When incument right tackle Willie Colon was lost for the season this summer with an Achilles heel injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers opted to sign a proven veteran rather than rolling the dice with one of their younger, less experienced options already on the roster. Through the first part of the preseason schedule, Adams struggled, and some wondered if he might even be let go before the final round of roster cuts. Adams gradually progressed as he became more familiar with his teammates and earned the starting spot at right tackle.
After a solid performance in Week 1, followed by an average outing in Week 2, Adams played phenomenally this past Sunday during the Steelers’ 38-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Charlie Batch had all the time time in the world to looking down field from the pocket thanks to Adams and the other four offensive lineman. Adams also teamed up with right guard Doug Legursky to open up some spacious running lanes for Rashard Mendenhall to run through.
Adams, who played his first 12 professional seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, is done thinking about or talking about his transition from Dallas to Pittsburgh, and his play on Sunday proved that he’s still got some good football left in him.
“The Cowboys are past,” Adams said. “I’m a Steeler, and I look forward to doing what I can to help the organization win.”
His teammates aren’t surprised that he’s paid dividends early on either, even if he’s playing at right tackle after years of protecting the blind side of Cowboys’ quarterbacks.
“He was an unknown (at right tackle). He had that question mark next to him,” Starks said. “(But) there’s a reason why he’s a Pro Bowl guy. He’s really embraced us. Our offensive line is different from most around the league. We’re a very close unit. We’re like brothers. He came in and we embraced him. He bought into the plan, and now he sees the payoff.”