Highlighting the Best Rookie vs Vet Battle in Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp

Battles between rookies and veteran players are a hallmark of NFL training camps, as the new player tries to prove himself worthy of a starting job and the veteran tries to maintain his grasp on the position for yet another year.

This is one of the most compelling things about training camps. For the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, they have quite the important rookie versus veteran battle about to play out.

The competition pits first-year player Mike Adams against nine-year veteran Max Starks for the right to be the team's starting left tackle.

There are few positions in the league more important than the left tackle—he's the primary protector for right-handed quarterbacks—and the Steelers desperately need someone to play consistently at a high level in order to keep Ben Roethlisberger upright and healthy.

Before the Steelers re-signed Starks earlier in July, the team was relying on one of the following scenarios to play out: Adams grasping the left tackle position early and making it his own without worry; Marcus Gilbert would shift from right tackle to left and Adams would play on the right; something involving Jonathan Scott getting playing time (scary).

Luckily, Starks has recovered well enough from his late-season ACL tear to come into camp and compete. Though he'll likely not be playing at full speed from day one, that at least provides Adams with more time to work with the first-team offense and become more familiar with the duties of a starting Steelers tackle.

Once Starks is ready to take on a full training camp workload, the competition with Adams will begin in earnest. Starks clearly has experience on his side, while Adams, as a second-round pick, has a lot of high expectations. 

The Steelers needed to put themselves in a better situation at left tackle. It's a huge risk to assume a newly-drafted player will be able to start at the position, even a second-rounder like Adams. And until Starks was re-signed, the only depth behind him was Scott and Trai Essex, two players the Steelers would prefer not to have to start.

Now, Scott is gone, and the battle for the starting left tackle is down to two men. Camp will provide us with our first look at whether or not the Steelers' gamble to select Adams could pay off, as well as whether or not Starks can prove himself both healthy and experienced enough to warrant starting him for one more year.

It will be quite the battle with very serious consequences for the Steelers' offense this year—and that is why Starks vs. Adams is the best veteran vs. rookie battle in Steelers training camp.

Follow @FBALL_Andrea