Tim Lester, Jon Wittman, Dan Kreider, John L. Williams.
A couple players in the past that have been and were solid fullbacks for the Black and Gold, opening holes for the likes of Jerome Bettis, Eric Pegram, Barry Foster and others.
Now the Steelers feature back is former first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall, and coming into the 2010 season, there’s no doubt the Steelers have at least talked about running the ball a whole lot more.
So where does a fullback fit into the picture? Count Mendenhall in as a player that would like to see the Steelers employ a blocker. One name that comes to mind to fill the hole – Frank “The Tank” Summers, whose rookie year in 2009 was cut short due to a back injury.
“A fullback in the backfield he can probably see a lot of things a tight end couldn’t,” said Mendenhall. “(Fullbacks) being ballcarriers they know what you’re trying to do, they know where you’re trying to go and they can get there before you so a lot of times the fullback will end up at the same place after reading a play.”
Mendenhall had a solid season after the team realized that Willie Parker couldn’t handle the load and wasn’t the same player he was a few years back. All Mendenhall did was rush for 1,108 yards and seven touchdowns. Imagine what he could do with someone opening holes for him like Summers.
“Frank’s starting to pick up on things and things are becoming more natural for him,” Mendenhall said. “He played a lot of running back so he can see and feel those things out.”
Maybe it’s time to get back to power football, otherwise known as “Steeler Football.” It would be a welcome sight for Mendenhall.
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Ben Dover
May 30, 2010 at 5:35 pm
The Steelers need to quit listening to that moron Ben Roethlisberger and get back to running the ball. The fix can be quick and painless, first fire Bruce Arians then tell Roethlisberger to shut his mouth and hand the ball to Mendenhall. Problem solved.
jason
May 31, 2010 at 5:00 pm
That moron that everyone is all about taking the ball out of his hands, was a big part in winning the last two rings for us. Where did our running game rank then? Let’s not be so quick to go back to the “old days” Steelers fans. How about we allow our Qb(personal opinions aside) work his magic, if you will. Don’t forget, the Rooneys made the decision to give him one more chance. So why not honor the those who have created the best football organization ever, by doing the same??
jay
May 31, 2010 at 7:54 am
I totally agree Mr. Dover, however it is not that easy from a structural and political perspective: in short, they ain’t paying BB $100 mil to hand the ball off…period. That’s why I have ambivalence toward the idea of franchise QB’s…Look everywhere around the league at a QB who makes the, as Alex from A Clockwork Orange would say, The Big, Big Money….and you get a QB/ team who throws the ball all over the field (i.e., Romo, Brady, Manning, soon to be Rodgers in GB, Rivers, yes and even Eli)…I know there are exceptions but typically that’s the way it goes—draft a QB in the first round, give him big contract, then have fun trying to justify running the ball….Even though I am not a Dolphins fan, I like what Parcells and company is doing in Miami, draft Henne in second round and run your offense whatever the F-ck way you want to.
DrGeorge
May 31, 2010 at 8:29 am
As usual, my colleagues above have it right. The team’s offensive choices in the draft and free agency indicate an intention to run the ball more efficiently. We don’t have to run it more often to do that. If the team can convert short yardage opportunities into first downs and red zone situations into TDs, the run has served the purpose. Our inability (or Arians unwillingness)to run effectively in those situations last season makes last season’s tapes hard to watch. We must do better rushing the ball, as Mr. Rooney and Mr. Tomlin have stated publicly.
Having said all of that, the team’s first priority must be fixing the Defense. Even with our sorry running game last year, the offense repeatedly gave the defense leads it failed to protect. McFadden’s return at CB, more speed at ILB and DE, and Troy’s return at Safety should help.
Ben Dover
May 31, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Great points by both of you gentlemen. The Steelers tied their hands by caving to Roethlisberger’s demands for a $100 million contract. The Steelers can win without him, and I hope they prove that in the first four games this season.
As I’ve said before, The Ravens and Buccaneers won Super Bowls with great “D”, a solid running, and marginal (at best) QB’s.
As for their defense, how well they play with Troy’s return will, more than anything else, define if they’ll have a successful season.
jason
May 31, 2010 at 5:01 pm
That moron that everyone is all about taking the ball out of his hands, was a big part in winning the last two rings for us. Where did our running game rank then? Let’s not be so quick to go back to the “old days” Steelers fans. How about we allow our Qb(personal opinions aside) work his magic, if you will. Don’t forget, the Rooneys made the decision to give him one more chance. So why not honor the those who have created the best football organization ever, by doing the same??
Ben Dover
May 31, 2010 at 10:50 pm
jason, Let me remind you that “That moron that everyone is all about taking the ball out of his hands,” almost cost the Steelers Super Bowl XL, if not for their dominant running game and defense they would have lost the game.
In the 2005 playoffs they surprised the Colts and Broncos by opening those games with the passing game, then settled back into their dominant running game.
He holds on the ball too long, and racks up sacks because of his gigantic ego. This personality flaw puts him at greater risk of injury and jeopardizes his team’s ability to win games. Roethlisberger in short is an egotistical moron.