Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
Willie Parker has a couple of sizable escorts leading him into the hole Sunday night against the Browns with 6-5, 321-pound Marvel Smith (77) and 6-3, 344-pound Chris Kemoeatu. Parker has opened the season with consecutive 100-yard games.
Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel's strategy to kick a field goal Sunday night and hope to get the ball again for one final try to win the game might have been a good plan against the Steelers.
Last season, that is.
Crennel had to be confident his defense could thwart the Steelers' attempt to run out the final 3:21 with a four-point lead. After all, the Steelers' offense came up empty enough in similar situations last season.
Sunday night in Cleveland, however, it looked like the old, clock-killing grinding Steelers offense at the end that chewed up all but 26 seconds and left the Browns on their 26.
The Steelers took over at their 31 with 3:21 left after they fielded the kickoff after Phil Dawson's 38-yard field goal closed the gap for Cleveland to 10-6. They ran eight plays, seven of them runs by Willie Parker, before they finally turned the ball over to the Browns with little time to do anything about it.
In similar circumstances last season, most notably their home playoff loss to Jacksonville, the Steelers' offense could not kill the clock and protect a late lead or tie, allowing for two losses to the Jaguars at home, and a loss to the New York Jets in overtime.
That failure prompted coach Mike Tomlin to work on what the Steelers call their four-minute offense, the one that differs from the hurry-up two-minute. The four-minute is designed to put an opponent away and it worked behind Parker to perfection Sunday night in Cleveland.
"Yeah, in the four-minute offense we kind of struggled with it last year," Parker said. "We practiced each and every practice on our four-minute offense this year, and in minicamp and all offseason. We're counting on it being a plus for us this year."
They're 1-0 counting on it.
"That last drive, that's just putting a dagger into a team," Parker said. "For them to know we're going to run the ball and they can't stop it, I have to give a lot of credit to our offensive line. They couldn't stop us, and we did it in the last few minutes."
Parker has done it two games now. He's third in the NFL with 243 yards rushing, and ahead of his fast pace of last season when he had 232 after two games and led the NFL with 1,315 yards after 14 games. His right fibula was broken on his first carry of game 15.
He carried 28 times for 105 yards against the Browns.
"I get into a rhythm knowing I'm getting the rock, keep getting the ball, keep getting the ball," Parker said. "I was hoping to pop one, but I couldn't get everything I want."
Peter Diana / Post-Gazette
Willie Parker tries to run over defensive back Mike Adams Sunday night. The Steelers' four-minute offense, with Parker as the main cog, effectively closed out the 10-6 win.
He did pop an important one on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, maybe not into the end zone, but it helped ultimately get them there. From Cleveland's 40, Parker hit off right guard and bounced it outside for a 13-yard gain. Four plays later, Ben Roethlisberger threw a third-down pass to Hines Ward for an 11-yard touchdown and a lead they never relinquished.
"I thought Willie ran hard, you know, not the player of the week kind of performance but we'll take it nonetheless," Tomlin said.
And, again, the Steelers coach seems determined to run Parker "until the wheels come off," something he promised last season. Parker's 53 carries are the most by a running back in the NFL. Next is Chicago's Matt Forte with 46.
The idea that rookie Rashard Mendenhall might either take some of the carries away from Parker or even share the load seems to not even be a consideration early in the season.
Mendenhall did not play on offense Sunday night, thus did not have a carry. He carried 10 times in the opener, all but one in the second half; five came in the fourth quarter after Parker bowed out with a 35-3 Steelers lead.
Parker could not explain Mendenhall's inactivity Sunday except that "I really didn't get tired."
"I was kind of surprised, I thought he'd be in there a little bit but we just grinded it out," Parker said.
If he reaches a point where he thinks he needs a break, Parker can take himself out. That did not happen in Cleveland.
"When your number gets called you just have to make a play," he said. "That's what we're here to do as a team, make plays and win games."
Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.
First published on September 16, 2008 at 12:00 am
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