Mendenhall Comfortable

[Oviedo]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

If there is one part of our team I am most excited about , it's Mendenhall. I fully expect him to supplant Willie as the starter at some point during the season. His emergence along with at least minimal improvement in run blocking will be the single biggest factor in us repeating. Our D will be there , tough , nasty and just plain awesome. Ben will be Ben , doing what he needs to when he needs to. Add a rejuvenated running game into the mix and your looking at a very dynamic team. Imagine the possibilities if teams are actually concerned with our run game again.

yep...mendy is going to be a staple in the steelers backfield for many years to come

For 5 years anyway which is the life of an NFL RB. I'd love to see FWP and Mendy as a two headed monster this year and then Mendy and Summers starting next year. You need two solid RBs to have an effectiuve running game in the NFL as we say with the Giants and the Jacobs/Ward duo.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

If there is one part of our team I am most excited about , it's Mendenhall. I fully expect him to supplant Willie as the starter at some point during the season. His emergence along with at least minimal improvement in run blocking will be the single biggest factor in us repeating. Our D will be there , tough , nasty and just plain awesome. Ben will be Ben , doing what he needs to when he needs to. Add a rejuvenated running game into the mix and your looking at a very dynamic team. Imagine the possibilities if teams are actually concerned with our run game again.

yep...mendy is going to be a staple in the steelers backfield for many years to come

For 5 years anyway which is the life of an NFL RB. I'd love to see FWP and Mendy as a two headed monster this year and then Mendy and Summers starting next year. You need two solid RBs to have an effectiuve running game in the NFL as we say with the Giants and the Jacobs/Ward duo.

RB's tend to hit a wall when they approach the age of 30...since Rocket Rashard was only 20 years old when he drafted him, he should have more than just a 5 year shelf life.

[NW Steeler]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

I'd like to see Mendy do a re-creation of the Bettis-Urlacher collision from 2005 on ol' Ray Ray. Now that would be SWEET!! Put some cleat marks right on his chest...for a game-clinching TD to boot!

And one more thing.....

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

I'd like to see Mendy do a re-creation of the Bettis-Urlacher collision from 2005 on ol' Ray Ray. Now that would be SWEET!! Put some cleat marks right on his chest...for a game-clinching TD to boot!

And one more thing.....

Rashard could do that to Keith Bulluck in the opener as well (you know, one play after Harrison lays LenDale White out with a slobberknocker that causes a fumble, of course!)

[Jooser]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

ah, we shoulda drafted Steve Slaton....

He was a steal all things considered. However I do expect Mendenhall to be that and more. The difference is Mendenhall has the body to shed tackles and the elusiveness to avoid em. He's in my opinion a prototypical running back and he's a high character guy.

I know, I really like Mendy too. I just like to yank the anti-WVU chains every once in a while!

[NorthCoast]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

If there is one part of our team I am most excited about , it's Mendenhall. I fully expect him to supplant Willie as the starter at some point during the season. His emergence along with at least minimal improvement in run blocking will be the single biggest factor in us repeating. Our D will be there , tough , nasty and just plain awesome. Ben will be Ben , doing what he needs to when he needs to. Add a rejuvenated running game into the mix and your looking at a very dynamic team. Imagine the possibilities if teams are actually concerned with our run game again.

Blocking is a big part of the running game so I hope a returning OL with greater continuity can get better in this area. Too often last year opponents ran run blitzes that destroyed the blocking schemes that were called and blew up running plays for losses. The OL needs to react better to those.

For as good as FWP is, he seems to struggle to find holes to blow through at times during games. Yes, the OL did not help much, but he had plenty of carries with (-) yards and I say this is because he either did not find the hole or he failed to make the first tackler miss. Bettis used to preach that....its on the RB to make that first tackler miss.




No doubt about it , the line must at least show some improvement but I'm not gonna hold my breath and expect a night and day change. I also believe Mendy is going to be able to "do more with less" if you will. I love Willie , I really do. His story is great and he is a dynamic runner when the blocking is just right. However in just a few games last year you could obviously see the difference in Mendy and Parker. Rashard has much better body control and instincts , better pass catcher etc.

I firmly believe it will be a big year for Mendenhall.

[Oracle]

Re: Mendenhall Comfortable

Something else to keep in mind...

mendy should be a much better blocker on blitz pick ups than wilie, considering his natural size and strength, smarts, and good vision. also when he slips that LB and peels off into the flat he should be very dangerous on the quick dump pass. i predict this will help ben tremendously.