Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said recently that he’s excited to be uncomfortable about the team’s quarterback situation as Pittsburgh prepares for its first season without Ben Roethlisberger since 2004.
That stance may be a bit easier to take thanks to a higher comfort level on the offensive line. The Steelers went with a largely untested group last season as rookie center Kendrick Green and left tackle Dan Moore joined unseasoned left guard Kevin Dotson and second-year right tackle Chuks Okorafor in the starting unit. The results were about as shaky as you’d expect, which is why there are a couple of new faces on the line this year.
Center Mason Cole and right guard James Daniels joined the team as free agents this offseason and the rest of the line has more experience under its belt, which Moore believes will lead to better results this time around.
“I guess you could say we are not young anymore,” Moore said, via 93.7 The Fan. “We got a few starts. When you talk about leadership, you get James, you get Mason, Chuks coming back, that can really help this offensive line. It’s huge.”
While Tomlin might be enjoying the discomfort that comes with figuring out your starting quarterback, he and the rest of the organization would surely prefer smooth sailing once that choice is made. Better offensive line play would be a good way to create those conditions and we’ll see if the more experienced approach provides it.