Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies: fast willie

So, Beetlejuice has a fumble problem. That's 3 in the past 2 preseason games. He can run...no doubt about that...but fumbling in the regular season is not an option. Fast Bill has had this problem in his career, which pretty much prevents him from making the jump from a 1,200 yard back to an All-Pro. Honestly, that's his only major flaw. It's concerning to think that Mendenhall might have the same limitations.

The above pictures are all found within the first few pages of a Google Image Search for "Rashard Mendenhall." I mentioned these results to Cotter during the Vikes game last week, and wanted to follow up to see if my memory served me right. Yeah...it did.

Look at that ball. This isn't college anymore. NFL defenders will salivate like dogs being taunted with a piece of meat if you hold the ball out there like that. The best comparison I can make is Tiki Barber. In the middle of his career, dude would fumble like it was nobody's business. From 2000-2003, Tiki had three seasons with 9 fumbles and one with 8. He switched his mechanics, and after one more season of 5 fumbles, he finished his last two years with 1 and 3 fumbles respectively. The ball was clutched next to his chest, nearly under his chin strap.

An example of Tiki's fumble-proofing is below. Might be time for Rashard to adapt.

Re-read my title for this post.

And again.

It cannot be stressed enough. Every training camp, the Steelers go for the early goal-line drill, hoping that someone will stand out as a versatile short-yardage back with substantial power. Since The Bus left, the drill seems to come up empty year in and year out.

This year, disappointment is leveled at rookie Rashard Mendenhall. Given three chances from the 1-yard line, Bizarro Beetlejuice failed each time. This might be unfair criticism heaped onto a rook, but much is expected when you score 17 touchdowns as a short yardage/power back in college.

"But Nick, our running game is fine. We have Beetlejuice, Fast Bill and a backup plan in Mewelde Moore that other teams would love to be afforded. And Willie was leading the league in rushing up to his injury in week 16 last season!"

I've tried to use this excuse in my mind, and it isn't working anymore. Willie scored two touchdowns all of last year, both on the ground. That's a massive drop in production, going between yards gained and touchdowns accumulated. You can run a 99 yard play every time you snap the ball, but if you can't punch in the ball while letting the other team score, well...it's hard to justify the lack of production in the points category.

Now, I'm not necessarily worried about the RB corps entirely. If Willie can shake off this, he should re-take his spot on the list of top RBs in the league, and Mendenhall could be a perfect compliment.

Stellar defense, Pittsburgh, but someone needs to break the plane.

FWP.
Rashard Mendenhall.
Mewelde Moore.
Kevin Jones?

I'm not going to go into this in great detail, primarily because it isn't a done deal, but reports say that former Lions flash-in-the-pan Kevin Jones might sign with the Steelers today. Its either Pittsburgh or Chicago. Let's look at his options:

In Pittsburgh, Jones has no real role. Najeh was released for this very reason. Fast Bill is the man. Rashard Mendenhall is the up-and-comer. Moore looks like he could be the third down back who also solidifies the return-man position.

In Chicago, Jones has a chance to be the guy. I say this with caution, since it is Kevin Jones we're talking about. However, Chicago let Thomas Jones go last offseason, only to eventually release Cedric Benson. Jones would most likely compete with the other Adrian Peterson.

Now, I don't want to speculate too much, since this isn't a done deal and Jones might go elsewhere, but I'm confused as to why Jones is even being considered. Our RB corps is pretty badass by itself, and Jones is coming off knee surgery. Time will tell if he dons the Black and Gold.

Props to James Harrison for being selected to start the Pro Bowl in his first season as Joey Porter's replacement. Its a far cry from earlier in the season, when we wondered if Silverback could finish the season after being taken off the field on a stretcher (above).

Big Ben, Fast Bill, Troy and Alan Faneca also made the squad. I don't understand how Casey Hampton was left off.

Despite the recognition, Ape at DC Steeler nation said it best.

Anyway, yeah, personal accolades are great. Now lets win a goddamn game, mmmmmkay?

The Pro Bowl is symbolic. It won't help us beat St. Louis.

Where's your head at, Steelers?

Oh, and good look to the fine folks who voted Sean Taylor as the starting Free Safety for the NFC. Well done.

I kinda remember saying something along the lines of "9-5 would suck." Well...as it turns out...this sucks. Jags win.

I'm trying to figure out what sucked more...losing big in New England or losing a damn near winnable game at home. The sting hurts either way.

Tale of the tape: Awful play by both the D and O lines. Underlying theme: Troy Polamalu needs to stay healthy.

Two games left, and we still haven't punched out ticket to the playoffs. We're currently tied atop the North with the (ugh) Browns. However, out two wins against those idiots gives us the tiebreaker.

Only road games remain. In St. Louis and in Baltimore. Seeing as how we've already peaked, I'm not guaranteeing a win in either. We've been pure slop for the past 5-6 games. All I want is the playoffs, though. Only good things happened last time we were the 6 seed, so I'm not worried about placement. We aren't the Indianapolis Steelers or the New England Steelers, so the best we can do is play in the Wild Card round. We just need to take care of business and get in. The second season wipes the slate clean. Hell, look at Indy's Jekyll and Hyde defense from last season.

So yeah, there is a lot to bitch about in the Jacksonville loss. However, I'm trying to stay positive. After this, its all business focusing on St. Louis. Get the job done...make the playoffs...let both the defense and offense redeem themselves.

Bennifer. Played the first half like he had poop in his pants. That was pathetic. However, when the game was about to get out of hand, he responded by creating 2 solid scoring drives to tie the game. After the tie, its up to the D to stop the Jags and set up the win...or at the very least...force overtime. Ben put the team in position to erase a 15 point deficit in the 4th quarter. The D responded by bending over. Ben gets 3.75 out of 5 motorcycle helmets. He almost deserved a 4 for turning the game around late.

Willie. Stud. He was stuffed early and often by the Stroud-less Jags, but still managed to surpass 100 yards. That Roethlisberger-almost-sack-turned-into-pass-but-was-ruled-a-Parker-rush was ridiculous. Willie needs to stay on track to help the team make the postseason. He was a solid bright spot in the loss. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

O-Line. Awful. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

D-Line. Awful. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Troy Polamalu. Even with Aaron Smith gone for the year, the D can rebound with Troy back in the lineup. There's no one on the team who can close on a guy faster than Troy. Without him, there's no way we even tie the game. He helped make it close. I wanted to give him a 5, but he missed a couple of tackles late. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

We can't let Steven Jackson run wild on us the way Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew did. Neutralize him...make the playoffs. Simple.

Oh no, Fast Bill is on the cover of the latest ESPN the Magazine. I don't read ESPN the Magazine, so I'm sorry if this is old news to you. I stick with Sports Illustrated. However, as long as there is no ESPN the Mag curse (as there is with SI), I'll allow the photoshoot.

Willie's starting to make waves now that he's leading the league in rushing through the first five weeks. There's even a slim chance Willie could still be atop the list after this coming bye week, that is, if guys like Willis McGahee, Edgerrin James, Ronnie Brown and LaMont Jordan have subpar games. Travis Henry, who is second on the list and only 9 yards behind Parker, is also on a bye. And he could still be suspended for smoking pot.

If he keeps up this pace, he could do something that his predecessor, Jerome Bettis, never accomplished. Bill could take the league's rushing title. I know its early, but its fun to dream.

If he does that, he'll need a Bus-like nickname. I'm thinking Heir-Bus (get it, heir-bus = airbus). The only way to prove that you're an heir to a team legend is to do something that will be remembered in the league (think Steve Young asking for the monkey to be taken from his back in the Super Bowl).

Or we could just stick with Fast Bill/Willie. That works, too.