Oct 31, 2013 4 min read

PITTSBURGH – If the Steelers’ season was a game show, it might be called “Name That Tackle.”

As has been the case in recent seasons for the Steelers, injuries and ineffectiveness on their offensive line have robbed the team of the ability to consistently put the same starting lineup on the field game after game.

Because of that, a young group that entered the season hoping to be a team strength has again been forced to consistently adjust on the run.

That was never more evident than in last Sunday’s 21-18 loss at Oakland, when the Steelers lost three offensive linemen with injuries, forcing reserve center Cody Wallace to see his first action of the season at guard. It marked the second time this season the Steelers have finished a game with no healthy linemen on their bench.

This on a team that lost Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey eight plays into the season with a torn ACL, then saw offensive tackle Levi Brown, acquired in a trade with Arizona a few weeks ago, never get a chance to play after suffering a torn biceps in pregame warmups.

“I wouldn’t say it’s bad luck,” said right tackle Marcus Gilbert, the only Pittsburgh lineman to start every game this season.

“It’s football. Injuries happen. … If four linemen would’ve gone down, we would’ve had to put a tight end in there. Things like that happen in football. You can’t control it.”

Left guard Ramon Foster left in the first half against the Raiders with a concussion. Right guard David DeCastro suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter, and Guy Whimper, who had replaced Foster, was forced out in the third quarter with a hyperextended knee.

In the first five games, the Steelers had kept only seven offensive linemen active until they nearly needed eight in a win over the Jets. Since then, head coach Mike Tomlin has kept eight linemen active on game days.

One gets the feeling that if the Steelers had made nine linemen eligible to play against the Raiders, they might have needed all nine.

“It was a scramble again,” said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. “And some of those scrambles were coming in the middle of a series, which always makes it interesting.”

It’s been a recurring theme for the Steelers, who used six different starting combinations on their line in 2012 because of injuries.

“Oh yeah, we’ve experienced it in the past,” said Gilbert, the only lineman to start all seven games this season.

There is some hope this week as the Steelers (2-5) head to New England (6-2) to face the Patriots that they could have all three injured linemen back.

Whimper practiced Wednesday and Thursday, and Foster returned to practice Thursday. DeCastro is expected to test his injured ankle in practice today.

“We’re still working through it. Ramon was out there,” said Haley. “That was a good sign. I don’t know that he’s out of the woods yet. But we’ve got to have everybody ready, obviously, as things have gone.”

But it’s not been the rash of injuries on the offensive line that has Haley frustrated the most this season.

“I’m frustrated that we have two wins. We all work too hard to come out on the losing end this much. It’s a results business,” Haley said. “I feel like we’re on the cusp of being pretty good. We’ve had a lot of moving parts – not that anybody else hasn’t – that we’ve had to overcome. We’ve had to mix and match a little bit. But I do feel like we’re close.”

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and tight end Heath Miller returned to practiced Thursday after being given Wednesday off. … Wide receiver Markus Wheaton was limited as he continues to come back from a fractured finger. … The Steelers have until Wednesday to make a decision on the status of second-year linebacker Sean Spence. He began the season on the PUP list as he continues a comeback from a knee injury suffered in the 2012 preseason.