PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – From the time he was hired, the transformation of the Steelers offensive line has been bettered only by the quarterback room. What Steelers offensive line Pat Meyer said about the transformation and the mentality they brought to the group.
When he was hired, Meyer inherited a line with Kendrick Green at center, Trai Turner a free agent guard, Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle and rookie Dan Moore at left tackle. Within a month, the Steelers signed Okorafor to a three-year deal and brought in center Mason Cole and guard James Daniels also for three seasons. Last season, Broderick Jones was added and they took a shot in the seventh round on Spencer Anderson.
Now with the moves made over the last few days the line goes from
· Dan Moore-Kevin Dotson-Kendrick Green-Trai Turner-Chuks Okorafor
To potentially
· Broderick Jones-Isaac Seumalo-Zach Frazier-James Daniels-Troy Fautanu
"We've essentially changed the look of the room," Meyer said. "It's new guys, new starts. They want to work. This group wants to get better and they really love the game."
"They're a tight-knit group together. They do a lot of things together. It's the way that I like to put a room together, with a thought process of coming to work every day, enjoying it because they enjoy it, and they want to get better."
You've heard for years about the Steeler Way and getting back to it. For decades they were known for being the more physical team. They went from that to being pushed around and clown by the Bengals a few years ago. It was so bad, Clairton native Tyler Boyd made fun of the team he grew up loving for being soft.
Since then Andy Weidl was brought in from the Eagles, another Pittsburgh native who understands the history of the organization, and along with GM Omar Khan and others are transforming the mentality and physicality. In this case, along the offensive line.
"It's just all three of them have this quality that you really liked, especially here at the Steelers," Meyer said. "You talk about guys that are tough, that love ball that are just fanatics about it. All three of them, all three of those guys have those
traits that we were really looking for here over the last couple of years.
"Their mental makeup, their approach to the game, the love of the game. And, their playstyle in terms of being tenacious and wanting to finish. Because all three are going to be different in terms of athleticism, but that mental makeup and football background that they love the game and want to come in and compete right away."
What is different from drafting a Green who had little experience at center or Okorafor, who was 20-years-old from a MAC school, it's older players with tens of games of experience at their position from established schools, with the exception of McCormick in the fourth round from the FCS.
"We're looking for guys with talent," said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. "Oftentimes that talent is coupled with experience. It's good to have a group
that is mature as players and as people, and I think that's reflective of the collective that you're talking about. All that means is we should expect those guys to have a high floor and maybe have a good presentation of what they're capable of early on, and for that, we're excited certainly.
It's part of the commitment Meyer has seen to the offensive line. Now it's about going to work over the next several months. Find out what they can do. Meyer said they need to know where their comfort zones are and where they are not. Where they are uncomfortable and make them comfortable. It will be a hands-on process. He said they will have their ups-and-downs because they are young, but with the mental makeup and mindset they have, he's ready to see how it plays out.
"We got a good group in here, like the room itself," Meyer said. "We have a mixture of vets and older vets and fifth- and sixth-year guys, Isaac (Seumalo) is a ninth-year guy, Broderick is going to be a second-year guy, and three new ones coming in. You want to build that and stay as young as you can. Young, healthy, hungry- all that."
"Games are won in the trenches. I know it's a cliche, but that's got to start up front. And they're going to add to a room that we've been working on for a few years here now, that's going to just add to that group and into that room."
"It's going to be great. It's going to be awesome."
