Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Ben Roethlisberger will find out today if he will play in the Steelers' exhibition opener in Arizona Saturday. Click photo for larger image. Saturday What: Steelers at Arizona Cardinals in the preseason opener. When: 4 p.m. TV: KDKA & FSN Pittsburgh. Related articles Steelers Notebook: Porter makes his debut in practice Rooney first to greet the new commissioner Cook: No need to hold Big Ben back Training Camp 2006 photojournal More about training camp Map and camp schedule Blog 'n' Gold: Welcome to Blog 'n' Gold, a blog where PG sportswriters will chronicle the fortunes of the Steelers this season.

To better bring the situation at center into perspective, consider the best part of what transpired yesterday for the Steelers:

Chukky Okobi, their backup center, had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck that might not even end his season, let alone his career.

Marvin Philip, their sixth-round draft pick, said he is determined to prove he is not too small or not strong enough to make it in the NFL, with or without Okobi around.

And -- knock on wood -- two-time All-Pro selection Jeff Hartings feels so good that the knees that almost forced his retirement a couple of years ago don't cause him to miss practice, even though he will turn 34 on the day of the season opener.

"From the team standpoint, I'm sure it would be more tenuous if it [happened] a couple years ago," Hartings said. "And it's going to hurt a lot if I get hurt. Chukky was a very reliable backup. Anytime you lose one of your 53 guys, it hurts, no matter what position it's at."

But a situation that appeared precarious less than 24 hours earlier suddenly became brighter for the Steelers.

Coach Bill Cowher, who said Tuesday night that Okobi's injury was "very significant" and could be career-threatening, said yesterday the sixth-year center from Purdue could possibly return to play this season, perhaps in four to eight weeks, pending the result of the surgery.

The surgery was performed by team neurosurgeon Dr. Joseph Maroon. In 1988, former Steelers defensive end Keith Willis had neck surgery and missed the entire season, then returned in 1989 and played three more seasons with the team.

"Everything went very well and, right now, we'll know more the next couple days," Cowher said. "But there's a good chance he'll be able to play this year. [Maroon] was very pleased with the way the surgery went."

The loss of Okobi, for however long, thrusts Philip into the role as Hartings' backup, a position he might have earned anyway, even if Okobi wasn't injured.

Philip, 24, was a two-time All-Pacific 10 Conference choice at California after serving two years on a Mormon church mission. But he said he lasted until the sixth round of the draft because scouts thought he was too small (6 feet 1, 307 pounds) and needed to get stronger.

Philip said the skepticism has caused him to have "a chip on his shoulder" at training camp.

"There's a lot of doubters," Philip said. "A lot of people say I'm too small, I'm not strong enough. A lot of people in Pittsburgh and the East Coast don't get to watch us play on the West Coast, so they don't know too much about me. Hopefully, by Saturday they get to know what I'm all about."

This, though, is what his teammates have discovered about Philip.

"He knows how to hold," said nose tackle Casey Hampton, smiling. "That's the main thing, just hold on and just hold, legally or illegally. He does a little of both. He's young and he protects his quarterback. If he gets beat, he knows how to grab on and don't let him get there. He's going to be OK. He has good feet, and his technique is pretty good to be so young."

"He's impressed me with what he's done."

Asked if Philip is ready to become the backup, Hampton said, "He's going to have to do it. It doesn't matter. If Chukky can't go, he's going to have to do it anyway."

Said Hartings: "We'll find out. I'm not sure what he can do because we haven't played a game. He's a competitor, and that's a big start. He has the ability. Those two things are going to allow him to be fine."

Okobi has renegotiated his contract twice in five years to help the Steelers with their salary cap. He was scheduled to earn $2 million this season in a contract that expires after the 2007 season, but agreed to a lesser amount in the offseason.

Philip, though, was drafted on the sixth round to compete with Okobi for the backup position. The position, though, has taken on more significance because Hartings is getting close to retirement, perhaps after this season.

"You know what, my main thing was to come out here and compete; it wasn't what anybody else was going to do or if Jeff was going to retire," Philip said. "It's all about what I can do. I was the one who's going to put myself on that field.

"I think I made strides. I come out here and try to do the best I can. It doesn't change the way I focus and the way I prepare myself. I got a chip on my shoulder. I'm out here to do the best I can."