Dwyer DOES kind of look like Bettis when he runs!

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

Wouldn't that be fantastic ...

[DukieBoy]

He did look kind of Bussy tonight. The OL did a good job, too.

[fordfixer]

He had a good game tonight:tt1

[Mister Pittsburgh]

Heathhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, & Dwyerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

[Shawn]

He has a good game because the OL was blowing people up...especially Colon. Shoot Adams even had some nice blocks.

[Shoe]

He has a good game because the OL was blowing people up...especially Colon. Shoot Adams even had some nice blocks.

Don't buy into the rhetoric too much. On some plays, he made blocks that he should make. It is not like he owned anybody. Geno Atkins threw his 400-pound carcass around too you know.

Dwyer is what he is... very impressive, when he is healthy and motivated. But he still doesn't show the heart/drive that one wants to see. AGAIN... he breaks off a nice run, and he's tapping on his helmet for someone to spell him... :-(

THIS IS YOUR BIG SHOT. #1 and #2 were OUT. It is your chance to take the bull by the horns. Now, his numbers do say that he had a nice game still, but it certainly couldve been more.

[Jooser]

The bus was a little more nimble in the open field.... :D

[8467thekraken]

Man. Dwyer gets no love.

The KID gets his first start in the NFL and runs for 120+ yards and still can't get any love.

I mean, when we needed him, he stepped up and delivered.

While other players were dropping balls left and right, he took care of his business.

I really hope this was his coming out party.
Pretty good one if you ask me.

[feltdizz]

Dwyer had a great game... I hope he builds on it.

[D Rock]

Man. Dwyer gets no love.

The KID gets his first start in the NFL and runs for 120+ yards and still can't get any love.

I mean, when we needed him, he stepped up and delivered.

While other players were dropping balls left and right, he took care of his business.

I really hope this was his coming out party.
Pretty good one if you ask me.

Remember Isaac Redman? Pretty similar to his first game starting, and 6 games later everyone has thrown him on the trash heap.

[Iron Shiek]

He has a good game because the OL was blowing people up...especially Colon. Shoot Adams even had some nice blocks.

Hell yes...our O-Line was fantastic. Cut down on holding (injuring our own players).

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I give him credit for a good game, but the Bus comparison is a little lofty. Bus had an extra gear when he made it into the open field, and some surreal moves for such a big man. Maybe it is because he has run only behind the Steelers O line, but Dwyer almost seemed shocked when he made it into open field. :D

[aggiebones]

I've been anti-Dwyer for many reasons, but I will give him mad props today. I think there were more opportunities there against this D and the line was great, but he made things happen and wasn't easy to tackle like I've seen in the past from him after a few carries.
I'm not anointing him anything, but if guys are hurt another week...I wouldn't mind seeing him get a full game of carries again.

[phillyesq]

Dwyer had a great game... I hope he builds on it.

Well said. He has shown flashes, but I'd like to see him build from this and add some consistency going forward. I think think the Steelers will be best served with Mendenhall starting and Dwyer/Redman in a complimentary role.

[RuthlessBurgher]

I give him credit for a good game, but the Bus comparison is a little lofty. Bus had an extra gear when he made it into the open field, and some surreal moves for such a big man. Maybe it is because he has run only behind the Steelers O line, but Dwyer almost seemed shocked when he made it into open field. :D

I think the Bus comparison here stems from the Chat room last night where I noted how Dwyer, who supposedly came into camp this year in the best condition of his life (unlike previous years), still seemed like he was carrying a Bus gut.

[ikestops85]

Dwyer is starting to win me over but I'm not quite there yet. Sure he had a great game but after running twenty yards and then basically falling over forward he tapped out of the game. In a pre-season game, Redman, carried the ball 8 straight times with the last carry going for thirty yards and he tapped out of the game. Redman caught a rash of crap for that and was in Tomlins doghouse because of it.

Dwyer has finally shown me he has talent. Now he has to show me he has heart.

[Snatch98]

Dwyer is starting to win me over but I'm not quite there yet. Sure he had a great game but after running twenty yards and then basically falling over forward he tapped out of the game. In a pre-season game, Redman, carried the ball 8 straight times with the last carry going for thirty yards and he tapped out of the game. Redman caught a rash of crap for that and was in Tomlins doghouse because of it.

Dwyer has finally shown me he has talent. Now he has to show me he has heart.

Are you talking about the ONE instance where he tried to make contact with the defensive back and the back pulled back enough to make him go to the ground? It was the only time I saw him fall forward in a manner that made him APPEAR gassed. He was all talent and heart IMO last night.

[flippy]

I think the Bus comparison here stems from the Chat room last night where I noted how Dwyer, who supposedly came into camp this year in the best condition of his life (unlike previous years), still seemed like he was carrying a Bus gut.

I had this feeling Collinsworth was in chat last night. Almost everything discussed in chat made it's way to him. You commented about Dwyer looking like the Bus. The Chris talked about the same thing.

We were all complaining about Rainey up the middle and Chris mentions how the Bengals are daring the Steelers to run Rainey up the middle by changing their D when he's in the backfield.

It was like CC was repeating or responding to everything typed. Although I was surprised he didn't acknowledge 50 Shades of Jooser as the key to our victory.

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

I had this feeling Collinsworth was in chat last night. Almost everything discussed in chat made it's way to him. You commented about Dwyer looking like the Bus. The Chris talked about the same thing.

We were all complaining about Rainey up the middle and Chris mentions how the Bengals are daring the Steelers to run Rainey up the middle by changing their D when he's in the backfield.

It was like CC was repeating or responding to everything typed. Although I was surprised he didn't acknowledge 50 Shades of Jooser as the key to our victory.

Hush! What happens in Chat stays in Chat, right? You're going to make you-know-who blush again ;)!

[Jooser]

Right on Flippy, I bet Collinsworth was Invisible....:cool:

[Jooser]

Hush! What happens in Chat stays in Chat, right? You're going to make you-know-who blush again ;)!

:D Doh, too late! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Dwyer is starting to win me over but I'm not quite there yet. Sure he had a great game but after running twenty yards and then basically falling over forward he tapped out of the game. In a pre-season game, Redman, carried the ball 8 straight times with the last carry going for thirty yards and he tapped out of the game. Redman caught a rash of crap for that and was in Tomlins doghouse because of it.

Dwyer has finally shown me he has talent. Now he has to show me he has heart.

I think that you are referring to this instance:




1-10-PIT 11 (8:23) 27-J.Dwyer right end to PIT 22 for 11 yards (51-D.Skuta; 20-R.Nelson).
1-10-PIT 22 (7:41) 27-J.Dwyer left guard to PIT 26 for 4 yards (58-R.Maualuga).
2-6-PIT 26 (7:02) 27-J.Dwyer right tackle to PIT 30 for 4 yards (93-M.Johnson).
3-2-PIT 30 (6:25) 27-J.Dwyer left tackle to CIN 49 for 21 yards (20-R.Nelson).






Four consecutive run plays for 40 yards, most backs are coming out. I think that you are exaggerating about Redman having 8 consecutive carries in a pre-season game.

[Oviedo]

Man. Dwyer gets no love.

The KID gets his first start in the NFL and runs for 120+ yards and still can't get any love.

I mean, when we needed him, he stepped up and delivered.

While other players were dropping balls left and right, he took care of his business.

I really hope this was his coming out party.
Pretty good one if you ask me.

If his name was Issac Redman you would have posters falling all over themseleves to make space for him in the Hall of Fame. Dwyer did a great job, however to compare him to Bettis is laughable. Let Dwyer perform like that for about another dozen games before we even make such a silly comparison

[hawaiiansteel]

Benching spurs Steelers RB Dwyer to huge game

By Alan Robinson
Published: Monday, October 22, 2012

http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=$p$p4 IoQB9ZSQ2RkGq_fJ8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYs82wM3nTQWnCh KmIPBeEPrWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

Steelers running back Jonathan Dwyer put the game away with a first-down run against the Bengals late in the fourth quarter on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012, at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati

Coach Mike Tomlin didn’t hide his displeasure that Jonathan Dwyer’s lost fumble cost the Steelers a valuable possession during their last-second loss Sept. 23 in Oakland.

So Tomlin delivered a message to Dwyer, and made certain his teammates knew about it, too.

According to right guard Ramon Foster, Tomlin posted on the team meeting room message board that Dwyer wouldn’t play the next week against Philadelphia. Tomlin also held him out of the Tennessee game.

For Dwyer, it was one fumble and two games lost.

“Coach put it on the board for everyone to know that he wasn’t playing that weekend,” Foster said after Dwyer ran for 122 yards in his first career start, the Steelers’ 24-17 win Sunday night in Cincinnati. “I’m glad to see him respond.”

Dwyer, back in uniform for the first time since the fumble, ran for 122 yards and a 7.2 yards per carry average in his first career start. It was the most yards by a Steelers back since Rashard Mendenhall ran for 146 yards in a 17-13 decision over Jacksonville on Oct. 16, 2011.

“That will make you hungry right there,” Foster said of Tomlin’s decision to hold out Dwyer. “That will make you hungry.”

The Steelers’ 167 rushing yards were their most in eight games dating to last season, and all that production wasn’t entirely the result of them going against the NFL’s 21st-ranked rushing defense.

Dwyer’s performance helped make the Steelers (3-3) multidimensional offensively for the first time in an uneven season. They came in with 1,429 yards rushing but only 379 yards rushing, their most lopsided balance since the Tommy Maddox-led offense of 2003.

Dwyer’s second career 100-yard game came with the top two running backs, Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman, and starting offensive linemen Maurkice Pouncey and Marcus Gilbert out with injuries. Rookie Mike Adams also made his first career start at right tackle.

“It was an opportunity, and the next man is supposed to step up,” Dwyer said. “There’s no letdown, even though our top two guys went down.”

Similarly, the offensive line responded with its best effort of an uneven season, as illustrated by left guard Willie Colon’s pile-driving block on rookie Vontaze Burfict. Not only did Colon pancake Burfict into the ground, he kept on driving into him even while the two were on the turf.

“I was hungry and tired of losing on the road,” Colon said, referring to the Steelers’ 0-3 start away from home. “If I’ve got to start a fight to get this team going, I’ve got no problem doing it. ... For me, if I have to be the bully, I have no problem doing it.”

Dwyer said, “All that did was fire us up.”

Now the question is whether Dwyer earned another start against the Redskins (3-4) on Sunday at Heinz Field. There is a chance Mendenhall and Redman will return.

“I’m impressed with him,” Foster said. “Maybe a few years down the road he’ll be one of the great backs here.”

It wasn’t all Dwyer, either; rookie Chris Rainey, the No. 5 running back on the depth chart, scored his first career touchdown on a victory-sealing 11-yard run.

“It felt good, but I know how to win,” the former Florida player said. “I know what it feels like to win. I know what it takes to win.”

For the first time since they won Jan. 1 at Cleveland, 13-9, the Steelers knew what it took to win on the road, too. All they needed was a running game.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2816044-85/dwyer-steelers-yards-start-career-tomlin-win-game-foster-rushing#ixzz2A8bu1CNI

[RuthlessBurgher]

If his name was Issac Redman you would have posters falling all over themseleves to make space for him in the Hall of Fame. Dwyer did a great job, however to compare him to Bettis is laughable. Let Dwyer perform like that for about another dozen games before we even make such a silly comparison

Sure, but one other Bettis-Dwyer comparison is that Bettis always seemed to have his biggest games against Cincy, and that happened to be Dwyer's breakout game as well.

[lloydroid]

There really is no comparison to Bettis any where to be found. He was a very unique, special back. And he also carried about 40 more lbs than JD. He was the ONLY big back to have such a long career. Most big backs are done in a few seasons. But we don't need JD to be Bus; we just need JD to be a JD giving full effort and in relative good shape and we will be fine.

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers' Jonathan Dwyer's rise forces tough decisions

By Marc Sessler
Around the League Writer
Published: Oct. 24, 2012

The Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to run the ball this season, but Jonathan Dwyer's breakout performance against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night offers hope.

Dwyer's 122 yards on the ground was the most by a Steelers back in more than a year, but the third-year pro knows who's boss in Pittsburgh. Rashard Mendenhall is close to returning from an Achilles' injury and Isaac Redman (ankle) is on his way back, too. Dwyer won't stand in their way.

"If they were to be back, I have no problem," Dwyer told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "He (Mendenhall) is the starter and he's earned that here. All I tried to do Sunday was solidify myself as a player."

Coach Mike Tomlin said Dwyer is "evolving as a player and as a person," and beat writer Mark Kaboly believes the young back might eventually take over the starting role if he continues to shine over the final 10 games of the season.

Mendenhall's in the final year of his rookie deal. The Steelers are paying him $2 million this year, and might shy away from a big second contract for a running back coming off knee surgery.

Dwyer will be a restricted free agent in 2013 and the Steelers have decisions to make in their backfield. Pittsburgh is targeted to land as high as $15 million over the salary cap heading into next season, and somebody won't be back. It's a subplot to keep an eye on in the Steel City.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...ough-decisions (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000084658/article/steelers-jonathan-dwyers-rise-forces-tough-decisions)

[hawaiiansteel]

Steelers film session: Dwyer proving to be Bus-like

By Tribune-Review
Published: Monday, October 29, 2012

http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=7Rpnw AOZEszuRvpK2Dj4dM$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYsuYcnnSUQmdXq TGn$xN97MWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

Steelers running back Johnathan Dwyer plays against the Redskins' at Heinz Field Oct. 28, 2012. Chaz Palla | Tribune Review


Jonathan Dwyer has been compared to Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis because of their similar running styles.

One hit wouldn’t typically bring down Bettis, and Dwyer is proving he rarely goes down on the first hit, either. That again became evident Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

Dwyer rushed for more than 100 yards in his second consecutive start, and a lot of those yards came after he was initially hit.

Dwyer (5-foot-11, 229 pounds) carried 17 times for 107 yards, 68 coming after first contact. Add that to the 114 of his 122 yards coming after contact in a win over Cincinnati on Oct. 21, and that’s 71 percent of his yards in his two career starts coming after contact.

Dwyer’s biggest yards-after-contact play against the Redskins came in the first quarter, when he cut back and raced 15 yards untouched before running over safety Reed Doughty to gain another 19 yards.

Dwyer is averaging 4.1 yards per attempt after contact — second best in the league behind Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller, who leads the league at 4.7 yards. No other running back in the NFL average more than 3.3 yards per attempt after contact.

Other observations

• The Redskins apparently didn’t believe it would benefit them by putting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger, thus adding pressure to their already suspect secondary. Washington sent more than four pass rushers only four times in 30 non-goal-line situations, and Roethlisberger made them pay when they did send more than four. Roethlisberger completed 3 of 4 passes for 47 yards in those situations. The only incompletion was a drop by Emmanuel Sanders.

• Mike Wallace, who caught seven passes for 62 yards, is averaging about 7 fewer yards per reception compared to two years ago, and that lack of sending the speedy receiver deep continued Sunday. Wallace had passes thrown to him of 8, 3, -3, 13, 5, 9, 7, 3 and 10 yards.

• The Redskins add elements to their read/option scheme every week. However, against the Steelers, the option wasn’t a big part of the game plan, especially when it came to Robert Griffin III. Only eight option runs were called (seven went to Alfred Morris), five passes off the option and two designed run calls for Griffin — a quarterback draw and an option read around right end.

• The Redskins were initially credited with 10 dropped passes — Santana Moss four, Josh Morgan two and Leonard Hankerson, Chris Cooley, Evan Royster and Darrel Young one each. In reality, they had seven, but a lot of those were aided by Steelers’ defenders. Will Allen tipped one and dislodged another. Keenan Lewis’ hit on Morgan forced him into a drop. Brett Keisel got his hand in the way of Royster, prompting him not to hold onto a pass. And tight coverage from Cortez Allen and Ike Taylor forced Moss into a drop. Add two poor passes — one to Morgan and another to Moss — and it looked a lot worse for Redskins receivers than it really was.

• Lewis had one of the best games. He allowed two catches for 23 yards and recorded three pass defenses and two impressive tackles — one on Morris behind the line of scrimmage and the other on a quarterback draw that kept Griffin out of the end zone.

• James Harrison didn’t play a competitive snap in nine months because of a knee injury before returning in Week 5. Since then, he missed one snap, and that came against the Redskins. Harrison has been on the field for 243 of the Steelers 244 snaps since his return.

• Want to know how good Maurkice Pouncey is? All you have to do is look at the third-quarter direct snap run by Chris Rainey. Pouncey pulled and slammed into DeAngelo Hall 5 yards downfield, helping Rainey pick up 19 yards. Also impressive was rookie Mike Adams, who was 8 yards downfield knocking London Fletcher backward.

http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/2855698-85/yards-dwyer-redskins-contact-option-passes-hit-running-steelers-coming#ixzz2AkhWMMi3

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

• The Redskins were initially credited with 10 dropped passes — Santana Moss four, Josh Morgan two and Leonard Hankerson, Chris Cooley, Evan Royster and Darrel Young one each. In reality, they had seven, but a lot of those were aided by Steelers’ defenders. Will Allen tipped one and dislodged another. Keenan Lewis’ hit on Morgan forced him into a drop. Brett Keisel got his hand in the way of Royster, prompting him not to hold onto a pass. And tight coverage from Cortez Allen and Ike Taylor forced Moss into a drop. Add two poor passes — one to Morgan and another to Moss — and it looked a lot worse for Redskins receivers than it really was.

Yeah, that's more like it. I love how those with an agenda have been trotting out the 10 drops the past few days. It shows that they either did not actually watch the game or are only trying to further their not-so-hidden agenda.

[feltdizz]

If his name was Issac Redman you would have posters falling all over themseleves to make space for him in the Hall of Fame. Dwyer did a great job, however to compare him to Bettis is laughable. Let Dwyer perform like that for about another dozen games before we even make such a silly comparison

I agree... I guess we should be happy with Dwyer getting less touches now that he showed he can actually produce in a game that mattered. Matter a fact... lets call him nothing more than a #2 RB and downplay anything good that he does until Mendenhall comes back.

God forbid fans like their late round picks when they produce...

[ROLROC]

Don't buy into the rhetoric too much. On some plays, he made blocks that he should make. It is not like he owned anybody. Geno Atkins threw his 400-pound carcass around too you know.

Dwyer is what he is... very impressive, when he is healthy and motivated. But he still doesn't show the heart/drive that one wants to see. AGAIN... he breaks off a nice run, and he's tapping on his helmet for someone to spell him... :-(

THIS IS YOUR BIG SHOT. #1 and #2 were OUT. It is your chance to take the bull by the horns. Now, his numbers do say that he had a nice game still, but it certainly couldve been more.
While he has put a spark in the running game, this is still my problem with Dwyer and where the Bus comparison doesn't work. He needs to work on his endurance (like some HIIT training). After a decent run, he seems to always want and need a breather. Though this is less of an issue if Mendenhall and/or Redman are 100% healthy.

[papillon]

I like Dwyer's running style and the way he chews up yards. His style is the type that frustrates defense because he gets consistent yardage with some decent sized runs mixed in. He makes yards after contact and can turn a decent run into a big play by running through a tackle. It appears he'll get the call against the Giants provided the injury doesn't keep him out of the game. Another solid performance against the G-men would be great and certainly put the Steelers in a position to win the game.

Don't hate on Dwyer because of things said by pundits and scouts, watch what he's doing and celebrate the consistency he's brought to the game the past two weeks.

Pappy

[SidSmythe]

Sorry but the only similarity that I see between Dwyer and Bettis are their uniforms (except last weekend).

[NorthCoast]

Bettis had that "won't be denied" element to every one of his runs. While Dwyer has shown much improvement, I don't see the same attitude on every run and he gets dinged up way more than Bettis did. Seems Dwyer is alway on the injury list or pulls out of the game for some ailment or other. At the same age, Bettis was way more ready and reliable than Dwyer. But, Bettis isn't on the team, so Dwyer is the man now.

[steelz09]

Maybe it's just me but I have to see a BUNCH more before Dwyer should be in comparison with a future HOFer in Bettis.

[fezziwig]

It is a nice prolem to have with all the good/great runninbacks on our team. Mendnhall, Dwyer, Redman, Rainy. Yep, I bet many teams would love to have any of the three or four of our guys. I still believe Mendnhall is the cream of the crop.

[Sugar]

Jonathan Dwyer validating Pittsburgh Steelers' faith in him (http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000088632/article/jonathan-dwyer-validating-pittsburgh-steelers-faith-in-him)