steelcitysfinestXL
08-17-2007, 12:01 PM
This is an article in todays Beaver County Times... (County north of alleghany)
At first i thought this read was BS. I just assumed because Smith was hurt and Tomlin wants to see who can play where in case of emergency, he was trying max at LT... but now im not so sure!!!
By: Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff
08/16/2007
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LATROBE - Max Starks may be on the verge of losing his job at right tackle
A starter the past two seasons, Starks seems to have lost ground in his battle with Willie Colon.
From all indications, Colon will make his second straight preseason start at right tackle Saturday night in a game against the Washington Redskins, and word is that if he excels, he'll remain with the first-team offense.
Coach Mike Tomlin has been reluctant to say when he'll determine his five starters on the offensive line.
Other than the Starks/Colon competition, there's also Sean Mahan vs. Chukky Okobi at center. But with Okobi likely to miss his second straight game with a rib injury, it's Mahan, who got a $4 million signing bonus when he came to Pittsburgh via free agency in March, who's expected to win that battle.
"I'm going to stick to the plan and the plan is we're going to be very patient and open minded," Tomlin said. "We think the decisions are going to become crystal clear."
Right tackle is anything but crystal clear, at least when it comes to Starks' future.
A third-round pick out of Florida in 2004, he started all 20 games during the Super Bowl season of '05 and the first 14 games last season before hurting his knee.
Despite off-season knee surgery, Starks practiced fairly well the first week of training camp. But he played only marginally in the 20-7 preseason win over New Orleans. He didn't play much better in the 13-9 loss to Green Bay when he backed up Marvel Smith at left tackle. He's given up three sacks in two games.
A mammoth who goes 6-foot-8 and 348 pounds, Starks worked mostly at left tackle this week because Smith has been sidelined with a back injury. But now that Smith practiced Thursday, Starks is back on the right side ... behind Colon.
"That's a good question," Starks said when asked his opinion of how his battle with Colon is unfolding. "I haven't been over there much the past two weeks, so it's a little tough to gauge. I thought it was good early on, but now, I'm not so sure."
Colon, a fourth-round draft pick out of NCAA Division I-AA Hofstra, remains low key about his chances of unseating the incumbent. At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, he's not nearly as big as Starks. But he's stronger at the point of attack.
"I'm just trying to get better. I'm trying not to be satisfied. I'm trying to earn a spot," he said. "The way I'm taking it, it's still up in the air. I might not know anything until we line up in Cleveland."
The Sept. 9 game against the Browns is the Steelers' regular-season season opener.
Starks, who claims his knee is 100 percent healthy, is in the last year of his existing contract. He's eligible for unrestricted free agency next season. How long he remains a Steeler will likely be determined by how he fares this year.
To be more precise, he doesn't have a future in Pittsburgh if he can't beat out Colon and hold onto his starting job this year.
At first i thought this read was BS. I just assumed because Smith was hurt and Tomlin wants to see who can play where in case of emergency, he was trying max at LT... but now im not so sure!!!
By: Mike Bires, Times Sports Staff
08/16/2007
Email to a friendPrinter-friendly
LATROBE - Max Starks may be on the verge of losing his job at right tackle
A starter the past two seasons, Starks seems to have lost ground in his battle with Willie Colon.
From all indications, Colon will make his second straight preseason start at right tackle Saturday night in a game against the Washington Redskins, and word is that if he excels, he'll remain with the first-team offense.
Coach Mike Tomlin has been reluctant to say when he'll determine his five starters on the offensive line.
Other than the Starks/Colon competition, there's also Sean Mahan vs. Chukky Okobi at center. But with Okobi likely to miss his second straight game with a rib injury, it's Mahan, who got a $4 million signing bonus when he came to Pittsburgh via free agency in March, who's expected to win that battle.
"I'm going to stick to the plan and the plan is we're going to be very patient and open minded," Tomlin said. "We think the decisions are going to become crystal clear."
Right tackle is anything but crystal clear, at least when it comes to Starks' future.
A third-round pick out of Florida in 2004, he started all 20 games during the Super Bowl season of '05 and the first 14 games last season before hurting his knee.
Despite off-season knee surgery, Starks practiced fairly well the first week of training camp. But he played only marginally in the 20-7 preseason win over New Orleans. He didn't play much better in the 13-9 loss to Green Bay when he backed up Marvel Smith at left tackle. He's given up three sacks in two games.
A mammoth who goes 6-foot-8 and 348 pounds, Starks worked mostly at left tackle this week because Smith has been sidelined with a back injury. But now that Smith practiced Thursday, Starks is back on the right side ... behind Colon.
"That's a good question," Starks said when asked his opinion of how his battle with Colon is unfolding. "I haven't been over there much the past two weeks, so it's a little tough to gauge. I thought it was good early on, but now, I'm not so sure."
Colon, a fourth-round draft pick out of NCAA Division I-AA Hofstra, remains low key about his chances of unseating the incumbent. At 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, he's not nearly as big as Starks. But he's stronger at the point of attack.
"I'm just trying to get better. I'm trying not to be satisfied. I'm trying to earn a spot," he said. "The way I'm taking it, it's still up in the air. I might not know anything until we line up in Cleveland."
The Sept. 9 game against the Browns is the Steelers' regular-season season opener.
Starks, who claims his knee is 100 percent healthy, is in the last year of his existing contract. He's eligible for unrestricted free agency next season. How long he remains a Steeler will likely be determined by how he fares this year.
To be more precise, he doesn't have a future in Pittsburgh if he can't beat out Colon and hold onto his starting job this year.