PITTSBURGH (93-7 THE FAN) — Steelers’ nose tackle Chris Hoke joined 93-7 The Fan’s Bob Pompeani to talk about his neck injury and the Steelers in general.

Hoke says that he will undergo a fairly simple surgery that will add a metal plate to his neck because of years of collisions from football since he was a kid. Hoke says that his main concern right now isn’t playing football, it is getting healthy for his family.

He hopes to play football again, but he will take it one step at a time, making sure that he can enjoy a healthy life with his family and doing active things with his kids like wakeboarding and snowboarding.

Hoke says that the Steelers were very happy to come out of the game against Cleveland with the win even though it wasn’t as easy as most would have hoped.

But, the James Harrison hit, he says, was a good hit because Browns quarterback Colt McCoy appeared to be attempting to run the ball when Harrison hit him. However, Hoke says that he is biased and may just be taking Harrison’s side.

The future of the defensive line is in good hands and Hoke says that he feels somewhat responsible, because of the way the veterans like Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton, and himself have been mentors to the young guys like Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward.

Finally, we get a breakdown of the AFC from Hoke, and how he thinks the teams will finish. And, looks forward to a rematch with the Green Bay Packers.