did he come from and what are his chances to make this team and then contribute? Let's take a look.

Background:

Stapleton was a 2-year starter for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in 2005 and 2006, following a 2-year stint at Hudson Valley Community College.  At Hudson Valley, Stapleton impressed with his skills and durability. He started 21 consecutive games while there, a school record, including all 11 in 2004, and helped anchor an offensive line that paved the way for a ground game that accumulated 169.7 rushing yards per game.

It's not clear if Stapleton started out at JC instead of a 4-year university for academic reasons or simply because he had yet to fill out his big frame, but following his two-year stint at JC, Stapleton did not waste any time cracking the starting lineup at Rutgers.  He secured a starting role at center during training camp in 2005, and proceeded to start all 12 games for a 2005 Scarlet Knights team that made enormous strides under head coach Greg Schiano before breaking through on the national stage in a huge way in 2006.

 
Stapleton helped Ray Rice set all sorts of records at Rutgers

In 2005, the Scarlet Knights' offense had seven 100+ yard rushing games, and tailback Ray Rice, who will commence his NFL career this coming year, eclipsed the 1,000 yard plateau as just as freshman, the first time a RB has done so there since 1994.

In 2006, Stapleton followed up his junior year with an even more impressive senior campaign.  Darnell again showcased his durability, starting all 13 games for a Rutgers team that was on the brink of an unthinkable BCS game appearance before flaming out against Cincinnati if I recall correctly. Regardless, the team set all sorts of school records. Ray Rice rushed for nearly 1800 yards, the second highest total in the nation, and a Big East Conference single season record. Although the Scarlet Knights' offense did not throw the ball much (for good reason(s) - their running game was elite and their QB stunk), Stapleton helped the team allow the fewest sacks in the nation (8).

Stapleton, at Rutgers, prior to filling out

Stapleton's solid play in 2005 and during the early parts of 2006 helped make him a finalist for the Remington Trophy, awarded each year to the nation's top Center. Other finalists that year included USC's Ryan Kalil, Michigan's Mark Bihl, Ohio State's Doug Datish, Arkansas' Jonathan Luigs, and West Virginia's Dan Mozes. Not shabby company.

Kalil will be the Panthers' starting center this coming year. Justin Hartwig, in fact, was released and is now a Steeler because of Kalil's emergence. Dough Datish was selected in the 6th round by the Atlanta Falcons in 2007; Mozes, the 2006 Remington winner, went undrafted and was cut this past year after blowing out his knee in August; Luigs won the Remington in 2007 for the Razorbacks and will be a senior this coming year for Bobby Petrino's Hogs; and finally, Bihl was signed as an UDRFA by the Chargers in 2007 but was cut in early September of last year.

Anyway, from the looks of it, Stapleton has a chance to join Kalil as one of the better centers to emerge from the 2006 and 2007 crop. As I mentioned last week, Stapleton seems to be impressing the coaching staff, at least so says Dale Lolley:

The coaching staff seems to really like Stapleton and the fact they feel comfortable enough to line the youngster up at guard as well as his regular center position speaks volumes about that.

As has been mentioned, the main reason Stapleton seems better suited to play and contribute this year is his weight. He's up to nearly 315 pounds, a dramatic increase from the 285 pounds or so he came in to the league at. And from the looks of it, it's a trim and cut 315 pounds.

Fitter and more confidnet, will Stapleton see the
field in 2008?

Guys, here's the deal. One of the reasons we didn't panic in this year's draft is because we have guys like Darnell Stapleton and Willie Colon on the roster. Colon is just 24 years old (he turns 25 in exactly one week) and has a chance to be solid if he can improve in 2008 following a 2007 season when he struggled yet gained boatloads of experience. And Stapleton is not yet 23 years old. He's got a long track record of durability, he just now is at an acceptable playing weight and level of strength, and there's no reason to not at least think there's a chance for him to develop into a long-term solution at either center or guard in this league. Not every solid OL starter in the NFL is a first-day draft pick.

2008 may not be his time to start and shine for this team, but I feel more than confident saying that he will be a part of our 53-man roster. Be it at guard or at center, he may very well see action as well, and if early offseason practices are any indication of whether or not he is ready if called upon, he seems to be on the right track.