Tasser: Despite off-field problems, Steelers still looking good

Bust out your Iron City beers and Terrible Towels fellow yinzers, because Steelers’ training camp is here. Yet, with the dawn of a new season fast approaching, off-the-field questions still linger… Bust out your Iron City beers and Terrible Towels fellow yinzers, because Steelers’ training camp is here. Yet, with the dawn of a new season fast approaching, off-the-field questions still linger, and such questions look as if they will affect the team’s production more and more.

Obviously the biggest issue is the question surrounding Ben Roethlisberger and what happened in a certain bathroom stall in Georgia. Now allegations have been swirling about Roethlisberger for a long time, but I for one am not ready to throw away a Super Bowl winning quarterback because his actions are questionable — and he was not proven guilty. And don’t worry, all the people who are bashing and demanding a trade will be cheering the next time he throws a touchdown pass.

That being said, his suspension was a good thing. It proved to be a wake-up call for a player who allowed fame to inflate his head. He admitted that he let the “Big Ben” persona take over Ben Roethlisberger the person and apologized.

This suspension brought about a whole laundry list of problems itself. Now the quarterback battle for the right to start the first four games — between pocket-passer Byron Leftwich and versatile speedster Dennis Dixon — is creating tension. Leftwich has proven that he is not starting quarterback material and Dixon is anything but prototypical with doubts about everything from experience to his throwing ability.

Now Dixon and his agent are unhappy about the amount of first-team snaps he is taking in mini-camp. But if they both play bad in the pre-season, just let Antwaan Randle El play quarterback. He has more Super Bowl touchdown passes than either of them (1).

The next issue facing the Steelers involves left tackle Willie Colon’s torn Achilles tendon. The significant injury not only could threaten Colon’s career, but the Steelers season as well. Colon was a solid lineman.

The problem with his absence lies in the fact that the Steelers offensive line was horrendous last season and they currently have very little depth. First round draft choice Maurkice Pouncey will almost certainly be thrust into a starting position as a rookie, a situation the team has tried to avoid in the past. Obviously, some rookies thrust into starting roles have done well in the past — see a certain Super Bowl-winning quarterback everyone is trying to run out of town — but it is never an ideal situation. With Colon gone, however, the line must be shuffled because of the lack of depth and the inevitable question is posed: Who plays where?

There are several scenarios that have to be considered. Right tackle is obviously the biggest one, with no less than four or five players in the running to start there. The Steelers could move solid starting left tackle Max Starks over to right tackle, where he has played previously, but that leaves the left tackle as the weak spot — a huge football no-no.

If Starks does indeed switch, then Trai Essex, who has experience at left tackle but played less than stellar last year at right guard, might take over there. Pouncey would then move into the right guard position, with veteran Justin Hartwig likely to retain his center position. Confused yet?

The team had other off-the-field issues  with former receiver Santonio Holmes. Holmes, who was facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy and facing legal accusations that he threw a drink in a woman’s face in an Orlando bar, was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick.

Some were angry about this trade, thinking the Steelers got remarkably little in return for a former Super Bowl MVP. But once it is examined closer, the Steelers traded him at his lowest possible value. There were rumors about him being released, he had a history of off-the-field problems dating back before he entered the league, and he was facing a suspension. Combine all that and it was a pretty easy call.

Now I know that some people were mad that Holmes got traded instead of Roethlisberger, but to me it’s a pretty easy call. A franchise quarterback versus a playmaking but inconsistent receiver. The team had to finally take a stand, and they did. The choice was easy, especially considering Mike Wallace now has a chance to have a breakout year with the extra responsibility.