Dermontti Dawson might have played his final game in Three Rivers Stadium, and it's uncertain whether he will get his wish to play in the Steelers' new stadium.
Dawson will miss his fifth consecutive game because of a hamstring injury that ruined most of last season for him as well. Unless he recovers quickly, he won't make it back in time to play in the Steelers' final game at Three Rivers Stadium Dec. 16.
Whether he will play again this season is unknown because he has only two chances left after Sunday's game against the Giants. Whether he will play here next season will be determined within two months after this one ends.
The Steelers must pay Dawson a $1 million bonus on Feb. 22 if he is still on the roster. If they pay, it means they want him back. If they don't, he would become an unrestricted free agent.
There are other possibilities. Dawson could retire at age 35. Or he and the Steelers could renegotiate his contract so he could play one last season here but not at the price of that $1 million bonus and $1.6 million in salary.
"I know all the different scenarios," Dawson said, including retirement. "Yeah, you have to think about that.
"It's up to those guys what happens. It's pretty much out of my control. All I can do is go into it thinking I'll be back next year, but I'll know in February."
Whatever happens, it will be a delicate situation for the team because of what Dawson has meant to them through the years, what he has meant on the field and in the locker room and the stature he has achieved at his position.
Scouts and coaches have long considered Dawson, who has made seven Pro Bowls, among the best centers to play the game. But he missed nine full games last season and played only a series in two others because of a right hamstring pull. It ended 172 consecutive starts for him.
He missed most of training camp with an injury to the same hamstring this summer, but started and played the first eight games before the injury became aggravated and kept him out again. He tried to practice last Wednesday, but after two plays in 9 on 7 drills, the hamstring was too sore for him to continue. Yesterday, Dawson watched another practice in sweats and a gold stocking cap.
Playing in the Dec. 16 finale at Three Rivers doesn't mean as much to him as getting healthy.
"I can't risk setting myself back from getting healthy during the off-season," Dawson said. "I might go out there and play the last game, make it even worse. That would make rehab so much longer."
Dawson added a year to his contract in September in order to help the Steelers with their salary cap. It now goes through 2002. But the most important season to him is 2001.
"I'd still like to play one more year, just get in the new stadium one year and just kind of go from there," Dawson said.
But he would understand if the Steelers worry about how effective he could be next season in light of his hamstring injuries that have kept him off the field so much in the past two seasons.
"Do you want to take a chance that he will get hurt again? I know all about that," Dawson said.
Roger Duffy, who played at center in Dawson's place last season and this one, said it has been another frustrating experience for one of the game's great players.
"I feel bad for the guy. He's a warrior out there and he just has this chronic hamstring, and it doesn't seem to get better for him. It really hurts for him to stand around, go to watch film, take notes and not be able to go out there on Sunday and perform.
"I know he wants to be part of that new stadium next year. He's been such an icon in the Pittsburgh Steelers family for so long. He wants to be part of that transition, and I hope he does.
"He's a hard worker. Injuries are part of the game, I think he realizes that. He's going to try to do what he can. It's not one of those things where you can just take a week or two off. It's amazing that he played for eight weeks."
This is Dawson's 13th season in the NFL. He is the oldest player on the team. If it is his last season, he will have made lasting impressions on rookies such as Marvel Smith, their starting right tackle.
"I'm real fortunate to have him there, helping me out and just being able to see how I should approach the game," Smith said. "I want to model myself on how he approaches practice and games."
Injured Dawson unsure of fate 
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