The o-line is fine. The backup QB, not so much.

Second, they haven’t practiced, but it looks like they will play.

Last, great job on the article. I thought it was generally balanced and touted the grandeur of the rivalry more than either team. Nicely done.

The O line has been inconsistent this year — no denying that. It’s had its best games when Kyle Kosier has been in the lineup at LG. However, he is currently on IR, and his replacement for much of the season, Cory Proctor, has been fairly ineffective.

On the bright side, the last game against the Seahawks debuted Montrae Holland, who seems to be a huge upgrade over Proctor. You can read Grizz’s report on him on the main page here. Grizz also has a good report on how the Steelers might be able to disrupt our line.

Another important factor in the O line’s performance this year is the health and play of Romo. When he’s on, he makes the line look just that much better. I hope to see Romo and the line keep the mojo going against a drastically better defense than they have faced recently.

Ware and Barber

Both are absolute beasts. Both are hurt. Both are absolute warriors. Therefore, both will likely get on the field. Unfortunately, as of right now, I don’t know if we will see them at their dominating best on Sunday. This is an issue, especially regarding Ware, who was a good bet for a couple of sacks this Sunday. From Wade Phillips’ press conference, it seems we will know more on Friday.

I crave football history, and you did a fantastic job summarizing the rich history between these two great franchises. I still remember the 1972 game in Texas Stadium, when the Steelers were just starting their rise to greatness. Dallas was the defending Super Bowl champs, and the Steelers were coming off a mediocre year, but the Steelers fought very hard and actually had a chance to win it at the end. The rest was history.

So, anyway, to answer your questions…

The offensive line is doing better, but is not as solid as last year. Our best lineman has been Marc Colombo. Montrae Holland played pretty well at left guard last week against a smallish Seattle line. This week will be a serious test for him. The other linemen, Adams, Gurode and Davis, are playing well but not as well as last year.

I don’t believe either Barber or Ware practiced this week; neither practiced today. I wouldn’t assume both will play, although if there were serious concerns about Barber’s ability to play, I would have thought they would have added a running back to the roster, but they did not.

One of my favorite players, although I don’t get to see him much, is Troy Polamalu. How has he played this year?

Some here will disagree with me, but they are considered one of the best, had 3 pro Bowlers lasy year, when in truth they are a maybe slightly above-average unit.

Run-blocking-while on some plays they will plow a huge hole, and they do very well in short yardage, there are so many times that Barber makes them look better by escaping a hit from some guy coming free and making a gain out of nothing. Poor Julius Jones, a decent NFL back, couldn’t do anything last year because he was constantly stuffed behind the line.

Penalties-prob. one of the most-penalized OLines in the league.

Pass-blocking-Better than run-blocking, but throw a combination of speed with stunts/disguised blitzes at them and you’ll find openings. Like w/Barber, Romo makes them look better than they are w/amazing escapability. If you haven’t seen him much (I hate the Steelers so why would watch them?!? You prob. only watch the Boys to root against them!) you will be amazed at how he senses the pressure and can get out of trouble. Even the best players have trouble getting him. With a slick surface your guys may have trouble getting him down. He’s 6’2’’, 220+, bigger and more athletic than the baby face would make you think.
  The other side of that is he gets out of sacks 2-3 times a game by throwing the ball away. With the Steelers secondary that will be a huge mistake.

If Rothslbrgr played behind this line, his sacks would be less, but he’d probably have 20 or so.

Our OLine: Overall, a “B-” unit, run-blocking C+, pass-blocking “B”

but that doesn’t mean anything at all. I’m sure the ideal situation for Wade would for them not to practice at all until Sunday. They are hard working veterans; they don’t really need to practice. They just need time to heal, but it seems he is using Friday to judge where they are at and if everything is working properly.

Think of another inter-conference rivalry that approaches this one?

just keeps getting worse, now the high is 27 and low 18 with snow showers and strong winds…not good for our passing game.