Filed under: Steelers, AFC North
When talking about the Steelers long lines of Pro Bowl centers, maybe we can just airbrush out the 2007 season.
The Steelers officially flushed the Sean Mahan era by dealing to the Bucs for a draft pick--no word on the pick, but if the Steelers got any thing better than a seventh rounder they got a steal. By getting a draft pick for Mahan, the Steelers at least have gotten something for a player who was woefully unable to live up to the expectations that come with being center in Pittsburgh. It's safe to say that when we're thinking back, the lineage of Ray Mansfield-Mike Webster-Dermonti Dawson-Jeff Hartings will not include Mahan.
I don't want to pile on too much, as Kendall Simmons and Willie Colon were nearly as bad last year (although Colon could get better in his second season as a starter). But by getting rid of Mahan, the Steelers will lose very little--new backup center Darnell Stapleton has a chance to end being just as good as Mahan if not better in the near future, and now the Steelers can sign a third tight end, re-sign cornerback/safety Roy Lewis or scout the practice squads for a young defensive lineman (the third tight end seems like the most likely option).
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The reality is that new center Justin Hartwig only needed to show a pulse and he was going to win the starting job this preseason. And by dealing away Mahan, the Steelers are just pointing out what was obvious by the middle of last year--Mahan simply isn't big enough or strong enough to handle nose tackles. Hartwig isn't a Pro Bowler, but he is stronger than Mahan, which should go a long ways towards helping fix some of the Steelers line problems.
Now if the Steelers can just fix Simmons' problems.
H/T to commenter Cols714 at HeelsSoxSteelers for the commisar idea
