Jeff Hartings to Retire

According to ESPN's Len Pasquarelli Pittsburgh Steelers center Jeff Hartings is set to retire:

"Eleven-year veteran offensive lineman Jeff Hartings, who made a seamless transition from guard to center when he joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2001, has decided to retire.

Sources close to Hartings, 34, confirmed that the two-time Pro Bowl performer, beset by a variety of knee problems the past several seasons, will not return in 2007. Hartings' decision to retire was first reported Thursday by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which cited Steelers teammates who were aware of the veteran center's plans.

Hartings has deliberated retirement the past few years, including after Pittsburgh's victory in Super Bowl XL. But he noted following that game that a Super Bowl ring and all it entailed might keep him around a bit longer.

Unfortunately, for Hartings, his balky knees did not cooperate.

'He played hurt just about every week,' said backup center Chukky Okobi, the likely successor in the starting lineup. 'Sometimes you wondered how he did it.'

Originally chosen by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 1996 draft, Hartings, a former Penn State star, began his NFL career as a guard. When he signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent in 2001, he moved to center and continued the franchise's strong tradition of excellence at the position.

Past standout centers over the past three decades in Pittsburgh have included Ray Mansfield, Hall of Fame member Mike Webster, and Dermontti Dawson, a seven-time Pro Bowl player many feel will someday be elected to the Hall of Fame.

Said offensive tackle Max Starks: '[Hartings] could hold his own with that bunch.'

A six-year veteran who has been groomed to become the starter, Okobi has played in 77 games and started seven. But the Steelers also like second-year snapper Marvin Philip, a sixth-round pick in 2006 who did not play as a rookie. And, of course, there is the matter of a new coaching staff.

'I feel like I'm the guy, but we'll see, I guess,' Okobi said.

In 11 seasons, Hartings appeared in 162 games with the Lions and Steelers, all but two of them as a starter. He reworked his contract in 2006 to help the team's salary cap situation, and had one more season remaining on his contract, with a scheduled base salary of $3.6 million for 2007.

An official announcement of Hartings' retirement by the Steelers, who have not commented on it, is likely to be made in the next few days."

Observations from Pro Football Weekly

Pro Football Weekly is one of the best sources for information on the football (despite the title of the magazine they also have good information on college teams and players). Here are their observations on the Steelers' victory Thursday night over Cleveland (emphasis added):

"Steelers

Positives

Dick LeBeau’s defense enters the final three games as confident as it’s been all season. The Steelers shut down the Browns without starting safeties Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark.

The Steelers’ run game, which was under fire after a poor three-game stretch in Weeks 11-13, bounced back because of some excellent blocking by the interior of Pittsburgh’s offensive line. OLG Alan Faneca and C Jeff Hartings had strong games. The Steelers ran at Browns DE Simon Fraser with success. The Browns rarely win the battle in the trenches vs. Pittsburgh. Parker had no shortage of space to work with, and when he can get into the secondary, look out.

Negatives

WR Nate Washington let a potential TD pass slide through his hands early in the second quarter. Washington entered the game with three dropped TD passes, and this would almost certainly have been a fourth. Roethlisberger threw the ball toward Washington’s back shoulder, away from Browns CB Leigh Bodden. Then, a few plays later, Roethlisberger missed Washington in the middle of the endzone. Roethlisberger appeared upset after the play, and the NFLN’s Cris Collinsworth suggested that Washington didn’t finish his route. While Washington did haul in a 49-yard TD pass early in the second quarter, he has a long way to go to become the consistent target the Steelers hope he’ll become. Nevertheless, he’s only in his second season, and he’s getting excellent coaching."

Bill Cowher Press Conference Notes: November 14, 2006

Bill Cowher met with the assembled media today, and thanks to the miracle of the internet Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic was there. Here is a portion of his comments and what was discussed:

• Injuries: OUT: Willie Reid (foot). QUESTIONABLE: Troy Polamalu (concussion), Deshea Townsend (ankle), Jeff Hartings (knee), Dan Kreider (hip), Clint Kreiwaldt (back). DOUBTFUL: James Harrison (ankle). PROBABLE: Sean Morey (toe), Chukky Okobi (calf)
  


• The New Orleans Game: "A lot of positives." In six second half possessions the Steelers defense was able to get off the field five times without the Saints scoring -- the Steelers defense did a good job. The defense did have some chances to get off the field but New Orleans did a better job of executing.
  
  
• Cleveland: A lot of new faces who didn't even play last year -- Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards were injured and didn't play. On defense the Browns have added some good players -- Ted Washington is "the cog in the nose" that is needed in a 3-4 defense, and Willie McGinest is an impact player. The Steelers are looking forward to the challenge of playing a good team. Reuben Droughns is a good player, and the Browns' running game is effective.
  


• Moving Forward: The Steelers have no margin for error, and "have to start stringing some things together." The defense needs to do a better job of limiting other teams to field goals when they get into the red zone. The team has to "keep putting itself in positions" to make plays, and good things will begin to happen. The Steelers are still not playing up to their abilities.
  


• The Schedule: Early in the season it was difficult to get into a routine because of the various times and locations of the Steelers games. Going forward most of the games are at 1:00PM, and the team is playing divisional opponents.


• Willie Parker: He is a young back who is continuing to improve -- he is seeing things differently and is becoming more patient. And as a pass catcher he is better than ever -- "he is a complete player." As for being caught from behind twice, Coach Cowher has no concerns about that. Mr. Parker is a "good kid" who is "a down-to-earth guy." In addition to the two long runs he nearly broke a screen pass in the fourth quarter for big yardage.
  


• Najeh Davenport: He represents a good contrast to Mr. Parker. Mr. Davenport is a back who is capable of "moving the pile" in short yardage situations. And around the league more and more teams are going with two running backs because of the difficulty of a single back carrying the load for a full season. In addition he is doing an excellent job on kick returns. "He is a tough guy -- a physical player," and has proven to be an excellent addition to the team.
  


• Troy Polamalu: The medical staff will make the final decision on whether or not he plays Sunday. Mr. Polamalu suffered his concussion in the first half, did not play in the second half, and near the end of the first half "he could talk to you about a lot of things -- it just wasn't about football at that time."


• Defensive backs: Don't be afraid to try and make a play -- trying and failing is preferred to playing afraid.


• Officiating: The Steelers have submitted tape to the league for interpretation -- the personal foul/low blow personal foul called on Aaron Smith. Mr. Cowher believes that Aaron Smith did not propel himself into the quarterback's lower leg and should not have been called for a penalty. However, he was not critical of the officiating crew, he simply wants clarification on the penalty.

Denver v. Steelers: Individual Matchups

With the inconsistent performances turned in by the Steelers during their three game skid it seems somewhat foolish to worry about what their opponent might do, or be capable of. In previous postings it has been pointed out that playing fundamental football (i.e. blocking and tackling well, and not turnover the football) is much more important to the final outcome of games than the matchup between a single wide-receiver and a single defensive back. But focusing obsessively about the minutiae helps take one's mind of the horrible won-loss record of our favorite team.

The Steelers' Offensive Line v. Denver's Front Seven
Much was made last season of Denver's transplanted defensive front -- i.e. Kenard Lang, Michael Myers, Gerard Warren, and Ebenezer Ekuban who arrived in Denver after having played in Cleveland -- and the strong season they had last season. But what has enhanced the play of the Broncos' front seven has been the continued development of their linebackers.

Al Wilson and D.J. Wilson have been strong performers throughout their careers, but with Denver's reacquisition of Ian Gold that has pushed this unit to the proverbial "next level." Indeed Brian Billick said that this linebacking corps "is as good as it gets in the NFL."

On the other side of the line is a Steelers offensive line that has struggled mightily to protect their quarterback in passing situations and have been unable to open holes enough to generate a consistently effective running attack. With Jeff Hartings described as "week-to-week" by his head coach, but whose actual status is much more tenuous then that, and Chukky Okobi expected to start the pressure on the offensive line can be expected to grow more intense.

Nate Washington/Santonio Holmes v. Nick Ferguson/John Lynch
Throwing on the early downs is especially important in this game (i.e. to keep Mr. Roethlisberger and his offenive line out of blitzing situations as much as possible), and the Steelers' third and fourth receivers are going to be critical in this game -- even more so than has been the case up to this point in the season. Champ Bailey is likely to be covering Hines Ward -- a matchup that is a push, especially considering Mr. Ward's questionable hamstring -- and Darrent Williams will be responsible for the inconsistent Cedric Wilson. If the Broncos make the mistake of giving either of their safties single-coverage responsibility then either one of the Steelers' young wideouts could exploit the situation.

Ken Whisenhunt v. Larry Coyer
The Steelers' offensive coordinator may never do a better job in game planning than he did for last season's AFC Championship.

And don't think that the Denver defensive coordinator doesn't remember every torturous moment of that game. In fact, though teams publicly deny such situations are motivation for games, the Broncos were so thoroughly dismantled in front of their home fans that it seems unlikely that they aren't working even harder than usual to kick the defending Super Bowl champions while they're down.

Ben Roethlisberger v. Jake Plummer
There is no doubt that Ben Roethlisberger is the more talented of these two NFL quarterbacks, but at this point in the 2006 season neither has been especially effective. Jake Plummer has completed 53.2% of his passes, has 5 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and a 65.2 quarterback rating. On the other hand Ben Roethlisberger's numbers are equally ugly (62.2% completion percentage, 6 TDs, 11 INTs, and a 70.7 QB rating). Between these two quarterbacks expecting either of them to "make plays" may be too much. Instead the quarterback with the fewest mistakes is likely to have the greater impact.

Special Teams
Both teams have dreadful special teams, but former Steelers wideout Quincy Morgan is returning kicks for Denver now, and don't think for a moment that he wouldn't kill to take at least one kick back for a touchdown this Sunday.