Following the loss to the Chicago Bears, head coach Mike Tomlin said that he would turn over stones in an effort to fix the tackle situation. Judging by the play of left tackle Mike Adams Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings, he better become a geology expert during the bye week.
Through the first four games of the 2013 season, Adams has shown to be one of, if not the worst left tackles in the league. He has given up nearly four full sacks, six hits and 12 hurries and it’s only a matter of time until quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffers an injury that will sideline for a few weeks or longer if the left tackle spot remains status quo.
Thanks to pectoral injury suffered Sunday by left guard Ramon Foster, the Steelers coaching staff wasn’t able to replace Adams with Kelvin Beachum as the former seventh-round draft pick was forced to step in for Foster. Should Foster’s injury wind up being serious, the offensive line will have yet another obstacle to overcome.
While right tackle Marcus Gilbert hasn’t been perfect to start the season, he did play above the line in the last two games and as a result he should be the starting left tackle when the Steelers face the New York Jets following the bye week. If Foster is able to play, then Beachum should get the start at right tackle, which is perhaps his best position.
If Gilbert is unable to handle the Jets defensive ends following the bye, then at least the team will know for sure that they have no left tackles on the team and they can adjust their 2014 draft plans accordingly, because the only stones left to turnover at that point are those of Adams and they appear to be real small ones.
