Cue the Steelers 2010 collapse in 5...4...3...

[Finnegans Wake]

PPG reporting Starks has neck injury, may be done for year.  If not, looks like he's on the Aaron Smith plan at very best.

Thank God we drafted all those LBs instead of, oh I dunno, shoring up depth with the big uglies like I fucking screamed we should have.  Smith and Starks are out, Keisel is iffy, Kemo is gimped, the DL backups get an incomplete at best, and our LT depth sucks dog balls.

Remember, we were at 6-2 last season.  Injuries and age can put the season in the tank quick fast and in a hurry.  Guess Colbert was fine drafting a LB for the Bucs and rolling the dice that the uglies would somehow, miraculously, stay healthy.

Well, at least Jon Scott at LT will be familiar with the Pats, having been thoroughly abused by them as a Bill.  And if that doesn't work, we can rearrange the line by moving Hotel to the blind and putting some fat waddler in at RT.  And meanwhile Ben's sack total is going through the fucking roof.  Teams are just gonna overload the edges, and we all know it. 

Sunday could be ugly.  Pats should be 5 point faves, not us.


Barrett Brooks, anyone?

[jonzr]

Ben simply has to start getting rid of the ball with greater urgency.  And notice I don't say, "Needs to learn ..", because that's bullshit.  He's a veteran NFL QB, he can do it.  So why doesn't he?  Time for the coaches to assert their will on the situation IMO.  His play is hurting the team more than it helps it, he's too inconsistent and reckless.  Sure, it makes for some great highlight reel stuff - for both teams.

Reign that bitch in and learn him up good:  save the heroics for when they're needed, not in any situation late in the 1st quarter and sure as fuck not on 2nd and 7 in the 4th when trying to run down the clock!  The gunslinger shit should not be his default style.

So yeah, cue the collapse if Big Dipshit can't get his head outta his arse.

[Finnegans Wake]

I think he just doesn't process that way.  He's not a 3-step guy like Brady (when he's not playing the Browns) or Manning.  He needs to scan the field and can't perspectivize it quickly enough from the short drop. 

It would be one thing to have one of those quick-trigger guys with our crew of undifferentiated slow-and-fats, or if we hade some sprightly OL to keep the dance going while Ben does his thing, but this is the worst possible combination.

[jonzr]

It would be one thing to have one of those quick-trigger guys with our crew of undifferentiated slow-and-fats, or if we hade some sprightly OL to keep the dance going while Ben does his thing, but this is the worst possible combination.

Indeed it is.  Slow-thinking QB + slow-moving OL = fast-sinking-frustrating-to-watch offense.  He needs to know where Sanders/ARE is on every passing play. And make it Sanders for my money, he's accustomed to short, quick passes - use the guy!

[Merman1983]

Wow, an Oline of Adams-Essex-Pouncey-Legursky-Scott. That is some ugly shit right there outside of Pouncey who is at least above average and possibly Legursky who is about average. Ben is going to be eating out of a tube by the end of the year.

I thought I read somewhere that if they hadn't IR'd him Colon would be able to return? would have been nice if the FO didn't fuck that up too.

[Finnegans Wake]

And it's official.

Starks to IR, formerly PUPped rookie Chris Scott (a.k.a., Ramon Foster, a.k.a. Willie Colon) onto the roster.  Can't be anywhere near game shape, so assume Jon Foster gets the nod until Ben is dead, and then maybe Hotel moves over?

Merman, I don't think Kemo's injury is serious, just a bruise.  Looks like he's 50/50 for the Pats, but should be there long term.

I'd suggest our imminent OL is J. Scott-??? [Kemo]-Pouncey-Essex-Adams.  They won't want to disrupt the entire right side to fix the left, so Scott gets the LT call and, dunno, Legs or maybe Foster gets Kemo's spot.  I'd rather have Foster, but that's me; I think it probably will be Legs.

[jonzr]

Now is the time to see what these boys have. Adversity, character, etc.  Break out the motivational posters; hang in there, baby!

[Finnegans Wake]

Now is the time to see what these boys have. Adversity, character, etc.  Break out the motivational posters; hang in there, baby!

I think the OL played better than expected for a while.  Don't see it continuing to do so.  We have no LT on the roster, not even close.  Hell, I still think Max would be better served moving back to RT.

[Merman1983]

I see Scott failing horribly at LT and then the coaches trying Flozell there. This is a disaster really. Starks isn't great, but he's servicable, and I guy I thought they couldn't afford to lose after the obvious Ben-Troy-Smith-Mendenhall list.

Like Jonzr says:

[LambertsFrontTeeth]

Thank God we drafted all those LBs instead of, oh I dunno, shoring up depth with the big uglies like I fucking screamed we should have.  Smith and Starks are out, Keisel is iffy, Kemo is gimped, the DL backups get an incomplete at best, and our LT depth sucks dog balls.

No shit. I hope that Pouncey has proved to both Tomlin and Colbert the value of beefing up the OL. Can you imagine if we had drafted maybe just one more solid starter on the OL in the past 2 or 3 years at either guard OR tackle?!?