Harris: Parker needs to share run duties

[SteelCrazy]

I love Parker. I guess it's his come from no where background and while he was in no where, they didn't even use him. A success story from a rag that claimed his riches. I was even optimistic coming in to this year. I felt he had enough of all the, "Willie cant do it anymore", talk and from his 1st carry was going to light the field a flame, one more year. He may still do that this year. However, from the little I have seen of Mendy, he looks like he could triple the action Willie puts out. The sad thing is, it will take an injury to Willie or a stretch of games that absolutely stink up the field before we, the fans of Steeler Nation, get our wish, a bus load of Mendy, Mendy, Mendy!

[Shoe]

what is Fu amatu ma a fala doing these days......he killed me, he could of been something had he not gotten hurt every week, powerful runner that could catch the ball out of the backfield....

Probably working at Sam's Club in Hawaii... he was a fumbler though, if I remember correctly

In this (WP) subject, I sometimes think of the old saying, "when it obvious, it's obviously wrong."

Meaning, since everyone thinks WP should split time, that's the wrong conclusion. However, I still think it is the correct idea. At his best, Parker was a Barry Sanders-type, in the sense of--you put up with all the zero, one-yard, and negative carries cuz he was bound to bust one. That isn't the case anymore with Parker... guy hasn't had a long run since I don't know when (those two vs. NO?).

At least if Mendenhall is getting those carries, we feel like we are putting gas (game experience) into a new car. Putting gas in a car with a bad carberator, bad spark plugs, and bald tires doesn't feel right.

[LouSteel]

At the beginning of this season I didn't really expect much from Willie. I like the man but don't care much for the player.

On the one hand we've only played two games, and they've been against fairly good run D's. But even then, Willie just looks like he's stuck in first gear. Fast Willie used to look for a lane and then bounce right outside and turn on the jets. This Willie dances around and gets dropped.

I'm betting Coach Tomlin starts increasing Mendy's workload. By the middle of the season, I'm expecting a pretty even split, with Mendy pushing for more.

Willie will still fit well in this D. He's the right back for when we get the defense on their heels and the big D linemen start sucking wind. But I think the days of Parker breaking a long run early in the game are over.

[Chadman]

There's a lot of successful teams running 2 or even 3 RB's in a rotation- no reason the Steelers can't evenly split between Parker, Mendenhall & Moore. Parker's drop in effctiveness is alarming, and Mendenhall's non-use is concerning.

[Slapstick]

I think Parker could be more effective if Mendenhall is used first. When the Steelers had a big and small pairing (think Bam and Pegram; Bettis and Famous Amos), they used the big guy first to wear down defenses, and then the smaller, faster guy after the D was worn down. I think the same type of rotation could be effective with Mendy/Parker.

Actually, sir, I think you may have it backwards...back in '95, when the Steelers used Pegram and Morris, Pegram would start the games and tire the defense out by forcing them to chase him around...then, in the second half, the Steelers would put Morris in the game to punish the already tired defense...

[skyhawk]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_644303.html




It was Mendenhall who displayed the blazing speed Parker is noted for when he blasted through a hole on the right side for 39 yards in the third quarter of Sunday's 17-14 loss at Chicago — the Steelers' longest run of the season.

Mendenhall's run set up Ben Roethisberger's 2-yard touchdown dive, which gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead. In all, Mendenhall accounted for 52 of the 69 yards on the scoring drive.

Surprisingly, Mendenhall never touched the ball again.

I still can't figure that out! We all know what Parker can (and can't) do, let's see what Mendy can do!

Amen. Get Mendy 15-20 touches (carries and receptions) per game.

Hard to do when you have one of the worst blocking OL's in the league. It would take the entire game with no passes (lots of 3 and outs, etc) to get that many touches with this line.

As far as receptions, we all know Ben is reluctant to pass the to RB only as a last resort. And I think he (they) have more confidence in Moore than anyone else in this respect.

[frankthetank1]

i have a feeling if last week wasnt proof enough that mendy deserves more opportunity im not sure anything will. if its so obvious parker and mendy should share duties then why dont the coaches feel the same?