Running game paradox: Other than Parker, Steelers not getting much on the ground
Friday, December 01, 2006
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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The paradox of the Steelers' running game might be summed up by these statistics: Willie Parker is the No. 3 rusher in the AFC, yet the team is ranked just 17th in the league.
Parker entered this season with virtually everyone saying he could not carry the load the way Jerome Bettis did. He's not -- he's carrying more of it.
A second-year starter, Parker might not be built like a Bus at 5 feet 10, 209 pounds, but he has 75 percent of the Steelers' carries this season. In 10 years with the Steelers, Bettis never had more than 67.4 percent of the carries.
In other words, Parker is running more and the Steelers are enjoying it less. Their No. 17 ranking is the second lowest under coach Bill Cowher to the 2003 season, when they ranked 31st.
That might be no reflection on Parker, a strong candidate for the Pro Bowl if he keeps it up, but a statement of what has become of the Steelers' ground game.
The Steelers have run just 39.7 percent of the time, which would be the lowest in their modern history that dates to 1969 if they maintain that pace the next five games. Not only is that down from 57.2 percent last season, it's lower than the disastrous 2003 Air Cowher campaign when they ran 43.7 percent of the time and prompted the coach to swear off that kind of offense.
It might not be that they've fallen in love with the pass the way they did when Tommy Maddox was flinging the ball in 2002 and '03; it might be that they have less confidence in a ground game that can hit home runs but does not grind out consistent gains.
"It would be good, getting back to running the ball," guard Alan Faneca said. "Not even really getting back but putting ourselves in situations where we can stay running the ball. If you're down 17 points, 21 points, it's hard to stick to the run in this league because you know they're still getting the ball on offense and you have to play catch-up. You have to close the gap somehow. And closing the gap quickly is about throwing the ball."
That's correct, in theory, but in reality the Steelers have not fallen behind by that many points except in one game, Sunday in Baltimore. Cowher noted this week that they have been close in every loss in the fourth quarter except to the Ravens. Even in that one, Cowher said about the running game that "we probably abandoned it a little too soon the other day."
No one will say the coaches lack confidence in the ground game, but it's become obvious by the play selection.
The Steelers trailed only 7-0 early in the second quarter in Baltimore when they got the ball to start a drive on their 14. On the first play, Ben Roethlisberger was sacked for a 9-yard loss by Terrell Suggs. The next two plays were incomplete passes.
By the time they got the ball back, it was 14-0 and the quarterback dropped back to pass three consecutive times -- one complete for 2 yards, a sack that forced Roethlisberger out with a chest injury, and a 10-yard completion by Charlie Batch.
Two weeks ago, Cowher noted that more NFL teams are using two running backs to share the load and throw different styles at defenses.
"I think you're seeing more than one back. It's hard to have one back last in this league for 16 weeks. Is it good to have the two guys who can complement each other? Yeah. But I think if you have two quality backs, I think you'll find that's what a lot of teams are going to.
"That's the one thing, even people with one back realize that you need two, particularly if you want to take that kind of approach."
Yet Parker has 75 percent of his team's carries -- 210. Next is 255-pound Najeh Davenport, who has been with them since the second game of the season, with 25 carries. Only Edgerrin James of Arizona (84.9), Steven Jackson of St. Louis (81) and Rudi Johnson of Cincinnati (79) have a higher percent of their team's runs from scrimmage.
"Willie's a guy, if you get that one play that's blocked perfectly, he's got a chance to take it farther than bigger backs," Cowher said. "At the same time, there's a lot to be said for bigger backs. That's why it's kind of nice to have that complementary guy like Najeh who can maybe move a pile when there's 10 guys in there and those seams are not going to be quite as big and you're going to have to use your weight to move that pile forward and make a 3-yard run a 5-yard run and make a 1-yard run a 3-yard run.
"All of sudden you're down to third-and-1, not third-and-5. They're different styles, but I don't think that there's any one you want to pick. It's nice to have both."
It might even be nicer if they used both.
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )
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