Just a couple of weeks out from training camp, center Justin Hartwig has reportedly suffered a broken toe when he dropped an object on his foot.
It's not a big deal, but will likely slow him early in taining camp, which opens at the end of the month.
At least it will probably get him out of the run test.
The run test, by the way, is closed to the media this year.
36 comments:
Any idea which toe?
As long as it isn't too serious, this should give some of the younger guys to show their stuff and get some reps in. If Shipley ever had a shot to make the roster this year, this is his chance to take it -- to at least show them what he's got.
This stinks. If there will be an actual competition at RG this year, we need as much continuity as possible at the other spots so that the final OL has had as much time as possible together in the preseason.
Really hope he's able to recover quickly. Hartwig was probably our best OL last season.
I wonder how much the run test being closed has to do with Casey Hampton's recent performance during it.
Or if it will be more lax and Tomlin doesn't want the whole "relaxing after a SB win" to get started from Day 1.
Justin Hartwig can you say Wally Pip?
I don't think Tomlin is going allow anyone to relax at all this camp. Getting everyone and their intensity back up to the top end is going to be his main focus.
I think he wants to avoid what happened with Hampton last year because he wants to be able to make his points with the players but doesn't want those points to be made through the media. and I know he doesn't want the media to expand on his "points" any frther than he does.
The media takes a motivational point and in the case of Hampton might drive him off the team with it. These are proud guys learning to deal with age and mortality and the games the media can play have the potential of turning something like that into a challenge of a players manhood in a way that makes him feel like a loser if he does as he is asked.
Run Big Snack Run
Not good news for Hartwig, who is in the last year of his contract and was hoping for a contract extension here (he won't be getting that).
However, this is good news for D. Stapleton, D. Legursky, A.Q. Shipley and probably K. Urbik. Stapleton will probably shift to starting center now with Legursky and Shipley backing him up. That means Urbik could get more snaps at RG early on in training camp and preseason games than what he would have gotten if healthy.
Let's hope that D. Stapleton shows that he is a better center than guard. The Steelers need a center for the future and auditions will begin in a couple of weeks in Latrobe.
And I meant to say that Urbik will probably get more reps at RG than he would have gotten if Hartwig was healthy and he had to split the snaps there with Stapleton, Essex and Urbik. My money is on Urbik to win that starting RG position to begin the season with Urbik possibly seeing some time there if injuries occur.
Sorry. I expect Essex to win the starting RG position to begin the season with Urbik possibly seeing some time later in the season if injuries occur there. I need to stop trying to do 3 things at once and concentrate on typing some complete thoughts.
it's not like Hartwig is out for the season, or possibly at all. If this does anything, it opens the door for a youngster to show what he's got early in camp and that's about it.
Give me one legimate reason to think ANYONE else on our roster is better than Hartwig right now.
And if you thought Mahan had problems with the big NT's of the North, I can't imagine why Stapleton wouldn't have the same problems.
haha... if Hartwig is Wally Pip, does that make AQ Shipley Lou Gehrig? I like that confidence.
If anything, Hartwig will only miss a week or so of camp. No big deal.
As for the run test being closed, it's something the players have complained about for years.
Honestly, I don't blame them.
I'm in pretty good shape for a 40-year-old, but some media members are not. How'd you like to be critiqued on how well you ran by somebody who's only running in the past 20 years has been to the refrigerator?
I think emac hit this one on the head. The media did all it could the blow up the Hampton thing last year so now they are getting less access.
Derrick Mason retires, huge impact for the Ravens.
thats a big blow to the Ravens. They really had a tough offseason and now they are going to be minus their best WR or forced to trade for one.
I really think Cincy is going to finish better than Baltimore this year.
Where's the source of this story? Who confirmed it, Dale?
Mason didn't officially retire yet
He is playing hard-ball with the Ravens because he wanted a new contract and is threatening to retire because he knows they would be screwed without him
We'll see what happens
Closing the run test has nothing to do with Hampton. Tomlin wanted to close it his first year here.
Dale, How did Legursky look at the OTAs and Mini Camp? Does he look as big and powerful as his college film protray? I seriously doubt anyone unseats Hartwig as Starting Center this year but do you think Shipley can beatout Legursky as back-up?
Also who do you think has the better cover skills at CB...K.Lewis/Roy Lewis or J. Burnett?
Thanks....
Cajun-
What about Stapleton moving to LG and Urbik taking over at RG???
To me, the weakest links on the line last year were Colon and Kemo.
Kemo just signed a nice deal, so apparently Colbert & Tomlin disagree with you. You have your opinion, but I just don't see Kemo on the bench unless he falls apart.
I also think more reps are going to help him a lot. He's not known for being the brightest bulb and it was painfully obviously sometimes last year. The physical tools are there. As well as a nice nasty streak.
Look, there's no need to start shifting people all over the place. Hartwig will be ready a week or two after camp opens.
As for Legursky, I honestly didn't watch him. I know they cut him last year and re-signed him late in the season to the practice squad. Don't see him making this team.
This online is a lost cause. We should just blow the thing up, not one good player on it.
You're right, Anonymous. I hate the god damn online. I much prefer print news.
As for the o-line, I think there are plenty of promising, young guys who are ready to come into their own. Kemoeatu will be much better after a year of experience, Hartwig is a solid, if unspectacular starter, Starks is a very capable LT, and Urbik seems to have a great deal of potential. Pair that with another season of gelling and I think we've got, at the very least, a serviceable o-line.
Online is terrible and filled with misinformation.
Like people who delude themselves into thinking our oline is good or going to be good next season. I love the Steelers but that doesn't mean I won't criticize aspects of the team, like the oline.
Starks is very capable? Hartwig is solid? Didn't these same guys allow a DT to tie Reggie Whites SB sack record? The Steelers won the SB in spite of their oline, not because of it. Call them what they are instead of making excuses.
The Steelers won a SB because they have
1) a great defense
2) a clutch QB
"As for the o-line, I think there are plenty of promising, young guys who are ready to come into their own. Kemoeatu will be much better after a year of experience, Hartwig is a solid, if unspectacular starter, Starks is a very capable LT, and Urbik seems to have a great deal of potential. Pair that with another season of gelling and I think we've got, at the very least, a serviceable o-line."
To me that's a very rosey way of looking at it, but I hope you're right. Especially the gelling part, because I don't see these guys (except Urbik) becoming much better players at this point in their careers. I'd say we've got, at the very most, a serviceable o-line.
starks gave up one sack in the playoffs. hartwig gave up none. actually the team as a whole gave up 5 sacks in the playoffs, 4 of them by stapleton. so, no, starks and hartwig aren't the same guys who let a DT tie the record.
for the first time in a long time, the steelers oline is not a strength. it is also not as bad as steelers fans think it is. they gave up a lot of sacks, so did ben, so did the running backs, so did having to come from behind a lot.
they're mostly big guys, they aren't good in space, with any luck our backfield stays healthy and the big guys push other big guys out of the way. that'll do more for bringing down the sack numbers than shuffling people all over or starting a big, slow kid from Marshall.
They also can't run block, where did we finish rushing? Like 24th in the league? That is an even bigger problem than the pass pro.
And Hartwig is the one who gave up the safety in the SB so don't say he had a great game. That Cardinals DT abused him.
As a Steeler fan I have found that other Steeler fans, for the most part, are some of the most unrealistic and hard to please fans in any sport. Maybe if there was no salary cap like baseball, and we were like the Yankees maybe we could sign/draft the 5 best O-linemen in the world and pay them all top dollar and still manage keep/draft and pay players like Parker, Mendenhall, Big Ben, Holmes, Ward, Aaron Smith, Hampton, Harrison, Farrior, Timmons, Woodley, Ike and Troy... but there are constraints in the NFL like the salary cap, and the league is setup in a way that promotes competitiveness and less dominance (draft order, scheduling based upon last years records), so when a team is as consistantly good as the steelers have been this decade (and since 1992, you think a fanbase would be very happy. Most Steeler fans just complain about the offensive line...I think the O-line guys we have are mediocre at best but them mixed with greatness on defense and at QB, were the ingredients for being the best team last year and there is no reason to think this group can't be up there again this year.
The poor rushing attack was a combo of things: bad o-line, Parker missing games, Mendenhall out for the season, Arians using Parker up the middle with no full back, and facing a large number of top ranked defences in rushing and passing. Let's see how the rushing game looks this year when we don't many top 10-15 defences.
"As a Steeler fan I have found that other Steeler fans, for the most part, are some of the most unrealistic and hard to please fans in any sport. Maybe if there was no salary cap like baseball, and we were like the Yankees maybe we could sign/draft the 5 best O-linemen in the world and pay them all top dollar and still manage keep/draft and pay players like Parker, Mendenhall, Big Ben, Holmes, Ward, Aaron Smith, Hampton, Harrison, Farrior, Timmons, Woodley, Ike and Troy... but there are constraints in the NFL like the salary cap, and the league is setup in a way that promotes competitiveness and less dominance (draft order, scheduling based upon last years records), so when a team is as consistantly good as the steelers have been this decade (and since 1992, you think a fanbase would be very happy. Most Steeler fans just complain about the offensive line...I think the O-line guys we have are mediocre at best but them mixed with greatness on defense and at QB, were the ingredients for being the best team last year and there is no reason to think this group can't be up there again this year."
There seems to be a dissconnect here. Just because people criticize one aspect of the team does not mean they don't like the team or think they are a bad team. People just need to learn to be less defensive when someone (God forbid) criticizes the Steelers (How can you say that! Your a bad fan!)
Look at Tomlin, even after a win he goes over mistakes that were made in a game. He is realistic that even though they are good they always need to try and get better.
I didn't say they are lesser fans for nit picking about the Steelers, I just find it tedious and annoying when I just want to read news and opinions about the Steelers and the convo always evolves and becomes the same convo about the o-line. Steelers fans in general are hard to please and some of the biggest Steeler fans would probably tell you that about themselves.
Tomlin is the coach, he better be analyzing things closely. Hes getting paid for it.
thanks other Anonymous. if you think about it, in 2007 the steelers were one of the top rushing teams and ben had his best season statistically. he was also sacked even more than he was sacked in 08.
nobody on this line is great. the FO tried to draft a first round center but the two worth the pick were gone. tomlin has shown a willingness to address needs and not be rash about it. i think the line is going to be a priority.
Starks was definitely not a problem in 2008. He played well. To say otherwise is foolish and uninformed.
Hartwig allowed the safety in the Super Bowl - which, in my opinion was an iffy call. The guy fell over top of him after he caught him off balance on the LB blitz. He didn't pull the LB down on top of him.
But Hartwig was a big step up from the previous season.
Stapleton was the problem in the Super Bowl. He was the only one who was manhandled.
Is this a great line? Nope. Not even close. But there are some building blocks.
Starks came into his own on the left side last year. Kemoeatu, with a full year's experience, should be much better this year.
Hartwig is an average NFL center and Colon is an average RT.
They need Urbik or Essex to push Stapleton hard at RG.
Bottom line is that offensive linemen are going to give up some sacks. They all do. But you can't have the multiple breakdowns that seemed to dovetail last year. Part of that was the defenses they were playing. They played against something like eight of the top 12 defenses in the league last season - some twice.
But these guys also have to keep their composure better as well. Can't allow one sack to turn into six.
Pretty sure he'd rather not have a broken toe but missing some grueling parts of training camp won't be missed by him.
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