pastabelly on center spot

It's not just the offensive philosophy and terminology that concerns me, it's the ability to read and recognize defensive schemes at the pro level. Right now, that's what separates Hartwig and Kalil. IIRC, Mangold struggled for a while with the Jets before things "clicked" for him.

 

To me, it's a much more mental position, so it's not that a rookie can't do it as much as that it's just another thing to learn, and another critical thing to learn.
I imagine with Hartwig next to him, the learning curve would be smaller, which is another reason I'd rather have him at RG than Bridges, who should be the utility backup anyway. An experienced center next to him wouldn't hurt at all.

The biggest obstacle to getting Hartwig in at RG, besides his own reluctance apparently, is that Fox does have that minor reluctance on some rookies (though certainly Gamble and Carter made exceptions, and Wharton when necessary) and RG itself is unstable. Putting Hartwig over there might be a later case rather than a starting case, and we'd be inexperienced at C between Hangartner and Montgomery as well.

 

It all starts....

It may seem like the most fundamental of fundamentals, but all of football begins with the snap of the ball. Thus, another factor could come into play regarding the starting center: Who is Jake Delhomme more comfortable with? Speed of snap, angle of snap, avoiding the dreaded center step backwards (which could come into play in a zone blocking scheme) all may figure into the final solution as much as experience does. . . but if the QB isn't happy with the center, you've got a real problem.

 

Yeah, I've been holding to the thought that it'll be no different with Kalil (he'll get worked in, come in due to a Hartwig injury, or just spend the year watching) but it's a new game now with Davidson and Magazu. Who knows what they'll want to do.