Mark Madden mentioned on his Wednesday radio show that there were rumors of Steeler interest in plus-sized RB T.J. Duckett, and I hope that this is merely that - a rumor. Believe it or not, we are going on our eighth year of Duckett-to-the-Steelers rumors. In fact, I wrote about this very topic three years ago when John Clayton was pushing it so hard I thought he might secretly be Duckett's agent. Keep in mind that while this talk was swirling around in 2006, Parker was in the midst of a season that would end with 1,716 yards of offense and 16 touchdowns. Bah. He's not big enough. We're the blue-collar Steelers. We'll get our best 11, you get your best 11, and we'll punch you in the mouth. And so on.
Back then, I heard the tired cliche of stereotypical "Steeler football" one time too often. In fact, here's exactly what I wrote in response:
The Falcons have moved on. The Packers have moved on. But Steeler Nation remains trapped in the vortex of the jumbo back. Please, black and gold bleeders, it's time to move on. The problem with the running game will not be solved with a bigger, slower back who peaked in 2003. T.J. Duckett is not the answer. Jim Brown in his prime would not be the answer to this dilemma. When there aren't holes, the back makes less and less of an impact. Love it or hate it, the Steelers' strength right now is as a passing team. They have one of the game's top quarterbacks, two Super Bowl MVP wide receivers, and one of the league's best tight ends. In fact, the formula works well enough to win a Super Bowl with a running game ranked 23rd just last year. The quicker we get over this fixation, the better we'll feel.
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Back then, I heard the tired cliche of stereotypical "Steeler football" one time too often. In fact, here's exactly what I wrote in response:
The absurdity of hearing "The Steeler Way" in reference to this team is like saying "the Atlanta Falcons must always have a mobile quarterback" or "the Green Bay Packers must always have a gunslinger at QB". Bettis, Michael Vick, and Brett Favre are (or were) all special players. They were who you thought of when a person mentioned the Steelers, the Falcons, and Packers...true faces of their franchises. But the team must adapt at the time those players move on.Since then, the Falcons drafted a new quarterback, and I think we can all say that it's worked out well for them so far. Matt Ryan trusts his arm more than his legs, a style that completely contrasts that of Vick's. As for the Packers also moved on, and I think it's safe to say Aaron Rodgers' style is a bit more conservative than Brett Favre's. If you don't believe me, look no further than his 28 to 13 touchdown to INT ratio last season.
The Falcons have moved on. The Packers have moved on. But Steeler Nation remains trapped in the vortex of the jumbo back. Please, black and gold bleeders, it's time to move on. The problem with the running game will not be solved with a bigger, slower back who peaked in 2003. T.J. Duckett is not the answer. Jim Brown in his prime would not be the answer to this dilemma. When there aren't holes, the back makes less and less of an impact. Love it or hate it, the Steelers' strength right now is as a passing team. They have one of the game's top quarterbacks, two Super Bowl MVP wide receivers, and one of the league's best tight ends. In fact, the formula works well enough to win a Super Bowl with a running game ranked 23rd just last year. The quicker we get over this fixation, the better we'll feel.
