Steelers take look at Colon with first team at right tackle
PITTSBURGH – The Steelers’ fourth voluntary OTA workout was sprinkled with new starters, but only one was noteworthy:
Willie Colon played with the first team at right tackle over a healthy Max Starks, who played left tackle with the second line. It may have been made just to give Colon – and Starks – some needed experience, and to give new line coach Larry Zierlein some information, but it’s a far more significant change than those made for yesterday’s absent starters: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and James Farrior.
Of course, Bryant McFadden played right cornerback ahead of Deshea Townsend yesterday, but that switch – both ways – was done to death last year. We’d never before seen Colon play ahead of a healthy Starks.
“That definitely doesn’t mean I’ve got the spot,” Colon said. “They want to see if I can fit the mold, see how I do out there with the first-teamers, and try to build something with them. He’s trying different guys in different roles.”
Colon was a fourth-round draft pick out of Hofstra last year and impressed the coaching staff because he didn’t back down from anyone. In other words, he didn’t play like a rookie.
He ended up starting the last two games last season when Starks was hobbled by a knee injury, and Colon played well enough that many observers were surprised three months ago when the Steelers gave Starks a first-round tender in restricted free agency.
However, the Steelers haven’t signed Starks to a long-term deal, and yesterday they took a peek at Colon.
“I think I do have a legitimate shot. I think that’s obvious,” Colon said. “I’ve been working just as hard as him, if not harder. It’s for him to try to maintain and for me to take. That’s my mentality.”
Colon, at 6-3, 315, is built like a guard, but hasn’t received any reps at either guard position this spring. He has remained after practice to help out at center, as he does in the warm-up.
“They asked me if I can do it and I said, yeah, I can. I’m an emergency center,” he said.
Colon said his primary concern at right tackle is building a rapport with first-team right guard Kendall Simmons. Colon also agreed with the obvious, that he’s well ahead of where he was at this point last year.
“One, you know the playbook. Two, things don’t seem as all-over-the-place,” he said. “It’s a little bit easier, but the thing is to keep going. Don’t regress. If you keep progressing, you get on the field.”
Notes
Wide receivers Cedrick Wilson and Nate Washington worked with the first team, but the interesting news is that rookies Dallas Baker and Eric Fowler received multiple scrimmage reps and both played well.
Baker (6-3, 206) is the seventh-round draft pick out of Florida and Fowler (6-3, 198) is a free agent from Grand Valley State. Fowler isn’t a burner but has big hands and catches everything.
Scout Bruce McNorton and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians pushed for Fowler’s post-draft signing.
“I’m excited about both him and Dallas Baker,” Arians said. “They looked good out there. I think those guys are going to give us some competition at camp.”
Clint Kriewaldt replaced Farrior at inside buck linebacker.
The interesting aspect of the evolving “quarter” defense: It’s a pass-downs defense with one down lineman. Much of the defense hovers near the line of scrimmage at the snap; some blitz and some drop into coverage. It’s organized, orchestrated chaos and just the right place for Brett Keisel to help as a “linebacker.”
In the two-minute portion of team scrimmage, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ran to the six-yard line to convert a fourth-and-four. He got up and spiked the ball to stop the clock with 14 seconds left. On the next play he threw a touchdown pass to Willie Parker, who was alone coming out of the backfield and made an impressive catch of the high-and-behind pass.