It's a great feature, hopefully just the first of a series as the Steelers' o-linemen offer some insight, show some humor and give everyone a chance to get know a group that is relatively anonymous in general. During the segment they also make it known that they aren't real happy with all the criticism they hear, which makes sense considering no group is probably more criticized than the Steelers' offensive line.
Two games into the preseason, the Steelers are a good bit closer to deciding which offensive linemen will be making the 53-man roster, and it's remarkable how much the conventional wisdom has changed from what we thought we knew during the summer.
Kraig Urbik was supposed to battle for a starting job at guard. Instead, he's likely to make the team entirely on the basis of future potential, as he hasn't shown that he's capable yet of contributing to the 2009 Steelers. Guard/tackle Ramon Foster has gone from a little known undrafted free agent to someone whose not only nearly a sure-bet to make the roster, but also someone who could make the 46-man active roster this season. And Doug Legursky has gone from being a practice squad player to a productive fill-in on the first team.
It's business as usual this year, which means that the team's biggest concern is whether Trai Essex is ready to be a starter at guard and can a year of playing together make a big difference for the rest of the projected starters. We got our first glimpse against the Cardinals last Thursday night. So what did they show?
As we get ready for the 2009 season, nearly everyone but the Steelers coaching staff sees the offensive line as the weakest link in the team's bid to repeat as Super Bowl champs. In fact, ESPN.com's AFC North blogger James Walker made that case again this week.
But Frank Tursic over at Steel City Insider has gone further to try to figure out whether offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was being completely straightforward when he said that only 19 of the 49 sacks the Steelers gave up last year were the fault of the offensive line.
It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble. Today we look at some burning questions in the AFC North and offer a ridiculously early prediction for how the division will finish.
The Steelers decision to franchise Max Starks may seem puzzling, but for a team that just won the Super Bowl, it's a pretty logical move.
By tagging Starks, Pittsburgh ensures that it doesn't head into free agency with a gaping hole. With Starks locked up, Pittsburgh could start the season with Starks, Kendall Simmons, Justin Hartwig, Darnell Stapleton and Willie Colon. It's not a good line; in fact, it's a pretty poor one, but it's not really any worse than the one that won the Super Bowl.
The Steelers have $19 million in cap room with only a talented cornerback and a slew of mediocre or injury-prone linemen heading to free agency. So everything's great, right?
The draft has become one of the biggest events of the year for NFL fans. Maybe because everybody's a winner on draft day, or maybe because hope springs eternal and all that. Whatever the reason, we're fully trying to horn in on the action. Hence our first FanHouse mock draft of the '09 offseason. And we'd like to stress "mock."
No greater authority than Mike Tomlin has admitted that the Steelers offensive line is the biggest question as the Steelers get ready for their seventh Super Bowl. Pittsburgh has an outstanding defense, a veteran quarterback and a solid group of receivers, but when it comes to the offensive line, the question is whether it could be one of the worst units to ever win Super Bowl rings.
Tomlin isn't going that far, but when asked about how the line has progressed this year, he didn't give them the standard coach-speak boilerplate about working hard and showing improvement every week:
"As far as I'm concerned, that's still the question as we sit here today," Tomlin answered.
This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it "FanHouse in the Stands."
Let's consider this post dedicated to Steelers long-snapper Greg Warren, a seemingly anonymous guy -- until yesterday -- who needed his knee ripped to shreds on national TV for the country to know exactly who he is and exactly what he does. Well, now you know, and holy crap are guys like him invaluable. Get well soon, Greg. Seriously.
Over at NFL.com, there's a new feature called "O-Line Confidential" which consists of the five Steelers' offensive lineman sitting around the dinner table at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse talking football.
Two games into the preseason, the Steelers are a good bit closer to deciding which offensive linemen will be making the 53-man roster, and it's remarkable how much the conventional wisdom has changed from what we thought we knew during the summer.
It doesn't seem to matter if the 
As we get ready for the 2009 season, nearly everyone but the Steelers coaching staff sees the offensive line as the weakest link in the team's bid to repeat as Super Bowl champs. In fact, ESPN.com's AFC North blogger James Walker 
The Steelers decision to franchise 
The Steelers have $19 million in cap room with only a talented cornerback and a slew of mediocre or injury-prone linemen heading to free agency. So everything's great, right?
No greater authority than 
