Center Jeff Hartings treasures Ohio ties

The center grew up idolizing fellow St. Henry High graduate Jim Lachey.

By TOM WILLIAMS

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

DETROIT — If anyone can appreciate football players from small Ohio towns achieving success at major college programs and in the NFL, it's fans in the Mahoning Valley.

Steelers center Jeff Hartings has had a career to relish.

Hartings played five seasons with the Detroit Lions then joined the Steelers for the 2001 season, replacing 13-year veteran Dermontti Dawson.

Hartings says a NFL career wasn't exactly an early dream for him. That's because he grew up in the small town of St. Henry in Northwest Ohio. The school in his hometown of approximately 2,500 residents defines Division VI.

"I was feeling like the David and all the guys who got to play big-time college football like Penn State or Notre Dame were Goliaths," Hartings said.

Then St. Henry's Jim Lachey hit the big time, playing for Ohio State and the Washington Redskins.

"I respect Jim Lachey, who was the biggest influence in my professional career," said Hartings of the Buckeyes' radio analyst. "He came out of our town when I didn't think it would be possible to go to a big school like Penn State much less playing in the NFL because I was from a small town of St. Henry.

"Jim Lachey is the guy who made me realize that it is possible," Hartings, who played at Penn State, said. "When he got to the NFL, I started working harder. I remember him playing in the Super Bowl and I was like 'Man, if he could do it, I could do it.' "

Big deal

Just like the Mahoning Valley, Hartings said high school football dominates weekends on the other side of the state.

"Football is a huge deal in Findlay, it's a huge deal in St. Henry," Hartings said. "It's what has fueled us to work hard to become successful.

"In high school, you want to be successful on Friday nights and that carried over into college and the NFL."

Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers' second-year quarterback who takes snaps from Hartings, grew up in Findlay, a 40,000-person metropolis compared to nearby St. Henry.

Hartings said Roethlisberger has evolved dramatically since replacing injured starter Tommy Maddox in the second game of the 2004 season.

Roethlisberger's initial role, according to Hartings, was "to step right in and knowing that he didn't need to win the game, he needed to not make mistakes and to be [learn to be] a leader.

"Obviously it turned out very well — 15-1, an unbelievable record as a starter," said Hartings of the Steelers' 2004 season. Roethlisberger won his first 13 starts, then hit the wall in the playoffs.

The Steelers' 2004 season ended with a 41-27 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at Heinz Field.

The Steelers were expected to again win the AFC North Division, but injuries to Roethlisberger's knees saw him miss four games in the middle of the season. The Steelers lost two of them and finished the season 11-5 as a wild-card playoff team.

Change of strategy

"This year, I think what he realized is that he needs to win games instead of not losing games," Hartings said. "That's his biggest thing — he's taken control — he wants to be the reason why we win games instead of being the reason why we lose games. That's been the biggest difference."

The Steelers rescued their season on Dec. 11 when they snapped the Bears' eight-game winning streak then finished with victories against the Vikings, Browns and Lions.

In the postseason, the Steelers became road warriors, winning at Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver to qualify for Sunday's Super Bowl XL against the Seattle Seahawks.

Hartings said he believes his faith in God is a strong motivation in his life.

"He's brought me a long ways and He didn't take me to the Super Bowl one year earlier than I could handle it with the proper respect.

"Any other year before this year, I would have thought it had a lot to do with me, if not everything to do with me. But I'm not going to get anywhere without Him wanting me to be there."

Hartings said he never imagined he'd get to play for the NFL title in Michigan.

"For one thing, I never imagined that Detroit would ever get [another] Super Bowl," Hartings said. "Once Detroit got the game, I thought in the back of my mind how nice it would be to play there. This has really turned out to be awesome."

Line experience

With 10 years NFL experience, Hartings is the Steelers' graybeard up front. To his left is guard Alan Faneca who has five Pro Bowl trips in his eight NFL seasons.

At left tackle is Marvel Smith, a six-year veteran.

"A lot of us have been together for years and have been through the highs and the lows," Smith said. "There's a lot of [Steelers] who know what it feels to lose two AFC Championship Games.

"And now we know the triumph of making it here," Smith said. "We know we still have a lot of work to do, but what we've been through already has brought us together."

On Hartings' right are guard Kendall Simmons, the top-pick of 2002 who missed the 2004 season with an ACL tear, and tackle Max Starks, a two-year veteran and first-year starter.

Simmons said Smith's return from a midseason ankle injury has "made a big difference in the way our entire team has played. When you have a Pro Bowl-caliber left tackle, it makes a difference in everything we can do as an offense.

"When he came back, Ben's confidence level went back up and the offense was able to get back into a solid rhythm," Simmons said. "Not taking anything from Trai [Essex] — he is a rookie. Marvel is a proven veteran and it makes a difference when you have your anchor back in the game."

Simmons noted that not much has been said about the offensive line since the seven-game winning streak began.

"When we were 7-5, it was poor play by the offensive line, we were not holding up our end of the deal," Simmons said. "Nobody took anything personal and we just went back to basics."

williams@vindy.com