Steelers notebook
Hartings ready to take over center position again PITTSBURGH – For the first time in nearly two months, Pittsburgh Steelers center Jeff Hartings feels right, and he’s ready to resume his season.
“It’s funny how you put that,” said Hartings, who hadn’t found much else amusing since suffering a knee injury in the Oct. 21 Monday night game against the Indianapolis Colts.
“Yeah, I am ready to resume the season. It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve been out there and feeling good. Playing football’s fun, but playing hurt isn’t. So I’m looking forward to getting back in there and feeling good.”
After leaving the Colts game, Hartings missed the next two games and came back to play against Atlanta and Tennessee.
“I’m not sure if I should’ve been playing in those two games,” Hartings said. “But they said the MRI didn’t show anything that was wrong, so, you know how this game is, you kind of assume you have to play with pain sometimes.”
There’s a difference, though, in playing with pain and playing with an injury.
“After the Atlanta game it just felt awful. It felt fine during the game but afterwards it didn’t feel good at all. Then that week it didn’t feel real good. Then in the Tennessee game, three times in like the first 20 plays the stability wasn’t there. Every time I tried to turn it kind of felt loose. Playing as long as I have, I knew something was wrong.”
Hartings underwent arthroscopic surgery two days later and feared the worst.
“They thought maybe I’d be out for the year,” he said. “But I was so happy after the surgery because it wasn’t anything too serious. You wouldn’t think you’d be happy to find out there was torn cartilage, but considering it wasn’t showing up it could’ve been a lot worse. I’ve been really happy ever since and I’m glad I got a chance last week to play a few plays and I’m looking forward to going back out there and playing a full game.”
It’s been a frustrating, yet still salvageable season for Hartings.
“I’m definitely looking at it that way,” he said. “You know, as far as the season as a whole, it’s been by far the most frustrating of my career. Injuries are frustrating, but I still have a chance to turn this season into a good one.”
How did he miss?
The 24-hour rule had been extended to 48 hours earlier this week by Steelers Coach Bill Cowher, but safety Mike Logan needed a little more time to lament not blocking a punt he should have at the Houston 15-yard line early in the second half.
“Aw, man, I couldn’t believe I didn’t get that,” Logan said. “I forced and I bull-rushed and I didn’t expect to get back there that fast. So my first instinct was to jump when I really should’ve just had my hands down. It went underneath my left arm. It was good concentration for the punter to just go ahead and get it off but it disappointed me. I was going up high when I should’ve gone for the hoop area where he was going to drop the ball. It’s like a hoop on the ground. That’s what I should’ve been aiming for but I put my hands up.
“I can’t blame it on anything but just being overanxious to get out there and make a play, being that I was out the last couple weeks. It was disappointing but I know what I have to do now. I’m back in the realm of things, but I know we should’ve had that.”
Practice report
Running back Jerome Bettis (knee) and wide receiver Plaxico Burress (family reasons) returned to practice Wednesday, while inside linebacker James Farrior (sternum) took part in individual drills. Wide receiver Hines Ward (hamstring) and left tackle Wayne Gandy (calf) remained sidelined but should practice Friday.
Quotable
Steelers rookie Verron Haynes upon learning that his former teammate at Western Kentucky, Rod “HeHateMe” Smart of the Carolina Panthers, had been described in the Charlotte newspaper as having an “enthusiastic” Afro: “Yeah. He always had that. Back when I was a freshman it was enthusiastic. I can just imagine it now.”