BlitzburghRockCity
08-10-2011, 10:54 AM
Kovacevic of the Tribune Review wrote an interesting article about this very subject.
The Tomlin classic of line of, "We're going to run him till the wheels fall off" still haunts Steelers fans even a few years later. Perhaps it cost Fast Willie Parker a couple extra years of his career. Perhaps not though.
Either way, Mendenhall is getting the lions share of the carries the last 2 seasons. Should the Steelers try and spell him more this season, realistically? Should they even bother doing so? Let's face it, running backs are a commodity, do you try and get everything out of him for as long as you can and thereby potentially shortening his career? Do you try and save his legs and give Redman more carries? If Mendenhall is hot can you justify pulling him out for a series or 2 just to rest him? The shelf life of quality running backs is not that long considering the pounding they take. When you factor in the Steelers offensive line troubles in recent years it potentially compounds the problem.
There are pros and cons either way. You don't want him to wear out by the time the playoffs start. With so few games in the NFL though, compared to other leagues, every win is important so you have to give it your best shot with your best players every week. Or maybe you follow the thinking that keeping him around longer is a good idea because he is a special player so give him less carries?
I have no reason to think that Redman couldn't be effective if he sees an increased role. He excels in short yardage situation but who's to say he couldn't excel with more carries between the 20's?
Excerpt from the article in the Trib (Kovacevic:%20Steelers%20must%20spell%20Mendenhall %20-%20Pittsburgh%20Tribune-Review%20http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_750843.html#ixzz1Udb5xaXa)
Flash forward to Baltimore on the 11th of September: Rashard Mendenhall bursts through a hole in the Steelers' line but is barreled backward by the Ravens' Ray Lewis. His ankle bends awkwardly. He is carted off the field, cringing in pain.
Mike Tomlin looks down his sideline and sends in ...
No easy answer, is there?
Well, the Steelers had better find one, sooner rather than later.
Mendenhall has been one part force, two parts workhorse the past two seasons, with 627 carries and 2,611 yards, including playoffs. That's the third-most carries in the NFL in that span. Yeah, he's 24 years young, tough, durable, and he holds onto the football more often than James Harrison thinks. But this is a grind not even Earl Campbell could sustain.
Not that anyone concerned will acknowledge it.
I asked Mendenhall about his workload yesterday at St. Vincent College, and he came back flatly: "That's part of the game, part of your job as a running back. I'm preparing to carry whatever load I'm given."
Kirby Wilson, the Steelers' running backs coach, shrugged it off, too: "He's fine. He's a young man. He's built for it, and we feel like he's a special runner. Why take him off the field?"
The Tomlin classic of line of, "We're going to run him till the wheels fall off" still haunts Steelers fans even a few years later. Perhaps it cost Fast Willie Parker a couple extra years of his career. Perhaps not though.
Either way, Mendenhall is getting the lions share of the carries the last 2 seasons. Should the Steelers try and spell him more this season, realistically? Should they even bother doing so? Let's face it, running backs are a commodity, do you try and get everything out of him for as long as you can and thereby potentially shortening his career? Do you try and save his legs and give Redman more carries? If Mendenhall is hot can you justify pulling him out for a series or 2 just to rest him? The shelf life of quality running backs is not that long considering the pounding they take. When you factor in the Steelers offensive line troubles in recent years it potentially compounds the problem.
There are pros and cons either way. You don't want him to wear out by the time the playoffs start. With so few games in the NFL though, compared to other leagues, every win is important so you have to give it your best shot with your best players every week. Or maybe you follow the thinking that keeping him around longer is a good idea because he is a special player so give him less carries?
I have no reason to think that Redman couldn't be effective if he sees an increased role. He excels in short yardage situation but who's to say he couldn't excel with more carries between the 20's?
Excerpt from the article in the Trib (Kovacevic:%20Steelers%20must%20spell%20Mendenhall %20-%20Pittsburgh%20Tribune-Review%20http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_750843.html#ixzz1Udb5xaXa)
Flash forward to Baltimore on the 11th of September: Rashard Mendenhall bursts through a hole in the Steelers' line but is barreled backward by the Ravens' Ray Lewis. His ankle bends awkwardly. He is carted off the field, cringing in pain.
Mike Tomlin looks down his sideline and sends in ...
No easy answer, is there?
Well, the Steelers had better find one, sooner rather than later.
Mendenhall has been one part force, two parts workhorse the past two seasons, with 627 carries and 2,611 yards, including playoffs. That's the third-most carries in the NFL in that span. Yeah, he's 24 years young, tough, durable, and he holds onto the football more often than James Harrison thinks. But this is a grind not even Earl Campbell could sustain.
Not that anyone concerned will acknowledge it.
I asked Mendenhall about his workload yesterday at St. Vincent College, and he came back flatly: "That's part of the game, part of your job as a running back. I'm preparing to carry whatever load I'm given."
Kirby Wilson, the Steelers' running backs coach, shrugged it off, too: "He's fine. He's a young man. He's built for it, and we feel like he's a special runner. Why take him off the field?"