NOVA STEELERS
10-14-2008, 12:01 PM
PITTSBURGH — The Steelers may have found their center of the future. And no, it’s not Justin Hartwig, who’s playing the position right now.
Don’t be surprised if the Steelers’ next center is Darnell Stapleton, who’s starting to put together a rather remarkable success story.
For this season, Stapleton likely will remain at right guard. He’s there as a replacement for Kendall Simmons, who’s done for the year with a ruptured Achilles heel.
But when he played college football at Rutgers, Stapleton was a center.
“Center … that’s easy,” Stapleton said when asked where he’d prefer to play. “I love center. I just feel that the center is the leader of the offensive, and I like that type of responsibility. I feel that I’m more naturally built to play center.”
Not that he’s small, but at 6-foot-3 and 306 pounds, Stapleton is the Steelers’ smallest offensive lineman. He only bench presses 395 pounds. That’s not a lot of weight for an offensive lineman to put up.
Perhaps it’s Stapleton’s strong legs — “I’m big squats guy,” he said — that serve him best when he blocks opposing defenders. His coaches have raved about his leverage the past two games. He’s able to move larger obstacles by staying low and taking the correct blocking angles and techniques.
Stapleton made his debut with the first-team offense when Simmons was hurt in the Sept. 29 game against Baltimore. Stapleton isn’t the main reason why the Steelers won that night. But when he entered the game, the Steelers trailed 13-3. With Stapleton, the Steelers outscored the Ravens 20-7.
Last week when Stapleton made his first pro start, the Steelers beat Jacksonville 26-21.
“I’d like to think I held my own,” Stapleton said. “I made a few mistakes. But I didn’t allow any sacks.”
Stapleton, who turned 23 on Sept. 21, earned a roster spot with the Steelers last summer as undrafted rookie free agent out of Rutgers. Even though a knee injury kept him from playing in three of five preseason games, he was impressive enough to win a roster spot. He even beat out guard Cameron Stephenson, his ex-Rutgers teammate who was picked by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2007 draft.
“I just think we saw something in him for down the road,” O-line coach Larry Zierlein said at the time.
That could be as the starting center.
Sean Mahan, acquired last year via free agency, failed at the position. Mahan has since been traded. Justin Hartwig, acquired this year on the free-agent market, hasn’t performed at the level the Steelers hoped. His long-range future with the team is iffy.
Stapleton, who’s listed as the backup center this year even though he didn’t dress for a game last season, may replace Hartwig as early as next year.
“I’m a competitor. I just love to compete,” Stapleton said. “I just want to help this team in any way I can. I’ll play wherever they put me”
I like what Hartwig has shown to this point, will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Don’t be surprised if the Steelers’ next center is Darnell Stapleton, who’s starting to put together a rather remarkable success story.
For this season, Stapleton likely will remain at right guard. He’s there as a replacement for Kendall Simmons, who’s done for the year with a ruptured Achilles heel.
But when he played college football at Rutgers, Stapleton was a center.
“Center … that’s easy,” Stapleton said when asked where he’d prefer to play. “I love center. I just feel that the center is the leader of the offensive, and I like that type of responsibility. I feel that I’m more naturally built to play center.”
Not that he’s small, but at 6-foot-3 and 306 pounds, Stapleton is the Steelers’ smallest offensive lineman. He only bench presses 395 pounds. That’s not a lot of weight for an offensive lineman to put up.
Perhaps it’s Stapleton’s strong legs — “I’m big squats guy,” he said — that serve him best when he blocks opposing defenders. His coaches have raved about his leverage the past two games. He’s able to move larger obstacles by staying low and taking the correct blocking angles and techniques.
Stapleton made his debut with the first-team offense when Simmons was hurt in the Sept. 29 game against Baltimore. Stapleton isn’t the main reason why the Steelers won that night. But when he entered the game, the Steelers trailed 13-3. With Stapleton, the Steelers outscored the Ravens 20-7.
Last week when Stapleton made his first pro start, the Steelers beat Jacksonville 26-21.
“I’d like to think I held my own,” Stapleton said. “I made a few mistakes. But I didn’t allow any sacks.”
Stapleton, who turned 23 on Sept. 21, earned a roster spot with the Steelers last summer as undrafted rookie free agent out of Rutgers. Even though a knee injury kept him from playing in three of five preseason games, he was impressive enough to win a roster spot. He even beat out guard Cameron Stephenson, his ex-Rutgers teammate who was picked by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2007 draft.
“I just think we saw something in him for down the road,” O-line coach Larry Zierlein said at the time.
That could be as the starting center.
Sean Mahan, acquired last year via free agency, failed at the position. Mahan has since been traded. Justin Hartwig, acquired this year on the free-agent market, hasn’t performed at the level the Steelers hoped. His long-range future with the team is iffy.
Stapleton, who’s listed as the backup center this year even though he didn’t dress for a game last season, may replace Hartwig as early as next year.
“I’m a competitor. I just love to compete,” Stapleton said. “I just want to help this team in any way I can. I’ll play wherever they put me”
I like what Hartwig has shown to this point, will be interesting to see how it pans out.