If you go to the casino to win, you’re doing it wrong. You’re actually going to the casino to gamble. Much like they don’t call fishing “catching,” you don’t call gambling “winning.” When you gamble there is always the risk that you can lose and in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have officially lost on some large bets. The guys rolling the dice were General Manager Kevin Colbert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin.
They believed the offensive line talent they had on the roster was enough to compete for another division title and that gamble has been lost. Sure, sure… This unit could be good in a couple of years but what does that do for us now? I can already hear Tomlin, “It’s not just about this year but for the years ahead too, obviously.” I couldn’t disagree more because not every year do you have a 39-year old QB along for one last go.
Speaking of that QB, Colbert and Tomlin gambled that Ben Roethlisberger would be able to lead this team to another winning season and that gamble has not paid off either. In a sense, their parlay on both Big Ben and the O-line has failed miserably but the reality is that one can’t work without the other.
Kendrick Green was tasked with starting at center despite just four career starts at the position in college. Zach Banner has played one half of football in over a year. Chuks Okorafor was to be their biggest gamble and that’s failed miserably. Veteran Trai Turner is nothing like he used to be and Kevin Dotson, a fan favorite, isn’t exactly playing well either. Dan Moore is a rookie and his play has been up and down which is expected of someone in this position. As a whole unit though, Line Coach Adrian Klemm hasn’t been able to get them to gel and I don’t know that he ever will. They are over-matched at the point of attack and that won’t change over the course of a season.
Colbert and Tomlin figured they could get by with this line and the gamble didn’t pay off. How far it sets this team back we won’t know.
