Max Starks Deserves At Least One More Year With The Steelers

Quick, name the only Offensive Lineman to start each and every regular season game of the 2012 season at the same position for the Steelers.
Give up?
Believe it or not “Steeler Nation,” but if you guessed “Max Starks,” you would be correct!

That’s right readers, Starks not only started all 16 of Pittsburgh’s regular season games at the Offensive Line’s most important spot (Left Tackle),
but one could argue that he was Pittsburgh’s most consistent and effective Offensive Lineman all year long.
Despite his solid effort this past year, Starks does not believe that he will be coming back for a 10th season in “The Steel City,”
even after one of the best seasons of his career from a run-blocking and pass-protecting standpoint.
In a recent interview with Mike Bires of “The Beaver County Times” (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com),
Starks shared his thoughts on the prospects of him sticking with the Steelers in 2013:

“Anytime you draft tackles in the second round in back-to-back years, I think it’s their plan to have them as the starting left and right tackles in the future.
That’s their goal. So being a realist, I am not expecting to be back.”

Would it be nice to see Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams step-up and emerge as the team’s starting Left and Right Tackles next year?
Heck yes it would. If both could play the entire season together (16 regular season games, plus hopefully playoffs)
and develop into a pair of solid book-ends to make the veteran Starks expendable during this crucial rebuilding process,
I would be downright overjoyed.
Unfortunately, I live in a little place called “reality.” And I know that asking for a season without injuries along the Steelers’ Offensive Line is a pretty tall order,
especially over the last half decade in which assorted ailments have plagued Pittsburgh’s players in the trenches.
If you readers care to remember, Craig and I expressed last Summer why it would be in the Steelers’ best interests to re-up the former Florida Gator
to a veteran 1 year deal. Few agreed with us and our thoughts on Starks being a steady insurance policy, especially after he sustained a knee injury
during Pittsburgh’s Wild Card Playoff Loss to Denver last January. But just like clock-work, once the preseason began Pittsburgh’s Offensive Linemen
began dropping like flies due to injuries. Thankfully for Pittsburgh, all Max did was come in and play effective football and protect the Steelers’ signal-callers
blind-side’s throughout the regular season.

read more:
http://nicepickcowher.com/2013/01/05/max-starks-deserves-at-least-one-more-year-with-the-steelers/