The Pittsburgh Steelers made their last move of the offseason regarding new contracts for current players by re-signing starting center Justin Hartwig to an extension that will keep him the team through the 2012 season.
I like this move for a couple of reasons the first of which being that the signing brings stability to the offensive line and especially the center position where the Steelers have had three starters over the last three years. By no means is Hartwig one of the best centers in the NFL but he held his own againts some of the best nose tackles last year and helped the team win a Super Bowl, plus he is a definite upgrade over Sean Mahan who was the starter in 2007. The other reason why this is a smart move is that the Steelers don't really have a legitimate backup waiting to take over so this gives them another year or two to figure who will replace him, unlike when Jeff Hartings abruptly retired leaving the team with noone behind him. The Steelers have A.Q. Shipley who they drafted this year but he did not step up during the preseason and was moved to their practice squad so this will give him time to sink or swim and allow Pittsburgh to make decisions based on his talent level and knowledge of the play book. The Steelers are a class organization and they know how to treat players who are deserving and this is just another example.
GO STEELERS!
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