Eben Britton speaks

University of Arizona offensive tackle Eben Britton has been mentioned as a possibility to the Steelers with their pick in the first round; so we read with particular interest an essay he wrote for for Sporting News Today.

Entitled "You have to do whatever it takes to protect your quarterback" (what it lacks in panache it makes up for with clarity), Mr. Britton speaks with great enthusiasm on his admiration for Kyle Turley ~ the former NFL offensive lineman best remembered for an incident while a member of the New Orleans Saints in which he tore the helmet off the head of a defensive player and threw it (i.e. the helmet) across the field.

Oh, and there is alleged incident when Mr. Turley was playing in St. Louis in which he may have threatened to kill then head coach of the Rams Mike Martz (an accusation denied by Mr. Turley).

In his essay Mr. Britton describes a "Turley moment" of his own from last season in which he and a defensive lineman squared off. I have no doubt that draft evaluators will highlight Mr. Britton's "nastiness" as being a possible asset (both Chris Kemoeatu and Willie Colon were described that way by some draft experts when they were coming into the league). However I have visions of a young player losing his cool in a big game at an inopportune moment and hurting the Steelers' cause.