DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Steelers C Jeff Hartings to retire...

Yeah, it's not necessarily Browns-related, but I'll take anything that weakens the Squeelers!! Please delete if already posted.

Hartings tells Steelers he's retiring

Posted: Thursday February 1, 2007 11:26PM;
Updated: Thursday February 1, 2007 11:27PM

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Former All-Pro center Jeff Hartings told his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates shortly after the season ended that he's retiring after 11 NFL seasons.

"He's done. He told all of us," tackle Max Starks told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

The Steelers haven't announced Hartings' retirement.

Hartings was chosen for the Pro Bowl after the 2004 and 2005 seasons and made the AP All-Pro team in 2004. He was the Steelers' starting center from 2001-06, replacing longtime star Dermontti Dawson.

Hartings, from Penn State, was a first-round draft pick by Detroit in 1996, and played guard with the Lions before being moved to center by Pittsburgh -- a position he had never played. Because of ongoing knee problems, he considered retiring several times but returned to play for the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning team in the 2005 season.

link

Just beat me, here is another article about it.

Steelers' Hartings retires
Starks, Okobi say long-standing knee problems a big factor in center's decision

Friday, February 02, 2007


Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
Jeff Hartings, right, told teammates at the end of this season that he planned to retire.

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. -- Another era has ended for the Steelers, who have been informed by center Jeff Hartings that he will retire.

Hartings, who succeeded Dermontti Dawson at a position that has been the team's most stable and successful for the past four decades, told his fellow offensive linemen shortly after the season ended that he planned to retire.

"He's done. He told all of us," said offensive tackle Max Starks, an Orlando, Fla., native spending time around Super Bowl activities this week. "He said, 'Hey guys, I'm going to retire, I just wanted to let you guys know before it came out.' We had our moments with him; we shared our last moments, gave him a big hug and wished him well in all his future endeavors."

Hartings ends an 11-year playing career with two teams at two positions. He began as a guard after the Detroit Lions drafted him in the first round from Penn State in 1996. He switched to center, a position he had never played, when he signed with the Steelers in 2001 as an unrestricted free agent.

Dawson was forced into retirement after the 2000 season because of lingering hamstring injuries. Hartings moved in and started all but six games over the past six seasons at center despite chronic problems and soreness with his knees because of a loss of cartilage.

Hartings made the Pro Bowl as a center after the 2004 and '05 seasons.

"He had some issues with his knees and everything," said Chukky Okobi, Hartings' backup the past six years who likely will take his spot next season. "He did everything he possibly could do in a career, went to Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl, and won a bunch of games. Whatever more can he do?"

Okobi, speaking from his home in Pittsburgh yesterday, confirmed that Hartings told his teammates he had retired. Hartings did not return a telephone message left for him yesterday. There's no guarantee that Okobi will take over -- rookie Marvin Philip also was on the roster last season -- and the Steelers have a new head coach and offensive line coach. But they have been grooming Okobi for this day.

"From what I understand, I have an opportunity now after six years," Okobi said. "I think I deserve a shot. I think everything will work out."

Hartings' tenure followed a rich tradition at that position. Ray Mansfield started from 1964 into the mid-1970s when he began sharing the position with Mike Webster. Webster, elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, started through 1988 and made nine Pro Bowls. Dawson took over and made seven Pro Bowls.

Okobi said he wants to continue that custom at center.

"They'd probably run me out of town if I don't. The standard's been set. I have no choice. There were four centers before me, all made Pro Bowls. I don't want to be that guy that they say, well he just filled in for a couple years and they got someone else."

Hartings has talked about retiring for several years because of his achy knees, which actually improved the past two seasons. He took a pay cut to return to play for the Steelers last season at $2.2 million. He had one year left on his contract for 2007.

Starks said Hartings told his teammates that he plans to enter an entirely new kind of profession in Utah, where he lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Rebecca, and their six children.

"He's going to start a church," Starks said. "He's helping to build one."

According to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, Hartings is a born-again Christian who has performed missionary work in Nicaragua and plans a new non-denominational church with former Lions teammate Luther Elliss.

Hartings made the adjustment to center from guard seamlessly, although there were early problems between him and quarterbacks with the snaps from center. He was not as quick as Dawson, but Hartings was agile enough to block on the move and didn't require help from the guards on blocking assignments.

"Jeff was kind of the father of the offensive line," Starks said. "He's an elder statesman in the room. When he spoke you always listened.

"We respected him, and he was ultimately the captain of the offensive line because he made all the calls and put us in the right position to be successful. He's a valuable asset and he's going to be missed."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07033/758814-66.stm

Wooohoooooo


You were a great player, but I can't say I am sad to see you go!

YeeHaw!!

Wonder if the Stoolers will bring in Dave Wohlabaugh?

Well yeah, it weakens the Steelers to lose him, however it just gave Fraley another team that needs a center... So there is good news and bad news in this thing...

Don't do it Danielle.. Puttsburp is a dirty nasty city.. not a good place for your little ones..

Watching Hartings drive big ted and Andra Davis off the line with one paw on each is one play that I will never forget. This loss is huge for Pitt. Not just for his level of talent but the guy was glue for the line.

I guess I am in the minority here....Hartings was a great player..but his play slipped in a HUGE way in 06.....His knees just could not take the beating anymore.....More teams blitzed Pitt up the middle than anytime I can remember in recent years..... I had hoped Hartings would retire after the Super Bowl...but I think that SB HIGH made him want to come back and try one more time.

He said after the seasons end...that he felt he was starting to hurt his teammates.....missing practices...being held out of drills everyone else was doing...and that it was probably it.

Hartings play in 06 also made both guards look bad on more than one occasion. I thought Faneca had maybe the worst year of his pro career...and some of that blame surely falls on the Centers play.

That being said...I think Okobi did okay when he got to play this year...not in the elite category by any means...but at this point in their careers...he is much more athletic than Hartings.

Myself...I am hoping the Steelers do NOT feel the need to draft a Center high...I know many are now on the Kalil bandwagon...Im just not one of them.....I hope they go with Okobi, and Phillips...and maybe in the 3rd draft a guy like Samson Satele or a day two guy like Enoka Lucas that can play C/G

Also with the emergence of Kemoeatu at RG...maybe give Kendall Simmons a legit shot and work him at Center all through camp.

Thanks for the run Jeff....Now go relax.

I dont think its even an option...but remember who discovered Hank Fraley. He was brought in by Pitt as an undrafted free agent.....They loved the guy...but had Dermontti Dawson as the starter at the time...and went with a veteran Roger Duffy that could play either C or G as the backup....they wanted to put Fraley on the PS...but the Eagles snagged him off waivers. Pitt was very high on Fraley...just felt he needed a year....and that they could hide him for a year.....So there is a pretty solid Pitt/Fraley connection. But again...I dont think its even on the radar.

HACK

Just clicking....the Steelers better not get Beekman in the 2nd

Yaaaaaaay! I'll take it!

I hate to be negative, but until we either lock up Fraley or Bentley says he can return,,, I'm gonna worry about the Center position..... Sorry, don't mean to be negative. Not generally my style

Yeah, I agree on getting the Hankster locked up for a while.. Besides, how many players wives come out to play on these boards,,,,

But SteelHack brought up the real scary point, it was the Steelers that first brought Fraley in as a UDFA,,,,, so they do know the man... Does that make you worry or what?

If we resign Hank I could see the Steelers going after Ryan Kalil in the draft in round 2 or possibly 3.

Not criticizing you just the situation. I too am worried about the o-line as a whole but especially center.

If we don't get Hank resigned and Bentley isn't ready then what? What is the Lennie Friedman situation? Do we go with Rob "sweaty hands" Smith?

If we sign Hank and Bentley does come back then move Bentley to OG where he has shown that he is a Pro Bowl player. So I see no downside to resigning Hank.

Quote:

---

Not criticizing you just the situation.

---

Not sure what you meant, but I didn't take anything you said personnaly,,,, I happen to agree that the problem exists...

The good news is, Savage isn't a dummy,,, He knows we have a problem at Center a;sp. And he's the guy that can get the guy that has the checkbook to do something about it...

So Hank,,, What color Yukon Denali did you want delivered to your home?

I hope we do resign Hank, but Pittsburgh could be an option for him. Kalil is the top Center in the draft, and is the only Center rated in the top 100 propects. Moses from West Virginia C-OG, fell off the charts fast after the senior bowl.