Behind The Steel Curtain lists its winners and losers from the Steelers' first preseason game, a 24-23 loss to the Eagles Thursday night.
↵The list of winners includes Ben Roethlisberger, who played well and moved the ball despite an offensive line that struggled in front of him, and Chris Rainey, who showed excellent speed and quickness.
↵The key loser is, of course, 2012 second-round pick Mike Adams, who looked terrible, allowing two sacks in his brief time on the field before getting hurt. In fact, the offensive line in general looked awful:
↵↵↵The absence of LG Willie Colon and the abysmal performances from every tackle (Adams, [Trai] Essex and Marcus Gilbert) led to seven sacks and a boatload of pressure. Rookie RG David DeCastro had a nice kickout block to spring RB Jonathan Dwyer for a 33-yard gain down the left sideline on the team's second drive, and Rainey's screen pass was sprung by some nice blocking, but take those plays out, the Steelers averaged a miserable 2.2 yards per play (63 plays, 140 yards). Much of that was the result of an offensive line that surrendered more pressure than it prevented throughout the game.
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With the additions of David DeCastro and Adams this offseason, the Steelers took steps to shore up what had been a weak offensive line. The offensive line may turn out to be much-improved this season, and Adams' struggles in his first preseason game aren't exactly a first for an NFL rookie, but they weren't encouraging, either.
↵Also on the list of losers is Curtis Brown, who is competing for time in a cornerback picture behind Ike Taylor that currently looks unclear.