Steelers rookie Kendrick Green made the transition from college guard to NFL center. And there have been growing pains along the way for the third-round draft pick.
That's not all that surprising to at least one former Steelers star and one of just seven centers elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 1955. After all, Dermontti Dawson made a similar move after the Steelers made him a second-round pick out of Kentucky in 1988.
Dawson had played guard and some center at Kentucky and lined up next to Mike Webster at guard as a rookie. But when Webster wasn't brought back in 1989, Dawson made the move to center on a full-time basis.
It was a big transition.
"It is a difficult transition. The thing is the the quarterback-center exchange, basically. And then dealing with the nose guard," Dawson told me recently. "If you’re playing a 3-4 defense the nose guard is right up in your face and bull rushing a gap on your snap hand. Getting used to that with the nose guard right in front of your face, that was the biggest transition."
It was one Dawson learned on the job. Despite working with another of the greatest centers of all-time, it was still different once he got into a game.
"My first year at center, we played (Detroit's) Jerry Ball. That was pretty tough," Dawson recalled. "We were a trapping team, and every time we would do that, Jerry was so quick, he would penetrate and knock off the backside guard. I thought, ‘Man, I can’t block this guy.’ He was anticipating the snap count. Second half, we come back out and I started to not think as much about where he was going to go. He would shoot the gap and try to come back across my face. I calmed down and did much better after that."
Green had the leg up of having at least played center for four games in college. But, like Dawson, he was primarily a guard who was at his best on the move.
The Steelers often used Dawson to pull around end, something they continued with Jeff Hartings and then Maurkice Pouncey after him. They obviously have a type they are looking for when it comes to mobility at center.
Green definitely fits that mold, as well.
But, Dawson also noted that was a transition for him, as well.
"At center, I was a one-hit wonder. I was going to try to kill the guy," Dawson said. "But you just can’t do that. You’ve got to be controlled. I started working on my steps. Even when I was going to get the linebacker, I tried to keep my shoulders square at a 45-degree angle, making sure I could get in the right position. That really helped my transition at center because I wasn’t falling down as much."
Green is just six games into his full-time transition. That game against Jerry Ball and the Lions came in Week 4 for Dawson -- but only after the Steelers had been beaten by a combined score of 92-10 in the first two weeks of the season by the Browns and Bengals.
Dawson would go on to go to seven consecutive Pro Bowls and be a six-time first-team All-Pro before his retirement in 2000 due to recurring hamstring injuries. According to the Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame monitor, he is the highest-rated center of all-time.
But, as it will with Green, it took time.
"It’s a transition. It really is a transition," he told me.
MORE STEELERS
• Since being acquired for a fifth-round draft pick via trade with the Seahawks, cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has been active for just one game, playing four defensive snaps and one on special teams in a Week 2 loss to the Raiders. It's caused many to question why the Steelers would make a trade for a player they aren't using. But the reason for Witherspoon being inactive five games this season is simple. "When you look at where we are on game day, you have your top three guys and then really the fourth corner, that guy is a special teams player. And (Justin Layne) is really a heck of a special teams player," defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said. "Until that happens, until there is a switch in that regard, (Witherspoon) knows he’s got to really improve in that area. And I know he just got here, but he has to try to improve in that area, and when he gets an opportunity, maybe he’ll make the best of it. When it comes down to it, the fourth corner and the fourth safety, those guys are special teams considerations all day, and they should be because you hope you’re not getting to your fourth corner and fourth safety in a game." That doesn't mean Witherspoon wouldn't see playing time if another of the team's outside corners -- Cam Sutton or Joe Haden -- were injured. But right now, he's behind the rest when it comes to special teams play. -- Lolley
• The Steelers have used Robert Spillane at times over Devin Bush and Joe Schobert in some of their dime packages. It's seemed somewhat random, but it really hasn't been. There's a method to the madness. They like Spillane's ability as a blitzer. "A lot of times when we want to run some stunts up front with him, he does a good job with that," defensive coordinator Keith Butler said. "He’s got a good feel for the timing of when we want him to blitz and faking blitzing sometimes. He’s been around here as long as any of those guys, so he knows a little bit more about it." Still, the Steelers are obviously putting a lesser player on the field at times when they do that. And they can't continue to do it all season. Opponents will begin to figure out who is on the field for what. They realize that. "We try to fit him here and there, but not necessarily run the same defenses with the same guys all the time because you put a guy in, everybody says, 'Oh, they’re going to be in this, they’re going to be in that,'" Butler said. "So, we can’t do that." The reality is that Spillane is better getting off blocks by offensive linemen. And with the Steelers' defensive line playing without Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu, more linemen are getting to the second level easily. Much like the offense struggling early in the season when the line wasn't playing well, struggles by the defense come back to the trenches. Big guys still matter. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
• Sam Poulin, the Penguins' first-round draft choice in 2019, showed some flashes of promise during training camp, but never seriously threatened to challenge for a spot on the major-league roster. This will be his first season as a pro, and he looks as if he isn't quite ready to settle in at this level. That sentiment was echoed by a personnel employee from another team after watching Poulin play in the preseason. "He's still trying to figure it out," said the observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity. He noted that Poulin was "more dynamic" in junior hockey, which isn't a surprise for a 20-year-old, let alone an indictment of him. The observer pointed out that 2020-21 was largely a "lost year" for Poulin and others in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League because of how the season was disrupted and shortened by the pandemic. Finally, he added that Poulin, like Nathan Legare, is going to have to upgrade his skate to have a chance to reach his potential as a pro. Poulin had one assist and five shots on goal in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton's first two games this season. -- Dave Molinari
• It is more than a little ironic that the 633-game sellout streak ended on a night they honored Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange, who probably did more than anyone -- on or off the ice -- to keep flickering public interest in the franchise alive during the early- to mid-1980s, when the Penguins were barely an afterthought for most sports fans in this region. That all began to change when Mario Lemieux arrived in 1984, but Lange was a major reason there was any semblance of a fan base on which to begin building. He made games entertaining, even if the team couldn't. And by the time he retired after last season, he had introduced several generations of fans to the sport -- and a lot of them made that extraordinary run of capacity crowds possible. The Penguins, to their credit, are judicious about retiring numbers and otherwise recognizing individual accomplishments, but there will be an empty spot, figuratively and literally, below the ceiling at PPG Paints Arena until there is a Mike Lange banner there. -- Molinari
• Rick Tocchet would probably rank pretty high on any list of fan favorites in franchise history. When a guy can score goals and throw punches as frequently and vigorously as Tocchet did, it's pretty much a given the citizenry will embrace him. And the fact Tocchet later had a successful run as an assistant coach -- remember, he was the one credited with coaxing maximum production from Phil Kessel, who had frustrated coaches throughout his career -- only enhanced his reputation locally. Of course, the Penguins were only one of the six clubs for which Tocchet played in the NHL, and he actually appeared in just 150 regular-season games here. That's dwarfed by the 621 he played on the far side of the Commonwealth, where he spent parts of 11 seasons with the Flyers. Predictably enough, his rugged, relentless style made Tocchet pretty popular there, too, and he'll be inducted to that team's hall of fame Nov. 16. He will enter the hall with former Flyers enforcer-turned-executive Paul Holmgren. One key difference between the two: During his playing days, Holmgren was slightly less popular than athlete's foot in these parts. He didn't do anything to help his image when, during a game at the Civic Arena on Dec. 9, 1981, he punched referee Andy van Hellemond in the chest as van Hellemond tried to break up a fight between Holmgren and Penguins defenseman Paul Baxter. Holmgren was fined $500 and suspended for five games a few days later. -- Molinari
• There's a pretty good chance the Penguins will start another sellout streak Saturday, when the Maple Leafs come to town. After all, Saturday has always seemed to be the most popular day of the week with the fan base, Toronto plays an entertaining style and Maple Leafs partisans always show up in good numbers here, no matter how hot a ticket the Penguins happen to be at the moment. Of course, the next streak isn't likely to last 633 hours, let alone 633 games, and selling tickets figures to remain more of a challenge than it's been in years, especially until Sidney Crosby is back in uniform. Nothing inspires fans to part with their money like a winning and entertaining team -- especially one with a few world-class talents on the payroll -- but as long as the Penguins are down a few superstars, the people feeling the most pressure to be at their best might be the ones involved with game-night operations. Players and coaches always want to win, which is the most crucial variable, but if the people charged with making a night at the arena a fun experience are on top of their games, it could convince some people who might otherwise have spent money on dinner and a movie or a concert to attend another hockey game, instead. -- Molinari
• Matt Cullen, who works in player development with the Penguins, is in town for the first time this season. His job allows him to remain based in Minnesota and work remotely, then fly in to Pittsburgh once a month or so for hands-on work with players. He first got on the ice for Tuesday's optional morning skate, then again for Wednesday's practice, with players trickling in and out of Cullen's faceoff class at center ice. Evan Rodrigues took advantage of the full 40 minutes on Wednesday, which makes sense given his 40.54 percent success rate. -- Haase
PIRATES
• I’ll preface this with I don’t think anything will come of it, but I had one league source speculate that if the Pirates would be interested in trading Jacob Stallings this winter, they would probably maximize his trade value. It’s going to be an incredibly weak market for catchers, with Yan Gomes -- who is 34 and is coming off a modest 1.6 WAR season -- being the best free agent available. The Cubs will try to trade Willson Contreras, who may be the better hitter and a fine defender too, but he only has one year of team control and comes at a much higher price tag than Stallings, who is under team control for three more years and is the favorite to win the Gold Glove. The Pirates aren’t in any rush to trade Stallings, valuing both for his on-field performance and clubhouse leadership, but Ben Cherington has said in the past you have to keep lines of communication open, just in case something does materialize. I expect this to be a similar situation as Bryan Reynolds during the trade deadline where his name pops up a couple times but there’s no traction towards a deal. -- Alex Stumpf
• While we’re on the subject, yes, Reynolds’ name will pop up in trade rumors or mock trades this offseason. Just about every team would love to have a young, controllable All-Star like him. It doesn’t mean the Pirates are shopping him, or that other teams have the young talent necessary to even make a respectable trade offer. -- Stumpf
• Prospect Ji-hwan Bae is having a good showing early in the Arizona Fall League, recording five hits, four walks and an .891 OPS over his first five games out west. He’s split time between center field and second base, and while the middle infield is his natural position, the 22-year-old is most likely going to do more some more bouncing around when the 2022 season starts. This past year was his introduction to the outfield, and while his speed plays best in center, some reps in the corners could make sense too. The Pirates like his speed and ability to get on-base, but his best chance for reps in the majors probably comes as a utilityman. We all know how much the Pirates value defensive flexibility. Expect him to be in Indianapolis next year. -- Stumpf
