Post Gazette: Parker made a successful run at a few team records

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 11-14-2006, 01:01 AM

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06318/738186-66.stm

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Willie Parker came within 6 yards of setting a Steelers rushing record Sunday. He did set a few standards when he ran 22 times for 213 yards against the New Orleans Saints.

Parker's runs of 72 and 76 yards marked the only time a Steelers player had two runs longer than 70 yards in one game. It's the third time Parker has run for more than 70 yards in his brief career, four if his record Super Bowl run of 75 yards is counted. No other player has done it more than twice.

Steelers players who had two runs of 70 yards or more in their careers were Franco Harris, Frenchy Fuqua and Kordell Stewart. Parker had an 80-yard run in Cleveland Christmas Eve. That run is tied for fourth-longest in club history. His 76-yard run ranks seventh and his 72-yarder is tied for 12th.

Parker's 847 yards rushing this season rank fourth in the NFL and his eight touchdowns rushing are double what he had last season, reflecting the fact that he stays in games when the team nears the goal line. He scored from 4 and 3 yards Sunday.

His average per carry, which had hovered below 4 yards all season, leaped to 4.6 after his big day.

"Willie's doing a good job this year of really being patient," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. "There were a couple of times that he thought he had the outside but he stayed patient and found the hole inside."

I was really hoping he'd break the team records for yards in a game, he came real close. All in all that was one impressive performance ! Congrats to him, he's come a long way !

House of Steel · 11-14-2006, 09:53 AM

I could see him having yet another monsterous day in Cleveland, maybe this time, he will shatter Frenchy's record. I am waiting for that day to come, it isn't too far either.

**AZ_Steeler** · 11-14-2006, 11:18 AM

Instead of lining up in the "V" formation they should of gave him the ball one last time because he probably could of ran off another 70 yarder so he wouldn't have been tied with Barry Sanders of all people

I thought Parker might have had a down year now that everyone knows who he is, but yet he still continues to find a way to make it happen... now he just needs to do it on the road!

**BlitzburghRockCity** · 11-14-2006, 06:47 PM

If teams don't know about him now then its their own fault

Any guy that can rip off a 70 yd run virtually at will is somebody you don't mess around with. Also I think he has a tendancy to lull defenses to sleep. He runs for 4 yds, 5 yds, 3 yds, 8 yds then he breaks off a 30 yd gain. It's a great asset for him.

**Black@Gold Forever32** · 11-14-2006, 08:50 PM

Well against San Diego Willie was having a good game on the road. He had 14 carries for 57 yards a TD. He just didn't get the ball enough in that game. But anyway about Willie Parker and the questions surrounding him before this year about Willie not being a inside the 5 runner. Well after being caught from behind on both his long runs he did punch in both times. That gives him 8 rushing TD's on the year. Most of them have been short yardage TD runs.

Willie also has a very good chance of breaking the Steelers alltime single season TD record which is 15 by Louis Lipps. Willie has 10 total TD's this year. Now if Willie can have another monster game this week against the Browns it could set him up to make a run for Barry Foster's single season rushing yards record of 1,690. I would love to see that. I use to like Barry Foster back in the day. But Barry did have a **** poor attitude at times.