Blessing in Disguise

[Winters in Holland]

This one is probably going to get me bent over and banged here, but I must continue.

Although Parker's injury is an untimely tragedy, especially with him having a shot at the NFL rushing title, having Najei Davenport as our feature back from here on out may give us a better shot against AFC heavyweights like Jacksonville and New England in the playoffs.

Parker torched both teams when fucking Arians actually gave him the ball this year, but during the playoffs, especially in cold weather cities like Pittsburgh and Foxborough, defenses tend to tighten up against the run.

A large-bodied grinder like Davenport may be better suited to getting the short yards that move the chains over a faster finesse guy like Parker.  I love Willie, but if the holes aren't there, he often times has trouble getting back to the line of scrimmage.  

I'll publicly apologize for being a dumbass if Davenport bombs, but I think there's a very good chance us fans- and the Steelers' upcoming opponents- could be seriously surprised at how effective our running game still is with Najei carrying the loaf.  The change could gear us better during our playoff run, however long or short that may be.


.WiH.

[jcharding]

I simply cannot fathom why so many people cannot wait to replace the NFL's leading rusher.  No, he is not Jerome Bettis.  But who is?  Stop wishing for something that doesn't exist, and pray that FWP makes a complete recovery.

[JackSplat]

yeah, it could be a small blessing in disguise to give dookie a chance to shine against some heavy D lines...but sure as hell leaves no depth what-so-ever!

but dookie will get shit down just as much as Willie did against the big boys, so unno.  Dont know about the rest of yinzers, but i wouldnt mind seeing Ben chucking the rock ala Tom Brady and the Patriots throughout the playoffs.

I think Ben has proven that he can make sound decisions this year, so why the hell not?

[DoctorJohnnyFever]

Willie's great, love him, but he's not irreplaceable. He's a running back. They grow on trees. Besides, put it in Ben's hands.

[Winters in Holland]

I simply cannot fathom why so many people cannot wait to replace the NFL's leading rusher.  No, he is not Jerome Bettis.  But who is?  Stop wishing for something that doesn't exist, and pray that FWP makes a complete recovery.

There's a difference between wanting a guy to fail/be injured, and trying to find a positive spin on something when he goes down.

I hated seeing Parker get hurt, and frankly, if it was between the Steelers losing in the 2nd round of the playoffs without him, or losing in the 1st round but having him win the rushing title, I'd probably take the latter of the two for Willie's sake.

I simply think this could make us better suited against the PLAYOFF-defenses in the upcoming weeks.

Parker was a great regular season running back, and I'd frankly love to have both he and Najei running together in the playoffs.

But I think being forced to have Davenport- especially since his legs are fairly fresh from not being run much this year- could be a pleasant surprise.


.WiH.

[steelerfaninCO]

Bullocks.....You have been hanging out at Barney's and the Dampkring too much.

[DoctorJohnnyFever]

I don't think the running back is going to make any difference in the playoffs, assuming we get in. It'll all come down to whether or not we protect seven and let him take over games like he did in the '05 playoffs.

I know people don't like looking back at '05 as a comparison because it was such an improbable - AND AWESOME! - run, but here's what the Steelers did rushing in each game:

Cincy: 144 (204 passing)
Indy:  112 (183 passing)
Denver: 90 (268 passing)
Seattle 181 (158 passing) - Keep in mind, 76 of those yards came on one run from Willie.

So, I think it's all going to come down to how far Ben takes us, or, more accurately, how far the offensive line allows him to take us.



 

[JackSplat]

I simply think this could make us better suited against the PLAYOFF-defenses in the upcoming weeks.
 

I really dont see dookie being that big a factor more than Willie ever could of in the 2nd season.  Bettis never had a great day in the playoffs against tough teams either.

it all comes down coaching and making adjustments throughout the game.  make no mistakes about it...every team we play in the playoffs will STOP the steeler run game first and foremost.  just becasue Tomlin is running the show now will not make teams play us any differently.

the key to a successfull running game is opening it up through ben's arm.

Lets just hope BA and Tomlin are up to the challenge.  Im sure Tomlin is...

[pensodyssey]

The entire premise of this thread is absurd.  We are a worse team without #39.    


 

[skate919]

The entire premise of this thread is absurd.  We are a worse team without #39.

Quoted for truth.

The two things Najeh has going for him is his size and his patience. The only reason I say patience is that Willie is so fast and he wants to get going so badly, that he just scoots right into the back of an O lineman. I swear if he runs in place for half a second, the holes would develop and then goes he accelerate for 5 yards. Or if BA would call off-tackle runs instead of having Wille run into Mahan while he is inevitably driven backwards. Willie just isn't an in-between the tackle kind of guy.