The Pittsburgh Steelers running game remains stalled, badly stalled, two games into their 2012 season. Mike Tomlin minced no words about the subject at his Tuesday press conference declaring “We haven’t run the ball as well as we have liked.”
- That’s some what of an understatement.
In two games the Steelers have only rushed for a combined total of 141 yards – that was often times a single days work for Barry Foster, Jerome Bettis, or Willie Parker.
What’s more, they’re averaging 2.6 yards per carry, which is well below the respectable 4.4 average the achieved in 2011.
Issac “Redzone” Redman, the man who electrified with 100 yard performances against Cleveland in the regular season finale and in the playoffs vs. Denver, is barely eeking out two yards a pop.
Jonathan Dwyer has done a little better, who 3.4 yards per carry verges in respectability, yet after two games he only has 71 yards to his name.
- Those aren’t the totals of even an average, let alone an elite NFL rusher.
But you know what?
Jonathan Dwyer has more rushing yards than the entire Oakland Raiders combined.
That’s right, as a team, the Raiders have only totaled 68 yards rushing. Their star running back Darrell McFadden only has 54 yards to his name (at 2.1 yards a pop.)
Oakland’s number two rusher?
- Quarterback Carlson Palmer.
You know your rushing game is in trouble when your quarterback is your number two rusher and that quarterback happens to be Carlson Palmer (for those who must know, Palmer has carried the ball twice, for 7 yards.)
Mendenhall to Play?
Rashard Mendenhall has been practicing since the Steelers activated him back in training camp and the conventional wisdom is that he will not play until after the Steelers upcoming bye week.
Steelers Digest suggested as recently as a week ago that Mendenhall’s return might not come until Halloween.
Or it could come as early as this week, per Mike Tomlin.
The smart money says that this is a feign by Tomlin, that he won’t risk Mendenhall. But press accounts indicate that Mendenhall has looked very good in practice, and the Steelers rushing game could use a jolt of power.
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