The Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line significantly improved during the 2022 season. Prior to the start of the season, that group had never played a single game together and fans were rightfully worried that it was a cobbled-together group of mediocre players. After all, some of the players had been there in 2021 and we all watched quarterback Ben Roethlisberger get mauled as soon as the ball was snapped.
Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Dan Moore Jr. helps former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger up after a play.
This led to that feeling of insecurity among the fans as we headed into a new season with a new quarterback. Gone was Roethlisberger's veteran ability to read the field quickly and get the ball out. Now we would be starting Mitch Trubisky, who hadn't ever shown Roethlisberger's level of confidence and poise.
As the season started, those feelings felt validated. Trubisky wasn't playing well, but neither was the offensive line. There was almost zero run game and passing was even worse. It isn't fair to place all the blame on the line, there is enough to go around, not only toward Trubisky, but also running back Najee Harris, wide receiver Diontae Johnson, and Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada. In fact, one could make an argument to place blame on just about every person on the field.
Then changes occurred, Week 4 Trubisky was benched in favor of the rookie Kenny Pickett. Pickett did not have an outstanding start to his NFL, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns those first few weeks. Then the bye week rolled around and some kind of magic happened. To hear the players tell it, they decided they had enough of the chaos and began to work even harder to get in sync.
While it wasn't enough for the Steelers to make the playoffs, by the end of the season, the offense was good enough to give fans hope for the 2023 season. However, you are only as good as your weakest link, and one of those "weak links" is tackle Dan Moore Jr.
Did Steelers' Dan Moore Jr. Hide Behind Kevin Dotson?
Former Steelers offensive guard, Ramon Foster is the perfect person to analyze the issues on the offensive line. On his podcast, The Ramon Foster Show, which airs on DK Pittsburgh Sports, Foster and his co-host Dejan Kovacevic were asked how much Moore was judged due to guard Kevin Dotson.
Kovacevic says this had actually occurred to him when the Steelers signed guard Isaac Seumalo.
"When Isaac Seumalo was signed, this was among my first thoughts. Maybe they didn't really have that much of a problem with Moore, maybe they had a problem with [what] he had to do to compensate for Dotson."
Getty Images
Steelers' newly-acquired offensive guard Isaac Seumalo.
Foster said this reminded him of a conversation they had earlier when they were asked how long it takes for an offensive line to come together.
"I told you earlier, footwork on scoop blocks, footwork on front side blocks, passing off games inside interior from tackle to guard; all of those things are big-time attributes to having a good offensive line. Dan Moore to me is probably a better athlete than Kevin Dotson. I don't think we can deny that."
Kovacevic wants to clarify what Foster means by the term "athlete."
"What you're referring to when you say in general, you're referring to quickness and footspeed and so forth. For strength, I'll take Dotson. For shoving you down the field, I'll take Dotson."
Nodding, Foster agrees with Kovacevic.
"Footwork matters, smarts matter even more. Early in the season, James Daniels had a little bit of an issue with that, but he corrected it. Dotson always found himself a turnstile at times when it came to passing off games. I wonder if that did affect them, I wonder if that was an issue for him."
In reference to the Steelers signing the new guard, Seumalo, Foster has this to say:
"Now Dan Moore has a veteran, we suspect [Seumalo] will be his starting left guard. What has to happen is Isaac Seumalo has to be a guy that teaches him up, to say, 'We got to communicate better. We got to practice together. We got to be on the same page from everything we do.' I will say this, I don't think Dan Moore was in a position to overly correct Kevin Dotson to be like, 'Dawg you airing me out, help me a little bit more here.' That lack of understanding on how to communicate with your teammate about what they should be doing for you ain't disrespectful."
Foster says that Moore needs to find his voice if he wants to stay on the team. He points out that they brought in a new guard and they could just as easily bring in a new tackle.
"The ability to do that and know when to do those things is very crucial. So I ain't gonna blame Kevin Dotson for how Dan Moore looked. They won't change the left guard again, they will change the left tackle again if it don't come together."
Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers Kevin Dotson will likely be competing for a starting role this offseason against Isaac Seumalo.
Kovacevic agrees and says that Moore has no room to hide now.
"Dan Moore is now out of comfort-seeking or whatever it is. Moore has a personality where he could do what you just described, but sometimes there has to be performance behind the words. He has to put himself in a position the way James Daniels did, the way Mason Cole did. 'All right, now we're gonna listen to you because we can see what you're doing out there.'"
Do you agree with Foster and Kovacevic? Does the signing of Seumalo take away Moore's places to hide? Was he hiding behind Dotson last season? Click to comment below.
#SteelerNation
